TIL adding too much anti-sway on a pick can actually make things worse

Was loading a 12,000 lb transformer onto a flatbed yesterday and thought cranking up the anti-sway would keep it steady. Instead the whole load started pendulum swinging on me about 15 feet up. Had to set it down and start over with half the tension. Learned that more anti-sway just fights against the natural movement and creates a worse bounce. Anyone else run into this with heavier loads?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.elliot12d ago

Wait, isn't anti-sway for side-to-side, not pendulum bounce?

cole_murphy12d ago

My buddy Dave tried using anti-sway on a popup camper and it did nothing for the bounce, @smith.elliot.

ray_sullivan12d ago

Is that the same thing as when people confuse weight distribution hitches with sway control? I heard from a camper forum that anti-sway bars mostly work for travel trailers with solid axles, not popups. Popups have a different suspension setup that lets them bounce up and down more freely. Might be worth looking into a friction sway control or adjusting the tongue weight instead.