Tow ball wear

OSCBRADLEY · 01-31-2010, 11:00 PM

We just returned from our first trip with our new Wildwood TT. After unhitching I noticed the forward part of the tow ball seems to have sustained more wear than the rear. Is this normal or am I not set up quite right? My tow vehicle is a 2004 F250 6.0 diesel and the trailer is 31' with a loaded weight of around 8K. I have no special hitch set up, just straight trailer hitch to ball on truck, no sway bars or WD hitch.

powerboatr · 02-01-2010, 12:12 AM

you really should be using a wd setup
it will sort of even out the wear, and make the load be distributed to give you a safer steer up front
even when i used the dually to pull the 30 footer, wd made a big difference

OSCBRADLEY · 02-01-2010, 04:59 AM

Powerboatr,
Thanks for the advice, I am looking into and reading about all the different WD options. I have airbags so I can take care of leveling just fine with those but I did experience some sway while on the road when the semi's passed me. Does that mean I should lean more towards sway bars rather than a WD hitch or does a WD do both?

rockwood06 · 02-01-2010, 05:22 AM

The dealer that I use will not let you pull off with a camper over 25' with out a WD&SC system unless you sign a weaver. Please get one, don't be another statistic and if you need help this is an excellent Forum to get advise. Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

rockwood06 · 02-01-2010, 05:46 AM

I am sorry to be so forward, but I am a nut when it comes to safety equipment. This is my set up, it is a Reese weight distribution an sway control system with 12,000 lbs spring bars. I tow an 8314ss Rock Wood with a dry weight of 6,600 lbs and a full load capacity of 7,960 lbs and it is approx 34'. I have been using this system going on 10 years now and when it is installed correctly it works great. When I say installed correctly I mean by the dealer and if they instruct you on the correct way on how to us it then you will not have a problem. There is no price on safety, you pay now or pay later.

**huntr70** · 02-01-2010, 06:17 AM

I'll agree with the above.

Your 3/4 ton truck probably does OK with the weight, but the length is where it gets you.

Get an Equalizer or Reese Dual cam system and transfer some of that pin weight to your front axle. Air bags help support the weight, but do nothing to help sway.

bsmall · 02-01-2010, 06:59 AM

I agree with everyone else, go with a W/D, the difference will be night and day...

MtnGuy · 02-01-2010, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OSCBRADLEY

Powerboatr,
Thanks for the advice, I am looking into and reading about all the different WD options. I have airbags so I can take care of leveling just fine with those but I did experience some sway while on the road when the semi's passed me. Does that mean I should lean more towards sway bars rather than a WD hitch or does a WD do both?

The airbags will level your truck, but it does not put weight back on the front end. An intergrated WDH with sway control will make a world of difference with the way your combo tows.

As far as the ball wearing, I imagine that it will still wear with a WDH, as you are putting more stress in that area by pulling down on the trailer tongue. The ball on my hitch shows plenty of wear already, with some small gouges evident. A local trailer dealer said tha it is normal to have that and has seen a lot worse, so I am not too worried about that....yet. Use grease on the ball to help remedy that.

Wolfgang · 02-01-2010, 02:01 PM

Yeah you're supposed to lather up the ball with axel or wheel bearing grease before a long tow. And cover or clean it off the ball when not in use. Even the Stainless/chrome ones show wear without grease.

turbopuppy · 02-01-2010, 05:11 PM

Grease will enhance towing by making the tow quieter and reducing wear and rust on the ball and other greasable load bearing locations. I keep a can of grease in the trailer and use it every trip on the ball, wd bar sockets, and the small ball ends of the sway control.

grhodes50 · 02-01-2010, 05:39 PM

OSCBRADLEY,

2009 Ford towing guide states, [I]"CLASS IV - EXTRA-HEAVY-DUTY- Over 5,000-lbs. gross trailer weight - Most applications require a conventional weight-distributing or fifth-wheel hitch".[/I]

I would think that you would need a wd hitch with anti-sway contol since your tt is over 30' long and weighs 8k lbs.

There is a wd hitch that requires a friction anti-sway bar and there are some wd hitches that have the anti-sway built in. I have used both and the wd with anti-sway built in is far better.

I have an Equal-i-zer with 4 point sway control. I haven't any experience with the Reese Dual Cam hitches but there are those on this forum who really like them as well.

