Spring bars

[Scoot]

I have a Reese hitch with weight distribution spring bars rated for 800 lbs. I'm getting a new trailer with a tongue weight of 899 lbs. I looked on the Reese site for spring bar replacements and from what I can find, the next size is 1200 lbs. I heard that going up too high can create a bumpy ride. My question is, would the 800 lb. bars be adequate for the 899 lb. tongue weight of the new trailer? Thanks for any advice.

[Lumatic]

I use an Airsafe hitch in combo with a WD hitch. My spring bars are 1000#. The Airsafe softens the ride.

[nvestysly]

Yep, the age old question of spring bars. There is probably no single answer on this subject but at least part of the equation is... what are you towing with? Towing with a small SUV, is different than towing with a 1/2 ton truck, is different than towing with a 3/4 ton truck, is different than towing with a 1 ton truck. Certainly a heavier duty tow vehicle requires less weight (re)distribution.

[malinois38]

Yes, the 800lb bars will be enough IMO!

I tow a 28' with a Tundra and have both the 800 & 1200lb bars. I have traveled extensively with both. The 1200lb bars are too harsh of a ride compared to the 800lb bars.

[dkottum]

We have had two Ram 1500's using 1400# w.d. bars, they ride like dream and we have plenty of w.d. to evenly load our truck's axles, put some of the hitch weight on the Airstream axles, and keep the front of the truck from floating.

Nothing ever came loose, break, or ends up on the floor of our Airstream in extensive travel all over the country. You've got to match the w.d. bar weight and flexibility to your tow vehicle, trailer hitch weight, and any loads carried in the bed of the truck or back of the SUV behind the rear axle.

There's more, some vehicles have too much flexibility in the hitch receiver assembly and/or frame to get enough w.d. Some vehicles have very heavy rear axle and differential assemblies that can provide road shock to you and your Airstream, and some of these don't have enough shock absorber dampening to contain it. Some hitch w.d. bar designs are so rigid they provide little shock dampening.

Many of us have been through a number of hitch experiments before settling on something that works well and provides all the benefits of a w.d. hitch. Some blame the trailer builder when things fall apart. Others add "accessories" like the Airsafe to soften the ride. Others blame the truck and trade for a different one.

Find a good, experienced hitch shop or seek the help of experts. Internet forum advice will be all over the place, of little help and most RV dealers will send you out with whatever is easiest to install (fewest man-hours) and has a good profit.

By the way, what is your tow vehicle? That's a good start.

[malinois38]

Originally Posted by dkottum

We have had two Ram 1500's using 1400# w.d. bars, they ride like dream and we have plenty of w.d. to evenly load our truck's axles, put some of the hitch weight on the Airstream axles, and keep the front of the truck from floating.

Nothing ever came loose, break, or ends up on the floor of our Airstream in extensive travel all over the country. You've got to match the w.d. bar weight and flexibility to your tow vehicle, trailer hitch weight, and any loads carried in the bed of the truck or back of the SUV behind the rear axle.

There's more, some vehicles have too much flexibility in the hitch receiver assembly and/or frame to get enough w.d. Some vehicles have very heavy rear axle and differential assemblies that can provide road shock to you and your Airstream, and some of these don't have enough shock absorber dampening to contain it. Some hitch w.d. bar designs are so rigid they provide little shock dampening.

Many of us have been through a number of hitch experiments before settling on something that works well and provides all the benefits of a w.d. hitch. Some blame the trailer builder when things fall apart. Others add "accessories" like the Airsafe to soften the ride. Others blame the truck and trade for a different one.

Find a good, experienced hitch shop or seek the help of experts. Internet forum advice will be all over the place, of little help and most RV dealers will send you out with whatever is easiest to install (fewest man-hours) and has a good profit.

By the way, what is your tow vehicle? That's a good start.

The OP has a REESE HITCH and REESE BARS. Let's not compare apples to oranges. Your bars are on a completely different hitch and the OP should know that. You cannot compare the two.

[Silverbee]

Our 2015 28 ft. Flying Cloud with Reese Dual Cam and 800 lb. bars pulled with 2016 Ram 2500--never a problem-smooth ride, no sway.

[OTRA15]

We tow a FC20 with 800 pound bars, and would guess that you will be fine with the 800 bars. The best bet might be to get the new AS and do a full weigh-in at the truck scales, both with and without the WD set up.

You could also vary the number of chain links you leave loose after cinching things up, and check the ride with various configurations. If you feel that there is not enough weight being distributed to the front of the tow vehicle, getting 1200 lb. bars will be a small incremental cost on top of your overall investment.

Good luck,

Peter

PS -- What is your tow vehicle?

[RLS]

We tow a 25 classic using the Reese dual cam setup. Our tongue weight is between 1,000 - 1,100 lbs. I tried the 1,200 bars first and did not like the harsh - jolting ride we had with them. The 800 lb. bars give a much smoother ride. The weight that is transferred to the front is right at 280 lbs. using the truck scales. Our tow vehicle is an Infiniti SUV.

[malinois38]

Well, thought these CAT SCALE weights might help the OP. As you can see, when I moved from 4 links hanging(5 under tension) to 5 links hanging (4 under tension) it really leveled the axles out almost perfectly.
I used to hang 4 as I read was correct. But, after weighing and driving it will be 5 links hanging. With 5 hanging the bars are almost parallel with the A-Frame which I did not think I could achieve.

Now I'm curious, how many links do other Reese users have hanging?

[RLS]

Now I'm curious, how many links do other Reese users have hanging?

I do not believe you can go by how many links as that will depend on how much or less tilt your ball hitch has. Fro what you show, the one using 4 links under load has put 540lbs. on the front. That to me is way to much. If looking to keep bars level, the tilt of the hitch should be changed. Use less tilt and keep the 4 links. That should lessen the load to the front and still keep the bars level. The 5 link one under load looks about right for what you want to transfer to the front at 320lbs.

[woodfox45]

I just changed from 600lb. bars to 800lb. bars on my 30' Excella I will know more next weekend when I tow it with it being loaded . Airstreams don't like a hard ride . I called Reese now owned by another company and got no satisfaction talking to one of their experts . They wanted me to go heavier with the bars . I also have the dual cam setup and tow with a GM 2500 HD gas . there are many posts on this subject do a search on the topic .
Andy from Inland RV has much info on this .