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Old 08-05-2021, 11:03 PM   #41
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Is this CS a Forest River CS Agent or one for the dealer? Also like previously stated, I would think Lippert will be the one to warranty the frame if they made it. Have you tried to call Lippert and ask for their position on this? There should be a fairly large sticker on the frame near the tongue on the entry side of the trailer. It will have the frame info if it is a Lippert frame. If you give Lippert that info, they can absolutely tell you the right answer either way and also tell you what they warranty.

FYI, this is my frame sticker. I would think yours looks similar. Note the frames are even assigned a individual serial number. Also the "TT2013" is not my trailer year, but the design spec model for that frame. My trailer is a 2015, so don't freak if that does not match the model you are looking at.

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Old 08-06-2021, 08:26 AM   #42
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My lighter/smaller GeoPro uses a BAL frame, I had no idea until I started trying to straighten my WDH brackets out and saw big BAL sticker.
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Old 08-09-2021, 09:39 PM   #43
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As a note stay away from the Andersen WDH system. My experience is the Andersen system has damaged my light weight tubular A-frame system.
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Old 08-09-2021, 09:57 PM   #44
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WD and sway bar

I camped with an old trucker, he had a light weight TT, he insisted on installing air bags to level and lightly torque the WD, he might have been on to something.
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Old 08-10-2021, 07:36 AM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stingingfork View Post
My tow vehicle is a F250 6.0 Powerstroke, being a newbie I clearly didn't have the knowledge to question her but I will contact my salesman and ask if he has ever heard of her claim that it's a violation of the FR frame warranty to use the WD or Sway Bars with the NoBo's...
I don't know which unit you are thinking about, but pulling anyof them with a F250, 6.0 diesel, you wouldn't need a WD hitch. But, the frame should not be an issue, however, you might want to review this WEB site before you buy. https://www.rvinsider.com/2018-Fores...ries&year=2018
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Old 08-10-2021, 09:31 AM   #46
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Round bar WDH and friction sway control

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stingingfork View Post
I spent over $300 for the hitch, some may consider that's cheap but for someone on a fixed income I don't but maybe you were referring to the technology being cheap - not sure. Being new to purchasing a hitch I'm not sure what the price for a good hitch would run but my salesman mentioned that I may not even need a sway bar.

Isn't there a good chance that I won't need to use the Sway Bar for towing this NoBo when factoring in my tow vehicle, the dual axles and I was told the spring bars would aid in helping to hold my trailer in line.
Just my 2 cents and may be all it’s worth.
I had a Pro Series round bar WDH with friction sway control installed by dealer pulling 6400lb dry TT probably 7500lb+ loaded with F250. Sway was a huge problem on trip home. They had taken all the weight off the back of the truck. Got the setup instructions and with a little research reset the hitch for my truck and had no issues with sway. Now have a 4 point Equalizer hitch with F350 SRW and 8000lb + loaded TT. Yes I had to disconnect the friction sway control with round bar hitch when I backed but really was a none issue. Equalizer is a little easier in that regard. However the round bar and friction sway control towed just as well as my current setup with Equalizer hitch. Doesn’t address your dilemma with hitch warranty or weight requirement but I am not afraid of round bar and friction sway control. Properly setup with weight on the truck it was fine. I actually had to put weight back on the truck with Equalizer hitch too after setup. Good luck with your warranty discussion. I would lean toward using WDH and sway control. One white knuckle drive was one too many.
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Old 08-10-2021, 09:52 AM   #47
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You need to set your WDH yourself. Any WDH setup by a dealer on a new trailer is only good enough to get you home at best. For one thing the trailer is empty and for another the minimum wage mechanic is in a rush to get the trailer out the door.

I spent the better part of a cool morning setting up my WDH after I loaded it into camping configuration including a full fresh water tank.

Your tow vehicle matters and a hitch setup for one may not work with another. Ford hitch receivers are sloppy vertically and you need to pay attention to that as a change in hitch angle changes how the WDH works. I believe I needed to put seven (7) spacer washers in my Equalizer(tm) hitch to get it to work properly. Not sure how the others set the angle.

No excuse for not knowing your tongue weight. If you can afford a trailer tongue scale make one, there are instructions on the web that need nothing more exotic than your wife's bathroom scale, a board, and some PVC pipe.

