Sway bars?
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=11558
Printed Date: 06 May 2024 at 10:15pm
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Topic: Sway bars?
Posted By: HandsCamping
Subject: Sway bars?
Date Posted: 12 May 2018 at 5:15pm
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We bought a 176 and we are trying to figure out if we need sway bars for our new camper. Our pulling vehicle is a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab with a standard wheel base. 10000lb towing capacity. We like to go from Alabama to the Rocky Mountains. We like to tow in very high altitude.
If so, what would your recommend? ------------- Stanley & Erica Hand Alabama Rpod 176 Chevy 2500HD |
Replies:
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 12 May 2018 at 5:23pm
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I tow with a Chevy Silverado , a 2015 178, I use a single sway attachment, no WDH, no issues. I'm not convinced I need the sway, but I feel better. I had a bad experience when I first bought camper. I didn't know the empty TT had a full aft FW tank, and it did sway. Once I knew it and corrected for it, I made it home, after that I added a sway bar, and I don't tow with a full fresh water tank, plus I do know my tongue weight. BTW -you are at 40% of your tow capacity, you're good. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 12 May 2018 at 7:01pm
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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 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 12 May 2018 at 7:34pm
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+1 We were on a short trip last week (not pulling our R-pod  ) 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 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 12 May 2018 at 8:02pm
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+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 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 5:22am
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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.
------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: flat6s
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 7:10am
| A sway bar is mighty cheap insurance |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 8:00am
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+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 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: HandsCamping
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 8:23am
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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 Alabama Rpod 176 Chevy 2500HD |
Posted By: ArenaBlanca
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 11:39am
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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." ------------- Enjoy Life!! |
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 12:46pm
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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. ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 2:55pm
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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. ------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: HandsCamping
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 4:33pm
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Do you disconnect the sway bar in the rain? ------------- Stanley & Erica Hand Alabama Rpod 176 Chevy 2500HD |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 4:34pm
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Keith-n-Dar. Exactly, not a design defect, it is a factor you need to be cognizant of. I have had sway issues before I was aware of the effect of a rear FW tank and the fact I compensated at the tongue end and knew the tongue weight. Just a learning thing. My TV tows fine, I added sway bar and it works. The only thing I would caution folks on is I have had trailer sway based on tongue weight, not capacity of the tow vehicle. Just my opinion. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 4:36pm
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Hands Camping - NO, ice or snow would be different, but why be towing a trailer then anyway? ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: HandsCamping
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 4:38pm
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mCarter Thanks. I had just read that you had to disconnect In The rain. ------------- Stanley & Erica Hand Alabama Rpod 176 Chevy 2500HD |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 4:44pm
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Those road conditions where you have traction issues, will have an effect on towing, rain is not an issue. Stopping may be an issue but your sway will be ok. In IMHO. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: SteveA
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 6:03pm
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Interesting reading all these threads on pod sway and the many different opinions based largely on hands on experience. Some have none, some have a little, some even more... and so on. I have even read that a few are using a sway control device with their 3/4 ton trucks??? Yes it is a fact that if you load any trailer, especially a single axle light in the tongue weight you can and most likely will get sway. However I'm starting to wonder if coupled with some of the other FR quality control issues many have posted if maybe some of these units are leaving the factory with axle alinement issues as well? A double axle trailer that has an axle that's out of square will show obvious tire wear but a single axle will just crab somewhat and start to wiggle when its "set track" is disturbed i.e. cross wind or passing a large vehicle left front to left front. Just food for thought. ------------- 2017 179 1/2 |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 13 May 2018 at 7:03pm
This is purely anecdotal of course, but I don't think this is the case. I towed my pod around 20K miles without a WDH or any sway control. The only time I ever noticed any slightly alarming sway was when I had a tank full of fresh water. The sway went away when I drained tank. Otherwise towing has been excellent. No abnormal tire wear. I let the forum talk me into getting a WDH with integrated sway control. (My weakness!) Now that I have it I guess I like it better than not having it and I buy into the argument that it's better to have it an not need it than to need it and not have it. I have a double axle utility trailer that I have no trouble loading so that it sways all over the place. It has always been easily corrected with some sensible weight redistribution. Pods are short. It's really easy for small weight distribution issues to have a significant impact. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: J&B
Date Posted: 14 May 2018 at 8:19pm
| Yeah, making myself a little crazy about this sway bar issue.....Silverado 1500 pulling a 179. So far, a couple thousand miles around Fla., don't even know it's back there. But heading to mountains soon, get a single sway bar, just because, just incase???? Suggestions for easy to use/understand sway bar? |
Posted By: SteveA
Date Posted: 14 May 2018 at 8:47pm
I live in the mountains of N Idaho. I've towed the deserts of Calif, Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming etc and into and throughout the mountains of Colorado. Towed last year to the families ranch south of Austin Texas along interstate 10 in nasty, nasty winds with a 2015 1500 Ram and to a lesser degree a '02 GMC 1500 Sierra. IMPO, installing a sway or WDH on a full size truck for a 179 is completely unnecessary. :)  ------------- 2017 179 1/2 |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 14 May 2018 at 9:03pm
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Really the only thing you must remember to do is to loosen the sway bar before backing up / into your campsite, otherwise you may very well toast it. Other than that it is pretty straightforward and simple to use.
