Let’s assume that last week, while traveling back from your favorite fishing hole, you experienced trailer sway (aka fishtailing) with your beloved trailer. You are now unnerved (understandably), and after spending 15 minutes today swirling around the Google vortex, you have learned that your tow vehicle – a Toyota Sequoia – is not the ideal tow vehicle. You’re close to maxing out its towing capacity. It’s just a bit short, a little small. But you don’t have a spare $70,000 in your checking account to buy a dually Ford F-250 (also understandably), so you have to work with what you’ve got. 

This is the situation that most RV owners find themselves in. From my armchair, I can type all day about the importance of tow vehicle wheelbase, tow vehicle rear overhang (shorter is better), tow vehicle-to-trailer weight ratio, and other tow vehicle factors that affect safe handling and trailer sway, but most of us don’t have the option to swap out tow vehicles (or campers) willy-nilly. So what can a responsible RV owner do after they realize they own a less-than-ideal towing combination?

Here are my top 9 tips.

Don’t Use a Hitch Extender

When you’re towing with an SUV or small pickup truck, it’s tempting to use a hitch extender so you have easier access to the trunk or liftgate. Unfortunately, hitch extenders allow the tail to wag the dog; they multiply the rotational forces imparted by the trailer. Remember what Archimedes said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” You’re giving your camper a longer lever. If you shorten that lever, you reduce the mechanical leverage, and you minimize the effects of a fishtailing camper. 

Keep Your Tongue Weight to 10-15%

If you’re reading this article, you likely know this rule of thumb already: Keep your tongue weight within 10-15% of the gross loaded weight. For most of you, the problem isn’t knowing the rule; it’s knowing your actual tongue weight. You know what happens when you make assumptions, right? Either take your RV to a weigh station or rig a clever loadscale with your own bathroom weight scale, some sturdy boards, and the laws of physics. 

Use a Proportional Brake Controller

Many light-duty towing vehicles don’t come with a factory-installed towing package. Even then, many don’t come with integrated brake controllers! It’s up to you to choose. 

Do not skimp on a brake controller. Technology has come a long way. For around $200, you can purchase a Curt, Redarc, or Tekonsha proportional, programmable brake controller. Some models, such as the Redarc Tow Pro Elite, can even independently apply braking pressure to the trailer only, which is a very effective method for eliminating trailer sway. As auto journalist Robert Pepper talks about in his introductory video to trailer sway, trailer sway is generally induced when the tow vehicle is moving faster than the tow vehicle. Independent braking solves this issue. 

Don’t Drive Dumb

Bad driving habits can initiate or exacerbate the effects of trailer sway. Don’t make sudden turns. Don’t slam on the brakes. Don’t oversteer. Do not speed. Don’t try to accelerate out of sway, especially if driving downhill. Remember F=MA; increased speed exponentially increases the risk of injury or death from a crash or rollover. Keep the steering wheel straight ahead, manually apply the trailer brakes with your brake controller, and drive more slowly. 

Use a Weight-Distribution Hitch with Sway Control

If you fit the mold of the RV owner I described at the beginning of this article, then you almost certainly need a weight-distribution hitch just to deal with the relatively small size of your tow vehicle. A weight distribution hitch, even without sway control, is important to combat trailer sway, because it restores proper traction to both front and rear axles of the towing vehicle.

When it comes to additional sway control, weight distribution hitches come in three flavors:

• Friction Sway Control
• 4-Point WD Hitches
• Pivot-Point Projection Hitches

A full discussion of the pros and cons of these hitches is beyond the scope of this article. If you can stomach the $2k+ cost of a pivot-point projection hitch (like a Hensley), then you should do it. They make trailer sway almost impossible. 4-point hitches are a popular, affordable solution that reduce (but do not eliminate) the potentiality of trailer sway.

I can’t really recommend simple friction control devices. They are good bandaids, but they can’t atone for a bad tow vehicle-trailer loading combination. 

>> READ MORE: Does a Weight Distribution Hitch Reduce Tongue Weight?

Enable Electronic Sway Control

Many modern vehicles come equipped with Electronic Sway Control (ESC) and/or Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) to help prevent swaying, skidding, sliding, and other losses of control. Unless your brake controller specifically recommends disabling these systems, leave them on! They can react much faster than our Neanderthal brains, keeping you safer on the road. Here’s a video from Robert Pepper I highly recommend watching:

Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated

Deflated tires are squishy tires, which make for a squirmy ride. Properly inflated tires have stiffer sidewalls. The by-the-book answer is to inflate your tires based on their Load and Inflation table, which matches the expected load to the recommended inflation pressure. In reality, most SUVs and small trucks are nearly maxed out when towing a travel trailer, so in all likelihood, you should inflate them to the maximum pressure indicated on the sidewall. 

Even better, if you have P (passenger) tires, upgrade to LT (light truck) tires, which have significantly higher lateral stiffness, which resists trailer sway better. Just fair warning: They may not be quite as comfortable.

Pack Your RV, Not Your Truck!

I’ve written about this problem before: For most consumer towing vehicles (SUVs and small trucks), the limiting factors in your towing capacity are your Rear Axle Weight Rating (RAWR) and your allowable hitch weight (HW). When you load up your tow vehicle with suitcases, tools, food chests, and other heavy items, you are quickly reducing your towing capacity. 

The thing is, your camper likely has a larger payload capacity than your tow vehicle. So when you’re packing heavy items, it’s generally preferred to place them in your camper rather than your tow vehicle. 

However – and this is a big HOWEVER – avoid packing extremely heavy items at the far ends of the trailer. Weight distribution matters as much as total weight, and when the weight is concentrated at the ends of the RV, you’re increasing rotational inertia. When possible, keep the weight centered and close to the axles. The worst place to pack heavy items is at the rear of the camper. 

Drive Slower (gulp)

All red-blooded Americans despise this answer, I know. But the laws of physics are impartial judges, and they have decreed that the faster you drive, the more likely you are to experience trailer sway – and the threshold range might just be 2-3 mph! 

When possible, drive at 55-60 mph. Do not exceed 65 mph. You may need to drive even slower on downhills (or increase your brake control gain) to prevent the trailer from running faster than the tow vehicle, causing it to fishtail. You also may need to drive slower during high winds due to lateral loading effects.