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Old 08-10-2021, 11:19 AM   #48
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Install your WD hitch according to instructions and set it up! etrailer.com and YouTube have great videos for proper set-up procedures to safely pull your trailer!

Grab the tools you will need and head to an empty paved, level parking lot and follow the procedures! Note your initial set-up. Drive it! If adjustment are needed, go back to the lot and make them. Note your new settings. Continue back and forth until you are comfortable with the drive and handling. Sway is handled best with a properly set WD hitch.

Your frame will be just fine!
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Old 08-11-2021, 02:05 PM   #49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stingingfork View Post
Thanks for letting me know that I'm not the only one with older technology for their towing, I do have the friction sway bar assembly but I don't plan on using it for my maiden travels and hopefully I'll never feel inclined to use it.

Since my bars have the 1K to 1.4K range how would you go about figuring how many links to let drop or as I asked NJ should I look for a lighter range set of bars, something more in line with my max. 15 percent weight for the top end of the bars?
The paper work that came with my ReCurve 3 hitch states:
400# bar for max 600# tongue wt. & 6,000# max trailer weight
600# bar for 800# 8,000
800# bar for 1,000 10,000
1,000# bar for 1,200 12,000 max weight.


I haven't weighed my TT yet but it says 8,000# max on the label and my dealer installed my hitch with the 600# bars. They worked excellent on my F-250, but have a little bounce on my new GMC 1500. They may just need to be tightened a hair more. My sway is built into the hitch and I love it. Absolutely quiet towing and turning/backing.
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Old 08-11-2021, 06:35 PM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevemal View Post
The paper work that came with my ReCurve 3 hitch states:
400# bar for max 600# tongue wt. & 6,000# max trailer weight
600# bar for 800# 8,000
800# bar for 1,000 10,000
1,000# bar for 1,200 12,000 max weight.


I haven't weighed my TT yet but it says 8,000# max on the label and my dealer installed my hitch with the 600# bars. They worked excellent on my F-250, but have a little bounce on my new GMC 1500. They may just need to be tightened a hair more. My sway is built into the hitch and I love it. Absolutely quiet towing and turning/backing.
I have the same WDH, super easy to set up. I have 400# bar on my 600# tounge on my 4000# TT.
Just switched TV from Frontier to Ram 1500 and now it seems I don't need them anymore except for longer trips.
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Old 08-11-2021, 07:43 PM   #51
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Originally Posted by Chuck_S View Post
You need to set your WDH yourself. Any WDH setup by a dealer on a new trailer is only good enough to get you home at best. For one thing the trailer is empty and for another the minimum wage mechanic is in a rush to get the trailer out the door.

I spent the better part of a cool morning setting up my WDH after I loaded it into camping configuration including a full fresh water tank.

Your tow vehicle matters and a hitch setup for one may not work with another. Ford hitch receivers are sloppy vertically and you need to pay attention to that as a change in hitch angle changes how the WDH works. I believe I needed to put seven (7) spacer washers in my Equalizer(tm) hitch to get it to work properly. Not sure how the others set the angle.

No excuse for not knowing your tongue weight. If you can afford a trailer tongue scale make one, there are instructions on the web that need nothing more exotic than your wife's bathroom scale, a board, and some PVC pipe.

-- Chuck

Chuck, my Curt hitch came with 7 washers and the instructions suggested placing 6 washers on the pin located in the upper portion of the head channel and then adjust qty. as needed. Using 6 washers would effectively pitch the angle of the ball towards the trailer. Not sure how to judge what the best angle of the ball should be, I thought originally I would need to set the ball angle at 0 degrees to keep it vertical but I guess that's out the window based on the instructions. So how did you decide which ball angle worked best for your situation? Qwkynuf in another post mentioned that adding 1" to the ball height of the tow vehicle above the coupler when camper is level would be a good starting point also.

