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Towster · 01-08-2004, 09:07 PM

When we bought our 69 globetrotter, it came with a very rusty old Reese system. I've scraped, sanded, rust-inhibited and spray painted it. The picture (if I attached it correctly) shows the parts halfway through the process.

We took it out on the road during the summer. It was wonderful on the straight-a-ways, kinda noisy (creaky) on the curves and downright embarrassingly loud trying to park it. Seems it wasn't bolted on quite tight enough in the right places. Tried again for the ride home but gave up because the bars seemed to flex too much when brought up to parallel. It just didn't seem quite right.

If my picture is attached, what kind of Reese bars do I have? Dual cam sway control? Weight distributing? Too rusty to be safe? How do I know if they are the correct size for our tongue weight. (No numbers on them).

Any illumination is welcome.

Virginia

j54mark · 01-08-2004, 09:17 PM

Looks like a plain old ordinary Reese weight distributing hitch. No sway control.

As I recall, the Reese website has the dimesions of the spring bars for each weight rating.

Mark

Joe Z · 01-08-2004, 09:31 PM

It is a reese dual cam - looks very similar to the one I just replaced on my trailer. You can clearly see the stirrups that they weight distributing bars fit into to make ia dual cam. If it were strictly a weight distributing set up it would not have the stirrups.

Thank you,
Joe

Silvertwinkie · 01-08-2004, 11:18 PM

I'm not sure what it is, but I am not sure I agree it's a Reese Dual Cam. All the Reese dual cams I've seen have had hook bars. Plus those chains look very weak compared to all the Reese dual cams I have seen.

Anyone know how long dual cams have been out?

Eric

CanoeStream · 01-08-2004, 11:50 PM

I just cut a gawd-awfully rusted two of these off my trailer today. Exactly the same! No other supporting parts remained. Didn't appear to have been used in years. I promise they won't show up on eBay.

TomW · 01-09-2004, 03:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Towster
...It was wonderful on the straight-a-ways, kinda noisy (creaky) on the curves and downright embarrassingly loud trying to park it.

The hitch that came with my '67 Overlander looks very similar to yours (both style, and rust level). When I was hooking the hitch up in the PO's driveway, the plan was to smear grease on all the metal-to metal contact points. The PO did not want me to do that. Even though the trailer had not moved in 20 years, and was covered in green algae, I knew he hated to see it go so I did not argue, as I was trying to get it out of there as quickly as possible. On the road, it creaked and groaned as you described.

Although new to weight distributing hitches, I have towed all my life. I am assuming that, properly greased/oiled, a weight distributing hitch should be somewhat quiet.

Could someone describe a reasonable noise level for a weight distributing hitch such as Towster's?

Thanks,
Tom

overlander64 · 01-09-2004, 06:57 AM

Greetings Virginia!

The hitch in your photo is a mid-to-late-1960s Reese Strait-Line Weight Distributing Hitch that Included the Reese Dual Cam Sway Control. I have a 1964 Trailer magazine (uncertain of publisher but will check later today) that shows a picture of that exact setup. I suspect that its installation on a Globetrotter may point to a hitch with either a 350 or a 500 pound tongue weight rating - - more likely a 500 pound tongue weight rating as I don't believe that the 350 came out until the mid-to-late-1970s.

I have basically the same Reese Strait-Line Hitch on my Minuet and am very pleased with its operation. It does make a fair amount of noise, especially in slow-speed maneuvers - - loud pops and sometimes bangs as the bars move out of the sadles as the trailer is moved either left or right. Your bars appear to be the same length and about the same thickness as the 500 pound bars that I use on my Minuet.

Kevin

Silvertwinkie · 01-09-2004, 07:18 AM

So the dual cam system from Reese has been out there for decades then?

Learn something new everyday.

Here I thought dual cam from Reese had come out in the past 10 years.

Tripp · 01-09-2004, 07:39 AM

It is a Reese Dual Cam (sway control). To tame the grinding and groaning, apply a light layer of grease on the "saddles". You will be amazed at the difference in noise. I have towed like this for thousands of miles with no adverse effects.

Good luck.

Tripp

startrekker2001 · 01-09-2004, 08:00 AM

I was under the impression that grease on the saddles would allow the them to slip of the stirrups too easily and negate the friction that makes the dual cam work. Am I wrong in this impression? If I am, then I will add a little to mine. The racket at maneouvering speed is annoying.

I had heard of using Vaseline, but never tried it.

Tripp · 01-09-2004, 08:15 AM

Mine has been fine with it on the saddles. Since they sort of interlock, you are not relying solely on "grip" to prevent sway as you are with some other styles of integrated sway control. The pressure of the spring bar itself will hold it in place.

The system was designed to allow the spring bars to come out of the saddles during tight turns and maneuvering which is where your noise comes from.

Give it a try with the grease, take a short trip and see what you think. IMO, it was well worth it. I didn't notice any loss of sway control with the grease. I travel 70Mph with stiff crosswinds most of the way getting out of Texas, and camp frequently in the Ozarks. Twisty roads are no problem at speed either.

