How to Increase Tension on Friction Sway Control Bar

Question

Question:

My kids have a travel trailer and 1 sway bar, to eliminate swaying of the rig do you just tighten the nut that is on the sway bar or do you tighten the handle down as well?

asked by: Shelley

0

Expert Reply:

To increase the tension on your Friction Sway Control Bar, such as this Reese Reese Friction Sway Control Bar # 83660, you will want to adjust in small increments to "stiffen" the coupling and to find the right setting for you.

I have linked the instructions for the Reese Friction Sway Control for you.

expert reply by: Victoria B

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Answer 1

You may need to adjust the Reese sway control bar, #83660, for more tension to reduce the sway from larger trucks passing. If facing the handle, turn it clockwise for more tension. However, if you over tighten the bar you can end up damaging the bar…

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Answer 2

You won't see too much information on how tight to make a bar style friction sway control unit because it will be different for every situation. You would make it about as tight as you think it needs to be and then tow the trailer to see if it…

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Answer 3

To get maximum benefits from the sway control, a series of road tests should be taken with the loaded trailer. A great starting point you will want to loosen the tension bolt till it no longer makes contact with the unit, now tighten it up right till…

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Answer 4

The adjustment of any friction sway control system, including the Reese #83660, is relatively simple. Basically, you will drive with the trailer loaded to determine if more or less tension is needed. Then you will either make it tighter or looser my…

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Answer 5

Friction Sway Control Systems like the Reese #83660 use an adjustable-friction sliding bar mechanism to control trailer sway. This type of system is suitable for trailers with electric brakes and can be used with or without weight distribution (WD)…

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Answer 6

It is recommended to remove any friction-style sway controls, like the Reese Sway Control, #83660, before backing up to ease reversing and prevent damage to your system. When backing up, more tension is put on the friction bar than normal driving…

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Answer 7

You may or may not be able to slide it by hand. But the trailer is going to apply much more force than you could by hand. What I recommend is to tighten the handle some and do a series of test runs and adjust the tightness as needed until you find…

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Answer 8

There is no set amount the nut needs to be tightened on a friction sway control bar like #83660. You will need to adjust it as needed. In the instructions, which I have linked for you. Reese states Trailer configurations and loading, road and weather…

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Answer 9

Hey Travis, congrats on the new 2024 Jayco Flight 284BHS! Your travel trailer looks to have a GVWR of 7,950 lbs so I recommend going with the Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution w/ 4-Point Sway Control #EQ37121ET and pairing it with the Shank…

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Answer 10

I would love to help you upgrade the suspension on your Twilight 2800 travel trailer. The MORryde Rubber Equalizers for Tandem Axle Trailers #MR87ZR that you referenced are a great solution but we do need to double check a few things. First is that…

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Answer 11

For your enclosed trailer application I have several suggestions for adding interior lighting that you can control directly via a switch. Since your current 4-pole trailer wiring does NOT include a 12V auxiliary power feed that could power inside…

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Answer 12

The only way you could power interior dome lights on a trailer without it being connected to a tow vehicle would be to power the lights with a battery like a breakaway battery. How you choose to wire up the batteries will in the end be up to you, but…

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How to Increase Tension on Friction Sway Control Bar

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