Is Sway Control Needed For 2011 Toyota Tundra Towing Jayco Camper Trailer

Question:

Hi, Im going to be pulling a jayco 12hdm baja edition with a 2011 toyota tundra crewmax 4wd, 5.7liter v8. The trailer is 1990lbs baja edition surely adds some more lbs unloaded. Length is 188. Will load nearly everything on our trips in the truck bed. Do you anticipate sway being an issue? Is it safe to take it out for a shortish 160 mile round trip without sway control? Thanks a ton.

asked by: Billy

Expert Reply:

Trailer sway can be caused by crosswinds, or having a trailer loaded improperly, or large passing trucks. taking a short, 160 mile trip as you stated, you may want to check it out before investing money in a system.

With having the majority of the things you are taking loaded in the truck bed, you may not have a big problem with trailer sway. If you decide you want a sway control system I recommend the Reese, part # 83660. This system will attach to either side of the trailer tongue. You will need a sway-control bracket like part # RP26003. This will work with 2 inch ball mounts.

You may have some sag at the rear of your Tundra due to the tongue weight and the extra cargo you are placing in the bed of the truck. You can choose to go a couple different ways. If the trailer you are towing weighs more than 50 percent of the towing vehicle weight it is recommended to use a weight distribution system.

If the rear end sags due to cargo being loaded in the back of the truck then you may want to consider a suspension enhancement like Timbren Vehicle Suspension, part # TTORTUN4. These are designed to replace the bump stops on your truck and will not affect the ride of your truck when empty.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L