Have Trailer Sway Control on Tacoma, still need WD hitch?

Hello, I have a new-to-me 2018 Tacoma with tow package. I'm getting a travel trailer that will fit the Tacoma's specs. I plan to get a electric brake controller. And the trailer dealer is suggesting a anti-sway/weight distribution hitch. Do I need the hitch? Any other recommendations for towing a travel trailer?

 

Yes you do.

 

WD/equalizer hitch will keep the truck level and help you be able to steer.
Friction anti-sway bars will keep it solid behind you and stop it from being twitchy.

I wouldn't go far without either of those.

 

Next question. My Taco has Trailer Sway Control. I have a Equal-i-zer sway control hitch. A while back when towing on the Interstate I noticed, when semis went by I sometimes felt some sideways movement in the the rear of the truck. It wasn't severe, and was brief, but being new to towing, it was a little unnerving. I didn't notice any movement by the the trailer. I asked the trailer dealer about it and he suggested I could lower the hitch on the trailer one bolt hole and see if that made a difference. But I don't think he knew I had Trailer Sway Control. Long story short, and finally the question, could the Taco's Trailer Sway Control cause the feel of the sideways movement I felt? Is this just normal and something I should live with? It haven't notice any issues
on two-lane roads at 55-60 mph.

 

'Sway-Control' on the Tacoma; applies brakes and cuts engine when it detects sway, part of the VSC so it likely works during extreme events.. not likely wind pushes while at speed..

■ Trailer Sway Control (vehicles with towing hitch and 7 pin connector)
Helps the driver to control trailer sway by selectively applying brake pressure for individual wheels and reducing engine torque when trailer sway is detected.
Trailer Sway Control is part of the VSC system and will not operate if VSC is turned off or experiences a malfunction.

That's a standard WD hitch, part of the design is 'sway-control' but that is the same as every hitch with load bars.
https://www.equalizerhitch.com/how-equalizer-works#4-point-sway-control

Nope, VSC coming on would have lights on the dash and engine cut..

What tires are you towing with? I've found P series OEM or AT tires squirm when I'm towing, it usually takes 30 minutes or so for me to get the feel of the trailer and settle into a 'relaxed' drive.. When I had E rated K02 it was much more stable.
You can also boost the pressure on an E rated tire much higher that a P series.

Also consider adding a Friction Sway Bar; they are cheap, adjustable, and pretty easy to install;



I can tell the difference between 1/4 turns on the bar while driving. If you over-tighten it you can feel it push the front of the truck while turning. Once it's dialed it keeps everything stable without the wiggle you felt.

 

About the tires, the unit is in storage, so all I know right now is that they are Goodyear tires.

 

Pretty sure he was talking about the truck tires. Unless you meant your truck is in storage?

 

My bad, I was getting confused by by things like P series, AT tires, E rated K02, I don’t know any of that. I’ll look at my truck tires the next time I’m by it.

 

Sorry, I could've been more clear.. I was talking about your truck tires.
E load rating tires are a Light Truck tire with 10 ply sidewalls and usually can handle up to 80psi.
P metric tires are Passenger tires made for comfort and mileage. Usually tops at 40psi and

Don't get me started on RV trailer tires, that's a whole other ball of wax..

 

https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Fastway/FA94-00-0600.html
I bought this one and love it. It won’t break the bank and is made by the makers of the Equalizer. Also, it has sway control that works.

 

Not enough information.... how heavy is your trailer? How big is your trailer? How heavy is your pickup?

The movement you're feeling is wind off the semis that are passing you, I suspect. Adding ballast to the truck itself may counter this, it may not, depending on the size of everything.

 

My Truck tires are Goodyear Wrangler All Terrain Kevlar Reinforced (must be bullet proof ha-ha). This next numbers/letters were a little hard to read, but the I think they said Treadwear 640 Traction A Temperature B. That's about all I know.

 

The weight of the trailer with gear, but not clothing or food is about 4800 lbs. The length of the trailer is 25'6" counting hitch. The truck also weighs about 4800 lbs.

 

Pretty sure oem on the Off Road are P265/75-R16. max pressure is 51lbs.
LT of the same size have max pressure of 80lbs.

Your trailer is very close to mine weight-wise. We are around 4200lbs without water (~300lbs for full 40 gal).

 

You could try to increase the weight of your pickup to keep it from being pushed around if it bothers you that much.

I towed a 6x12 enclosed trailer empty from Wichita to Baltimore, loaded it, then drove back to Wichita. I put a few hundred pounds of ballast in the bed of my 2nd gen and it helped with the cross-wind push.

The trailer pulled much better loaded than empty.

 

Your probably already getting close to your gcwr with a trailer that size- I don’t think looking for ‘ballast’ is going to work.

 

GVWR is the total weight of a vehicle excluding any trailers. A 2018 Tacoma has a GVWR of 5800 lbs and a tow rating of 6000lbs.

He could add another 800lbs to his truck if he wants. One thing truck drivers are never concerned about is the weight of the tow vehicle, because you need something heavy to pull something heavy.

Tire inflation pressure won't matter when he gets caught in the draft off the side of a semi.

 

The thing the taco runs out of surprisingly quick is cargo.

Tongue = 480
Driver = 175
Passenger = 150
1 Lab = 50
1 suitcase =50
Total = 905

My door sticker says 975 on my DCSB TRDOR.

 

I know exactly what you felt when I towed mine from Cincinnati to Colorado right after buying my Tacoma and Camper in 2016. It was unnerving the way semis would push me over as they came up and then sucked me back in as they passed/broke the vacuum. Hold on tight!! However, this past September I went out west again (to Moab UT this time) and it wasn't near as bad and frankly I hardly even noticed it.
The only change I made that could've made any difference was BF Goodrich KO2 tires in C load. I believe they're 8 ply? So yeah maybe tires can make a difference.

As for your WDH, my dealer sold and installed an Equl-izer for me as well. It's been perfect. You shouldn't need a sway bar because that's built into the Equal-izer with the torsion bars. In 4 years my camper hasn't swayed and inch. 21' long and 8' wide hybrid, 4200 lbs loaded.

 

OP come to the Towing section and read up.
Also start here;
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/