Is Sway Control Legally Required For Smaller Vehicles To Tow 3500lb Trailer?

Question:

HI I asked the following question and got a great answer but it leads me to another question. Initial question was: I have a small trailer with a gvwr of 3500 lbs and 409lbs for tongue weight. I am wanting to rent this trailer out and am looking for a way to accommodate different tow vehicles. My current set up for towing is a husky equalizer weight distribution hitch with a 2” receiver and a 2” ball and I was looking at an adjustable hitch receiver extension so I could include my hitch setup with the weight distribution. I also have been told that for my trailer size I don’t need weight distribution or sway control and so what are thoughts on just buying an adjustable ball hitch? Would one be better than the other? Safety wise I want to do what’s in the best interest of my renters and know I will get some more suv style inquiries that will have lower recovers than my current truck. The answer was: Instead I recommend using an adjustable ball mount like the BandW Tow and Stow 2-Ball Mount - 2inch Hitch - 7inch , 7-1/2inch Rise - 10K - Black # BWTS10040B which has up to 7inch and 7-1/2inch rise so it should work on the majority of vehicles. Now trailers that have GVWR of 3500lbs typically have electric trailer brakes so a trailer brake controller would be required as well. To keep the renters legal I recommend adding a trailer brake controller like the Tekonsha Prodigy RF # TK94FR which mounts on the trailer so the tow vehicle only needs a 7-way connector, and not its own trailer brake controller. My New question is: Would you recommend a sway bar for this size trailer with an adjustable hitch ball? Is this something that is legally required for some smaller vehicles to tow?

asked by: Sonya

Expert Reply:

Sway control is not something that is legally required for vehicles to tow your trailer, but the specific vehicle manufacturer may recommend sway control when towing a trailer. This is more common on smaller, lighter vehicles that are a bit more prone to experiencing sway.

Using an adjustable ball mount like the Patriot Hitches Adjustable Drop Hitch Receiver Adapter - 2" Hitches - 11" Rise/Drop - 7K # PH67SR you were looking at would allow you to use a standard ball mount in the new receiver and still allow you to to have a wide range of adjustment in rise/drop for virtually any vehicle to be able to tow the trailer.

With a standard ball mount that has a nut securing the hitch ball to the ball mount you can use the Reese Friction Sway Control Kit # 83660 which bolts to your trailers frame, and then attaches to the ball mount using the Reese Sway-Control Bracket for 2" Ball Mounts - Class III and IV # RP26003.

You will just want to be careful in instructing the renters that they will need to unhook the sway control before backing up.

If you would rather install a system that once installed you just forget about, I recommend the Tuson Asymmetric Sway Control # 335TSC-1000. This sway control wires into your trailer and as it detects sway will apply the trailer brakes as needed to correct it before it becomes an issue.

This option would be the easiest in regards that there is nothing the renter needs to do other than plug in the trailer connector to their vehicle, and nothing to remove/install when backing up the trailer. This would also allow you to use the # BWTS10040B previously mentioned and is compatible with the Prodigy RF # TK94FR.

I included videos for each of the products mentioned for you to take a look at.