Whether you’re new to towing a trailer or an experienced veteran, the moment your trailer begins to sway can cause sheer panic as thousands of pounds begin moving all over the road behind your tow vehicle.
There are several common causes for trailer sway, including improper weight distribution, tight turns, steep roads, high-speed driving, cross-winds, being passed by a semi-truck, over-correcting, and under-inflated tires. Regardless of what causes it, trailer sway is dangerous. It can quickly cause a driver to overcorrect and veer into another lane or run off the road. In addition to giving everyone in the vehicle quite a scare, such a move can lead to serious accident or injury.
Before you write off RVing for fear of towing your trailer, take a breath and keep reading. The industry has tackled this terrifying problem and provides plenty of solutions to combat trailer sway -- including weight distribution hitches.
What are weight distribution hitches?
Weight distribution hitches work to counteract and eliminate sway and vehicle sag, resulting in a safer towing experience. They operate by redistributing the weight of a trailer and its load from the rear axle of the towing vehicle to the front axle and the trailer axles. They achieve this by using spring bars that are attached to the trailer's frame and the hitch receiver.
When the trailer pushes down on the hitch, the spring bars transfer some of that weight to the front axle of the towing vehicle, improving stability and balance for safer towing. The hitch ensures that the tongue weight of the trailer is at a safe 10-15% of the load, preventing the chance of losing control from trailer sway.
Essentially, weight distribution hitches evenly distribute the total weight of the trailer (hence their name). This includes cargo, fuel, and anything else in the vehicle, as well as the vehicle and trailer’s axles, relieving the bumper for increased safety and maneuverability. Without the use of a weight distribution hitch, all the weight of your trailer rests primarily on the rear axle, and this in turn, increases the chance of trailer sway.
Stand-Out Brands
Husky Towing Products offers the Centerline TS weight distribution hitch, which combines weight distribution and sway control in one unit, and minimizes the lateral movement of your trailer during windy conditions and when passing vehicles. Similarly, Reese’s integrated sway control weight distribution kit is super versatile, with an 11,500-pound capacity and included pre-installed components such as a hitch ball and torqued sway control ball.
There are other types of weight-distribution hitches that act slightly different from the more traditional styles described above. For instance, EAZ-LIFT has raised the stakes in safety with its ReCurve R6 product.
Touted as its most user-friendly weight distribution hitch ever, it features premium adaptive sway control. Rather than ‘locking’ the trailer straight as usual, the ReCurve R6 controls sway for normal driving and then automatically disengages the sway control when you turn. This makes maneuvering smoother and easier on the driver. You can turn it off altogether in dangerous or icy road conditions, to ensure more direct control. The ReCurve R6 top-loading spring bars also give it more ground clearance than other weight distribution hitches.
Speaking of dangerous or icy conditions, it is generally recommended that you disengage trailer sway control devices in poor weather to avoid any unintended interventions from the system. But bad weather is one of the most common causes of trailer sway, so what should you do if you plan to hit the road during rainy and snowy months?
The Blue Ox Sway Pro Weight Distribution Hitch provides stability wherever you go – in all weather conditions. First, SwayPro prevents trailer sway before it starts, using spring steel bars to keep constant pressure inward to hold the trailer in place. Better yet, these bars work without friction points to prevent trailer sway in any weather, including rain and snow.
Consider Air Suspension
Air suspension is another tool for towing that helps provide stability, better handling, and a smoother ride. The use of air suspension can help prevent weight shifting during travel. Air suspension inflates or deflates in order to level out the ride and make it smoother.
Air-Lift offers Wireless Air, an air suspension system that uses an advanced wireless controller to make adjustments with the touch of a button. Designed to work with most brands and styles of air springs, Wireless air also offers dual-path control so drivers can set the left and right air springs to different pressures -- perfect for users with uneven or top-heavy loads.
There are other companies that provide solutions to suspension and stability, but without the use of air.
Torklift’s StableLoad Suspension Stabilizer ‘pre-activates’ the stabilizing effect designed for rear springs by keeping them actively under load the way vehicle factory engineers designed them to operate. It’s engineered to improve handling characteristics by ‘pre-loading’ the factory overload spring. In addition to eliminating sag and leveling your ride, StableLoad significantly reduces side-to-side trailer sway and body roll.
Watching Your Weight
Overloading/exceeding weight limits or not distributing weight properly can lead to an overweight RV and trailer sway. This is more dangerous than simply overpacking clothes. Overloading or exceeding weight limits on your RV can become a hazard on the road, cause additional wear and tear on the tires, and even potentially void your insurance coverage if a tire were to blow and cause a crash.
Overweight or improperly distributed weight on trailers can cause your RV to sway as you travel down the road, creating an unsafe and dangerous driving situation. Be sure to check the GVWR, towing capacity, dry weight, and tongue weight of your RV, vehicle, and hitch before hitting the road.
Shopping for a Weight Distribution Hitch
Now that you know a weight distribution hitch is necessary for pulling a travel trailer RV, how do you decide which one to use? Things to consider when shopping for a weight distribution hitch include your trailer’s weight, the tongue weight, and your tow vehicle specs.
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Begin by determining your vehicle’s towing capacity. This should be available in your vehicle’s manual or online. You can account for additional towing capacity if your vehicle features a tow package, but just remember that many manufacturer tow ratings are embellished. They also weren’t calculated based on your specific setup – like those bikes you plan to bring, or the two kids in the backseat. It’s wise to subtract 10% off the manufacturer’s number as a safety margin.
- Next, consider your trailer’s weight. You can usually find the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) on the VIN sticker of your trailer. The GVWR is the empty weight of the trailer. It should also include the max capacity rating, meaning what the weight of your trailer is when it’s full of cargo and potentially full water tanks.
- Many experienced RVers recommend giving yourself a 1,000-pound buffer on maximum tow weight. So, if your SUV can tow 4,000 pounds, then your trailer should not exceed 3,000 pounds.
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Tongue weight is another important factor. Since travel trailers use traditional ball mounts to attach to the tow vehicle, you need to consider how much downward force the trailer exerts on that hitch ball. The general rule of thumb is to keep tongue weight at 10-15% of the trailer’s total weight.
Most importantly, remember that no aftermarket product will increase towing capacity; it can only optimize it by – you guessed it – helping with weight distribution. If you find that you need greater towing capacity, then you need a different tow vehicle.
Tips for Towing Safely and Avoiding Sway
Here are a few additional tips that can help during hook-up and while towing your RV:
- Keep it level. When hooking up your trailer, make sure both your trailer and tow vehicle are level and that the hitch height is adjusted properly. It can be helpful to have a friend on hand to help you back up to the right spot.
- Check tire pressure. Maintain the correct tire pressure on both your towing vehicle and trailer tires. Underinflated tires can increase the risk of sway, so regularly check and inflate them to the recommended levels.
- Make a test run. To enure you don’t have any issues with your hitch setup, make a test run in a parking lot before you hit the road. This will allow you to quickly identify any problems with your hitch setup and give you time to fix it.
- Slow and steady. Reduce your speed when towing, especially in adverse weather or road conditions, and any avoid sudden accelerations, sharp turns, and abrupt braking. Make gradual maneuvers to minimize the risk of sway.
- Prioritize routine maintenance. Routine maintenance on your hitch components will go a long way in making your ride a smooth one. Visually inspect the hitch before each trip, and use a lubricant like WD-40 to keep hitch components lubricated and safe from metal-on-metal contact. It will also help prevent rust and corrosion. Maintaining the hitch components and ensuring they’re in good condition will make your next trip the safest and smoothest one yet.