Donna,
When we had our 1989 17' Bigfoot we were using a 1998 Toyota Sienna (V6 3.0L) with tow package. According to Toyota that van could tow up to 3500 pounds. Our Bigfoot trailer came with a
weight distribution hitch, which made a big difference over our previous Coleman tent trailer. The Bigfoot also came with electric
brakes, so I needed to get a brake controller installed into the van. The
electrical connections on our trailers have been the round 7-blade connector. I'm not sure what your van and current trailer has, you might want to find out so you are prepared before your trip.
There was only one time when towing where I had any sway problem. This was my fault by attaching a cheep bicycle carrier to the Bigfoot rear bumper. I was carrying three bicycles on that carrier and it started to sway. That started a chain reaction with the trailer, then the van swaying. This was the one time I was glad to have the electric
brakes. I took my foot off the gas, applied the
brakes just to the trailer and coasted to the side of the road. I took the bikes off the back and stowed them in the trailer without any further problems. Lesson learned; keep the
weight evenly distributed throughout the trailer.
I never felt a need to install a sway control friction pad. It would have been very easy with our
weight distribution hitch, since it already had the mounting for the second ball joint.
Hope that helps answer your questions. Maureen and I will be traveling with our Bigfoot for the next week or so. We can help answer additional questions after we return.
Chris