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PKI · 07-08-2015, 11:56 AM

This is a bit off thread, but related. My apology if there is a dedicated thread and I'd appreciate a link if there is one.

How do you weigh on a CAT scales? They have three pads and are designed to weigh the tractor front axle, rear axles, and trailer axles. Is the distance on the pads compatible with the TV front axle on the front pad, the TV rear axle on the second pad, and the trailer axles on the third pad? Can you then pull forward to split the trailer axles between the second and third pads? Any way to get left and right wheel loads, since there is an arch over the scales?

Appreciate any info. Thanks Pat

HiJoeSilver · 07-08-2015, 03:38 PM

Chief, been deciding what to get for my '79 23' safari. Was considering the BlueOx, I'll take the chiefs endorsement and go with it when I buy.

PKI, where the wheels line up depends on the length of the TV and trailer. Usually there's a speaker by the scale to talk to the attendant, or you could walk in and talk them and tell them what you're doing. Line up to get the weights you want, if you need to line up twice to get different weights just tell the attendant. They may charge you twice, but it's not too expensive. You won't be able to get left right weights, the load cells aren't set up to provide that information to the attendant. You may have to do a little math with what you get to figure out exactly what you're trying to figure out. Getting a weight of just the TV by itself is good to have as well.

AWCHIEF · 07-08-2015, 04:00 PM

Joe, good choice. But please be careful with the mounting brackets, keep them tight. The side of my head still hurts when I think about it to much. Also the chains are much easier to hitch and unhitch if you use a socket and long ratchet with extension to get some leverage and move the head and body from directly over the bracket and to clear the battery box.

firstwave · 07-08-2015, 04:04 PM

New 2 1/2 inch Blue Ox shank is very tight. I was using the 2 in shank with a reducer on my Ford F-250. There was so much play in the shank that my last trip bent the receiver pin.
The new shank is so tight I had to do a little filing on the corners to get it to fit. I hope this solves this problem so I can move on to the next one..

AWCHIEF · 07-08-2015, 04:20 PM

Mine is also very snug fit. Little to no excess play, which I guess is a good thing.

**Hans627** · 07-09-2015, 07:21 PM

I had a BO hitch installed at Camping World while I had my AS there for a problem with the brakes.

I should have installed it myself and saved some money and aggravation. As soon as I saw the AS hitched to my TV I told them it is mounted too high. They gave me a song and dance as to why it had to be that way and I didn't understand, etc. So I drove home, parked the rig on a level concrete pad, unhitched the trailer, made it level, and guess what, the ball was 5 inches higher than the receiver. The BO instructions say it should be 1 to 2 inches higher. So I went to Sears and bought a breaker bar (BTW the bar works great with a 1" socket as a wrench to tighten and loosen the chain) and a 1 1/8 socket and lowered the ball ultimately three holes. I tried it at 2 holes and it was still high so I went to three. I also had to reposition the chain tension devices as there were not positioned according to the BO specifications.

I have a RAM 1500 with air suspension so I followed their instructions, disabling the air compressor, and after several tries it seems as though I have the rig relatively level using the 8th link from the u-bolt and exposing 3 full links of chain (which is what BO recommends as a starting point). I measured the front fender well and have it back to where it was before dropping the tongue onto the ball.

Is there anything I'm missing?

AWCHIEF · 07-09-2015, 07:47 PM

Hans, sounds like you have it under control. It seems the air suspensions really confuse dealership techs. I had the same issues. BO ended up swapping me for the correct drop bar and refunded the the money the dealership charged me for the too short incorrect one. After hooking up I have people try to tell me all the time that my trailer is not level until I drive around the loop and it levels itself right out. Makes for a nice comfortable highway drive.

PKI · 07-09-2015, 08:08 PM

Funny - our setup was quite similar until our tech looked at it and started adjusting. Ended up flipping the stinger to get the coupler low enough to level out the rig. The AS is low enough that it needs a lower ball than SOB trailers. Catches some techs by surprise. Pat

PKI · 08-06-2015, 10:11 PM

Just back from 3600 mile trip. Tried both 8 and 9 link preloads with similar results. Wind moves the rig. Some large trucks have no impact. Some minivans cause considerable wiggle. A bus is enough disruption to require adjustment. Interesting that Semis with good aero and a slow pass are less of a problem. Slowing just 5mph makes considerable improvement. Traveling at 60-65 seems to work unless there is significant wind.

So, now we start to tweak weight and balance.

Interesting that while along side the road, I was working in the rear of the trailer and each truck that passed rocked it quite a bit. But when looking in the mirrors, the trailer does not seem to move, even when you feel the wiggle.

Talked to a fellow who has been towing several years and his experience is that the rigs will wiggle a bit. Kind of wonder if I expect too much from sway control.

Again....thank you for the breaker bar recommendation. Works much better than the stock wrench.

Thanks all. Pat

TG Twinkie · 08-06-2015, 10:33 PM

I find by following the instructions for the Blue Ox. It takes very little effort to lock the cams. And even less effort to unlock the cams.
There is no danger of flying parts if you raise the tongue of the coach while hitched to the TV until there is slack in the chains.
On the initial set up I found there was too much tension on the bars. While the rig appeared to be level when set up. The rear tires of the tandem axle coach were running hotter than the front tires. Dropping the tension by one link solved the problem.
I don't believe there is an equalizer hitch out there that will totally eliminate the buffeting effect. Especially on windy days.

