Best Sway Bars for Travel Trailers: Options, Tips, and FAQs

Depending on the size and weight of your trailer, a sway bar (or multiple) may be necessary to reduce sway and ensure a smooth, safe ride.

However, picking up a sway bar may not be the best option. In fact, it should rarely be the first option you look to if you’re trying to reduce trailer sway.

Below, we’re going to 

Why a Weight Distribution Hitch with Anti-Sway Is the Way to Go

While you can just buy a weight distribution hitch and add sway bars to it, nowadays it’s far easier (and better) to purchase a weight distribution hitch with anti-sway built-in.

Or, at the very least, a hitch with sway bars already installed.

There are a few reasons for this:

An integrated setup is more likely to perform well

First off, purchasing a full setup that’s already integrated means those individual parts are more likely to play nice and work properly together.

If you purchase a separate hitch and sway bars, there’s no guarantee that will be the case.

In addition, even if they do work they might not offer the performance (i.e. the anti-sway) that you were hoping for. 

A hitch with an anti-sway system already built in isn’t guaranteed to reduce 100% of trailer sway, but it is more likely to work than piecing things together. 

With that said, more importantly…

An anti-sway bar (or bars) alone may not be enough

If you have a larger trailer, simply purchasing a sway bar or two might not be enough. You’ll also want a WDH with integrated trailer sway or something similar. 

It’s better to be safe than sorry. If you start off purchasing a weight distribution switch with anti-sway, you can check to see if that solves your sway problems.

If not, you can then add a sway bar or two until the sway is eliminated. 

Best Sway Bars for Travel Trailers

As we talked about, you’ll want more than just sway bars.

Start with a weight distribution hitch with anti-sway or a similar setup then move up from there.

With that said, below we’ll talk about one of the best places to go to find sway bars fit for your vehicle as well as two of our favorite WDH’s with built-in sway control are:

eTrailer

eTrailer is an online retailer of trailer accessories, including sway bars.

Sway bars are, for the most part, created equal. It’s more about finding a sway bar that fits your tow vehicle or RV than anything else.

They have arguably the largest selection online and make it super easy to find sway bars that fit what you need, including their handy filter sidebar where you can search based on vehicle year:

Check out eTrailer to find the right sway bar for your tow vehicle or RV: eTrailer Sway Bars.

Equal-i-zer 4-Point Sway Control Hitch

The Equal-i-zer 4-point Sway Control Hitch is the measure of quality when it comes to weight distribution hitches.

Recommended by RVers the country over, the hitch has a 4-point sway control system with a patented hitch head and rigid trailer brackets that together greatly reduce side-to-side sway.

The hitch is also 100% Made in the U.S.A. including being constructed with American steel. 

With all that said, the Equal-i-zer 4-point Sway Control Hitch is on the pricier side compared to many of its competitors at $745.

• Check out the Equal-i-zer 4-point Sway Control Hitch on Equal-i-zer: Equal-i-zer 4-point Sway Control
• Check out the Equal-i-zer 4-point Sway Control Hitch on Amazon: Equal-i-zer 4-Point Sway Control

Fastway e2 2-Point Sway Control Hitch

If the Equal-i-zer’s price point sounds a bit high, the Fastway e2 marries quality with a more affordable price. 

It doesn’t quite have all the bells and whistles that the Equal-i-zer does, but it is a dependable hitch with the same core features such as sway control and is regularly recommended by full-time RVers.

And it does that while coming in at roughly $200 cheaper at just $550. 

• Check out the Fastway e2 2-point Sway Control on Fastway: e2™ Hitch
• Check out the Fastway e2 2-point Sway Control on Amazon: Fastway e2 2-Point Sway Control

What Is Anti-Sway?

Anti-sway, or sway control, is a feature designed to reduce trailer sway.

Sway control is typically included in most modern weight distribution hitches, but it can also be obtained via a sway bar.

A weight distribution hitch attaches to your tow vehicle and helps distribute weight evenly for both a smoother and safer drive. Nowadays, they typically include some form of sway control built into the hitch itself.

A sway bar, on the other hand, is a separate accessory that can be attached to an RV or a trailer to reduce sway.

Should You Use Sway Bars on a Travel Trailer?

Yes, depending on the size and weight of your trailer you should consider using sway bars.

The heavier the trailer, the more it needs an anti-sway setup. For some, a weight-distribution hitch with anti-sway will be enough.

For other much larger trailers, you’ll want to add a sway bar or two on top of that. 

Can You Back Up a Travel Trailer with Sway Bars?

Yes, you can back up a travel trailer safely using most modern weight distribution hitches.

If you search that question in Google, in general, it’s advised not to back up with a travel trailer.

However, that information is behind the times. Nowadays, most hitches are designed with a variety of new features such as sway control, greater turn radius, and the ability to back up safely.

Do You Need a Sway Bar?

No, a sway bar isn’t required. While an anti-sway setup is suggested in general, it’s really more of a, “if you don’t need it, you don’t need it” situation.

If you don’t have any trailer sway at all, and you’re well within your weight capacities based on your tongue weight and actual (with cargo) trailer weight, you likely don’t need sway bars or an anti-sway hitch.

With that said, it’s better to be safe than sorry. And if your trailer is large enough, you should be using a weight distribution hitch with sway control regardless. 

We hope this guide has helped you figure out if you may need sway bars, what kind of anti-sway measure you should implement first, as well as gave you some recommendations for an anti-sway setup.