Blue Ox Sway Pro ?

[Ejs4029]

I believe I have narrowed my choice of a new Hitch to the Blue Ox sway pro,. I am currently using a 10 year old Eaz-Lift with 1k bars and a friction sway control and don’t have any issues I have always towed with a ¾ ton truck a Chevy 2500 (Stolen in August) and now a new Ram 2500 diesel. One thing I don’t care for now is the excess slop in receiver when using the 2” adapter sleeve and it will also be nice getting rid of the friction sway control. In talking with Blue Ox customer service they are willing to swap out the 2” shank for the 2.5” shank free of charge I believe that setup will work much better.

One question I do have is what weigh bars should I go with using my Rockwood 2703 I believe has about a 650 dry tongue weight so loaded it’s under 1000lbs Blue Ox has the 1k bars then they jump up to a 1.5k since I would be at about my limit with the 1k bars would it be advisable to go with the 1.5K bars now for future room to grow or should I stick with the 1k bars and worry about that later ?

[Teamfour]

Originally Posted by Ejs4029

One question I do have is what weigh bars should I go with using my Rockwood 2703 I believe has about a 650 dry tongue weight so loaded it’s under 1000lbs Blue Ox has the 1k bars then they jump up to a 1.5k since I would be at about my limit with the 1k bars would it be advisable to go with the 1.5K bars now for future room to grow or should I stick with the 1k bars and worry about that later ?

What did Blue Ox say when you contacted them with your question?

[Ejs4029]

I didn't get a chance to call them...They responded via email on the shank and I forgot to ask them...Just sent them another email so waiting for a response...Thanks

[Teamfour]

Originally Posted by Ejs4029

I didn't get a chance to call them...They responded via email on the shank and I forgot to ask them...Just sent them another email so waiting for a response...Thanks

Sorry, I realize I came across as a smart *****. My point was, you will get a multitude of differing responses here on the forum, including recommendations for five other WDH brands. It is always best to first call the manufacturer; unless you are asking the RV salesperson if your Toyota Corolla can tow a fifth wheel, in which the answer is always yes.

[thebrakeman]

I typically recommend not being too close to the TW limit on WDH kits, because that tents to make the rig tend to bounce or "porpoise", because the bars act too much like springs, and not enough like rigid bars. How did you come up with the ~1000 TW estimate?

Take the dry weight of the camper, and add 1000 lbs. Multiply by 0.125 (12.5%) and that's a decent loaded TW estimate. If greater than 950, I'd skip the 1000 lbs bars, and go up. Too bad they go all the way to 1500. Then again, Blue Ox advertises the bars as "spring steel". This may be what allows them to have such a large range between bars.

[hunterrick]

Hi Ejs4029,

I too went through this same scenario. I bought a 1500 blue ox late last summer and had some handling issues at first. Blue Ox sent two technicians to my home to inspect the problem. It was determined that most of my problem was caused by the excess slop due to the 2" adapter. They sent me a 2 1/2" shank and all was well. I also had them send me a set of 1000 lb bars, just to compare. I went on a long trip to the Colorado rockies, and changed bars every day so I could compare in different conditions. I had previously visited the scales with both sets so I knew exactly how to set them all. In the end, I decided that I had better handling and ride with the 1500 lb bars.

By the way. I've decided to switch to a different hitch so my Blue Ox is for sale. Are you interested? If so, please personal message me and we can discuss. Also, if you're interested in my weight comparison spreadsheet for various hitches I've tried, I'd be happy to share that with you as well.

[frisbyh]

I have the same hitch. i started with the 750 pound bars but that is right at my tongue weight so I switched to the 1000 pound bars. Works much better.