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KJRitchie · 08-07-2015, 05:46 AM

I've been considering switching to the Blue Ox from my Equalizer and these reports of sway are disturbing. On my recent trip to Utah I had no issues with sway in stiff crosswinds, passing trucks or cars. A slight push was felt occasionally when a boxy truck passed. I find the Equalizer does a great job at sway control. I just don't like the constant greasing and noise despite using the bracket jackets. Making head adjustments require disassembling the head and high torque settings on the bolts which I can't tell are correct using a long breaker bar as my torque wrench only goes to 250 lbs.

Kelvin

xrvr · 08-07-2015, 08:12 AM

One thing about sway is a little movement from a truck passing is not an issue to some, but major sway to another owner.

khollister · 08-07-2015, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avionstream

One thing about sway is a little movement from a truck passing is not an issue to some, but major sway to another owner.

Good point. Personally, I don't consider the push/pull from a passing truck or bus to be "sway" - I use that term to describe the oscillating yaw movement that can be dangerous if it builds out of control.

It seems the issues I've read about have one of a couple things in common - relatively inexperienced trailer drivers and/or smaller tow vehicles with automatic air suspension (which complicates the tuning).

I have no personal experience with the BO hitch, but it seems the WD and sway control are very interdependent to a degree that is not the case with a Reese Dual Cam, Equalizer or PP/Hensley. Doesn't mean it won't be effective, but I suspect some of the issues may be in adjustment or bar selection, e.g. not enough bend in the bars or too light a bar which doesn't provide the torsion necessary to resist the movement of a heavy trailer on a light TV.

Curious to see how this unfolds.

PKI · 08-20-2015, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khollister

----- snip ------ but it seems the WD and sway control are very interdependent ----- snip ----- issues may be in adjustment or bar selection, e.g. not enough bend in the bars or too light a bar which doesn't provide the torsion necessary to resist the movement of a heavy trailer on a light TV. ---- snip -----.

I've been rolling these comments around in my mind a bit as they seem to be on point. As follow-up, info on the following questions would be appreciated.

Is there any differential force multiplication for sway control built into the BOSP hitch design?

What bars are appropriate.....should the weight choice be aligned to tongue weight or should the bar weight be matched to the trailer's potential sway force?

How does the TV's weight relate to the torsion necessary to control sway?

When reading the BOSP manual and install instructions I did not find guidance on these questions. Key question is - Are 750# bars the appropriate starting point for rigging a 6000# trailer with 600# tongue weight? With the follow-up question of - Under what conditions would a change in bar weight rating be necessary?

Pat

AWCHIEF · 08-20-2015, 04:46 PM

Pat, those all sounds like good questions to ask the engineers ar Blue Ox. I would be interested to hear what they tell you.

HiJoeSilver · 08-20-2015, 05:13 PM

PKI, those are million dollar questions. I think the answer leads more to the tow vehicle than trailer. Would you need sand wd/sway setup with ford ranger vs f350.
Here's a forum posting that has a lot of good explanation and info, it's a long string but very informative. It's about Reese anti sway but the principles remain.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...-up-43568.html

It seems that to get the most benefit you want some real curve in the bars just sitting still.

khollister · 08-20-2015, 05:22 PM

My gut feel is you want the highest rated bars that:

A) give you at least 2" of deflection

and

B) don't transfer too much weight back to the front TV axle

The question would be does a 750 lb bar with 3" of deflection provide more sway resistance than a 1000 lb bar with 2" of deflection?

Keith
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PKI · 08-21-2015, 12:12 AM

Aw - yes, default info solution is always to consult the designer. May just have to make that call. We do need a bit of tech.

Joe - I read the first ten pages of that thread before my eyes glazed over. In summary, use lighter bars with heavier TV. Use 1000# bars for a big car; 800# bars for a 1/2ton without overloads; 750# for 1/2 ton with overloads; 550# for 1/2ton with overloads and 3/4ton or larger tow vehicles. This info is for the Reese system and may not have a direct relationship to the BOSP design, but the Reese users seem to find it a solution. Any BOSP users find that reducing the bar weight rating when you use a larger TV helps your hitch performance?

KH - the 750# bars do provide 2" of deflection. While the BOSP bars are tapered and the spring force is likely not linear with respect to bar deflection, using a direct relationship gives 2x1000=2000 and 3x750=2250. Not likely a representative force, but should be proportional.

A bit more to muddle over. Ain't levers and springs interesting tools? Pat

DHart · 08-21-2015, 12:29 AM

Loving our Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch with 1000# bars and 30' Serenity.

Not a ton of experience using this set up, as yet, but so far, we're very happy with the performance of the hitch used with our 3/4 ton diesel truck. Big thumbs up.

AtomicNo13 · 08-21-2015, 01:49 AM

I just got rid of a bosp. I could not find a solution to my sway problems. I started with 1500 pound bars, which I needed to bring my back end up, but couldn't get 2" of spring flex.
Met with a factory rep who gave me 1000 pound bars, which just made my rear end squat and made sway worse!
I tow a heavy 34' and my Excursion is loaded to the max. I just last night reinstalled the Reese SL with the sway control (which I have been tickled with for hundreds of thousands of miles).
I went with BO after a part on my Reese broke, and I couldn't get a replacement quickly. Camping world swapped out my hitch with a BO.
I immediately regretted my decision, as the Blue Ox never controlled the Airstream like the Reese SL did.