Availability of Left Hand Friction Sway Control Bar  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Since friction sway control bars, like the Reese # 83660, already fit both left and right side manufacturers have not created one that is specifically for the left hand side. You will need to have another Sway Control Tab # 3442 professionally welded onto the Weight Distribution (WD) hitch head that you currently have.

As far as replacing the current one that you have, it really just depends on how worn it is. If it is looking like it needs to be replaced or it is not very effective then I would say to go ahead and replace it.

If you are experiencing enough sway that you feel as though you need 2 friction sway control bars then I recommend 2 things - 1) making sure that your WD system is rated correctly and 2) looking into an upgrade WD system with built-in sway control.

To ensure that your WD system is rated properly you will need to look at the Total Tongue Weight (TTW) of your setup and make sure that it falls in the middle of the Tongue Weight (TW) range of your WD system. You can find your TTW by adding the TW of your fully loaded and ready-to-go trailer along with the weight of any cargo behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle. Keep in mind that a properly loaded trailer will have a TW that is 10-15% of the weight of the loaded trailer.

For an upgrade I recommend looking into the Reese Strait-Line systems, like part # RP66084. I like recommending these systems because they fight sway before it happens instead of correcting it after it has started like the friction sway bars and other WD systems do. This is a great system that would be more effective and is a better option than replacing your friction bars every couple of years. Another plus is that you will not have to remove anything before backing up like you do with the frictions bars.

I have attached a review video for both the Reese friction bar and the Reese Strait-Line that I mentioned.

expert reply by: Jon G

0