How Sway Bars Help Your RV Ride More Smoothly
When you buy a new RV, you want a safe vehicle that will help you enjoy the great outdoors for years to come. Unfortunately, stock RVs typically have a few problems, and one of the biggest is their tendency to sway.
Sway is exactly what it sounds like - when your RV is on the road it may start to sway horizontally, back and forth, almost like a dog wagging its tail. This is a big problem! At a minimum, it will make your ride rough, and potentially make it harder to maneuver. At worst too much sway puts your vehicle in danger of tipping over and causing a major accident.
There are a few things you can do to reduce sway, although in many cases, the best option is to install after-market sway bars for RVs. Let's take a look at your options.
How To Reduce Sway in Your RV Trailer
1. Keep the load balanced
In many cases, sway is caused by an unbalanced load - especially if too many heavy items are loaded near the back of the trailer. This makes a certain level of fishtailing, as well as sway, almost impossible to avoid. Ideally, you should have around 60% of the total load resting on the trailer's front axles.
Also, try to keep the heaviest items low down on the trailer, like on the floor. Don't put them on the roof or in upper storage compartments, as they could contribute to rollover if the RV sways too much.
2. Don't overload your RV
Along with #1, the other big issue is people putting too much stuff in their RV to the point it's near to or exceeding its weight limit. The heavier the RV is when loaded, the harder it will be to control in general. Be aware of everything in it and refer to your owner's manual for maximum capacity limits - then stay well under those limits.
3. Don't drive too fast
Fast driving contributes to sway since it generates wind and air turbulence which can disrupt the RV - which usually isn't very aerodynamic. Even if you're driving on a road where the max speed is 70+, it's a good idea to keep your speed at 60MPH or less, just to be safe.
4. Look into installing sway bars
Sway bars for RVs are specifically designed to absorb side-to-side movement. They're kind of like lateral shock absorbers and will do a lot to keep your RV much more stable on the road. This is an affordable upgrade that's easy for RV professionals to install, and a good set of RV sway bars should last you for many years.
Mainline RV & Truck Service is Ohio's source for the best in truck and RV sales, service, and repairs. If you're having problems with sway, come by to discuss your options in RV sway bars!
