Travel Trailer Sway Control Tips

No matter how comfortable you are with your rig, travel trailer sway can leave you feeling stressed and out of control, which is not how you want to feel on vacation. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce travel trailer sway, which we cover below. If you want more towing strategies or want to explore travel trailers for sale, get in touch with us at our dealership.

Inspect Your Tires

A successful towing experience starts before you hit the road. Your first step is to conduct a pre-trip inspection of your tow vehicle and your travel trailer. Make sure all the tires are inflated to the right air pressure (according to the manufacturer's recommendations) and have enough tread. This will help the tires have enough traction and will help reduce trailer sway.

Load Your Travel Trailer Strategically

Travel trailer sway is most often caused by misplaced weight on the tongue. Careful loading of your travel trailer can help. Shoot for resting 10% to 12% of your travel trailer's weight on the tongue. If needed, you can take your travel trailer to a commercial scale at a truck stop or material supply. Then you can remove or adjust weight as needed. When you load your travel trailer with cargo, try to put the heavier items at the front. You will also want to center the cargo from left to right.

Minimize Travel Trailer Sway

If you have some flexibility on when you travel, you can plan your trips in ways that reduce the risk of travel trailer sway. The second biggest cause of sway is heavy wind, so try to avoid traveling on high wind days. Also, adopt defensive driving habits to help reduce the chances of travel trailer sway. Limit brake slamming as much as possible. Try instead to slowly decrease your speed. As you drive, focus on keeping the wheel steady and driving in a straight line. Limit sudden or sharp jerks to one side.

We hope you find these tips useful during your camping adventures. If you are looking for travel trailers for sale, check out the selection at Schwab's R.V. World in Leduc, AB. If you aren't sure which model best suits you, let our knowledgeable staff help. We proudly serve all those in Edmonton, so stop by today!