2013 Toyota Tacoma and 2020 17B

[jomaass]

I'm going from towing a 13' Scamp with a 2" ball to the lifted 17B trailer and need recommendations on Hitches. My build sheet has three different Hitch options and I'm confused about which one to get. Equalizer Hitch, Equalizer Hitch with Sway Control Bar or the E2 by Fastway. Any Tacoma owners with recommendations would be appreciated. Our Scamp was easy to tow and never swayed, not sure about the 17B.

[dfandrews]

We tow a 2015 17A with a Honda Pilot 2WD. We do not use a WDH. We find that the 17 does not sway, and I have not been able to induce sway.
Reasons:
-The 17 tends to be tongue heavy. Our 17A, at about 2000 lb. dry weight and 2600-2700 lbs., trip ready, with all our food, gear, water and propane tanks full, etc. Tongue weight is typically 350-375 lbs.
-Total length is 17'8". Distance from the ball to the axle is 12 ft., with the fresh water tank immediately behind the axle. The only thing heavy on the rear is the battery(ies) and maybe some bikes and a rack.

[thoer]

We used the least expensive WDH from Escape with our Tacoma and 17b and never felt a hint a sway. The Tacoma and Escape seemed to move almost as one solid unit when changing lanes, etc, even in very strong side wind conditions As Don explains above, the design of 17 helps prevent sway.

[flynfrfun]

I bought the Fastway E2 WDH w/ sway control for my 17B. Now that I’ve towed it about 3000mi with my little RAV4 I feel confident it doesn’t need it. All the sway control does is make a lot of noise when turning or maneuvering in campgrounds.

[steve dunham]

We have the Fastway E2 which has been sitting in storage since July of 2018
On Friday August 28th it’s going to be setup and into service .
I’ve towed 3 different FG trailers with 3 different 1/2 ton full size trucks and in every instance towing quality improved with a WDH

[flynfrfun]

I would like to clarify...in my post above, I meant I didn't feel the sway control is necessary. I most definitely need the WDH, but the sway option is not something I would do again now that I know how stable the 17B tows. And the only reason is because of the extra noise. If you are arriving at a campground late or leaving early in the morning, the sway groans loudly every time you take a sharp turn.

[thoer]

Josh, I put these on the E2 and it got rid of a lot of the noise. Also keeping the pin ends where the arms go into the hitch well greased helps. And yes, I know those jackets take away a lot of the sway control - but our 21 exhibit zero sway with or without them.

Sway Bracket Jacket

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by thoer

Josh, I put these on the E2 and it got rid of a lot of the noise. Also keeping the pin ends where the arms go into the hitch well greased helps. And yes, I know those jackets take away a lot of the sway control - but our 21 exhibit zero sway with or without them.

Sway Bracket Jacket

Thank you Eric — Going to order a set this afternoon
Set ordered !!

[flynfrfun]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Thank you Eric — Going to order a set this afternoon
Set ordered !!

Ditto! Thanks Eric!

[thoer]

The E2s rub on the side of the bar too, so that can also make noise. I've put some dry spray lube there and that helps a bit too if the side ends up also being noisy. I've given up worrying at all about sway with our 21 as it seems just as well balanced as our 17B did. I do like the hookup process of the E2 better than the chain model we had on the 17b - just seems to go a bit faster and easier, but probably not worth the extra cost. I do like these snap pins.

It also seems nearly impossible to get too low a hitch weight on our 21, in fact I always tow with the fresh tank about 1/3 full of water to get the weight down a bit as mine is often too heavy.