Reese dual cam problems

[Kistler]

The dealer we bought our trailer from was going to "trade up" from the friction control sway installation to the dual cam BUT discovered that the bracket would necessitate moving a propane line.

Apparently, our warranty from Airstream would be voided if such changes were made so am stuck.

They bent the lever on the friction bar so that I can turn it; prior the propane tank cover had to be removed OR my wife would have to walk along side the trailer hitch as I drove forward AND try to remove the friction bar when it loosened.

This method (walking, trying to wiggle it off) is/was very unglamorous if not downright degrading.

I tried to get a dual cam and the dealer was willing. Doesn't Reese build anything for Airstream? How did you all install the dual cam?

Kistler

[Pahaska]

I can understand your problem. I was extremely lucky in that my existing Draw-Tite hitch was dimensioned just perfectly to place the hook bracket in the only possible place that it could be mounted on the A-frame. The bracket can not be moved an inch in either direction. If the spring arms were two inches longer or shorter, I would have been out of luck.

What I don't understand is the warrenty thing. On automobiles, the warrenty holds good so long as the modification or new part does not cause the problem. Seems like that should apply equally to the A/S.

[Kistler]

Guess that you do understand the prob....A frame has a propane line under it and the dealer didn't wish to work (modify) with that and I can understand....I am really afraid of propane anyway...

What gets me is that Airstreams do exist and Reese hasn't (or Airstream) doesn't see the future of hitch/trailer adaptations...

Thank you for your reply.

Kistler

[RoadKingMoe]

I think that's a crock!

The gas line is held up to the bottom of the A-frame by a coupla clamps riveted to the bottom of the A-frame tube. So you can't put any kind of U-bolt on that side without the plate crushing the gas line.

One drill bit, 10-15 seconds and the heads of the rivets are gone.

The gas line drops down an inch or so, the plate goes in, and with the gas line running between the ends of the U-bolt, you can use any manner of things to resupport the gas line, including the original clamps held down with a spacer between them and the frame and a long screw to replace the rivet, or a soft support between the U-bolt ends.

That's what it takes to install a Hensley too.

[Kistler]

Hey Moe,

The gas line is on the bottom of the A-Frame -- saw it-- (why does that seem like bad English) They didn't wish/want to change it...understand sorta.....flexible for about 2 inches and then was on the bottom of the A-Frame...right now in the way of the squeezing of the ____ part of the u bolt.

Do I have some sort of quarantee from Jackson ???? was that an excuse from the dealer? will we die because we didn't get a dual cam?

Happiest boy in the whole USA Tucscon

Kistler

[Pahaska]

is that the dealer just didn't want to do it and the warrenty thing is a smoke screen.

I agree with Maurice, it is something that would take me about 10 minutes in my driveway. You should be able to tow it carefully to a hitch installer who, I'm sure, would do exactly what Maurice suggested.

[RoadKingMoe]

Airstream warrants the trailer. If your air conditioner leaks they aren't going to deny you warranty service on that because you remounted the gas line an inch lower. Even if your gas regulator quits working, they aren't going to deny you warranty service on that. If the remounting causes something to rub a hole in the gas line, then yeah, they wouldn't warrant that... but it would have to be a pretty poor job of remounting it.

Doing this won't stress the gas line... it's soft and bendable anyway.

BTW, I think friction sway controls suck. They're worthless in the rain, and a big PITA when turning more than the few degrees that involve sway because they bind and fight the tow vehicle trying to turn the trailer. So do hydraulic versions of them, which at least still fight sway when wet. BTW, that opinion also goes for an Equal-I-Zer hitch which just combines dual friction sway controls with the spring bars.

If you can't afford a Hensley or a Pullrite, at least get a dual-cam. That's just my opinion.

[Pahaska]

I keep hearing that friction sway controls don't work in the rain. I disagree ... I can't tell any difference, rain or shine. It is just like disk brakes, the high pressure wipes them clean of water and they work just as well.

If they are properly installed, they don't have to be fiddled with when backing. I put my Reese on when I hitch up and tighten it. I don't touch it again till I unhitch.

[overlander64]

RE: Friction Sway Control Devices

In my experience, the Reese friction sway control required near constant adjustment. Tightened for high winds, loosened for rain, and removed when backing to park in tight quarters. The one thing that I did observe was that this was when it was used with a trailer that was inherently unstable - - a 1980 Nomad 18 foot single axle with a wet weight of nearly 4,000 pounds - - that was teamed with a 1965 Dodge Coronet as tow vehicle (trailer outweighed tow vehcile by several hundred pounds). I initially didn't believe the caution to remove when backing in tight quarters, but learned my lesson when my first sway control was bent while parking the trailer in my side driveway.

I just purchased a new Reese friction sway control for my 6.0 Metre Minuet, and see that the owner's manual hasn't changed in its recommendations for operation significantly. If this trailer were heavy enough for a Reese Dual Cam setup, it would have one. There seems to be some confusion on suitable applications for the Dual Cam setup as the Reese represntative with whom I spoke before purchasing my first Friction Sway control indicated that the Dual Cam setup wouldn't be effective for trailers under 4,000 pounds wet weight, but I have encountered dealers who are installing it on any trailer at customer request. The Reese web site, at least on the pages I checked, doesn't mention anything regarding suitable application parameters for their Dual Cam setup.