------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: SteveA
Date Posted: 14 May 2018 at 11:39pm
Hey Tars, Totally agree it's possible to improperly light load any trailer tongue, single, double or triple and force a sway condition. My reason for mentioning tandems and triples is because when there is an axle alinement issue improper tire wear becomes very noticeable but not so much with a single axle. I've towed my 179 with almost every combo of fluid levels in the 3 tanks I.E. empty forward fresh and full gray and black, full black and empty gray and fresh etc. and it made no difference with regards to sway. I'm truly trying not to believe FR designed a line of Pods that when preforming one of their most basic tasks (carrying 280lbs of water just behind the axle) creates a "slightly alarming" sway condition. The point for me getting into this discussion was (because some seem to be having this issue and others don't) to simply suggest to those are to check and see if their axle is square to the tongue. The second item I'd check would be to weigh the tongue with the trailer empty, then weigh it how they load it for a trip and lastly with a full fresh tank. My guess is any combo netting less that 300lbs would be a problem. I hope this helps.
 ------------- 2017 179 1/2 |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 15 May 2018 at 7:33am
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This may be slightly non responsive, but even with a full tank of water behind the axle, I think it's possible to load the trailer in a way to keep 10% to 15% of the trailer's weight on the tongue. I'm confident that would eliminate the sway, at least in my case. Depending on how you usually tow, that kind of weight adjustment could take a little bit of effort. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 15 May 2018 at 7:43am
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J&B,
You have a very good combo. Sway is something that can be experienced with a light tongue and or cross winds and drafts from passing trucks. It's recommended you disconnect sway if backing, I've seen them bent. Don't over tighten it, it's meant to apply friction. Also recommended you disconnect sway if you are experiencing road conditions where the trailer tires do not have sufficient traction, like ice. I don't see terrain as the big issue. I use a sway bar with a Silverado and a 178. I weigh my trailer tongue and never travel with a full FW tank. 179 is nice, no FW tank in the rear. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: craigwood
Date Posted: 15 May 2018 at 5:57pm
| I tow a 179 with a newer F150, no sway or wdh. I did purchase a longer ball mount (20") to allow me to lower the tailgate on the truck with the trailer attached (for easier access). Does this add to any sway issues? Have had no significant problems with sway to date. Thanks in advance for any input. |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 15 May 2018 at 6:21pm
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We also tow our 179 with our F-150 Haven't had any problems with sway while towing. Not sure what the longer ball mount while affect. ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 15 May 2018 at 6:43pm
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Craigwood,
IMHO No. Sway has most to do with tongue weight. Like a teeter totter. Put a 300 lb person on one end and a 100 lb person on the other, the trailer axle is the pivot point. If the 100lb person is on tongue end = sway, if the 300 lb person is on tongue end = no sway. Too simple I know, but basically it. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 15 May 2018 at 8:51pm
We use an E2 WDH. No problems. We would probably use the same rig with our Tacoma. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: riotkayak284
Date Posted: 16 May 2018 at 11:13am
| Use a Tacoma 2015 with one sway bar and don't have many problems.... |
Posted By: Blender Bob
Date Posted: 16 May 2018 at 11:40pm
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Just returned from a trip that went from Denver to Utah and back and did all the I-70 mtn passes with ease. Had our 178 with a full tank of water and yes, that tank behind the axle does introduce sway, but did not find it too troubling. Our truck is a 2015 Chevy Colorado Z71 with tow package. Total Gross Vehicle Capacity is 12K. Truck and 178HRE ~8k, so I am ~66% of total capacity. Slowing down from 65 to 62 mpg had a big impact sway and was important to make easy driving. Speed is significant in the matter. I also found moving some trailer cargo weight ~100lb, forward helped. The weight of the 36 gal water is ~300lbs, not a lot in the grand scheme so I believe it to be a issue of weight balance. I would recommend practice and playing with tongue weight as I found it affects driving performance. ------------- Bob 2015 Chevy Colorado Z71 2018 178 R-pod Hood River Edition |
Posted By: Marchhall
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2018 at 1:41am
| I have sway/WDH system and tows like a dream with a V6 Sorento. I average 17 mpg towing unless in mountains. It's really effortless to tow. |