Can this be done? A Reese Question

[HowieE]

Can anyone think of a reason why I can not use the newer Reese Straight Line Bars with the older Dual Cam Arms?

Reese say No but then again I did not get the idea that that individual was doing anything other than read the script. He clearly had no mechanical training. I can not see any mechanical reason why the are not interchangeable.

The question arises after the fact that I hitched up, pull 25 feet down the drive way and one one of the older Dual Cam bars shattered at the trunnion and we are headed out shortly and I have a set of Straight Line Arms.

I see it as just a matter of resetting the position of the trailing arm and resetting the load on the bars.

[HowieE]

This picture is supplied just to illustrate the parts in question and shown as a final setup.

The Straight Line Arm is resting on the saddle of the older Dual Cam Arm.

[kevinb]

I have not set mine up yet but was told by reese that you could guess it depends on who you talk to! The brackets will have to be adjusted so the hook will fit in the cam. Check out some of overlander64 posts some really good info there.
Kevin

[Bluto]

It looks as though it would function the same. but I imagine the wear on the arms would be more because the end not being of a cast wear shoe material and only a stamped piece with a bend.

[dwightdi]

The old cast cam followers that bolted to the spring bars were considered sacrficial and were expected to wear as part of the frictional dampening they gave as part of following the cams. At one time they actually gave you free ones if you turned in your old ones that had been worn flat. Then they decided to make a little money by selling them. A thin coat of low pressure grease (Vasoline) would quiet the noise and lessen the wear but would reduce the dampening. I do not know if the new bars are softer or harder than the old cams and which would wear first. To me it would seem pretty expensive to replace the whole bars, if they decided to wear when in contact with the old cams. If you could reach a design engineer or manager at Reese I am sure they have tested it.

[HowieE]

dwightdi

My experience of some 40 years with the old system is that the followers, a very hard material, on the ends of the old bars never show any wear at all. All of the wear take place on the cam arm itself, a very soft material.

The new Straight Line System reacts the same way. The cams wear and the underside of the arms show very little wear. Given that experience is why I question their comment. Had the new arms been the wear point they would have had a short lived product on their hands as the public would not stand for that cost.

The new Straight Line Cams are at least reversible, so even being the wear point we can at least get double the wear out of them. The real question remains if Reese will ever sell just the cam ends or will the require us to buy the complete 26002 cam arm assembly system, 80% of which will never wear.

Those of you that are using the Straight Line System may want to check the yokes on the cam arms. The outside yoke has a tendency to hit the arm and have been known to break the yoke. The attached picture shows where material has to be ground off the yoke to give clearance. Reese also denies this is a problem. The amount of material that has to be removed varies with systems but generally about 3/16 deep at the point of contact is enough. The longer you final setting of the arms are the more material will have to be removed as the angle between the 2 will be less thus increasing the contact occurrence.

[overlander64]

I have run the new "hooked" trunion bars with my Vintage Reese Dual Cam System without problem. The one thing that I learned is that it is critical that the cam arm must firmly seat in the top of the hook or the bars will make the trailer sway rather than keep it from swaying. I had to push my cam brackets about an inch forward on the A-frame to get the bars to set properly, but other than that the performance has been the same as the older style with the bolt-on saddle.

Kevin

[HowieE]

Yes Kevin

I just bulled ahead today and set up the system and went for a ride. No problems after the first few miles.

I could not see any mechanical reason why this would not work and know that I see someone else has done it I see no reason not to continue.

Still if you are reading this Thread and have comments keep them coming as information is never wasted.