More Americans than ever are heading to destinations towing enormous trailers with today’s lighter, more powerful trucks. That alone is not a problem, but under certain circumstances without the proper safeguards, it can lead to trailer sway.
Trailer sway is an all-too-common situation in which the trailer swings side to side (the tail wags the dog) as the truck attempts to drive in a straight line. Wind can induce it, so can unbalanced loads, but the only way to prevent it from happening is to use a sway controller/equalizer hitch. Undetected, trailer sway can spin a tow vehicle out of control when the front end of the tow rig gets lighter than the tongue of the trailer. There is an ideal balance that you want to achieve and sway and equalizer-type systems help do that for us.
| 01. The Strait-Line Hitch consists of a patented dual cam high-performance sway control and a high-performance weight distributing system in one easy-to-install package.
Fifth-wheel and gooseneck setups are less likely to experience sway; however, it is a regular occurrence with standard bumper mount trailers. There are a multitude of hitches that prevent trailer sway, but choosing the correct one can be frustrating and complicated, especially for the novice.
To uncover the mystery behind the sway controller and weight distribution hitch, we decided to field test the new Strait-Line from Reese to see how it worked.
Proactive Control Strait-Line is not a totally new product, however, much has changed in its design since it was first introduced back in the 1960s. It is in essence a proactive sway controller and is available as a round bar or trunnion bar configuration. With its dual-cam setup, the Strait-Line basically loads and unloads automatically when cornering. It is a pro-active type controller and weight-distribution hitch, and so it’s basically doing its job when you are busy driving.
The Strait-Line we installed used a patented dual cam sway control and a high-performance trunnion style weight-distributing system. The job of the trunnion bars is to shift the trailer weight to the front of the tow vehicle and to the receiver and off the trailer’s tongue.
The trunnion bars from Reese are available in different rates (600 to 1,500 pounds). For our Ford F350 and 7,000-pound toyhauler that would probably see a decent amount of added payload, we went with 1,200-pound rated bars. That might be too little or too much for some trailers and tow rigs, so to be certain, contact your local Reese dealer before you order.
| 02. All adjustable hitch bars (shank) can be used in raised or dropped position. Designed for use with all trunnion and round bar hitches.
What to Look For
After installation, what you want to see is a level truck and trailer. No dip between the truck and trailer. The key to the installation is having the truck and the trailer parked on a level surface, inline so that proper measurements can be taken.
We have to be honest: When the kit arrived it looked a bit intimidating. But once we had some time to inspect how it worked, we became more confident at hitching and unhitching it.
We got the opportunity to assist in the installation as Steve Eskesen, the technical trainer for Cequent, the manufacturer, walked us through the process using our 22-foot DV-222 toyhauler from Carson Trailer.
| 03. The Strait-Line should be installed only by qualified professionals. Large impacts and other specialty tools are required for a proper installation.
The DV-222 has Carson’s new aerodynamic V-nose, which reduces drag, but leaves a smaller than normal A-frame area of the tongue exposed. But that wasn’t an issue for the Strait-Line because it can be installed in a couple of different ways as Steve explained.
After about three hours of wrenching, we were on our way. It’s not suggested that you try the installation at home because it takes certain power tools that aren’t common to most home-based shops. It’s better to contact a Reese dealer to look for an installation shop in your area. We had some help from Pickup Parts in Mission Viejo, California, and that saved us a lot of time and trouble.
| 04. The Strait-Line is bolted onto the A-frame at the tongue of the trailer. Clearance for propane bottles and other equipment should not pose a problem on any trailer.
Road Test It
Our test drive with the unit installed took us approximately 700 miles on winding, hilly Interstates and even on non-paved roads. One of the biggest challenges for truck and trailer in this part of California is known as the Grapevine, and it can be a dangerous 6-percent grade if high winds prevail. And that day, they were really blowing hard.
To our surprise, the trailer tracked behind the truck like it wasn’t even attached. Even the constantly curving Interstate didn’t upset the precise balance that the Strait-Line induced.
With the setup we experienced no sway on some of the rougher stretches of road, and no metal-to-metal noise typical of some systems that we are familiar with.
| 05. The Strait-Line system attached to the trailer and tow rig made traveling much easier by helping to eliminate trailer sway.
Passing larger rigs at the 55-mph speed limit with a trailer can be a classic recipe for trailer sway, but that never materialized. Even our excursion off the asphalt into a private campground with uneven terrain seemed like a Sunday drive thanks to the Strait-Line system.
With that said, the weight distributing shank and trunnion bars need ample room for storage. You must also be sure to order the correct class shank, and proper ball size to fit your rig.
Overall, once we became accustomed to the way the Strait-Line worked, we were able to attach it within minutes because once the product is properly adjusted, you do not have to tinker with its setting ever again. Unless of course, you swap tow rigs.
