Is dual cam better than friction sway control?

[Fogducker]

I have straight bars with the chains going straight up to the levers. I also have a friction sway control set-up.
I already have the little saddles that go on the bottom of the bar ends where the dual cam thing rides. If I got a dual cam sway control kit that attaches to the A frame with u-bolts, would it be all that much better than my present set-up? I'm pulling a 22 ft Safari but I'm looking for a newer 25 ft. So about 6000 lbs is my guess! Anybody got a kit for sale? Fog

[Navigator]

I puled my 31' from MN to DE (1250mi.) w/ just a hitch and a friction bar w/my 456 Burb, (and a big time cross wind through Ill & Ohio) and there was not even a hint of sway.
Dick

[Silvertwinkie]

I talked with near a half dozen hitch shops before buying my setup.

Each place told the me the same thing. Anything under 22' friction will do fine. Friction can be good for larger, however, for larger than a 22' RV, dual cam would be better. I towed my Bambi with friction and my father pulls his 24' SOB with friction. I however upgraded to dual cam when I got the 25' Safari as I feel it is better than friction. The Hensley looked great, but I had a rough time coming to terms spendig over $2k on a hitch system. Cost was only $159 for the dual cams compared to $70 for the friction bar and I already had the 1200# bars when I got the Bambi so no bars to buy.

[overlander64]

Greetings Fog!

I have towed with both setups, and wouldn't consider anything other than the Reese Straight-Line Hitch with Dual Cam Sway Control if my hitch weight is more than 400 pounds.

The friction sway control was just more trouble than I cared to deal with - - had to be removed before the trailer could be backed into most parking places (ruined two bars before I learned this lesson); and then the ritual of loosening the adjustment for wet or slippery conditions and tightening the adjustment for windy or heavy truck traffic conditions (one day's travel through South Dakota required 15 stops to adjust the friction bar)- - five years of this with my 19 foot single-axle Nomad (1980-85) and then for two months with my Minuet last year.

Contacted Reese and learned that what had been recommended back in the 1980s had been changed at that time (1980) I was told that the Dual Cam should not be used with trailers weighing under 4,000 pounds - - when I contacted them last spring, I was informed that the critical issue was having a hitch weight that exceeded 400 pounds (the Minuet has a bit more than 550 pounds on the hitch when it is loaded for travel). I have been thoroughly satisfied with my Reese Straight-Line hitch since its installation in 1995 covering in excess of 55,000 towing miles. The Minuet received it Dual Cam system after it had been with me one month - - the Overlander has had the Dual Cam system since I purchased it in 1995. After the initial installation/adjustment, the only time that my Dual Cam system has required any adjustment was when I removed it to paint the hitch.

Good luck with your decision!

Kevin

[85MH325]

Fog... in a word, yes. It's worth doing.

Roger

[skip]

I have purchased the dual cam system from Reese, but have not installed it yet.

May question is about mounting the frame plates on tubular frames. As I understand it, after drilling a couple of 7/16" holes in the appropriate positions, these flanged head, self tapping screws are screwed in & torqed down to 50 #.

Now a set screw & "jam" nut tightens it up on the other side.

Maybe I have just towed with the old "candy cane" type spring bars/trunnion hitch too long......because I have all kinds of nightmares @ one or both of these screws working loose. It just doesn't seem like very much to handle the strain on them.

Has anyone else ever had this concern ???

[Pahaska]

The force on the screws is a shear force only. There is plenty of metal to metal contact in that plane. I see no reason to be concerned about the screws working loose if the proper size hole was drilled for them.