How Tight Should Curt Friction Sway Control # 17200 Be Adjusted

Updated 05/21/2024 | Published 05/08/2015

Question:

how tight should the sway bar be for regular use? I used to have it pretty tight so it could not slide in and out freely. but my friend said its supposed to be able to freely move in and out? I know if the trailer is swaying tighten it up but I mean for regular use if its not swaying bad... still keep it tight? let is move freely?

asked by: Shaun

Expert Reply:

A friction type sway control unit like the Curt # 17200 should be adjusted so that it is not easy to move by hand, but still can be moved by the greater force from the moving trailer. You will need to do some road testing to find the correct adjustment for a given trailer load.

Trailer configurations and loading, road and weather conditions, towing speed, tire condition and pressure, and center of gravity of trailer all affect towing. To get maximum benefits from the sway control assembly, a series of road tests should be taken with the loaded trailer. On subsequent trips increase tension by turning the adjusting screw clockwise in 1/4-turn increments until the desired control is achieved.

It is best to carefully load your trailer to minimize sway as much as possible before apply the corrective effect of a sway control device. Trailers should be loaded with heavy items on the floor, in front of the axle. The load should be balanced side to side. Tongue weight should be 10-15% of gross trailer weight for most trailers. Insufficient tongue weight or tail-heavy trailers can cause sway. When towing in slippery conditions, such as wet, icy, gravel or snow covered roads, the sway control must be removed.

expert reply by: Adam R

James

5/3/2024

You say to make it as tight as you think it should be and then tow the trailer to see if it needs to be tighter or looser. What is it that we should look for to determine this? What performance aspect determines if we need to go tighter or looser? Give us something quantitative to look for or measure. So far all you have given us is to guess if it is tight enough.

Ann C.

5/21/2024

@James Totally agree with you James ! And then how much tighter or looser ? Until we hit another sway condition / situation to travel to next safe spot to try again and see if that works or not ? This is so ambiguous and other threads on net are worthless as well.

Mike L.

5/21/2024

@James We're sorry about the ambiguity, but it's unavoidable in this case. If setting the friction level was completely cut and dried, we'd be able to provide you with an exact answer, however the level of tightness will depend on how badly the trailer sways, its weight and even the road conditions so we can't say exactly how hard you'll need to tighten things up. Unfortunately it'll be a matter of trial and error. Take the trailer and load it up how you would normally have it, then take a couple mile run down the highway and back. Keep tightening things up until the sway is manageable.

Mike L.

5/21/2024

@AnnC The ambiguity is unavoidable, which explains why you haven't found a definite answer. Determining the correct level of tightness is going to be a matter of trial and error. We wish we could provide an exact answer for you, but there are too many variables involved.