Reese SC Pro Series setup

[Flagstaffer06]

Good evening all,

I recently purchased a used 2006 Flagstaff 831RLSS. It came with a Reese SC hitch with the friction pads and the two trunnion bars. I am pulling it with a Nissan Titan with the tow package rated to 9400lbs per Nissan.

The link to the exact hitch is here:

Reese SC Weight Distribution w Sway Control - Trunnion - 15,000 lbs GTW, 1,500 lbs TW Reese Weight Distribution RP66157

I have setup the adjustable head so the ball is just under 1.5 inches above the coupler on the trailer which is what the instructions recommend. I set the friction pad holders in the highest hole I could on the bracket on the trailer.

My stock measurements on the truck sitting unhooked is 36 1/2" at the front axle of the TV and 38 3/8" at the rear axle. The best I could get with my adjustments was to get the front axle to remain at 36 1/2" but, the rear sags to 36 1/2". I tried adjusting the pivoting head and can't get it any lower than 36.5" in the front and the rear just pretty much continues to be about the same. Any tighter and it is a huge struggle to get the bars into the friction pads.

Does anyone have any ideas? I set it up quickly per the manual on my trip home with the trailer which was about 110 miles and it pulled great. There wasn't any sway at all even while passing or being passed by larger vehicles. The only issue I had was on slow sharp turns I got the creaking and banging that alot of people have reported with the similar hitch. I thought if I tried dialing it in closer I could eliminate most of it but, I can't seem to get it anymore dialed in.

I tried lowering the friction pads on the trailer and also adjusting the pivoting head but, it doesn't seem to change enough.

Basically, my final numbers with the trailer connected leave the front axle just as it is when unhooked with a rear drop of 1 7/8". Since this is my first travel trailer does this sound normal or should I be able to get the front down lower than normal and therefore still get more weight on the bars without making the truck sag as much as it is.

The truck is perfectly level at the current setup with both measurements at front and rear coming in at 36.5".

Thank in advance for the advice and sorry for the rambling post, I am just trying to get as much information in.

[MtnGuy]

OK, a couple of questions and observations.

The Etrailer link showed 1500 lb. bars.....is that correct ?? That might be a little overkill for that trailer, but they should definitly distribute the weight adequately.

Struggling to get the bars on the friction pads is a fact of life. Are you lifting the truck and trailer with your tongue jack before installing (and removing) the bars ??

Is the head assembly tilted all of the way back ?? If you have a trailer with the coupler mounted on the top of the a-frame, then there is usually a right severe rear tilt.

A couple of pictures of your setup would be good.

Overall, according to your measurements, that might not be a bad setup. Seems like you are getting most or all of the lost weight back on the front axle.

[Flagstaffer06]

Mtnguy,

Thanks so much for the reply. Yes, they are 1500lb bars. The hitch is certainly overkill but, that is what the PO of the trailer gave me so I am not complaining.

I am jacking everything together and removing the bars.

I have the ball in the middle now, I tried moving it forward and back and it didn't seem to change anything at all so I left it in the middle where it seems to be working the best.

I don't have it hooked up anymore to take pictures. We are going to take it out for the 1st and last time of the season next weekend. I'll get some pictures then and post them, we aren't going far so I can also report how it towed with the adjustments as noted in the post. If anyone can help out or comment after the pictures are added then awesome, if it tows fine and seems to be looking like it is setup properly which it does from what I have seen then I'll call it good.

Thanks again for the reply, this group is really awesome for all the questions that are answered all over the board.

[Mark and Linda]

I have about the same setup on mine, with the Pro Series, 14K bars. I had to redo what the dearler had set up on mine. I kept working with it until I felt comfortable. I have to jack my tongue up, hook up the bars, sometimes they are a pain. I can hear them creaking when I makde my turns etc. I put new tires on my truck a few weeks ago which made a little difference in my setup. I still think I need to tweak mine some. Hope you get it figured out...be sure to do a followup.

[MtnGuy]

Flagstaffer06, have you read through the setup procedure ?? Trailer Hitch Instructions For DrawTite, Reese, Hidden Hitch & More - etrailer.com

For about $170 (includes free shipping), you can order 2 of the 1200 lb. bars. Replacement Trunnion Spring Bar for Reese SC Weight Distribution System - 1,200 lbs TW Reese Accessories and Parts RP58358 They will not give you better weight distributing, but should put less stress on your truck hitch receiver, and improve the hard rear end bounce that too stiff of bars will give you. I think Reese has 800 lb. straight bars, but I don't see them listed on Etrailer. 800 lb. bars might be border line for your application.....you would need to get an actual tongue weight before considering those.

Don't be afraid to have the head tilted back if you need. This is my previous setup, with the head assembly was tilted as far back as it would go:

As stated previously, you might already have the setup correct. A trip to some CAT scales with 3 trips across will give you all sorts of information. A trip with the truck alone, and then with the trailer, both with and without the spring bars attached. Make sure people and cargo stay in the same position each trip across. Also, make the scale operator aware that you are doing reweighs....they are usually only $1 each after the initial weight.