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RE: Good and Bad about Blue Ox Sway Pro
Mike,
You CAN use a standard 1-7/8 socket to torque the ball, I just did it on my Equalizer. You put the bars in the sockets and pivot them a bit and the standard socket works just fine.
Problem is finding the socket as you mentioned. A buddy has a repair shop and I just took it over to him and he torqued the ball after locating a dusty 1-7/8 socket he hadn't used for about 20 years. Call around to RV repair shops and they can probably do it for you for a small fee. If you buy your hitch locally, the shop will usually install it for free.
Well I did get my Reese Dual Cam fixed so for now, I'll be using it.
The sockets weren't the deal. I found them pretty much everywhere from $20 to $25. The problem is that they don't use a standard 1/2" drive rachet, but an expensive and harder to find 3/4" drive rachet. I have all kinds of 1/2" drive sockets and rachets and even a 1/2 drive 250# torque wrench. What I don't have is an expensive 3/4" drive torque wrench or any 3/4" drive rachets. As I said, I found a 3/4" drive breaker bar for $33. It can use the 1 7/8" socket that is a 3/4" drive but I can't get a torque spec with it.
It's not an issue now as I have the Reese but if it ever breaks again, I now have a back up plan.
Thanks
I have a 1/2 to 3/4 socket adapter so I can drive the socket with my 1/2" breaker bar.
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gmw photos
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05/17/13 07:43am |
Towing
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RE: Any reason I'd need weight distribution?
Wow, boy did this thread go way off the trail chasing bunnies.
The OP Has a Ram truck (exact model unknown) and is asking about a 20ft (or a bit less) trailer which weighs in around 3K with tongue weight of 300 lbs.
Some how things have gotten twisted...
Putting WD for the sake of "having it" is just wasting money and time.
I would doubt that the OP will put more than 500 lbs on the tongue.
With that light of a tongue load WD CAN make the setup unstable by removing too much weight from the rear axle (think lost traction).
Even a half ton truck is capable of carrying 500 lbs on the hitch without any need for WD. It is a truck, it is designed to have 1K lbs or more in the bed alone, if it can't support that weight then you shouldn't put a feather into the back of a truck without WD...
Sorry, but respectfully disagree with your analysis. First, the OP's trailer is going to weigh right around 4000 pounds. I have nearly the identical trailer he has....different model line from the same manufacturer. A 4000 pound trailer will have approx 520 pounds hitch weight at 13%. I would suspect the owner will carry at least a few things in the bed of the truck when he goes camping, and while I know that is somewhat a different issue, still, it is weight that will make the back of the truck sink further into it's suspension travel.
An example of a WD hitch would be my BlueOx. They state that we need a minimum of 350 pounds tongue weight to use this hitch, and in my case, I use 550 pound bars. I would suspect this would also be a good matchup for his Ram, if it is indeed a 1500.
A correctly setup WD hitch is not going to make the drive axle be "lighter" than it is when the truck is solo.
I stand by my statement: his towing experience will be safer and more comfortable with a WD hitch than without.
Your mileage and setup may vary.....honest men can disagree.
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gmw photos
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05/13/13 06:17pm |
Towing
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RE: Any reason I'd need weight distribution?
The bottom line in my way of thinking, to bring this back on topic to the original question, I would be willing to bet that if the OP takes his rig out and drives it in a variety of conditions ( wind from different directions, hills, two lane roads with vehicles blasting by the opposite direction a few feet away, and also four lane divided with vehicles like 18 wheelers blasting by travel the same direction ).... do all this just on the ball........and then do the same with a properly setup WD hitch and sway control.......he will prefer the weight distributed setup.
....and if that wasn't a run on sentence, then I don't know what is......
I agree, at least the part about the sway control, which is a totally different thing than weight distribution.
Ha ! Ha ! Tom....work with me here ! I know you are a user of and a supporter of the Andersen weight distributing/sway control hitch. And I am pretty sure that you know that I have expressed at least "some" concerns over it's function in "certain" towing configurations. HOWEVER....I'm thinking that this particular tow vehicle/trailer combination just might be a very good match for the Andersen and the way it functions both from a sway control and weight distribution perspective.
Your thoughts ?
george
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gmw photos
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05/13/13 03:02pm |
Towing
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RE: Any reason I'd need weight distribution?
