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Old 08-05-2015, 02:20 PM   #1
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Feels Right...Doesnt LOOK Right...Advice?

The attached setup seems to work well, in terms of reduced bounce, good sway control, and weight balance (I was about 100# heavy on Drive Axle of TT before I raised one more link to what is shown now). BUT I don't think this is how my setup should look. Should I be raising my hitch 1 or 2 holes so I can reduce the links a couple, and have the WDH bars actually look level? Will I maintain a similar ride but put less stress on the bars? The TT and TV are quite level with this setup.
BTW, I am pulling about 10,000# loaded, and the bars are 10,000/1000.
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Old 08-05-2015, 02:25 PM   #2
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It looks like you need to tilt the hitch head down. How many washers do you have installed now?


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Old 08-05-2015, 02:35 PM   #3
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It looks like you need to tilt the hitch head down. How many washers do you have installed now?


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No idea. Dealer set me up this way. I only took up two more links to shift the weight. Where do I see these washers? Also, without TT hooked up, the hitch sits straight. Only after I hook up, does it tilt the way it shows in these pics.
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Old 08-05-2015, 03:12 PM   #4
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Mine is an Equalizer hitch. But yours should have the same setup. Here is a picture of the washers.




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Old 08-05-2015, 03:14 PM   #5
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bars horizontal when towing... pitch head to accommodate this
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Old 08-05-2015, 03:59 PM   #6
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Mine is an Equalizer hitch. But yours should have the same setup. Here is a picture of the washers.




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I get it now. Makes sense. Thanks. Will give this a try.
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Old 08-06-2015, 07:35 AM   #7
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bars horizontal when towing... pitch head to accommodate this
Many WDH manufacturers suggest when using spring bars (round bars ?) that hang from the head assembly, the bars should be close to level with the ground. For trunnion style spring bars, the main thing is to have at least 5 links between the spring bar and the snap up bracket to allow for "swing" during turns.

My ideas are that the round bar setup is best used with a coupler that is connected on top of the trailer frame, and the trunnion style is best when the coupler is connected to the bottom of the trailer frame. I didn't realize that when I bought my trailer, and asked for the trunnion style Reese Straight Line Dual Cam, even though my coupler is attached to the top of the frame. I have had to resolve some rub issues between the spring bars and the trailer frame.

I would have thought that dealer should have recognized which WDH style would have best fit the OPs trailer.

I know it is too late now, but in IMHO the trunnion style setup would work better for the OPs setup. It would allow for more ground clearance, with the lowest point being at the bottom of the shank or at the ends of the bars, where now the lowest ground clearance is at the bottom of the spring bars where they attach to the head assembly.
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Old 08-06-2015, 08:23 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by MtnGuy View Post
Many WDH manufacturers suggest when using spring bars (round bars ?) that hang from the head assembly, the bars should be close to level with the ground. For trunnion style spring bars, the main thing is to have at least 5 links between the spring bar and the snap up bracket to allow for "swing" during turns.

My ideas are that the round bar setup is best used with a coupler that is connected on top of the trailer frame, and the trunnion style is best when the coupler is connected to the bottom of the trailer frame. I didn't realize that when I bought my trailer, and asked for the trunnion style Reese Straight Line Dual Cam, even though my coupler is attached to the top of the frame. I have had to resolve some rub issues between the spring bars and the trailer frame.

I would have thought that dealer should have recognized which WDH style would have best fit the OPs trailer.

I know it is too late now, but in IMHO the trunnion style setup would work better for the OPs setup. It would allow for more ground clearance, with the lowest point being at the bottom of the shank or at the ends of the bars, where now the lowest ground clearance is at the bottom of the spring bars where they attach to the head assembly.
Trunnions have evolved over the years. They used to be set up where the you measured the end of the bar off of the ground and set this distance according to the ball heigth. This resulted in a steep bar angle close to the ground. The dual cam was almost impossible to install in the early years due to bracketry conflicts with the lp tanks. WD hitches really seemed to be a round bar/west coast, trunnion/east coast kinda thing. Anyway, i never really got back to reese after the early dual cam issues. I said horizontal on the bars because chains have to pitch an arc. I used to tell 4 to 7 degrees pitch on the platform but there are some mfg that now pitch the bars with an almost flat platform so thats not always correct. Ive ordered up some new recurves to try. We got some little trailers with low ball heigths. Gonna give them a try...
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Old 08-06-2015, 08:43 AM   #9
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Mtn guy...i actually paid no notice to the coupler design in my posting. Hopefully your right on your ideas, these couplers are difficlt to accommodate at best. They need to go the way of the slotted head screw...
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Old 08-06-2015, 09:44 AM   #10
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Mtn guy...i actually paid no notice to the coupler design in my posting. Hopefully your right on your ideas, these couplers are difficlt to accommodate at best. They need to go the way of the slotted head screw...
Usually, the coupler setup at the bottom of the frame is used on heavier, longer trailers that are raised to accommodate the length. I am not sure what that trailer is, but the frame looks rather close to the ground.

And I was agreeing with you that the spring bars need to be horizontal to the ground with that type of setup.
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Old 08-06-2015, 10:58 PM   #11
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What brand of hitch is that? Do you have the installation instructions? Those would be helpful for setting it up and for knowing the proper torque values for the bolts. (They will need to be quite tight, probably between 260-300 foot pounds.)
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Old 08-07-2015, 12:13 AM   #12
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How do you figure it weighs 10,000lbs? The 8310SS Dia has an 8884 GVW. Dry weight around 7000lbs. If you're adding 3000lbs to it then you're packing a lot of gear.


Also with those friction sway control bars you need two for any TT 26' and longer.


As to your spring bars, they should be parallel to the tongue. Add more washers to drop the ends down.
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Old 08-07-2015, 10:23 AM   #13
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First of all, thank you all for your contributions. Helps me tremendously, and I will be rejigging the setup for the next trip.

To answer some questions, I don't recall the hitch brand (I write this from work - tsk tsk - and the TT and hitch are in storage). Again the dealer set me up. I will be heading back there in the next couple weeks and will have them adjust it.

I derived at 10,000# based on my recent CAT scale info (was done in kilograms vs pounds so I have to convert) and includes not just contents of trailer, but contents of TV, and DW and me. I know I am under all the inputs from my TV and TT stickers. My sheets are at home, so I don't have the exact #'s at hand right now.
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