I have the same exact setup as this. Excellent weight distribution setup. And yes,you can back this in reverse. The sway bars are meant to glide on the plate that has the “ L” safety lock. I’ve had it for 5 years with no issues.
I have recently seen videos and read that you are not to back up and turn with these systems. It was news to me as I have been backing up and turning into camp sites for ten years now with two different trailers and never an issue with my weight distribution hitch and sway bar.
I know where you got your trailer from this guy just gave us a walk through on our trailer he never mentioned anything this hitch setup to us. He is a nice guy but there was a lot of I do not know and don't quote me to his answers
It's not a name wrong. They're 2 completely different types of systems. Confusing them to the point of getting it wrong thinking you have one system but having the other can lead to flipping the trailer, truck and getting killed or killing someone else. This is a big error because people who trust an equalizer to do the job of a sway because the two were confused are at a big risk. If a dealer taught this info they'd be liable for an accident.
New to pulling, can you tell me the difference? and maybe post links to the two different types of kits so I can research both type of systems? Thanks.
@jorgepadilla21 equalizer hitches distribute the load/weight evenly between all the axles both on the tow vehicle and the trailer (equalize the load). If this hitch is not used (or set up correctly) often there will be sag at the back of the tow vehicle and front of the trailer centered at the hitch. The danger with this is that most vehicles brake more with the front brakes than the back, so sag at the back lifts the front of the vehicle. The increased lift at the front reduces both the effectiveness of the brakes as well as the steering capabilities (because there's less pressure/weight on the front tires to handle the steering and braking), hence increasing the danger. You can tell if someone is (likely) using an equalizer hitch when the tow vehicle and travel trailer look completely level with each other in a straight line when looking at them from the side at a little distance. Many equalizer hitches, when set up properly, can also provide some limited sway assistance because one end attaches to the hitch and the other to further back of the "A" frame on the front of the trailer via chaines and/or bars. The chains/bars is what shifts the equalized weight. Being attached with the chains/bars creates some limited sway resistance from friction & weight. An actual sway bar also attaches between the trailers front A frame to the tow hitch on the vehicle using ball joints and attachment pins providing a lot more adjustable friction resisting sway from the trailer. One secret though to stopping sway as well is that the trailer can be literally pulled out of a sway if the trailer is going slower than the tow vehicle. You can do this by applying the trailers' brake control manually and NOT pressing the tow vehicles' brakes. This applies the brakes on the trailer, creating resistance & drag, while the power of the vehicle pulls the trailer straighter out of the sway (its just physics). However, this trick shouldn't be your go to primary source for sway management. Though I have seen some use it successfully when they just don't have a sway bar. Unfortunately, many of the sway related crashes are caused by sway starting and then the driver steers side to side trying to compensate oppesite the sway. Unfortunately, the physics of this ultimately acts the same as moving your feet front and back alternated with your upper body when you're on a swing: it only amplifies the sway like a swing until it flips the trailer and vehicle. DON'T TRY TO COMPENSATE FOR SWAY WITH STEERING...IT WILL AMPLIFY IT AND MAKE IT WORSE! But applying the brake controller manually gives the drag in the trailer so the faster moving vehicle literally pulls the trailer straight. It still shouldn't really be the go to, but it can definitely help if you have no other choice. I used to have an old trailer I couldn't put a sway bar on. Every time it started to sway or got some good side wind, I'd moderately apply the trailer brake and the trailer stayed straight. Wore the brakes out a bit faster on the trailer, but it's what I had to work with and it significantly helped. Sorry, I don't see any way to attach pics of each, but if you do a separate browser search for each, you'll see images of the equalizer hitch with the bars (looks kind of like a pipe, but it's solid) going from the hitch to the chain attachment at the trailer compared to a sway bar that looks more like a rectangular bar with a smaller lever bar at one end (which is the adjustment bar for the friction control). The sway bar mostly looks from the side like it sits above the equalizer bar on the side of trailers "A" frame for the trailers hitch. I hope this helps and makes sense. Ideally, you should have both a sway bar and equalizer hitch in your setup. But a lot of people only use the equalizer hitch, which contributes to the confusion.