The bottom line in my way of thinking, to bring this back on topic to the original question, I would be willing to bet that if the OP takes his rig out and drives it in a variety of conditions ( wind from different directions, hills, two lane roads with vehicles blasting by the opposite direction a few feet away, and also four lane divided with vehicles like 18 wheelers blasting by travel the same direction ).... do all this just on the ball........and then do the same with a properly setup WD hitch and sway control.......he will prefer the weight distributed setup.
....and if that wasn't a run on sentence, then I don't know what is......
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gmw photos
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05/13/13 11:44am |
Towing
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RE: Any reason I'd need weight distribution?
According to gmw photos, "There is likely some truth in what you say."
Thanks. There may be some truth in what you wrote also.
Obviously there are several different numbers to look at, payload for instance. It would take a pretty dumb person to put even 500 pounds of tongue weight on a pickup already over its payload limit with a bed full of firewood. The hitch has its own ratings. The rear axle. The tires. The WD bars. The list goes on and on. I was not quoting from the Nissan manual when I said that GM has changed their requirements for weight distributing hitches. For all I know, a Nissan may be a lot like Gramp's old Buick.
And for a person like the OP....someone who is new at all this, it certainly would be wise to do as much homework as possible. You are correct there are several numbers to look at. What I do when I am setting up a trailer and truck combo, is make a easy to read chart where I can fill in all the blanks. I include a box for everything from tire capacities, to axle capacities on both the trailer and tow vehicle, etc, etc. At the end of it, I also figure where I am as a percentage of allowed. And guessing doesn't count....for me, numbers have to be determined by trips to the scale.
We often see on these forums that folks think this is overly complex. It's not, really. Once a person writes it all down on a piece of paper, and simply looks at it, it all starts falling into place with the application of sixth grade level math.
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gmw photos
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05/13/13 08:58am |
Towing
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RE: Any reason I'd need weight distribution?
WD hitches were very much needed back in the days when Grandpa hooked up his 1960 Buick to an Airstream. I think a lot of folks just assumed that was the way to go. Modern pickups are a different story. The manufacturers are taking a new look at that old mentality. GM makes a WD hitch optional for their pickups in many cases now. I use one for what I perceive to be a better ride. Might not be, but I already owned one.
Tom,
There is likely some truth in what you say. However, one needs to read carefully what and "how" the truck manufacturer writes these recommendations. For instance, my Nissan owners manual states I can pull up to 5000 pounds without WD, and up to 6300 with WD. It does not however directly state tongue weights in those limits. So for instance, if we take their 5000 pound trailer limit with a typical boat trailer tongue loading of just 8%, we would have just 400 pounds on the tongue. A 5000 pound camper trailer with 13% tongue would be 650 pounds.
I might consider this truck to be "ok" with just 400 pounds of tongue on just the ball. I would not however consider it a good setup with 650 pounds.
Just something else for the OP to consider and research. Bottom line is the RV companies and the vehicle manufacturers tend to let the marketing departments play somewhat fast and loose with the numbers games.
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gmw photos
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05/13/13 08:17am |
Towing
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RE: Any reason I'd need weight distribution?
Another noob here to the world of hauling a TT. I've got a Shadow Cruiser 185fbs that I'm hauling with a Dodge Ram. The Shadow Cruiser is ultralight, 2600 lbs with a 300lb tongue weight. When I hook it up, the rear of the truck sinks slightly but still rides evenly. I've hauled it a couple times now and it seems to ride well.
I haven't had any issue with sway but I still plan to install a friction sway control for longer trips. My questions i need confirmation on are these:
1. Since the truck seems to ride evenly and handle well without weight distribution and the trailer is light, would there still be any reason to install weight distribution?
And
2. Without weight distribution, is it correct that friction sway control is my only option?
Thank in advance!
I own one of the sister trailers to what you have ( Funfinder 189FDS ) that is essentially identical in size and weight. The manufacturer shows your trailer to have a dry weight of 2929 ( you may have been confusing the axle weight they have listed at 2675 ). My 189FDS was listed at 3020 dry, and it weighs 3900 ready to leave my driveway. I pack pretty light though.
I use a BlueOx swaypro weight distributing hitch. It works well at distributing weight, as verified on the CAT scales, and subjectively, it works well in driving. I towed the trailer 600 miles home from the dealer without WD, and have towed it over 10,000 miles with weight distribution, and I will say using the WD is a huge improvement.
EDIT: as an FYI a 3900 pound travel trailer would typically be set up with something approx 460 to 505 pounds of tongue weight (12% to 13%)
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gmw photos
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05/13/13 07:26am |
Towing
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RE: New TT battery box full of water
yep, my camper came with a AGM "marine-starting" battery. Had about two inches of water in the battery box when I brought it home new. I did the same thing.....pulled the battery, drilled a couple of drain holes and problem solved.
