Installed a pair of Hellwig Sway Bars

[AH64ID]

My dad and I installed sway bars on our trucks this weekend. We both went with Hellwigs, I got the standard bar and he got the big wig. I don't haul/tow all that heavy, but there isn't a straight road around here so I figured it was a good idea, and my dad has a Lance 8' camper and tows a 16' stock trailer behind it. The install was pretty easy, only issue is we couldn't get the end links at a perfect 90° angle because we both have Class-V hitches. The angles aren't bad and are about 85-87°. They made a very noticeable change. My truck empty is much more stable driving around, and with a trailer it's great. I don't have many miles on it yet, but should hit some winding roads with the TT soon. My dad left my house and drove the 500 miles to Seattle thru Oregon with a full bed and the 16' stock trailer at about 5500lbs. He doesn't text or use words like "Awesome", but about an hour into his drive I got a text saying "Awesome" (he was stopped, not texting and driving). I talked to him a little bit later, after the windy section of road thru E Oregon and he was blown away at what the bar did to his truck. It made it amazingly stable and it hugs the road and doesn't wonder at all. So if you are on the fence about one I highly recommend one.

[War Eagle]

I installed a helwig on my 2000 Ram as I also carry a slide in camper. It was a nice improvement on cornering and wind sway. Didn't stop all the sway when the camper was on because it sits really high in the air and adds a fair amount of mass to change the CG height. But it was a nice stablizing influence when the camper was on.Now with the camper off it was flat on the curves.I am going to set my 2005 up for the camper so I will also be adding the Helwig to it.

[dorkweed]

It never happened unless pix are involved!!!!

[morgancrew]

cost $$$

[AH64ID]

About $250.. and I still need to take pics.

[War Eagle]

I got the Big wig for my '05 for $237 and the ride was included. Race-Mart. http://www.race-mart.com/Hellwig-HEW-7265.html

[AH64ID]

[Wild and Free]

I've had the standard Hellwig on my 05 for several years and I have to say I noticed minimal gain with no load and almost no noticable difference with a trailer on back over stock on mine. I bought it used from a friend of mine who bought it brand new for his 03 and he took it off for a different brand as he too didn't get any noticable gain from it. I thought that it would have worked better on my short box than his long box but I was wrong but out only 100 bucks for it.We both have that tail wagging the dog feeling from the rear end all the time and I still have it with the Hellwig.I can't remember which brand he went to but he says it is much better than this one. I have been looking at ditching mine for air bags instead.

[AH64ID]

I am surpised you didn't notice anything. Mine is literally night and day, and with the 1200-1300 lbs of tongue weight from my TT it really helped. I wonder if they changed the design? Could the bushings be worn, or not tight enough on the arms?

[dripley]

I am surpised you didn't notice anything. Mine is literally night and day, and with the 1200-1300 lbs of tongue weight from my TT it really helped. I wonder if they changed the design? Could the bushings be worn, or not tight enough on the arms?

Did you replace the oe's with the helwig or was they put aon a truck with no sway bars originally? I have the oe sway bars, but only tow with a rth wheel. My 96 had no sway bar and was just a little squirley.

[Wild and Free]

As far as I know the 3rd gens never came with a factory sway bar on the rear.I have read and adjusted and looked everything over as per the install instructions and all is well with it. It was only on my friends rig for less than a year as he pulls a huge travel trailer as well and he didn't get any gain from it which is why he took it off and sold it to me, like I said I figured it would work better on a short bed versus his long bed. Mine is probably 4-5 years old.I will check and see which one he went with that he said was much better at controlling things.

[JAG1]

I had one put on my work truck years ago. Back then I heard sometimes the clamps will move or spin a little on the axle tube. So the shop that installed them put just a small spot weld to the clamps and axle tube. Worked so far very well.

[War Eagle]

This is the Hellwig I put on my 2nd gen truck. It replaced the OEM one that came with the truck.It had a larger diameter bar compared to the stock OEM.Noticed a nice difference over the stock one.The mounting goes forward under the truck rather than backward under the spare tire as on the 3rd gen truck.

[AH64ID]

3rd gen's don't have a swaybar from the factory. I would measure the bar and see what size it is. Something is likely wrong with the bar (or older and smaller??) or bushings, the effect should be HUGE! I have had it on for a few months now and am still surprised at the difference it made.

[War Eagle]

Getting my '05 set up for the camper. Added the Torklift tie-downs, the Torklift load stabilizers and the Hellwig Big Wig sway bar.This thing is 1 5/16" diameter. Rides really flat on the corners without the camper on.Oops, I had the picture of the 2nd gen rather than the 3rd gen which I just installed. This picture is the correct one.

[CSM]

3rd gen's don't have a swaybar from the factory. I would measure the bar and see what size it is. Something is likely wrong with the bar (or older and smaller??) or bushings, the effect should be HUGE! I have had it on for a few months now and am still surprised at the difference it made.

It would be interesting to see how different your truck handles on ice now. I wonder if it may be a bit more loose.

[AH64ID]

I came out of the woods a bit heavy yesterday. I left the 4wheeler at home and we went to get a little wood. We were planning on about 1/2 a chord, and ended up with a shy 2/3 of a chord. We hit a scale on the way back home and the truck was just over 12,000 lbs and the camper was at 6,600 (still hooked up). The rear axle was sitting at 7400 lbs, whoops!! I knew we were heavy so I started the day at 80 psi in the rear tires, and drove slow, never got above 53. I didn't expect the wood to be quite that heavy, but it was. Anyways, aside from overloading my rear tires, the truck handled amazing. It did feel heavy, but no crazy sway or anything. There was a slight bounce on rough sections, very very slight, that could have been the tires or from having a little too much air in the bags. I had the bags at 60 psi, and was about 1/2" higher than normal so could have dropped then to 50ish, but didn't as we weren't far from home. Really liking the sway-bar.

It would be interesting to see how different your truck handles on ice now. I wonder if it may be a bit more loose.

Time will tell for sure. It stands to reason that it could be, but it still has 3,500 lbs on the rear tires and I run soft tires in the winter.

[dorkweed]

AH64ID.....That sway bar set up looks a fair bit different from the OEM one I ordered from the factory on my '99. I ordered the '99 with the camper package.....which included the sway bar and overload springs. Twas hard to make that '99 squat!!!!Are you worried about the "end links" catching on stuff off road. Maybe it's the pix.....I dunno!!!

[AH64ID]

The only time the end links may become an issue is backing up while on back roads, etc. As far as foreword driving the bar is at the mid point of the axle, and the lowest point is the mounting brackets which are about the same as the shock mounts. I have bumped my axle once in the last 5 years on a small rock on a FS road, so I am not too worried about it.