Kevin

[Silver Bullet]

Reese representative (aka, salesman), not engineer. By the weight chart, I'm under 4000lbs. dry with a '62 Overlander. Change to something else? Heck no!! Add a link to the sturip, it's not rocket science, just common sense of weight distribution. Run wet, drop a link, thats what they're there for. Oscar

[Sav'h Steve]

Hi Kistler,

I too agree with RoadKingMoe. I had the friction type on mine and removed it before my first outing and installed the Dual Cam bought directly from Reese.

The install is easy. I did drill out the rivet holding the gas line as stated above. On my 25' I had to drop the U bolts over the frame underneath the propane tank cover. Took some shuffling to get it in.

The main problem was the exact placement because it at first looks like it needs to be closer to the front of the hitch until you put the chains on. Then I found that with the arm pivoting up, the setup had to be farther back. Had to play with it for a while to get it set right! (Now an Experienced Person would have known this - this is my first time!).....

Get your sockets out an have at it!...

Steve in Savannah

[Sav'h Steve]

Forgot to say....

It works better than the darn friction type too.

It does require a fairly high tongue weight for best results. A/S has this already unless you add lots of weight aft of the axle.

Do not lubricate the cams.

Steve

[Silver Bullet]

Why not lube the cams? Oscar

[Sav'h Steve]

Oscar,

Reese says that lubing the cams will reduce the anti-sway action.

When the semi is passing, the air he is pushing is moving the back of your trailor away (or right). This pivots the trailor on the axle and the cam if lubricated would more easily slide out of the slot and defeat the anti-sway action.

Reese says if the metal on metal noise is too much, a small amount of Vasaline will quiet the noise with less lubricating effect. (Haven't tried that.)

Steve

[Silver Bullet]

Steve,

The next time Reese tells you or anyone that Vasoline is OK, someone PLEASE remind them that it is a Petrolium product! Personally I use a dash of STP on the cams for lube. Metal on metal induced with friction and weight without some lubrication will ALWAYS promote gualling. You are right about the Semi effect, no matter the direction of travel. Push you out, suck you in, and push you back out , but the sway is controlled by the bar leaving the sturip to the outer and inner portion of the bars to the higher point on the sturip thereby forcing the trailer back into its saddles(but I know you knew that). Lubrication will not stop the law of physics on this one. Oscar PS My bars and sturips are original! ('62)

[RoadKingMoe]

Originally posted by Pahaska
I keep hearing that friction sway controls don't work in the rain. I disagree ... I can't tell any difference, rain or shine. It is just like disk brakes, the high pressure wipes them clean of water and they work just as well.

John, disc brakes are rotating at high speeds slinging the water off with tremendous centrifugal force, plus when you apply the brakes, there's a lot more heat. But that being said, even wet disc brakes aren't as effective until they dry. I towed a lot of trailers in the rain in Florida, and have to disagree about them losing friction from being wet.

If they are properly installed, they don't have to be fiddled with when backing. I put my Reese on when I hitch up and tighten it. I don't touch it again till I unhitch.

Knowing you, you also pay attention to the details that would prevent sway in most cases, and it wouldn't be a problem for you even if you didn't have a sway control. It would be my _opinion_ that your sway control isn't tight enough for those who would need it, if it doesn't bind in sharp turns.

Respectfully,

[Pahaska]

Disk brakes aren't always rotating at high speed. Plus, they are in a constant stream of spray from the tires.

When disk brakes first hit the market, many years ago, a technical article I read said that the high pressure of the pucks immediately wiped away water and the brakes did not lose effectiveness in the wet. I think that is true.

We also didn't have any extended wet landing runs in the aircraft I flew. There was only one number, wet or dry, stopping up to 34 tons.

I could do without the sway control (I have forgotten to put it on a time or two and didn't much notice the difference), but I do set the tension per Reese instructions with the arm turned parallel to the bar.

[jcanavera]

Kistler,
My dealer installed my dual cam on my Safari. He had to move a gas line to get the clearance necessary. As a matter of fact he was able to bend the pipe, without messing it up, to get the clearance he needed. I'm pretty sure your dealer just didn't want to mess with the gas line. It's not a warranty issue.

The other issue we had with the dual cam was a bracket that needed to be mounted through the tray that holds the gas bottle. We placed a round spacer that slightly raised the bottle, enough to keep the bracket from contacting the bottom center of the bottle.

I used the dual cam on my previous 28' SOB trailer that I pulled with a Chevy Astro Van. Without the dual cam that combination would have been untowable.

Yes it groans and pops at low speeds but other than my home neighbors looking up when I back into the driveway, it really isn't an issue.

Regards,

Jack

[Tripp]

Interesting to hear about the lube/non lube issue on the Reese dual cam. I have run it w/o lube and put up with the groans and pops. On my last two trips, I've lubed them. MUCH quieter, and I couldn't tell one bit of difference in control. I used Reeses' own teflon ball lube. PS. I tow a 77 24' Tradewind w/ a 1/2 ton Suburban with absolutely no problems. Most of it is highway-through Arkansas on I30 and I40 with probably the highest concentration of fast moving semis on the planet.


Tripp

[Jabba]

That I-40 is about the scariest freeway we've traveled. I thought people drove fast here in Michigan, those trucks absolutely fly down there!