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gmw photos
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05/01/13 02:49pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Need advice for WD/Sway options
There is a reason that TomG2 specified a loaded trailer weight in the "4,000 to 5,000 pound range".
The reason is that the Andersen WDH, for tongue weights of 600# or more,
usually is unable to restore more than about 50% of the load which was removed from the TV's front axle.
Ford specifies a Front Axle Load Restoration of 100% for trucks older than the 2010 MY.
The Andersen WDH might not be capable of meeting that specification.
Ron
Where did this information come from? Is there an independent and unbiased laboratory test? (I would love to see the report). Your own analysis as an Andersen owner? Or simply based on a few anonymous and often unreliable Internet postings? Did you see the one where the guy gets 43 Mpg with his F-350 running pure saltwater or the latest UFO Sightings? I know it is hard to believe, but there are those who post negative comments about products for a variety of reasons. As another engineer, I am well aware that you used the words "usually" and "might". Have often done that myself. Called "CYA" around here.
"If" Ford and Chevrolet both change their recommendations and guidelines on a safety and handling issue, I take it into consideration no matter the age of the vehicle I am driving. It might not even be mentioned in a 1984 Yugo manual, but that does not make it invalid for older vehicles.
By the way, I do not use the Andersen Hitch anymore. Chevrolet says not to use a weight distributing hitch with my trailer and my new 2013 Silverado 2500HD. I was over on payload with my 1500, which had nothing to do with the hitch I was using.
Hi Tom,
I am looking at buying a new truck, and the GM twins are on my list to look at. I found your comment interesting when you stated that "Chevrolet says not to use a WD hitch".
I went to their website and downloaded the owner manual, and the way I read it is that is says using a WD "is optional" for trailers up to 18K pounds. Is there something else I am missing here ?
It sounds like since they are saying that it is in fact "optional", that using a Andersen hitch might be a very good match for a 2500. By all accounts that I have read from users of the Andersen, the sway control works very well, and if this series of truck does not specifically need a huge percentage ( or any ? ) of it's front axle weight restored, again this sounds like a potentially good match up.
I like the idea of good sway control, even in the absence of weight distribution.
geo
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gmw photos
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04/24/13 08:57am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Prodigy P2
I have a P2 in the Nissan that I pull the camper or the horse trailer with, and the F350 has the factory integrated brake controller. They both work correctly.
In principle and in actual use, I like the "boost" feature of the Prodigy. I usually set it on B1 and leave it, although if I am in a hilly area and might be using the brakes more often at speeds above 20 mph or so, I set it on B2. On my under 4000 pound camper, B2 "can" be a little grabby at walking speeds so B1 is a little more comfortable, but I don't think the grabbiness of B2 is hurting anything.
Even on the Ford integrated controller, I still have to make an output gain adjustment for instance if I have the equipment trailer loaded vs empty.
If I were buying a new prodigy now, I'd probably get the P3. It was not on the market at the time I bought the P2.
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gmw photos
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04/18/13 07:56am |
Towing
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RE: Adjusting a WD hitch
To the OP, if I were you, I would start from the beginning, and get all the scale numbers, and ensure the hitching is all set up correctly. I would also make sure everything is up to spec on the truck. I would replace the rear shocks at least , and possibly the front shocks. I would use a high quality shock like a Bilstien. Look closely at the tires also on the truck. Adequate load rating and air pressure ?
My bet is that your issues can be solved with careful, correct set up, using the hitch you have.
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gmw photos
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04/11/13 09:10pm |
Towing
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RE: V front travel trailers
Gee, would someone like to buy my V-front trailer. It just doesn't have any storage in the front, because of the shape it gets lousey mileage and sways all over the road. I also have been working for two years to mount the WDH. It is amazing how many experts that we have here that have strong opinions about a V-nose TT but have never towed one:h.
I was the one that made the comment about the difficulty of mounting a weight distributing hitch. I went with my buddy to the CAT scale, so I didn't to "drive" this rig to "know" that he has a problem that needs to be addressed.
I was simply pointing out that if a person is considering buying a V nose, and if they think they are going to want to used a WD hitch, they need to take it all under consideration.
