Sway bars, wdh, lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

I have a light r-pod, a 171, and a 4500# towing capacity t v. and have never felt the need for more than the very occasional use of a sway control bar in high winds. I have been struck by the many podders here who love wdhs and wouldn't go out without one.

The  mystery of the 10-15% requirement for optimal weight on the towing ball appears to be explained in this video but it also brings up some apparent drawbacks of a wdh, especially when you are in the middle of nowhere on a bad road, that I have never seen discussed here.

The 'bottom line' seems to be that if you can keep your vehicle LEVEL, you don't need a wdh, and the ONLY time you cannot do that is with a big heavy trailer that exceeds the capacity of the t v's suspension to remain level, and no r-pod - used with a 'sensible' t v, will ever do that.

Heh, heh, ... comments?

                                                 

I did hit 90 mph one time pulling the r-pod....of course I did not inject any dumb or quick steering wheel movements during that half a minute or so, and it felt steady. 

It always feels stable at the speeds I normally travel, about 60-65 most of the time.  

"and all my children will be born nekkid since I dont use a WDH hitch." quote podwerkz

Had to laugh at that one.  Thinking back to my first born.  He enjoyed the free lodging and was born a few days later than his due date.  When he finally was "booted out" the Dr. told me to give that young boy a haircut, trim the nails, and get him a Big Mac!  But I was there at that momentous occasion, and sure enough, he was born nekkid!  Hmm, maybe because when he was born in 1978 I wasn't using that WDH thingee.

We've been using a WHD since we got our Pod and have been very satisfied with the performance, especially with our smaller pickup.  The ride is smooth and stable, even in heavy cross winds and curvy roads.  We keep our speed down to 60 or less, mostly for reasons of mileage, but it also reduces the risk of something bad happening if we have to take evasive action.  When we are on rough roads, or roads with deep dips, we go at an appropriate speed so that the TV chassis is not heavily stressed by the torsion of the WHD.  And, if we are on an especially bad road, we'll just take the bars off and go slowly consistent with the conditions.  In effect, some like their bacon cooked well done while others like a little less crispy.