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Keith-N-Dar View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Sway bars?
    Posted: 13 May 2018 at 2:55pm
While I normally don't travel with the fresh water tank full I have on many occasions and have never had any sway.  I pull with an F150 4X4 Supercrew, and have been across the country in all kinds of weather passing and being passed by large trucks and in heavy cross winds.  I have no sway control other than the sway control built into the truck.

I think if your tow vehicle is adequate the tank is not a factor.  If your situation is marginal by all means do what you need to to prevent sway.    I disagree that the position of the tank is a defect in design.  It is just a factor to consider when loading your trailer and TV.
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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2018 at 12:46pm
My 172 has the aft fresh water tank as well. I traveled with the fresh tank full, and my grey and black empty, just over a week ago. I was a little nervous knowing that isn't the optimum condition. I only noticed a sway at one point on the highway where i hit some uneven pavement. Normally I only put about 10 gals for flushing or rinsing while we travel. I have wdh so i assume that keeps the sway to a minimum. I would think a sway bar at the least is never a bad idea.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2018 at 11:39am
I have a 179 which I tow with a Chevy 2500.  So towing capacity isn't at issue for me nor is the full tank/ empty tank.  I don't feel the need for a WDH but I do use sway control.  The Rocky Mountains seem to rise directly out of the flat the plains.  The plains are noted for wind gusts and "dust devils."  Tucumcari NM recorded a wind gust of over 80+ mph this spring. I haven't ever seen gusts that high in the mountain passes but why take a chance.  As flat6s said, "A sway bar is mighty cheap insurance."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2018 at 8:23am
We had the exact same experience with a full FW tank while pulling the camper home from the dealership. It swayed several times. We could not drive over 66mph. We didn’t realize until we had made it home that the tank was completely full. The 176 FW tank is aft.
Stanley & Erica Hand
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2018 at 8:00am
+1 to Jato - the 178 is not the only Pod with an aft water tank, frankly not sure about the 176, the frame configuration appears close to a 178.
Mike Carter
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2018 at 7:10am
A sway bar is mighty cheap insurance
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jato View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2018 at 5:22am
After 1 scary experience towing our 177 (yes, it has aft FW tank) with an empty water tank we have always towed with a sway bar.  Granted, our TV has a shorter wheel base than a Silverado (Explorer), however since having the sway bar we always leave with a full tank, boondock quite a bit and stay put at times so we need to carry water, but have rarely had issues with sway with an exception of a couple instances where the cross-winds in the mid-west were quite extreme and even in those cases the sway was minimal.  We would slow our speed accordingly in those cases to 50 or so.  To date we have traveled over 25,000 miles, most of it going to the Rockies and crossing the Mid-West.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 May 2018 at 8:02pm
+2 - I have said that since I have been on this forum. In fact I have said on numerous occasions, if you don't own a 178 or an aft FW tank RPod, you don't get it. If you have a 179 - Bless You - not the issue. The OP asks about a sway bar, I was forthcoming in discussing the 178 issues and with a TV perfectly capable of towing said trailer, I use a sway bar. Honestly if I don't fill the FW tank, I do NOT have a sway issue, and lastly I have never had an issue finding potable water in the U.S. Not at least where I had to travel with 30 gals of it.
Mike Carter
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 May 2018 at 7:34pm
+1

We were on a short trip last week (not pulling our R-pod Ouch ) and at a wayside rest we met an individual with a 178. One of the first things he mentioned was the aft-mounted FW tank. In fact, he was draining it in the parking lot to help the sway problem. We were in a windy area, and it was probably starting to act up.
bp
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 May 2018 at 7:01pm
I think that is the problem with the design of the 178. The aft water tank is not good for just the reason you mention. The 179's location forward is much better. I do travel with a full tank as we tend to dry camp along the route and not stay where we could easily add water. Starting with a full water tank and empty black and gray water tanks is a good thing. Of course, with the 179, as the fresh water tank empties and the gray water tank fills, it would have the same tendency. My generator on the Trailer Tray compensates for that though.
StephenH
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