reese WD hitch - too much?

[NJtoNC]

i bought a used 1200 lb Reese WD hitch on CL , thinking, the more Wt the better... but then a found a comment that made me think i am wrong -

mikethefixit in a previous thread wrote:

Change those bars to 550 and you will then see a marked difference in the ride. I had 1000 lb bars that came with the trailer from the PO. They scared me to death and I aint afraid of nuffin. The rebound from those 1000 lb bars nearly threw us out of the seats on the way home. I switched to a set of 550 lbs bars which I already had. I use 6 links under tension with my Old Style Straight Line Reese and we get a wonderful ocean-wave type ride with our 1 ton single wheel.

this is what we bought.
Reese Reese High Performance Trunnion Weight Distributing Hitch (1,200 lbs) 66022


it is however, also missing the safety pins. i found pins at the local home depot but without the 'safety' portion, which seems to be a spring that keeps them on. where can i find these? what size do i need?

and while i have your attention....!
we're towing a 2700lb globetrotter with a 1984 6.2 liter diesel suburban... the local camping world manager said sway control isn't necessary. thoughts on this?

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! we're leaving in 10 days for a 7500 mile cross country tour, so i think i best try to be prepared soon.

[Splitrock]

Reese will have the pins. Tractor Supply might have something close.

[azflycaster]

I think 1200 pound bars for a 400 pound tongue weight will provide a very stiff ride for your trailer.

[Ganglin]

I used to tow a 2850 pound fiberglass Coleman popup - no bars - same 98 Durango as I have now. All we added was simple friction sway control and you barely knew it was back there. My utility trailer will max out at about your trailer weight - nothing but safety chains. I'm not telling you not to use weight distribution.

Good luck with your setup - enjoy that trip.

Tuning a Reese Hitch

[NJtoNC]

I think 1200 pound bars for a 400 pound tongue weight will provide a very stiff ride for your trailer.

what exactly does this mean? will it be harder to tow?
is it bad for the trailer? is it dangerous? or will just shake things up a bit?

what weight SHOULD i be using?

edit: would this be more appropriate?

http://cnj.craigslist.org/rvs/1849383061.html

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by NJtoNC

what exactly does this mean? will it be harder to tow?
is it bad for the trailer? is it dangerous? or will just shake things up a bit?

what weight SHOULD i be using?

You will beat the devil out of the trailer as well as cause many different damages.

If you couple that hitch with a bad axle, as an example, you will far move than "shake things up a bit".

Safety is the issue, for you and your passengers, who have to trust your judgement about towing. Don't let them, or yourself, down.

Therefore it's wise to outfit your rigging to minimize the possibility of a loss of control accident. Having a sway bar, is another step towards that goal.

Andy

[2airishuman]

lots of very good info in the archives on this topic...

enough to sort out the basics for almost ne1.
____________

with a tongue weight significantly UNDER 500 lbs many suggest no w/d is needed.

IF w/d is used the bars should be rated ~the same as the tongue load.

so 500 needs 400-700 lb bars.

depending on TYPE of sway control design built into the hitch (cams for example) ,

the w/d bars NEED to flex a given amount for the sway function to work,

and higher rated bars may not flex enough on lighter trailers, so the sway control isn't active.

lighter bars are useful with beefier rigs and LIGHT trailers, sometimes.

a simple outrigger adjustable friction sway control bar (or 2 of them)

is often used with small trailer/lighter trailers...

where w/d is NOT needed but some added stability is desired.
___________

these threads include great depth and debate on the basics and useful to read...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ase-36437.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...-ii-21000.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...-it-46606.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ice-18464.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...rol-17986.html

scanning the titles in the hitch section, one will find many others that are specific for BRAND or setup of hitch, and useful reading.

cheers
2air'

[Mikethefixit]

Will it be harder to tow? NO The wieght of the bars has nothing to do with how it rolls.
Is it dangerous? YES (only my opinion) When you flex those 1200 lbs bars the rebound will be great and there is a possibility you could lose control.You also transfer that energy to the trailer and that can cause shell damage,very expensive repair.
It only took about a hundred miles pullin our AS home with those 1200 lb bars to convince me.
Please don't take my word,listen to Andy and 2 Air Both are very experienced at hitches.

[NJtoNC]

ok! ok! im ready to make the switch!!

just dont know what to switch TO!

will the "mini light trunnion WD hitch" (66024 or 66074) work BEST? if not, WHAT?
and what sway goes with it? with the mini it seems only friction sway can hook up to it. i think we want dual cam? so do i go with the heavier duty WD so i can do the dual cam sway bars?

yet both of these say they come with sway control!!

aarg!! so confused!!