Bending of the bar: Reese sway control

[AirDD]

Is this interference a problem with the round bars and standard large 1 1/4 nuts?

[HowieE]

The first picture shows the bars as you are going straight. Note the clearance.

The second picture shows the bar as you back up in a tight turn. Note the fact that the bar has touched the yoke. Any additional turning would bend the adjustment bolt outwards from the yoke. This picture is of the inside bar only because I did not take one of the outside bar. This condition is worse with the outside bar in a turn because the bar can raise higher off the cam because of the longer tail to the rear of the bar. That length is a safety factor to keep the bar from dropping off the cam. But that is what causes the problem.

I ground material off the yoke to increase the clearance and thus reduce the point of contact.

The shallower the angle of the yoke to the frame the greater the likely hood of contacting the bar.

There is No way this type of hitch will ever contact the shank or shank nut unless you have buried the trailer in the back half of the TV. That a total of both the TV and the trailer.

As noted before I can not comment on the Draw Tight Round bar system because I do not have one to analyze at this time. But I suspect the same conditions will exist

[PJohnson]

Originally Posted by HowieE

I think we need to define the type of hitch in question here. If it is a Draw Tight bent arm type it could be possible to hit the nut since the bars mount forward of the nut. If it is a Reese Straight Line or Duel Cam Trunnion type it is not possible to hit the nut since the trunnions mount to the rear of the nut. My comments have been directed to this type of hitch since the name Reese was originally noted in the thread.

Both type are now sold under the Reese name since Cequent Towing bought Reese.

I have the Reese Strait-Line hitch with 1200 lb trunnion bars (66074) which consists of the Trunnion Bar Weight Distrubution Hitch (66022) and the Dual Cam HP Sway Control (26002). The center of the trunnion pin holes on the 66022 ball mount are approximately 1" forward (toward the the tow vehicle) of the center of the hole for the ball shank. Therefore, the trunnion can (and does) contact the ball jam nut for 2-5/16" balls with a 1-1/4" shank in tight turns.

NOTE: The last sentence in step 3 of INITIAL SET-UP (INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Trunnion Style Weight Distrubution Kits) reads, "A thin jam nut (.72" thick) should be used on standard ballmount to prevent interference with spring bar trunnion."

[PJohnson]

Originally Posted by AirDD

Is this interference a problem with the round bars and standard large 1 1/4 nuts?

I do not have any experience with round bars but looking at the installation instructions, I could not find reference to a "thin jam nut." Furthermore, since the bars mount through the bottom of the ball mount and do not have trunnions (the part that the flat spring bars are mounted in) it appears that it is impossible for the round bars to contact the ball jam nut.

Hopefully, someone who has first hand knowledge about round bars can give you a more definitive answer.

[reo]

Maybe It's the photos, but with a minimum of 5 links of the chain in use, as per install. instructions, your yokes would be at a greater angle from the frame affording you more clearance.

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by hshovic

On our last trip in Colorado, I backed into a flat site on National Forest. I have done this many times (49,000 miles worth).
I had to back in at an angle, and the trailer went in fine. I did notice the trailer dipped a bit, when my front truck wheel went off the pavement (about 2 inches).
The wife was outside and did not hear or see anything unusual.
However, the next day, I did notice something unusual. Both the cam and the cam arm were bent! Of course the trunnion was then off
the cam bottom, and I could feel the trailer sway down the road.
We had it replaced in Colorado Springs, at a Camping World where they did it
quick and right. They also had never seen this before.
I emailed Reese about it, but no coherent answer so far.
Anyone else seen this?

Send this picture to Dan Miller (Dan's Hitches, Elkhart, Indiana) Dan has dealt with Reese nearly as long as Reese has been in business. He is probably the #1 hitch guy in the United States. I'm sure he could tell you why it happened and what to do to avoid it in the future.
Larry

[rogerdodger]

Originally Posted by PJohnson

I do not have any experience with round bars but looking at the installation instructions, I could not find reference to a "thin jam nut." Furthermore, since the bars mount through the bottom of the ball mount and do not have trunnions (the part that the flat spring bars are mounted in) it appears that it is impossible for the round bars to contact the ball jam nut.

Hopefully, someone who has first hand knowledge about round bars can give you a more definitive answer.

I've been reading this with interest. I have the round bars, and there is no way they can contact the ball jam nut.
However, the problem Howie shows, with contact on the arm, can happen, and should be tested in a tight turn with an observer, then fix it like he did, before you damage them while backing in tight turns.

[SteveH]

Someone who often tell us he knows all there is to know about Reese Dual Cam hitches is suspicously absent from this thread.

[hshovic]

After driving with the outfit for 3,000 miles I was able to get to a competent RV repair place in Las Vegas (Las Vegas Trailer Supply). I brought the problem
up to Steve, and he adjusted the hitch. I agree with SteveH in his post that
the hitch ball was too far forward. Steve (at Las Vegas) adjusted the ball
backwards, and the angle is now proper, so that the trunnions no longer can
contact the two cam assemblies. There were actually marks on the new
ones that resulted from contacting the trunnions. So now they don't.
The angle is large enough. The initial adjustment was set up at an RV place
where I bought the system. It was out of adjustment ever since.