Blue Ox W/D Hitch
 

I will admit I have plenty of truck... a 3500 DRW series GMC but with the Blue Ox W/D Hitch our 07 25 ' Classic will not even wobble . The hitch is very easy to hook /unhook and is very stable eliminating all sway. For those looking I give this hitch an A +. My trailer pulling experience is 45 years ...15 years commercial ...great hitch.:)

Mike

I have one as well, but it's been my only WD system, so I don't have anything to compare it to. I have the older style with the "flip up" brackets. Do you have the rotating ones? Those look pretty slick.

And I have what some would probably consider to be "not enough truck" ( Nissan Frontier, weighs 4920 lbs with me in it ) pulling a 4000 lb camper. I would describe this combo with the BlueOx the same way as Mike does. Example, a couple weeks ago I was pulling eastbound across Kansas on two lane US24. Wind coming from north at about 20+ gusting to 30mph. Even when I met oncoming 18 wheelers, it was all still stable. It essentially felt the same as it would when the truck is solo.
It's a good hitch for sure. And to Taylormade, I have the rotating brackets, and yes they work easily.

Like other postings on this subject, I am extremely pleased with my Blue Ox hitch. I first used it on a 27 ft Classic FB and now am using it on a 30 ft Classic with slide out. From what I have seen, I would like the rotating brackets but can live with the flip up ones that I have. I really do not have anything about it to complain about.

Walter

Yes, I have the rotating brackets. Very simple quick hookup lay the chains on the bracket and rotate until they click. My truck having stiff suspension I thought I may have to do something to soften the hookup. All indications are the hitch provides a soft ride to the trailer.

Taylormade, we are almost neighbors...I live in Port Charlotte

Yeah that is a lot nice than inserting the chains through the hole, lifting up on the flip up bracket to hold tension on the chains, reaching for the pole to insert for leverage, picking up the chain that inevitably fell on the ground during the process, and then finally exerting hernia inducing force to get the third link on the chain flipped up in it's place.

Once done, the thing is a tank for sure. I may look into retrofitting the rotating brackets.

One thing I can attest to is that the customer service, should you ever require it, is absolutely outstanding. They're friendly and extremely helpful. I called them because I'd lost a small, but critical, part, and they not only sent it to me for free, but sent me some other small parts that were upgrades from the ones I had all for free. I'd definitely give them my business again.

We're down in Port Charlotte and Ft Myers all the time. The company I work for has two offices in Ft Myers and one in Naples, so I know that stretch of 75 and 41 very well.

I know I have a great hitch when I see comments that are all positive . The rotating brackets would be a great improvement. My left arm is partially paralyzed and I hook up with one arm, simple quick and easy. I planned to spend almost twice the price for a well known highline hitch. The dealership talked me into the Blue Ox, not only in sales but the hitch man also. When I read how the hitch handled in adverse conditions with a marginal tow vehicle makes me feel like we made a great decision. We live West of 41 about 10 miles. We just joined the WBCCI Suncoast unit and had a ball at the rodeo in Arcadia. Great group of guys and gals.

Would definitely like to hear more comments/experiences on the Blue Ox. Currently looking to DX the Reese.

I would like to see some more photos of the installation - do the brackets interfere with anything mounted to the A frame rails?

The rotating brackets are low profile. You can also get rotating brackets that bolt on to the side of the trailer frame rail, eliminating the over the top saddle part of the bracket.

https://www.wacaser.com/misc/potn/blueox_re.jpg

I need some clarification of just how the Blue Ox hitch accomplishes sway control. I've been to the web side, looked at the pictures, watched the videos, and other than the features of the snap-in bars, and the ratcheting chain lifts, I see no functional difference in the Blue Ox from any other round bar WD hitch.

So just how does the sway control work? Not trying to start another "hitch war", or such, just don't see how it does what they claim.

Steve,
It's in the geometry of the fact the head is tilted rearward, creating the angle of the bars. As the trailer begins to get out of a straight line behind the tow vehicle, there is a greater load force applied to the bar on one side vs the other. That greater loading tries to force the trailer back into the opposite direction, in effect canceling the sway event.

george

ps. On the old style ( mine ) you could 'adjust' the amount of sway control by torquing the bolts tighter or looser on the bottom of the head where the trunnions are captured. The newest design eliminates those bolts and therefore that adjustment. I have tried my hitch with those bolts at all torque values allowed by the instructions ( 30 lb-ft to 80 lb-ft ) and could not feel any difference in the sway control.

So, it's basically no different in sway control as any other conventional bar type weight distribution hitch, because I don't know of one that does not have that tilting head feature....it's all in the adjustment of the head. Right?

In basic principle, I believe you are correct. For instance, if you look at the Reece dual cam, it would seem that it does a similar action by forcing the bars to attempt to climb the cams.
The only difference I can imagine between let's say a BlueOx, and maybe one of the other simple designs like this, is perhaps ( and I admit I am guessing here ) the attachment point of the bars to the head needs to be of very tight tolerances ? On the BlueOx, where the trunnions pivot, it is indeed a very tight joint. Perhaps that tight tolerance is part of what makes this work for an "out of alignment event" that is so slight, we would call it sway. I have not used any of the hitches like the EZ-lift or any of those, so I have no first hand experience to base my theory.

George is exactly right, at least how it was explained to me. My new style hitch head has no adjustment but the trunnion bars need to have a bend in them.



Mike

OK - I think for my first WD hitch I'm going with the Blue Ox

let me re-phrase my question - do the saddle type mounts need to have the propane gas line moved?

The rotating brackets are open at the bottom and do not interfere on my installatiom

All the Airstreams I have experience with have the propane line mounted under the "A" frame, so no the saddle type mounts should not interfere with the propane line.

to Tailpipe and SteveH - thank you - I will be ordering it this weekend. was thinking about a hensley or propride but realistically towing a AS19 I think it's overkill