RE: No sway bar in rain?


Old Forum Post

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[Mary] We just had an EAZ-LIFT sway control installed between our Tahoe and travel trailer yesterday and when we got home read the printed information that came with it. There is a paragraph that is in bold print that says: Caution: When traveling under slippery conditions such as wet, icy or oily roads, remove the sway control. Does that mean if you are traveling down the road and it starts to rain, you need to pull over on the highway and remove it? Then what, back to swaying? What in-put can you give us on this. Thanks.
 

Old Forum Post

Senior Member
RE: No sway bar in rain?

[Butch] Simply put, that type sway control will put you in the ditch in a hearbeat on a slick road!!! Or cause you to have a head on. What it will do on a slick road is force your tow vehicle to go straight on a curve, etc.. Bottom line, I wouldn&#039t worry much in a light rain. If the road way is slick, I would worry alot and remove the sway control...JMHO - Happy motoring, Butch - Nancy Lake, Alaska
 

Old Forum Post

Senior Member
RE: No sway bar in rain?

[April] Wow, I guess I should read our manual. We have traveled in all kinds of rain and never had a problem. And I can tell you my hubby doesn&#039t drive pokey either. I wonder if we have just been lucky or there is more to this?
 

Old Forum Post

Senior Member
RE: No sway bar in rain?

[Les Adams] Nancy,

Butch is correct... The same forces imposed by the friction antisway bar can cause lack of steering on a wet or otherwise slippery road... A friction type sway bar will work against you when you need it the most... Still, it&#039s better than no sway bar at all, but you have to ask yourself a few questions regarding it&#039s usage...

I used them for many years before I realized that if I really need to do an emergency avoidance maneuver, that same friction antisway bar that keeps the TT straight in the wind and/or passing semi&#039s, may prevent me from steering out of a potential accident... For when you try to steer out of the way and the trailer turns behind you, those friction anti sway bars will try to keep the trailer in the turn, thereby limiting your ability to steer around the obstacle... And on a slippery road, if the bars are too tight, loss of steering altogether is a possability...

And therein lies the problem... Seems like a contradiction of terms doesn&#039t it??? The same device you purchase to make the ride safer works against you when you need it the most and/or you have to defeat it in slippery conditions!!

With all that in mind and doing some serious thinking, I decided to upgrade my hitch to the Pullrite hitch... In case your not familiar with it, it is essentially a fifth wheel hitch that is installed UNDER the truck... It&#039s a rather unique concept and you can visit their website to view it...

The Pullrite is on a par with the Hensley Arrow although it costs considerably less than the Hensley does...

The Pullrite&#039s attributes are supurb towing stability and ease of hookup... In some cases you do lose your spare tire if it&#039s stowed under the truck and in some cases the exhaust pipe has to be repositioned... In my case, both these had to be done, but the towing stability of the hitch is awesome!!!

You may want to check either of these two hitches out... They do not come cheap, but their performance is outstanding...

Best Regards,
Les
 

Old Forum Post

Senior Member
RE: No sway bar in rain?

[Mary] Let me tell you, all the information that has been shared here is very important to not only ourselves but I am sure many others that have not read the paper work that came with their sway bar. We did receive a reply from the EAZ-LIFT company that stated that in wet or icy conditions we should remove the bar or back off the handle by two turns. A word of caution for everyone.
Safe traveling,
Mary
 
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