Is It Necessary To Disconnect Sway Control When Towing On Wet Pavement

Updated 04/08/2015 | Published 04/07/2015

Question:

I have read your reply to another questioner about not being able use this and similar units when towing on snow covered and icy roads. Its a good suggestion, and I am not likely to be towing my camper in such conditions. However, your reply also states that the device must be removed when towing on wet roads. If you are being serious about this, you are effectively instructing me that if I need to use the tow vehicles windshield wipers I must pull over, stop, and de-activate the anti-sway unit. What I normally do when it is raining is reduce my speed to suit the conditions. The heavier the rain, the slower I drive. By the way, I am not a novice, I have just got back into towing a camper after a break of 30 years. The only reason I am now considering using an anti-sway unit is that I now tow long distances on interstate roads and have to share it with hundreds of 18-wheeler trucks whose bow-wave buffets my rig when they race past me at my modest speed of about 60 mph. Thanks.

asked by: Trevor L

Expert Reply:

The instructions included with the Curt Friction Style Sway Control System, part # 17200 state that when you are towing in wet, icy, gravel, or snow-covered roads, the sway control MUST be removed. I am only passing on the information included with the products we offer.

The reason is that the sway control can make the system too stiff when you face road conditions like those mentioned, and if traction was lost for the trailer it would push the towing vehicle and be very dangerous. It may be an inconvenience to disconnect the sway control when driving on wet roads, but this is what the manufacturer states in the warning section of the instructions.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L