Here's a link for the equalizer hitches; http://www.equalizerhitch.com/

Just something you might want to check out.

powerboatr · 02-01-2010, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OSCBRADLEY

Powerboatr,
Thanks for the advice, I am looking into and reading about all the different WD options. I have airbags so I can take care of leveling just fine with those but I did experience some sway while on the road when the semi's passed me. Does that mean I should lean more towards sway bars rather than a WD hitch or does a WD do both?

i dont want to be a sticky... however with a 250 you shouldn't be using the bags for bumper towing. they do bring your rear up, but like it was mentioned they do not transfer weight to the front axle, which gives you stability and no porpoising

OSCBRADLEY · 02-01-2010, 09:39 PM

Understood,...... I have looked at both the Reece and Equal-i-zer systems. I really like the fact the Equalizer has no chains and it seems fairly easy to install and disconnect, think I will go with it. Does anyone have a favorite parts place they think has the lowest prices? Best price I have found is $489 http://tweetys.com/equal-i-zerwithsh...trolhitch.aspx

LadyWindrider · 02-01-2010, 10:01 PM

Please be careful if you order online and install yourself. There is another thread on here about being certified to do hitch work. Many of us have found out that even the guys in the business don't know how to set up a hitch properly. Nothing wrong with doing it yourself, and you may be better off, just make sure you follow the directions, and understand what each adjustment does and why you're doing it. I have the Reese dual cam, and when set up properly, works great. If you get the Equalizer, don't be afraid to ask for help, those that have one will chime in and help. I have also purchased from Tweety's and was pleased. They had the best price on a Prodigy brake controller.

grhodes50 · 02-01-2010, 10:49 PM

I found the equal-i-zer at rvwholesalers.com for $459.99. 1,000/10,000 rating. Hitch ball sold separatly for $21.99. 1,200/12,000 rated hitch for $469.99, hitch ball $28.99.

Heres the link; http://www.rvwholesalers.com/catalog...ailer-hitches/

Not much difference in price, but thier web site says free shipping on orders $124.99 and up. I purchased my MaxxAir vent covers plus a couple of other items from them and they delivered quickly and everything was as I ordered.

You might also contact local dealers. They may come close since they can probably buy them cheaper and you wont have to pay shipping.

As windrider said, follow the directions carefully. My dealer installed mine incorrectly so I reinstalled it following the instructions in manual. I also adjusted the hitch when I purchased my new to me tv. If you get the hitch set-up properly, you wont hardly notice those semi's passing you.

MtnGuy · 02-02-2010, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OSCBRADLEY

Does anyone have a favorite parts place they think has the lowest prices?

I don't know if they are the cheapest, but I have had good luck ordering stuff from etrailers.com.

acadianbob · 02-02-2010, 11:47 AM

X2 on etrailer.com I've had really excellent service and prices from them. I also did my own Reese Dual Cam install. There are some real benefits to completely understanding your system and how it works. Then, minor adjustments are not a mystery and you know what you are doing.

dichayer · 02-02-2010, 12:30 PM

HTML Code:

Please be careful if you order online and install yourself. There is another thread on here about being certified to do hitch work. Many of us have found out that even the guys in the business don't know how to set up a hitch properly. Nothing wrong with doing it yourself, and you may be better off, just make sure you follow the directions, and understand what each adjustment does and why you're doing it.

I had an "expert" at a dealer install my Equal-I-zer and he totaly messed it up. I told him to stop messing with it. I broke out my tools and did it myself correctly the first time by following the directions line by line. I did have to add one washer after I had everthing in the camper and truck. Hey if I can do it anyone can. ( I am an engineer and you know they can't do anything right the first time". I have not had to change it. I just chek every thing before each trip.
Dick

rockwood06 · 02-02-2010, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dichayer

HTML Code:

Please be careful if you order online and install yourself. There is another thread on here about being certified to do hitch work. Many of us have found out that even the guys in the business don't know how to set up a hitch properly. Nothing wrong with doing it yourself, and you may be better off, just make sure you follow the directions, and understand what each adjustment does and why you're doing it.

I had an "expert" at a dealer install my Equal-I-zer and he totaly messed it up. I told him to stop messing with it. I broke out my tools and did it myself correctly the first time by following the directions line by line. I did have to add one washer after I had everthing in the camper and truck. Hey if I can do it anyone can. ( I am an engineer and you know they can't do anything right the first time". I have not had to change it. I just chek every thing before each trip.
Dick

That's the point, there is no such thing as being Certified and I think It should be. The so called "experts" at the dealers are not trained properly. They would take more pride in there work if they had the paper work that shows they have been trained, and even care that the job is done right, so don't be fooled be the people that work at an rv dealer and consider them experts. You are right you are better off doing the hitch work yourself because you will make sure it is done right.

MtnGuy · 02-02-2010, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acadianbob

X2 on etrailer.com I've had really excellent service and prices from them. I also did my own Reese Dual Cam install. There are some real benefits to completely understanding your system and how it works. Then, minor adjustments are not a mystery and you know what you are doing.

And I think that I could have done a better install myself, also. The directions from Reese are good, and the dealer guys didn't follow them exactly.

You may also like: