Anti sway question

Spence · 08-18-2013, 05:05 PM

How tight should those puppies be? The first camper that I used this set up on I was on the 2-3rd link and sometime that was hard to get to snap into place. Thanks to places like this and a tech on my PDI I learned to hitch it and then take the weight off, makes it much easier. Told the tech that if they were to be that tight, that I had prolly never really used it before. He took it to the 5th link. Now here's what happened. The retention clips (see attached) are now bent. From the extra pressure and today after coming home from camping I unhooked, we unpacked and cleaned nd then hooked back up and took to storage. Got there and one of the pins was MIA and the chain had been dragging. It's (the camper is going back to CW this week for the first run of its broke already fixes. Ought need to hook up the sway control. Maybe. Hahaha. I'll just put a bolt or something thru it.

Thoughts? TIA.

Spence · 08-18-2013, 05:12 PM

And no, I don't have model or pic info. That stuff is 11 miles down the road

😉

Brother Les · 08-18-2013, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spence

How tight should those puppies be? The first camper that I used this set up on I was on the 2-3rd link and sometime that was hard to get to snap into place. Thanks to places like this and a tech on my PDI I learned to hitch it and then take the weight off, makes it much easier. Told the tech that if they were to be that tight, that I had prolly never really used it before. He took it to the 5th link. Now here's what happened. The retention clips (see attached) are now bent. From the extra pressure and today after coming home from camping I unhooked, we unpacked and cleaned nd then hooked back up and took to storage. Got there and one of the pins was MIA and the chain had been dragging. It's (the camper is going back to CW this week for the first run of its broke already fixes. Ought need to hook up the sway control. Maybe. Hahaha. I'll just put a bolt or something thru it.

Thoughts? TIA.

That is not for the 'sway bar' (sway bar helps keep unit from going side to side down the road). That is for the lift bars for lifting up the back of the truck and the front of the camper. You do need some heavy pressure on the chains, but the pins should never bend like that. There is a video on here somewhere on how to set up your truck hitch. I think that your 'ball' may need to be raised higher (I may be wrong on which way) and that will make it where you do not have to 'drop' so many links and have so much pressure on the lift bars. There are also 'pins' that are more heavy duty, but do not go that route right now, you have some adjustments that need to be done to your ball and hitch. my old camper I dropped 2 links, my new on I drop 3, to me 5 links dropped is a red flag of being unsafe.

Spence · 08-18-2013, 05:22 PM

Found it. It's a camco elite weight distributing hitch.

Spence · 08-18-2013, 08:48 PM

Thanks les. I realized I was calling it the wrong thing after some you tubing. I might try raising the ball. I'm not sure how high is too high but I was close to the top end if the jack today. I must have unhooked/unhooked my old camper 30+ times in the year I had it. Never had it that tight nd never had an issue other then hard to connect b/c of too much trailer drop. I'll have to look up some set up videos. The tech at CW did move it but maybe not far enough. Thanks les

Spence · 08-18-2013, 08:50 PM

And I do have up get new pins. One is bent and the other prolly shot out of the set up like a bullet. Ha

youroo · 08-18-2013, 09:19 PM

With proper setup the pins have (NO) pressure on them. They can be inserted or removed by lifting to clear the 90% bend of the pin. You are off on your setup. Pics. would help.

Youroo!!

Spence · 08-19-2013, 05:42 PM

Pics you say? Okie dokie. It's on the road so I'm pointed a little downhill. But you get the idea.

cyclepuck · 08-19-2013, 05:46 PM

Ball height does need to come up. Trailer should be close to level.

Garrette · 08-19-2013, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyclepuck

Ball height does need to come up. Trailer should be close to level.

Yes, the trailer and truck needs to be level. Looks like the truck is still down in the rear. The WD hitch is not setup properly.

**Platokidd** · 08-19-2013, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spence

Pics you say? Okie dokie. It's on the road so I'm pointed a little downhill. But you get the idea.

you need something with sway control built in.
a "equalizer hitch" or better. You will be glad you did!
Needs to be level out for sure.

actually that looks dangerous.

Just my 2 cents

Carl[/QUOTE]

Garrette · 08-19-2013, 07:35 PM

You should be able add sway control with the old style friction bars. Depending on weight, you can use two. There are different hitches with sway control that could be more effective.

Brother Les · 08-20-2013, 07:55 AM

1) Find a new Tech......
2) Watch video on how to level your camper and truck. Take notes.
3) Have all tools needed to adjust ball/hitch, + new pins
4) go to a level drive way, or 'lot' to work at, don't 'guess' on 'level'.
5) unhook camper (in drive) level camper vs level truck.
6) imo raise ball two holes on hitch to begin.
7) follow video info.

imo a added sway bar would be a good investment for you.

imo, running the camper at the angle that it is in is unsafe and as seen is putting way to much pressure on bars/chains/pin. Take your time and make sure that all off the bolts/nut are torqued down tight.

Lifting the front of the camper up (which it needs) will lower the back of the camper (duh) and you will 'drag' more when you get into a few 'high/low' spots. My suggestion if needed would be to add 'drag' wheels' to the back of the camper I-beams (do not attach the wheels to the bumper)

turnerpa · 08-20-2013, 10:42 AM

It also looks to me like you need to remove the foot from the jack or raise it up higher! It looks like if you were to turn a sharp corner the jack would contact the weight bars and put outward force on them which could cause you to bend the pins! Could just be the angle of the picture but looks way too close to me!

Brother Les · 08-20-2013, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turnerpa

It also looks to me like you need to remove the foot from the jack or raise it up higher! It looks like if you were to turn a sharp corner the jack would contact the weight bars and put outward force on them which could cause you to bend the pins! Could just be the angle of the picture but looks way too close to me!

It is the way/angle of the picture that you are looking at. All is well with the 'foot' plate on the Jack. The Jack is in the center of the tongue. The 'lift bars' are on the outside of the tongue. The bars and the foot plate cannot come close to each other. If the driver is cutting a corner that sharp for the foot and bar to 'touch'..... he should not be driving....

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