Trailer Still Sways with Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System on a 2018 Ford F-150

Question:

I have a 2018 F 150 didnt see any write up on a smaller lighter truck, Im towing a 30foot travel trailer 650 lb tongue wt and 5700 empty trailer wt with a 4 door 2018 F 150 with a towing package to 9100 lb , I have a equalizer hitch and also a friction style anti sway bar if conditions arent just perfect we get trailer sway, as far as loading we travel lite, a little food in the fridge and weekends worth of clothes up front. Would we gain significantly from an axle style anti sway bar on the truck? Thank You

asked by: Dell

Expert Reply:

Installing an anti-sway bar on your 2018 Ford F-150 is not going to do much of anything for trailer sway as trailer sway starts on the trailer, not the truck. In order to hammer down what is causing the trailer to sway I first need to know which Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System you have. You should be using part # EQ37100ET which is rated for 600 lbs - 1,000 lbs. If you are not then that could very well be part of the problem as there won't be enough tension on the spring bars to effectively prevent the trailer from starting to sway

If you are using the above system then we now need to make sure it is setup properly The first step is to ensure the trailer is level to the tow vehicle while coupled to the hitch ball. If the trailer isn't level that is going to increase the chance of trailer sway. In order to change the angle of the trailer while coupled you will need to move the head up and down on the weight distribution shank. If the shank you have now does not offer enough drop to level your trailer to the tow vehicle then we offer longer shanks for you such as the Equal-i-zer Weight Dist Shank part # EQ90-02-4300 which has up to a 6" drop.

The second step once the trailer is hitched is to try and level the tow vehicle. Please keep in mind that the key word here is try as this system or most for that matter are only designed to get back half of what is lost. Therefore, if the distance from the ground to the top of the fender on the front axle is 28" while the trailer is uncoupled and 32" while the trailer is coupled, this system is only designed to get you back to 30".

In order to adjust the amount of sag that occurs after the spring bars have been engaged you are going to want to experiment with the height of the spring bars on the frame brackets in addition to the amount of spacers used in the head. This is going to vary for every trailer so it will take some playing around in order to get the correct combination.

Now, the other issue that could cause trailer sway with the correct weight distribution system installed is an improperly loaded trailer. The tongue weight of the trailer should be better 10-15% of the total trailer weight. This does not seem to be the case for you but is something you will want to consider as a trailer with a heavier tongue in relation to the weight of the entire trailer will typically experience less trailer sway.

If the above issues are all checked and corrected then the only other option I have would be to add a supplemental sway control device like the Tuson Electronic Sway Control System part # 335TSC-1000 which uses braking to correct trailer sway rather than friction like your weight distribution system. You can use both at the same time and there won't be any issues.