Tripp

Tin Hut · 01-09-2004, 08:23 AM

On those parts that rely on friction (dual cam) I would be careful with the grease. If you clean them as best you can and then wipe them each time you hitch up with an oiled rag that should give you enough slip to reduce noise without losing the friction that the system relies on to tame the sway.

startrekker2001 · 01-09-2004, 08:24 AM

Addendum:
I just talked to Reese Tech Service and the answer is.

"NEVER USE GREASE OR OIL ON THE DUAL CAM, IT WILL NEGATE THE FRICTION THAT MAKES IT WORK."

He did say that a daub and by that he meant a very very little daub of Vaseline is ok but more than that will stop them from doing the job.

I guess the bottom line is, if you want the benefit, live with the noise. The noise is your assurance that the system is working.

Chuck · 01-09-2004, 08:27 AM

That is most definately a dual-cam.

you are NOT supposed to grease it!!! "friction" is part of the equation. It is supposed to be loud when you're maneuvering, too. that's the way it works.

This information is plainly stated on Reese's web site. They do say that you can apply petroleum jelly to help lessen the noise, but the cams/stirrups should not be lubricated at all...it defeats the purpose of the anti-sway feature. the only thing that should be lubricated is the other end of the spring bars, where they fit inot the hitch head. couple of drops of 3-in-one oil, or similar. that's it.

Eric: the system that you see in the pics is an "upgrade" to their regular weight distribution bars. those cams are bolted on to spring bars. Now, all the bars they make have the cam "built in" or "hooked" as you said. you can get the hitch without the sway control...the chains just attach to the "hook", and the hook serves no purpose in that configuration. But if you add the anti-sway bars, the hook fits into the stirrup.

If you measure the length of the spring bars, you should be able to determine through reese's web site what their load rating is. You can also contact their tech. support, and speak to someone there. I had a few questions answered on my setup, which looks very similar, if not exactly the same, as what is pictured in this thread. my bars did have visible numbers stamped on them, though. so perhaps its a little newer.

TomW · 01-09-2004, 08:32 AM

UPDATE - Chuck posted the answer before I got the question up. The answer is "Yes" to oiling the pivot points.

Hmm, I have a load distributing, adjustable drawbar in addition to the Reese drawbar which has "OIL" forged on it near where the spring bars are inserted. I understand Reese's point about not oiling the cams, but how about the pivot points on the drawbar?

Tom

Tripp · 01-09-2004, 09:24 AM

You are correct in what the factory says regarding grease. I use a small amount only(not slathered on). There are several types of hitches with sway control in the spring bars. The new Reese is also different than the old ones.

I was merely expressing my experience which is why I suggested you try it for yourself on a short trip. You will find that with ungreased saddles, that you will experience significant wear at the contact point. I've seen several with deep grooves in the metal.

Vaseline is a petroleum based product, like grease. The reason I use grease is the "stay" factor. It doesn't wash off with road spray, or melt away as easily with heat.

Bottom line, do what you feel safe with. That's the best thing about these forums, the wide variety of opinions and experiences.

Tripp

Towster · 01-09-2004, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by overlander64
It does make a fair amount of noise, especially in slow-speed maneuvers - - loud pops and sometimes bangs as the bars move out of the sadles as the trailer is moved either left or right.

Well, part of the noise was because the U-Bolts (?) weren't tight enough and the entire assembly was shifting around. It really did handle much better on the freeway (according to my husband) and from the passenger seat it felt different to me too. I was actually able to relax and read my book instead of constantly looking behind us.

My concern still remains that the bars flexed under pressure. Would this indicate that the metal is fatigued, the tongue is too heavy for the bars or that I simply had them adjusted wrong?

Virginia

Tripp · 01-09-2004, 09:59 AM

There will be some flex in the bars. The spring bars are designed to transfer weight between the vehicle and trailer. They lessen the harshness with the flex in them, however, if they are permanently bent or bowed or are bowed significantly at a standstill, you should have them checked. If they are original and well used, you may consider replacement. There are different weight bars available.

Tripp

59toaster · 01-09-2004, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Silvertwinkie
So the dual cam system from Reese has been out there for decades then?

Learn something new everyday.

Here I thought dual cam from Reese had come out in the past 10 years.

I have paperwork for a Dual cam from 1959 when Our coach was new. I also have the 1959 KH brake book.

The above is a still currently available Dual cam. Same exact set up I have that is only a few years old.

I suspect it was doing a LOT more then you think it was. The banging is the cams unlocking. Tight turns it will get quite loud and frequent. A little Vasaline will quiet them down. No grease, it's to slipery. It needs some friction to operate properly.

**jcanavera** · 01-09-2004, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Towster

My concern still remains that the bars flexed under pressure. Would this indicate that the metal is fatigued, the tongue is too heavy for the bars or that I simply had them adjusted wrong?

Virginia

It not unusual to have some flex in the bars dependent upon the amount of lift you need to get the trailer and tow vehicle level. If there is no label on the bars it probably would be worth while to replace them with bars properly rated for your hitch weight.

As I upgraded trailers over the years, I replaced my bars 3 times with heavier weight units. Not a terrible expense. I've been told that overloaded bars can snap.

Jack