What is trailer sway?

Trailer sway is a dangerous effect associated with towing a trailer. Trailer sway is a side-to-side fishtail movement. If you want to effectively control trailer sway you must first understand what contributes to trailer sway. When trailer tongue weight is applied to the hitch ball, and the weight is not properly distributed throughout the towing system, trailer sway can occur.

Imagine for a moment what happens when tongue weight is applied to a hitch ball. This added weight on the rear of the vehicle generates friction to the tow vehicle’s rear wheels. But, too much tongue weight can affect the tow vehicle’s steering and handling, and too little tongue weight can result in a loss of traction, contributing to trailer sway.

So, an important factor in controlling trailer sway is the amount of tongue weight applied to the hitch ball, and how that weight is distributed to the tires on the tow vehicle and the tires on the trailer. A general rule-of-thumb is, trailer tongue weight should be 10 to 15 percent of the fully loaded trailer weight, for trailers weighing over 2,000 pounds.

How do you know how much tongue weight there is?

When I tow an equipment trailer, or an auto transport trailer I don’t know what the trailer tongue weight is. When you tow a trailer like this for hundreds of miles at a time it can be dangerous.

Sometimes you can find a trailer’s tongue weight in a brochure or by searching online, but this is the unloaded trailer tongue weight. If you load additional weight towards the front of the trailer, the tongue weight listed in a brochure is irrelevant. The only way to know the actual tongue weight is to weigh the trailer’s tongue load when the trailer is fully loaded. But, we all know taking the trailer to a set of scales every time you load it is impractical.  

This is where the FLASH Integrated Scale Ball Mount by Fastway Trailer Products comes in. The integrated scale accurately measures the loaded trailer’s tongue weight every time you tow a trailer. When you know what the actual tongue weight is, you can adjust the load to get the proper amount of tongue load, thereby reducing the possibility of trailer sway.

What is inside the box?

The FLASH Integrated Scale Ball Mount is made from aircraft-grade aluminum to resist corrosion and handle all types of towing conditions.

You get a 2-inch and a 2-5/16- inch chrome hitch ball, so you can tow most trailers you might encounter.

The hitch balls have a max trailer weight of 10,000 pounds and 8,000 pounds, and a max tongue weight of 1,000 pounds.

I like that it comes with a 6-inch drop hitch. It makes it easy to adjust the ball height and keep the trailer towing level.

The aluminum alloy is super lightweight but strong, and the integrated scale accurately measures the trailer’s tongue load every time you tow, providing a safer and more confident towing scenario.

This truly is a great towing product. I can rest assured this FLASH Integrated Scale Ball Mount (made in the U.S.A.) will provide me with years of safer trailer towing.

For more information about the FLASH Integrated Scale Ball Mount visit Fastway Trailer Products

Happy Camping,
Mark Polk
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