Towing question

[mbc28]

We just bought a 2002 viking legend 2465st  Our first pup!! We towed it home with our 07 Mercury Moutaineer AWD using the class II hitch it came with. The pop up was empty and we had myself, hubby and 3 children in the car, equaling 400lbs. The dry weight of the camper is 2300 and the GVWR is 3200lbs. The couple we bought it from gave us a sway bar to add to our hitch when we could get the proper hitch to attach it to. ( It was Sunday and we couldn' t get it). We drove it 2 1/2 hours to get it home and it only swayed when we got up over 60mph. Is the sway bar the only thing we will need? It seemed to tow nicely. Thanks!

[robeyster]

When I first started towing my pup it swayed a lot and made me feel uncomfortable so I got a sway controller and I love it. I don't have to worry about when I make a sharp turn are when I am at highway speeds. You did not say what came with the sway control they gave you, I had to buy a sway bar adapter that attached to my hitch receiver that gives you the ball you need to attach the bar.

[dthurk]

Having anti sway is always better than not having it.  If you've got the sway bar, get the appropriate hitch parts to be able to connect it.  Also, different sway bars react in different ways.  Friction sway bars only help to dampen sway.  It doesn't prevent it, or keep it from starting.  Other hitches do things differently, but probably aren't appropriate for pup ups.

From the weights you quote, I would suspect your camper has electric brakes.  If so, you need a brake controller in your tow vehicle to be able to activate them.  If you don't have one, I would strongly recommend installing it.  Of course, the connection from the tow vehicle to the camper would have to be a 6 or 7 pin connection.

[garym053]

If you have the sway control, I would use it.
Our Starcraft sways much more when empty or partially empty than it does when loaded for a trip. When loading the PUP, make sure to get 10 to 15% of the weight on the tongue to help reduce sway.
Our Starcraft has a front trunk, and I load everything I can in that first, then load the Jeep or rest of the pop-up. Since doing that we've had no sway.

[haroldPE]

agree - get anti-sway and electric brakes and controller.
sure glad we did when we were cut off by a LOL (little old lady) when we were doing 60 on a rural highway.

welcome and have fun camping!

[AustinBoston]

We just bought a 2002 viking legend 2465st  Our first pup!! We towed it home with our 07 Mercury Moutaineer AWD using the class II hitch it came with. The pop up was empty and we had myself, hubby and 3 children in the car, equaling 400lbs. The dry weight of the camper is 2300 and the GVWR is 3200lbs. The couple we bought it from gave us a sway bar to add to our hitch when we could get the proper hitch to attach it to. ( It was Sunday and we couldn' t get it). We drove it 2 1/2 hours to get it home and it only swayed when we got up over 60mph. Is the sway bar the only thing we will need? It seemed to tow nicely. Thanks!

I don't know about 2002, but in 2007, electric brakes were standard on that trailer.  You really want them.  You will need a controller, and a standard 7-pin connector.

The only brake controller to buy is either the Tekonsha Prodigy or the Tekonsha P3.  Even other Tekonsha products don't measure up.

Austin

[bud121156]

One of the best purchases I have made was for the friction sway control.