Confirming Sway Control with HD trucks in 2026

[Wayfinder]

As I will need to upgrade my truck soon to a 3/4 or 1-ton, to carry more parts & tools, I was confirming that most folks do not use any sway controller these days with the Elite II, when not using the Andersen WDH.

I went through some old 2016 & 2019 threads, and that was the gist I got out of them.

Thanks,

[jd1923]

9 minutes ago, Wayfinder said:

use any sway controller these days with the Elite II, when not using the Andersen WDH.

If you're buying a late model 2500 or 3500 truck, likely no need for the Andersen WDH.

The Owner's Manual for our older Dodge 2500 states to use a WDH when tongue weight is > 500 LBS or trailer is > 5000 LBS. We certainly needed the Andersen when towing the Oliver with the OEM suspension. Without it the Oliver would porpoise up and down on a rolling highway, not comfortable. Once we upgraded to D52 axles and Alcan springs, we do not use the WDH, since the Oliver is now carrying its own weight. 😎

See what towing specs are and buy the right truck since you have this opportunity. In the year or so we had to use the Andersen, I likely cursed 100 4-letter words. What a pain! Thankfully, never again.

[Wayfinder]

Thanks JD. Yeah, upon retirement from my current PITA job, I'm likely going to RV Tech school in January. That's the goal anyways.  I talked to my advisor yesterday to get more info. She was very helpful from the NRVTA.  I'll be trying for my VA benefits until then. My generation didn't just get benefits upon leaving the service, as it is happening right now, with the current generation (disgusting to me). The VA might pay for the entire school plus tools, if I'm broke enough.  Saving well over $25K.  If not, I'm going anyways.

Anyways, I need way more payload.

 

[Mike and Carol]

We’ve got a 2020 Ram 2500 diesel.  Tow on the ball, no sway control.  Lots of miles and never an issue.  Mike

[Galway Girl]

5 hours ago, Wayfinder said:

most folks do not use any sway controller these days with the Elite II, when not using the Andersen WDH.

When we first bought our EII we had a F150 with a hitch rating that required load levelers and sway control for any tongue wt above 500lbs.   So we bought the Anderson and used it for 2 years...but then we upgraded trucks.

We now have an F350 Diesel 1 Ton Short Bed with a 3" receiver which has a dead weight rating of 2120lbs.

We use a B&W Tow N Stow hitch and that's it.  We've not had any sway or issues and it's dead simple to adjust if needed and hookup/unhook much easier than using either the Anderson Antisway (with Chains) or the types that have WDH Bars and Sway Bars.

 We don't need sway control as our truck also has braking sway control built in that states in the user manual that manual sway controls shouldn't be used.

CS

[Roger]

I upgraded from a F150 to a F350. It was wonderful getting rid of the Anderson hitch and the F350 doesn't need sway control. However, the best part is driving down mountains is so much less stressful. That all by itself makes the bigger truck worth it. 

[rideandfly]

Towed our LE2 with three different 1/2 ton tow vehicles. Installed either Timbren rear suspension system or Firestone Airbags to get rid of rear end sag on those trucks. 

We purchased a 2024 F-350, we don't need a WDH or rear suspension modification. The F-350 with 6.8 Minizilla handles Ollie great and this truck has over 4,000 pounds of payload capacity, too. 

[topgun2]

I have never heard of any Oliver Travel Trailer "swaying".  In fact, shortly after I purchased my Elite II I took it out on the local interstate and tried to make it sway.  Certainly I didn't get crazy during this attempt but I wanted to know how it handled in order to know what to expect in the event of a future "situation".

Obviously, weight distribution is another "kettle of fish".

Bill

[FloraFauna]

20 hours ago, Wayfinder said:

confirming that most folks do not use any sway controller these days with the Elite II

Confirmed.  I do not use sway control and appreciate the ease and speed of hookup in a variety of conditions.  Have not once felt the need for sway control with the Elite II and 3/4 ton truck.  This one of several advantages of having a truck somewhat more than what you actually need for the Elite II.

[Galway Girl]

 

FYI - This years Ford Towing guide has a ton of useful general info as well.

2026-Ford-RV-&-Trailer-Towing-Guide_r7_fnl-Mar19.pdf

[theOrca]

I hesitate to even jump in on this topic, but would like some constructive opinions.

I have a ½ ton Dodge truck with ¾ ton springs and 100 PSI airbags. I have never used the Anderson WDH items since right after the first 1,000 trailer miles. I do like the Anderson Bulldog connection system as I can massively lock the trailer onto the truck ball.  I am still using the Anderson ball assembly as I saw no reason to change to a different system. The Olly is uber stable. I have done some more than a little crazy lane changes at speed to avoid accidents. They went well, with probably a 20 degree initial trailer sway with instant recovery. Am is missing something here? (BTW, those lane changes involved a full half turn of the steering wheel in each direction. NO brakes.)

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, theOrca said:

I do like the Anderson Bulldog connection system as I can massively lock the trailer onto the truck ball.  I am still using the Anderson ball assembly as I saw no reason to change to a different system.

When using the Andersen Ball and NOT using the boomerang, what Andersen calls the Anti-Sway Plate, PLEASE connect the hitch pin to the bottom of the ball, the pin that connects this plate. If not, the Andersen ball is only held down by a large circlip underneath. It's not likely the ball would come out, since it would have to break that clip and come up several inches, but having the bolt (hitch pin) below is a good measure of safety. Once connected, it can just be there without having to take it on and off.