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Post Info TOPIC: Sway bars? Do I need them?
hokianga


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Sway bars? Do I need them?
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Hi, I will be towing a little viscount poptop single axle weighing about 1200kg fully loaded, electric brakes, I usually drive at around 80km per hour, should I be getting sway bars? Any advice welcome, thanks very much.



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PeterD


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You only gave us half the story. What are you towing the van with?

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hako


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I tow an Avan @ 1100KG and use the shepherds crook bars (4). Raises the rear nicely and removes any pitching. Tow with a Ford Territory and initially used no bars, now I always use them. They are cheap 2nd hand - $20 - $60 for the lot. Purists don't like this style possibly because they are not HR?

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Denis

Ex balloon chaser and mercury measurer.

Toowoomba.
Pejay


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We have seen some very scary things happening with vans that have no sway bars, including one guy that we pulled up for a cuppa north of Rocky and he was taking a brand new van (just picked it up in Brisbane) and taking it home to Mackay - no sway bars, and no extended side mirrors!!! He was a good 4-5ft longer than us (at the time our van was 17'6") and one would assume (?) he would have paid a motzer for it, yet he didn't seem all that worried about towing the thing! Sway bars all the time for us!

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hokianga


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oops sorry i am towing with a holden captiva, which has a maximum towing capacity of 1700kg

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DEBnWEG


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Hello hokianga

We bought (2nd hand) sway bars and have used them from day 1 and I am so thankful for them.

We have had road trains overtake and pass us on the open highways and our van hardly moved.

They are priceless in my opinion and highly recommend them to you ... If only for peace of mind.

There are too many stories of vans that have been thrown off the road and pulled their drivers along with it down a ditch for you not to give serious consideration to them.

Recently, we were behind a very large van being pulled by an average sized family type of toy 4x4 and it was swaying all over the place just from a cross breeze, would hate to think how it would handle in a cross wind or from the bow wave of a road train at speed ...

Cheers - Weg



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DEBnWEG

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Rip and Rosie


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There is a difference between sway bars and a weight distribution hitch (WDH). They do different things.

Shepherds Crooks are a WDH.

Some vehicle manufacturers do not recommend the use of a WDH.



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hako


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I think for the general punter, level-riders, load equalisers, stabiliser bars, anti-sway bars and weight distribution hitches are all the same thing....something that thnsfers weight from the rear wheels to the front wheels.smile



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Denis

Ex balloon chaser and mercury measurer.

Toowoomba.
rockylizard


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hako wrote:

I think for the general punter, level-riders, load equalisers, stabiliser bars, anti-sway bars and weight distribution hitches are all the same thing....something that thnsfers weight from the rear wheels to the front wheels.smile

Gday...

I believe you're right Denis - unfortunately. However, level-riders, load equalisers, stabiliser and weight distribution hitches are not anti-sway devices.

They may contribute, in a small way, by transferring weight from the towball to the vehicle's front wheels and the van's wheels, and contributing to making the whole rig more stable, but will not reduce or eliminate sway.

This site may assist in explaining the difference and how to control. 

http://www.haymanreese.com.au/download/understanding-weight-distribution-and-sway-control

Cheers - John



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smiley


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Hi I am towing a Kedron c/van 18"6 with a Toyota V8, I have had about 8 people tell me 4 different things I should use my sway bars it's illegal not too. the others say with rear suspension air bags fitted in the 4x4 I do not need to use the sway bars as the air bags adjust the sway ??? . As you will appreciate I have done both and not noticed any difference. But now I am in a city I will get the right information from the Main Rds Dept.

Regards

Smiley



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Baz421


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smiley wrote:

Hi I am towing a Kedron c/van 18"6 with a Toyota V8, I have had about 8 people tell me 4 different things I should use my sway bars it's illegal not too. the others say with rear suspension air bags fitted in the 4x4 I do not need to use the sway bars as the air bags adjust the sway ??? . As you will appreciate I have done both and not noticed any difference. But now I am in a city I will get the right information from the Main Rds Dept.

Regards

Smiley

Smiley   weight distribution hitches and airbags don't have any effect on sway generally. However shepherd's crooks are WDH and because they are friction based (ie they slide along the mounting brackets on the A frame rather than chains) they have a degree of anti sway.

 I have airbags on LC79 ute and they are for load support of rear springs only.

Our Reece heavy duty WDH provides the weight distribution we need.

Hope this helps as I worked as a Senior Tech Officer at Motor Vehicle Registry and dealt with these issues and I wrote technical bulletins to help the public.



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carpaidiem


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Baz421

It's nice to read what you have written I was getting worried that some above have in (my humble opinion) strange ideas as to sway. You have hit the proverbial nail on the head. My only wish is we could get some compulsory "training" before being unleashed on the roads towing all sorts of gear with little or no idea of any mechanics / physics.

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