Wandering Week guy: Hitches I WOULD NEVER Use Again: BlueOx

[NutmegsCamper]

Originally Posted by FilmGuy

Why does it matter how close to the hitch it is? Wouldn't that depend on the characteristics of the material they use for the composite bars? Or are there other things at play? (I'm not any kind of engineer, just trying to understand WD hitches a little better.)

It's the physics of fulcrum points. It's not exactly the same, but think about leverage. A short handle to move a long rod under a rock is difficult, but a long handle to move a short rod under the same rock will be easier.

[2link2]

Originally Posted by goldenchase

I did those things. During the course of the modifications to the trailer the hitch weight loaded and unloaded decreased. Once I got down to the lower hitch weights the 1,000 lb bars were too much. I was seeing FALR at 125% or more. Next step would have been to move down to 800 lb bars. Instead I moved to the B&W Continuum.

I never had a hint of any sway problems with the Blue Ox. The two biggest aggravations were porpoising and simplicity.

The B&W Continuum is a very simple hitch to hook up and take down. No more jacking the back up the truck up using the hitch jack. No man handling those bars to get them on and off. What pain.

With the Continuum you just put the hitch on the ball, slide in the bars then pump to the desired PSI and you are done. At this point I can confirm it is a simple system and it does not porpoise like the Blue Ox. I have not had any real tests of sway yet.

For those of us using the late model Ford F Series as TV, I continue to believe the Trailer Sway System built into the Ford is really the first line of defense to mitigate sway, not the WDH.

Cool, I've been fighting sway with a Curt WDH & was shopping for a new hitch. Since than with advice from members here I have solved the sway problem. But I never saw the BW hitch until now. The only choices were a 3.6K hitch "guaranteed" to stop sway or the typical WD hitch with chain or friction bars. Please post up review after you get some miles on it. If it works & provides a smoother ride than a typical WDH I'd be willing to spend the money on it.
Thanks

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

In all fairness to the reviewer, he does state in his previous video (see my earlier post #3) he is using a 2020 F250 7.3L and a 2018 Grand Design Imagine 28BH. As for proposing, he does speculate that maybe he should have gotten stiffer bars and thinks the taper is part of the problem. He complains that if that is the case then Blue Ox should have recommended it to begin with and leaves it at that. As you say, he should have worked more closely with Blue Ox tech support and I think he should have followed through with stiffer bars before posting a negative review.

yes, I agree...but obviously this guy is also "sensitive" if you disagree with him...he sent me a very negative message for disagreeing with him! Some folks want to be the "experts" for attention....some folks are honestly sharing their opinions, without an agenda. I believe this guy has an agenda...but honestly, he isn't towing an AS either...what does that tell you??

[foobar]

Originally Posted by goldenchase

I have been following the Wandering Week guy as well. Of interest this latest video went up right after he reviewed (install only) the new B&W Continuum WDH. He has yet to make a final review for the Continuum.



Coincidentally my Continuum arrived just as Wandering Week guy's Continuum video posted. And even stranger I took off a Blue OX Trac Pro to install the Continuum.



On the first drive with Continuum I was only a few hundred yards down the road when I hit bump in the pavement. I knew instantly something was different. No porpoising.



Caught it on video.

How much ground clearance do you have below the components closest to the pavement? The video makes it look like there isn't much clearance.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by foobar

How much ground clearance do you have below the components closest to the pavement? The video makes it look like there isn't much clearance.

I was thinking same thing...I hate scraping the hitch or sway bars going in/out of driveways...this one looks extra low? But, I am happy with the Blue Ox...no reason to switch.

[NutmegsCamper]

That’s an environmental feature. It helps scrape roadkill off the streets, eliminating the need for so many state workers performing said duties, thus reducing taxes and keeping gas prices down. ��

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

I was thinking same thing...I hate scraping the hitch or sway bars going in/out of driveways...this one looks extra low? But, I am happy with the Blue Ox...no reason to switch.

My goodness so much undocumented speculation with absolutely no facts. If you like your hitch fine but comment with the facts. So here are some facts.

The much celebrated $4k/200lb Propride WDH is reported in several places on this forum to give you 5" or 6" inches of ground clearance depending on TV and Airstream on 15" or 16" tires. Here is a typical F-150/Airstream Propride installation.



Here is my B&W Continuum WDH installation set at the Ford recommended FALR of 50%. About 7 3/8" of ground clearance. In my installation 1,000 psi will get the trailer frame level and a FALR on the Ford at 50%. If I pump the Continuum up to 1,500 psi the FALR on the Ford goes to 100% and the trailer frame rises about 1/2" above level. At this setting the Continuum ground clearance is around 8" because the hydraulic cylinder retracts the bar assembly vertical, giving more ground clearance.