As far as the tongue weight I will have to wait until I get the new camper home, hopefully by the 1st of October, and fully load it for our next adventure and then weigh the tongue on level ground to get an accurate measurement so I will know what weight range of WD bars I need for my camper. I hope they fall within the 1K range which is what I already own. I'll take your advice and google for a homemade tongue scale vs purchasing one off of Amazon.
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Old 08-11-2021, 09:28 PM   #52
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I lost count how many washers I'm up to, probably at least 7. I know I added one since I first installed it, everything gets compressed and needs re-adjustment. I just tilt the ball aft until I can tell it has a bit of tilt. You are correct, should not be straight up and down.
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Old 08-11-2021, 10:14 PM   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stingingfork View Post
Chuck, my Curt hitch came with 7 washers and the instructions suggested placing 6 washers on the pin located in the upper portion of the head channel and then adjust qty. as needed. Using 6 washers would effectively pitch the angle of the ball towards the trailer. Not sure how to judge what the best angle of the ball should be, I thought originally I would need to set the ball angle at 0 degrees to keep it vertical but I guess that's out the window based on the instructions. So how did you decide which ball angle worked best for your situation? Qwkynuf in another post mentioned that adding 1" to the ball height of the tow vehicle above the coupler when camper is level would be a good starting point also.

As far as the tongue weight I will have to wait until I get the new camper home, hopefully by the 1st of October, and fully load it for our next adventure and then weigh the tongue on level ground to get an accurate measurement so I will know what weight range of WD bars I need for my camper. I hope they fall within the 1K range which is what I already own. I'll take your advice and google for a homemade tongue scale vs purchasing one off of Amazon.
It's a really good idea to follow the directions for your specific hitch, though that 1" starting height difference seems to be pretty universal.

The number of washers is pretty much trial and error. Adjust till you get it where you like it and then torque everything down.

Take a look at this diagram that I threw together, & see if it makes anything clearer. Strictly speaking, the 2nd step isn't completely necessary, but I find it helpful to know where I am starting from. Understand that each link that you tighten in the chain is going to remove weight from the rear tires of the truck and add weight to the front tires of the truck *and* to the trailer tires, so you are simultaneously raising the rear of the truck and lowering the front.

(and I apologize in advance for not being an artist!)
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Old 08-12-2021, 07:44 AM   #54
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I don't know which unit you are thinking about, but pulling anyof them with a F250, 6.0 diesel, you wouldn't need a WD hitch. But, the frame should not be an issue, however, you might want to review this WEB site before you buy. https://www.rvinsider.com/2018-Fores...ries&year=2018

Thanks for sharing the website, and yes I'm a little nervous about the NoBo's but to be honest I haven't seen one new camper that I can afford that didn't have any negative reviews, I researched the smallest Alpha Wolf, the Keystone Cougar, and the KZ Connect SE and found owners that had issues with them all but likewise I found some who loved these campers too. I just hope whatever camper I end up with I get lucky with the build...
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Old 08-12-2021, 10:28 AM   #55
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It's a really good idea to follow the directions for your specific hitch, though that 1" starting height difference seems to be pretty universal.

The number of washers is pretty much trial and error. Adjust till you get it where you like it and then torque everything down.

Take a look at this diagram that I threw together, & see if it makes anything clearer. Strictly speaking, the 2nd step isn't completely necessary, but I find it helpful to know where I am starting from. Understand that each link that you tighten in the chain is going to remove weight from the rear tires of the truck and add weight to the front tires of the truck *and* to the trailer tires, so you are simultaneously raising the rear of the truck and lowering the front.

(and I apologize in advance for not being an artist!)

Qwkynuf, I really appreciate your hard work in explaining the ins and outs of setting up a successful hitch between tow vehicle and camper. I had seen comments about tilting the ball of the hitch towards the trailer but had no idea of why and the relationship between the ball tilt and WD bars and how it ultimately loads the front of my vehicle and the camper tires. I got a kick out of your pics and you did an Awesome job. Hope to meet you on a trip one day... Happy Trails!
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Old 08-12-2021, 12:10 PM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stingingfork View Post
Qwkynuf, I really appreciate your hard work in explaining the ins and outs of setting up a successful hitch between tow vehicle and camper. I had seen comments about tilting the ball of the hitch towards the trailer but had no idea of why and the relationship between the ball tilt and WD bars and how it ultimately loads the front of my vehicle and the camper tires. I got a kick out of your pics and you did an Awesome job. Hope to meet you on a trip one day... Happy Trails!
Thanks for the kind words. Another quick analogy that might help visualize what is going on would be to imagine using a wheelbarrow - where the wheelbarrow's front tire represents the front tires on the tow vehicle, the "legs" are the back tires of the tow vehicle, your feet are the trailer's tires, and the WD bars are the handles of the wheelbarrow (it's an imperfect analogy, but most are).

