Why Upgrading Your Truck Won’t Reduce Trailer Sway Issues

Selling the most advanced sway elimination system on the market for over three decades, we have heard many similar objections to purchasing the Hensley hitch. One of the most pervasive is the notion that if you have a sway issue with your trailer, you don’t know or understand how to load it properly or you have a tow vehicle that is too small. 

Many people expressing this point of view think the Hensley Arrow is for inexperienced RVers.  “If you know how to load your trailer properly, you won’t have any sway. I’ve been pulling trailers for 30 years and never had a problem”. Let’s take that at face value and assume what they are saying is correct; they have never had a problem with trailer sway.  Just because you don’t perceive a problem does not mean that inexperience or lack of understanding is why others need a better solution. 

The bottom line is that every trailer has different characteristics. Still, travel trailers are notorious for towing instability, resulting from a combination of factors: high-profile side walls and unbalanced weight due to trailer layout (not loading). 

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Most travel trailers give you very little choice with the storage compartment locations, and it’s nearly impossible to truly spread the weight without taking extreme and impractical measures. 

Why a bigger truck will not reduce trailer sway

The fundamentals of trailer sway remain the same, no matter the size of the tow vehicle. Side forces push against the body of the trailer, and those forces push the trailer sideways. With a lighter vehicle, you will feel every side-to-side- movement from the trailer, causing those white-knuckle moments; a heavier vehicle does not move as quickly, giving a false sense of security. 

Trailer Sway must be eliminated at the source, not masked by a larger vehicle. Even if you feel the need to upgrade trucks for other reasons, such as stiffer suspension and a more powerful engine, trailer sway should not be the sole rationale for a larger truck because the problem will remain.

Learn more about the Hensley Arrow anti-sway hitch.