A fact I have discovered during the Continuum setup is how sensitive hitch weight is to the level status of the trailer frame running on two axles. With 16" wheel my trailer frame is level with 17" of clearance ground to the bottom of the frame, fore and aft. With an absolutely level Airstream my hitch weight is 873 lbs with the trailer side components of the Continuum WDH on the hitch. Without the Continuum trailer side components my hitch weight is 833 lbs. If I lower the trailer 1/2" below level (16 1/2" ground to bottom of frame) the hitch weight drops to 845 lbs. If I raise the hitch to 17 1/2" (ground to bottom of frame measure at the hitch) the hitch weight rises to 889 lbs.

[2link2]

Originally Posted by goldenchase

My goodness so much undocumented speculation with absolutely no facts. If you like your hitch fine but comment with the facts. So here are some facts.

The much celebrated $4k/200lb Propride WDH is reported in several places on this forum to give you 5" or 6" inches of ground clearance depending on TV and Airstream on 15" or 16" tires. Here is a typical F-150/Airstream Propride installation.



Here is my B&W Continuum WDH installation set at the Ford recommended FALR of 50%. About 7 3/8" of ground clearance. In my installation 1,000 psi will get the trailer frame level and a FALR on the Ford at 50%. If I pump the Continuum up to 1,500 psi the FALR on the Ford goes to 100% and the trailer frame rises about 1/2" above level. At this setting the Continuum ground clearance is around 8" because the hydraulic cylinder retracts the bar assembly vertical, giving more ground clearance.



A fact I have discovered during the Continuum setup is how sensitive hitch weight is to the level status of the trailer frame running on two axles. With 16" wheel my trailer frame is level with 17" of clearance ground to the bottom of the frame, fore and aft. With an absolutely level Airstream my hitch weight is 873 lbs with the trailer side components of the Continuum WDH on the hitch. Without the Continuum trailer side components my hitch weight is 833 lbs. If I lower the trailer 1/2" below level (16 1/2" ground to bottom of frame) the hitch weight drops to 845 lbs. If I raise the hitch to 17 1/2" (ground to bottom of frame measure at the hitch) the hitch weight rises to 889 lbs.

Appreciate the time & info. your providing. I'm new to towing (about a year into with a 23' Flying cloud Ram 1500) And I'm looking for facts also !
Because IMO there are a lot of facts that play into towing safely. I'm only interested in sway control & smooth ride, convenience & ease of hook up don't concern me, price does. I'm not happy with the WD hitch/TV set up I have. RAM gives nor data on FALR just a measurement.

Long story short, per CAT scale numbers I had to restore 99% of weight to front axel to meet the RAM recommendation measurement which puts a tremendous amount of force on the WD bars maybe that's normal ? Trailer seems to be very stable set up like this.

But I'd would defiantly be willing to spend 1.2K on a new hitch that would provide sway control without all the force that is required on my set up.
My question is, did you have a sway problem with your old set up & if so did the BW corrected it ?

I was going to buy a Blue Ox but the WD bars idea seem to be same principle as mine & can't find any "fact" that Blue Ox sway control is any different than the Curt WDH I have.

[hikingcamera]

Originally Posted by 2link2

Appreciate the time & info. your providing. I'm new to towing (about a year into with a 23' Flying cloud Ram 1500) And I'm looking for facts also !
Because IMO there are a lot of facts that play into towing safely. I'm only interested in sway control & smooth ride, convenience & ease of hook up don't concern me, price does. I'm not happy with the WD hitch/TV set up I have. RAM gives nor data on FALR just a measurement.

Long story short, per CAT scale numbers I had to restore 99% of weight to front axel to meet the RAM recommendation measurement which puts a tremendous amount of force on the WD bars maybe that's normal ? Trailer seems to be very stable set up like this.

But I'd would defiantly be willing to spend 1.2K on a new hitch that would provide sway control without all the force that is required on my set up.
My question is, did you have a sway problem with your old set up & if so did the BW corrected it ?

I was going to buy a Blue Ox but the WD bars idea seem to be same principle as mine & can't find any "fact" that Blue Ox sway control is any different than the Curt WDH I have.

In fact, Blue Ox is under more flex than the Curt because it is through the extra flex and the design of the hitch head that controls sway. Though the tapered bars on the BlueOx are less stiff and as a result sends less weight back to the trailer than some other WD bars might (mine is something like 200 to the front, and 60 to the trailer at 50% return to the front axle load). It’s also led some people to speculate on it having a reduced impact to the frame of the trailer, perhaps mitigating things like front end separation (though that is entirely speculation at this point).

It works well for my setup since my truck doesn’t require much WD for this trailer. It keeps everything very stable and solid. Though there are certainly other options to consider.

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by 2link2

Appreciate the time & info. your providing. I'm new to towing (about a year into with a 23' Flying cloud Ram 1500) And I'm looking for facts also !

My question is, did you have a sway problem with your old set up & if so did the BW corrected it ?

I was going to buy a Blue Ox but the WD bars idea seem to be same principle as mine & can't find any "fact" that Blue Ox sway control is any different than the Curt WDH I have.

Previously I had a Blue Ox Track Pro WDH. Never experienced a sway issue with Blue Ox, just a pain in the bud to apply and take off the bars. Dangerous too bucking those bars.

