A poll on WDH w/sway control

We were evacuated from our home when one of the big fires started in California. We had everything packed, and part of our belongings we wanted to take with us was our RP-179. Seeing that we were getting underway at 3AM, and we have an F-150, which can pull the 179 with no control issues whatever, I decided I would skip the WDH setup.

As we proceeded down the highway, I noticed two things. 

First, the headlights were just a bit too high. Just high enough that the low beams would shine right into the windshield of anyone coming the other way. Not a good thing.

The second thing I noticed was that all the bumps and dips were exaggerated. 

After we got to our first stop (what we affectionately referred to as "Chateau de CVS"), we got a few hours of rest, and before we left, I hooked up the WDH bars. The rest of our escape to safety was uneventful.

Originally posted by alohapad Can see that everybody has a favorite, and I'm HOPING I made the right choice for my needs, but I picked the Anderson 3324 Sway WDH.  It's kinda pricey ($499), but it's under 60lbs, and looks to be the bee's knees. My Jeep is rated 350/3500, and the 178 is at about 270 on the hitch, so my math says I snuck in just below. No lift kit, running 33's, so hoping the height is gonna be OK too.

It will quickly become apparent that 350/3500 is inadequate. I towed with a 2016 Ford Escape and while it worked for a time, there were lots of those times I was wanting to have something with more capacity. We had an accident when we hit ice along with a strong crosswind. The damage to the Escape meant we needed something else to continue our trip and get home (the RPod was damaged also, but I was able to patch it up enough to get home, after which it went to the factory for repair). We ended up getting a 2020 Nissan Frontier LE Crew Cab 4x4 which has been serving us well with its 6,100 lb tow rating.

I say this to say that you will want to be careful with that Jeep. Its high center of gravity and short wheelbase (relatively so) means that any issue with trailer sway could get out of control faster than you can imagine. If you do not already have a lot of experience towing, I would recommend that in addition to the Andersen hitch, you look into one of the electronic sway control devices such as the Hayes Sway-Master, the Tuson Sway Control, or Lippert Sway Command. It will be able to react to conditions faster than you can and help prevent a potential sway situation from getting out of hand. I would recommend one of these, especially if someone has a vehicle that he/she thinks does not need a WD/sway control hitch.

Yeah and it seems from conversations here that WDHs DO make a big difference even on a lighter trailer, so I don't know why the Etrailer guy was so adamant about not needing one under 7k. He must not have had his coffee yet...