Sway bar

You will likely get a few opinions on this - everything from "I don't use one at all" to "I wouldn't leave my driveway without one".

There are anti-sway devises that would bolt/weld to your existing hitch and trailer tongue. Here is one example.

anti-sway bar

So, if you go with this, no, you would not have to buy a new hitch for your van. Since it is an "add on" to your existing assembly, you could purchase it anytime - it stays with your hitch assembly (not your vehicle) so, it does not matter if/when you get a new tow vehicle.

Two important points to remember when towing a trailer are:

1. Load the trailer in such a manner that most of the weight is forward of the trailer's axle(s). (towards the tongue)
2. When hitched, the tongue should be slightly lower than the rear of the of the trailer.

Doing these 2 things will go a long way towards preventing a sway tendency, in the first place.

I would be interested in knowing how much the rear of your tow vehicle "drops" when your Pod is fully loaded and hitched. I say this because I had a 2005 Caravan - back in 2005. I bought the van for my previous aging German Shepherd, who could no longer jump into the pickup truck. (She earned me the moniker "weird guy with a wolf") At the time, I was only towing a light weight popup.

The van was front wheel drive and rather softly sprung in the rear. This made for a comfortable ride but, tended to drop in the rear with much of a load. You may be a candidate for a weight distributing/sway type hitch. It will be heavy (which you don't want) but, if needed, would make for a safer arrangement. I did a "review" of this type of hitch, earlier this year: (Techntrek posted a good link further down)

Fastway E2

The hitch head assembly is rather heavy - perhaps over 50lbs. The "bars" are not too bad heavy at all (maybe 10-15lbs each).

I did take a brief look at the Andersen hitch. I dropped it from my consideration for 2 reasons:

1. It costs about 50% more than the E2
2. I'm not sure I understand how it's design would provide WD. However, I can see how it would provide some amount of sway control. Weight distribution was my primary need.

With the E2 and similar hitches, the "tension bars" will "pry up" on the back of the tow vehicle - like getting a long lever, placing it on the tongue of the trailer and prying up on the back of the tow vehicle. I don't understand how the Andersen type would accomplish this using the 2 chains. Maybe someone smarter than me can jump in and explain this.

With that said, the reviews that I read were favorable on that hitch.

Good luck in your investigations. Please be encouraged to let the rest of us know what you find. This subject comes up quite a bit. As with many subjects, there is more than one way to "skin the cat". The "right" answer is the one that works best for you.