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gmw photos
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04/06/13 08:00pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Axel and tire failure under 3000 miles
To the OP, I wouldn't give up just yet on getting help from Lippert and/or the RV manufacturer. For every few folks that has posted to these forums saying that the component companies or the trailer company blew them off, there are also a few folks that have said that Lippert and/or the coach company stepped up to the plate and took care of the problem. As always, your best ally in all this is dealing with them in a calm, rational and professional manner. And even if they won't pay for "all of it" ( upgraded parts, labor and tires ), try to get them to meet you part way on it.
I agree with the others that it sounds like this was either a defective collection of parts, or and under engineered situation, or both. Sadly for you, it was/is your hard earned money that this is effecting. For all those who may read this thread 'before' buying an RV, it may point out the need to consider when shopping, that you may want to buy a trailer with some extra capacity when it comes to suspension. I know for me, it was one of the criteria on my shopping list, and part of why I chose the camper I did.
As to whether the RV company states a total GVWR that is the sum of the axle capacity and the expected tongue weight, well, yes that seems to be practiced a lot in the RV industry.
Not so much in the equipment trailer world. I just bought a new gooseneck equipment trailer a couple months ago. It is rated for 14K lbs GVW. It has two 7K dexter axles. So obviously, when I'm loaded to 14K, I have about 3K on the pin. It would sure be good for the RV industry to look at how it's done by the other folks in the business of making trailers.
We just need to be well educated shoppers when buying this stuff, that is for sure.
Good luck with it, and keep us posted.
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gmw photos
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04/06/13 07:35pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: WDH Adjustment
Thanks for the advice. I think I will leave it for the time being. We are going to do a couple of 40 to 100 mile trips to start with so I will give it a shot and adjust if I have a problem.
I'd take it to the scales and do the requisite three passes over the scales so you will really know what is going on. Anything else is pure guessing.
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gmw photos
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04/06/13 04:01pm |
Towing
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RE: V front travel trailers
I don't know about V-nose campers, but my buddy bought a V-nose cargo trailer, and it sure made it challenging to try to fit a weight distributing hitch to it. Most of the trailer a-frame is 'covered' by sheetmetal.
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gmw photos
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04/06/13 03:56pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Best WDH with Sway Control for Small Trailer
BlueOx swaypro.
Has the ability to restore your front axle weight to 100% if you so desire ( or less if you want to ) unlike some other brand out there.
Built in sway control.
The part you lift weighs 68 pounds.
It's "clean" in that you do not have to grease the ends of the weight bars where you plug them into the head.
Quiet in operation ( no loud popping noises )
And, it works well in actual use.
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gmw photos
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04/05/13 07:17am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Look over my hitch setup
Brock E,
I think once you make the requisite three trips across the CAT scale, you will answer your own question regarding whether a WD hitch is a good idea.
That truck and that trailer should be a very nice combination to run down the road when properly set up. Happy camping and safe travels to you.
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gmw photos
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03/26/13 09:50am |
Towing
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RE: Nissan Frontier V6
I pull a funfinder 189FDS with a 2006 Frontier, V6, 4WD, CC, six speed manual. Using a BlueOx swaypro WD hitch. I've towed it about 10K miles in all sorts of weather and from sea level to over 12K feet in Colorado. The funfider weighs just under 4K lbs ready to pull out of the driveway. This combo tows nicely. Gas mileage has averaged right at 12mpg overall for towing miles. Low in the mid nine mpg range when slamming into a headwind all day, but those days tend to be rare in the overall season of towing.
I also regularly tow a two horse trailer with this truck, that weighs around 4500 pounds ( depending on the load for the day ) and the truck pulls that fine also. Actually gets better mileage pulling the horse trailer, probably because it sits lower to the ground and is more rounded on the front and side edges, compared to the camper.
Just a guess, but I suspect a Frontier with a manual gearbox makes for a better towing platform, because the gearing is more favorable for pulling ( six speed manual vs five speed auto, 3.69 gears with the manual, and 3.34 for the auto trans trucks ). But still, the factory tow weight limit is the same for AT and MT....so take my comment with a grain of salt.
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gmw photos
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03/25/13 08:33pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: CAT scales
the one local to me is $9 for the first weigh and $1 for each additional weigh within 24 hours
http://catscale.com/
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gmw photos
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03/22/13 09:31pm |
Towing
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RE: Shock replacement question
I am using Monroe sensatrac shocks on the back of the Frontier. Much better than the oe ( which were also built by Monroe ). The sensatrac is lifetime warrantied.
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gmw photos
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03/21/13 08:55am |
Towing
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