Do I need a sway bar?

[uchwear]

My truck is rated to tow 6000 lbs.  My unloaded camper weight is approx. 1500 lbs.  Do I need a sway bar for this setup?

Thanks

[wavery]

My truck is rated to tow 6000 lbs.  My unloaded camper weight is approx. 1500 lbs.  Do I need a sway bar for this setup?

Thanks

Too little info..... :confused:

I doubt it but what kind of truck do you have and what camper? It may help answer your question. Someone with a similar set-up may even respond.

A lot of sway conditions may be stimulated by the way the trailer rides. It should be level and have at least 10% tongue weight. In your set-up, more may be better.

[uchwear]

I have a 2001 Ford F150 Supercrew.  The camper is a 1999 starcraft 2107.

Too little info..... :confused:

I doubt it but what kind of truck do you have and what camper? It may help answer your question. Someone with a similar set-up may even respond.

A lot of sway conditions may be stimulated by the way the trailer rides. It should be level and have at least 10% tongue weight. In your set-up, more may be better.

[ScoobyDoo]

If a trailer wants to sway there is something wrong.  Tounge hi or low, tire preesure, overload tires, miss loaded or overloaded trailer. If you can't find or fix what is wrong, put a bandaid on it.

['tiredTeacher]

In one word - NO

 I tow my 2107 with a Tundra. I don't even know it's back there.

[GeneF]

It depends on a lot on the setup.

I pulled popups with five different minivans and didn't have a problem until I hooked up a 12 foot Mesa to a Sienna.  Then, I did need a sway bar.  

Pulled the Mesa with my Silverado and didn't need the sway bar.

I doubt that you will need one with your truck.

[skamper75]

I used a friends '99 f150 reg cab to pull a 18' deep v boat from up north, 700 miles. The boat swayed a good bit at times but I only knew cause I would watch it in the mirror. I never felt the truck quiver a bit.

[wynot]

If a trailer wants to sway there is something wrong. Tounge hi or low, tire preesure, overload tires, miss loaded or overloaded trailer. If you can't find or fix what is wrong, put a bandaid on it.

Sometimes the problem isn't any of the above, certain model Colemans sway naturally from the factory.  For my Utah not to sway, I needed to substantially change loading.  We have probably 300 lbs in the 150 lb max storage trunk, two propane tanks, two batteries, all canned goods at the inside front of the camper, water in the hot water heater, etc.
 
Looking at the original specs, an unloaded Utah has about 4% of its weight on the tongue.  When I actively tried to address the sway, I was at 7%.  We're now about about 17% which works pretty well.  Even 15% twitched a bit.
 
But even so, I wouldn't go down the road at highway speeds without that sway bar on and tight.

[ScoobyDoo]

Looking at the original specs, an unloaded Utah has about 4% of its weight on the tongue.  

  It looks to me that this would be a miss load, even if the factory loaded it that way. My point stands.

[dcampbell1969]

I could probably get by without one, but I feel more safe with one.  I tend to get a little sway around 65, and I may push 70 on occasion, so sway bar is needed at that speed with my set up.

[wavery]

Sometimes the problem isn't any of the above, certain model Colemans sway naturally from the factory.  For my Utah not to sway, I needed to substantially change loading.  We have probably 300 lbs in the 150 lb max storage trunk, two propane tanks, two batteries, all canned goods at the inside front of the camper, water in the hot water heater, etc.
 
Looking at the original specs, an unloaded Utah has about 4% of its weight on the tongue.  When I actively tried to address the sway, I was at 7%.  We're now about about 17% which works pretty well.  Even 15% twitched a bit.
 
But even so, I wouldn't go down the road at highway speeds without that sway bar on and tight.

WOW!!! 4% tongue weight from the factory :confused:

It sounds to me like this trailer was designed with the axle too far forward. That would guarantee a built in sway that would be hard to get rid of. :mad:

[wynot]

WOW!!! 4% tongue weight from the factory :confused:
 
It sounds to me like this trailer was designed with the axle too far forward. That would guarantee a built in sway that would be hard to get rid of. :mad:

Basically, most every heavy thing has been put rear of the axle, then combined with a 2 ft box on the front.
 
Rear of the axle-
20 gal water tank
Refrigerator
Cassette Potti
Galley & cupboards
 
Barely in front of the axle-(I guess)
A/C unit
 
In the front -
Water heater - which is supposed to be drained...
150 lb max capacity storage box
 
Love the layout, but the weight distribution leaves a lot to be desired.

[AustinBoston]

WOW!!! 4% tongue weight from the factory :confused:

It sounds to me like this trailer was designed with the axle too far forward. That would guarantee a built in sway that would be hard to get rid of. :mad:

It was.  Our Bayside has the same footprint, and sway is a significant problem (6% tongue weight empty).  I'm all set at about 13-15%, though, before anti-sway device (Reese Mini-350).  I still tend to run at about 17%.

As part of the Coleman-Fleetwood lawsuit fiasco, I believe Fleetwood lawyers said the floor plans need to change.  Many of them got flipped front-to-back.  In the process, all of the axles on 12-foot boxes with storage trunks got moved back. Without a formal admission, I think it is a de facto admission to a design problem.

I can remember stories of dealers that would not let them off the lot without either a sway bar or a signed waiver releasing the dealer from all liability w/r/t sway.

Austin

[ScoobyDoo]

The trailer I pull the most has mt weight of 9,800lb and a TW of 400. Depending on where I'm going I load between 24,000 and 34,000lb. The TW does not change with load. The trailer tracks like it is on rails. Why do camping trailers in U.S. need "10-15%" tounge weight?

[AustinBoston]

The trailer I pull the most has mt weight of 9,800lb and a TW of 400. Depending on where I'm going I load between 24,000 and 34,000lb. The TW does not change with load. The trailer tracks like it is on rails. Why do camping trailers in U.S. need "10-15%" tounge weight?

Is it a 5th wheel?  Does it have 2 (or 3) axles?  Does it have a very long tongue (such as a boat trailer)?  What makes a particular trailer stable or not is more complex than just tongue weight.

The requirement is not really that 10-15% of the weight be on the tongue, either, but that the center of gravity be far enough in front of the axle.  With a typical trailer, that works out to 10%-15% tongue weight.  My trailer runs very close to 350 lbs on the tongue.  But if I put a 12 foot extension in the tongue, I could get away with 150 lbs. or less on the tongue because the longer tongue acts like a lever with the weight on it.  Why don't all trailers come with an extra-long tongue (the way typical U-Haul trailers do)?  Manufacturers are cheap.

Austin