I am running a low hitch weight at around 835 lbs before the WDH is applied. The 1,000 lb bar was too much in the Blue Ox setup but rather than getting the 800 lb bars I decided to try the Continuum. Neat thing about the Continuum is that it is infinitely adjustable to your hitch weight. Hydraulic PSI correlates to the hitch weight it is trying to counteract.

I have been trying different PSI settings and hole settings on the Continuum and now have found a place where the trailer frame is level fore and aft while the Ford F-150 has a 50% FALR on the front bumper. For my set up it takes around 950 psi of hydraulic pressure to hit this spot.

The dynamics of the Continuum system is that the hydraulic cylinder retracts against the composite bars proportional to the pressure applied. The amount of retraction of the hydraulic cylinder is proportional to the hitch weight it is working against. With only 835 lbs on the hitch my bars are minimally retracted yielding around 7 3/8" of ground clearance from the ground to the base of the bars. These bars are stress to go up to 1,600 lbs of hitch weight. At those higher weights the cylinder will retract several inches more giving more ground clearance between the bars and the ground. Many moving parts with this system but so far it has been a delight to work with. At hitch weights above 1,000 I would expect ground clearance to be closer to 9".

More ground level images. As you can see the base of the assembly where the bars and hydraulic cylinder meet has been clearly designed to handle the occasional ground scrape. When that happens (has not happened to me yet) the entire assembly would simply displace vertically against the bars. Should be no big deal.

[2link2]

Originally Posted by goldenchase

Previously I had a Blue Ox Track Pro WDH. Never experienced a sway issue with Blue Ox, just a pain in the bud to apply and take off the bars. Dangerous too bucking those bars.

I am running a low hitch weight at around 835 lbs before the WDH is applied. The 1,000 lb bar was too much in the Blue Ox setup but rather than getting the 800 lb bars I decided to try the Continuum. Neat thing about the Continuum is that it is infinitely adjustable to your hitch weight. Hydraulic PSI correlates to the hitch weight it is trying to counteract.

I have been trying different PSI settings and hole settings on the Continuum and now have found a place where the trailer frame is level fore and aft while the Ford F-150 has a 50% FALR on the front bumper. For my set up it takes around 950 psi of hydraulic pressure to hit this spot.

The dynamics of the Continuum system is that the hydraulic cylinder retracts against the composite bars proportional to the pressure applied. The amount of retraction of the hydraulic cylinder is proportional to the hitch weight it is working against. With only 835 lbs on the hitch my bars are minimally retracted yielding around 7 3/8" of ground clearance from the ground to the base of the bars. These bars are stress to go up to 1,600 lbs of hitch weight. At those higher weights the cylinder will retract several inches more giving more ground clearance between the bars and the ground. Many moving parts with this system but so far it has been a delight to work with. At hitch weights above 1,000 I would expect ground clearance to be closer to 9".

More ground level images. As you can see the base of the assembly where the bars and hydraulic cylinder meet has been clearly designed to handle the occasional ground scrape. When that happens (has not happened to me yet) the entire assembly would simply displace vertically against the bars. Should be no big deal.

Thanks, & that hitch does look well made. Interesting on ground clearance and TW my TW on the 23' is 565lbs so maybe I'd have ground clearance problem. I think I'll contact BW & see what they have to say about that.

[2link2]

Originally Posted by hikingcamera

In fact, Blue Ox is under more flex than the Curt because it is through the extra flex and the design of the hitch head that controls sway. Though the tapered bars on the BlueOx are less stiff and as a result sends less weight back to the trailer than some other WD bars might (mine is something like 200 to the front, and 60 to the trailer at 50% return to the front axle load). It’s also led some people to speculate on it having a reduced impact to the frame of the trailer, perhaps mitigating things like front end separation (though that is entirely speculation at this point).

It works well for my setup since my truck doesn’t require much WD for this trailer. It keeps everything very stable and solid. Though there are certainly other options to consider.

Thanks, I didn't know that & that's exactly what concerns me on the Curt when I said a tremendous amount of stress on the bars I'm not kidding. In fact so much it's impossible to tighten it up by hand I have to jack up the trailer/TV quite a bit than tension the bars. It's actually transferring 140lbs to trailer axles & 220lbs to front axle. Are you using Sway Pro or Track Pro model ?

[Mullers]

Originally Posted by 2link2

Thanks, I didn't know that & that's exactly what concerns me on the Curt when I said a tremendous amount of stress on the bars I'm not kidding. In fact so much it's impossible to tighten it up by hand I have to jack up the trailer/TV quite a bit than tension the bars. It's actually transferring 140lbs to trailer axles & 220lbs to front axle. Are you using Sway Pro or Track Pro model ?

That is exactly how you should tension the bars. Make your hitch jack work for you.

When I tension my ( now blue ox sway pro, previously vintage Reece strait line), I jack it up sufficiently that I can adjust them with a single hand.
Much safer than trying to put the tension in it myself!


Incidentally, I’ve not experienced any porpoising yet with my swaypro. The opposite. It is remarkably smooth and quiet and doesn’t get unsetttled passing trucks