In the beginning, your feet are supporting your body weight, and the tire and legs of the wheelbarrow are supporting its weight.

As you start to lift on the handles, weight comes off of the wheelbarrow's legs, and goes......where?

Some of the weight moves to the tire and some moves to your feet. The more effort you put into lifting, the more weight is transferred, until the wheelbarrow's legs come off of the ground and 100% of the weight is supported by the tire and your feet. In theory, you could do the same thing with a WD hitch - you could tighten the bars so much that the truck's rear wheels come off of the ground & the entire load is supported by the trailer tires and the truck's front tires.

At the same time, you are really kind of pushing Jello around on a plate. If you did this exercise while standing on a scale, the total weight would never change. You are just redistributing.

This is one of those subjects that eventually causes an "AHA!" moment.
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Old 08-26-2021, 06:21 PM   #57
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Just as a final follow-up on the warranty issue I heard back from the salesman at Couch's and he read a memo he received from his FR contact and he confirmed if the owner drills into the frame such as adding a sway bar attachment like I received from Curt or uses oversized weight distribution bars then FR would void the warranty if there is resulting damage to the frame. I asked if I could get a copy of the memo but he stated it was proprietary between the Mfg. and Dealer and he couldn't share it. So I will definitely not be using the Curt Sway Bar system since it would require attaching to my frame by drilling for its' sheet metal screws. Guess for now I will stick with just the weight distribution system I have from Curt and if I find that I need to add sway control then I will just upgrade my hitch...

Also found out from FR that the NoBo 19.6 that I've had on order for almost 3 months now will not start fabrication until the month of November which equates to over a 5 month wait, I hope it turns out to be worth it!
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Old 08-26-2021, 07:58 PM   #58
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Just as a final follow-up on the warranty issue I heard back from the salesman at Couch's and he read a memo he received from his FR contact and he confirmed if the owner drills into the frame such as adding a sway bar attachment like I received from Curt or uses oversized weight distribution bars then FR would void the warranty if there is resulting damage to the frame. I asked if I could get a copy of the memo but he stated it was proprietary between the Mfg. and Dealer and he couldn't share it. So I will definitely not be using the Curt Sway Bar system since it would require attaching to my frame by drilling for its' sheet metal screws. Guess for now I will stick with just the weight distribution system I have from Curt and if I find that I need to add sway control then I will just upgrade my hitch...

Also found out from FR that the NoBo 19.6 that I've had on order for almost 3 months now will not start fabrication until the month of November which equates to over a 5 month wait, I hope it turns out to be worth it!
There is literally nothing unusual about a statement like this. If you buy any consumer product and then modify it from its factory configuration, the warranty on the portion that you modified will be voided - *if your modification caused damage*.

The wording you quote sounds to me like they are saying "If your frame is damaged by drilling holes to mount your aftermarket hitch, or if you damage the frame by utilizing too-strong spring bars, then that's on you". And that's how it should be.

I don't read that as saying "don't use a WD hitch", I read that as "don't use a WD hitch in such a way that you damage your trailer with it". They are just limiting liability on things outside of their control.

I use a similar hitch of a different brand. And while they don't ask me to drill into the frame, it does have a couple of bolts that are used to pinch the frame to keep the brackets from sliding. Over time, the paint has flaked off somewhat around where the bolts make contact, and I am starting to see surface rust. I wouldn't try to get that rust repaired under warranty, and I would expect them to decline if I tried.
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Old 08-26-2021, 10:19 PM   #59
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I plan on getting something with away control built in. like a recurve




They are currently building 16s. My 16.2 is suppose to be offline in the next week or two. Ordered it May 6th.
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Old 08-27-2021, 07:50 AM   #60
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Also found out from FR that the NoBo 19.6 that I've had on order for almost 3 months now will not start fabrication until the month of November which equates to over a 5 month wait, I hope it turns out to be worth it!

5 months, that's what I was quoted mid-summer, was told for a fresh order it's now 6. Ugh. There are some 19.6's being delivered and popping up for sale. I was 1 day away from picking one up and backed out because they substituted 15" 5 lug wheels in lieu of the 16" 6 lug - and it wasn't corrected on the factory paperwork and balked at subtracting from the price. Hopefully yours is better.
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