Straight-line weight distribution system

[k9jadon]

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o Strait-Line Weight Distribution System w/ Sway Control ...
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Anyone have experience with this set up? pros cons? If you switched to, or from this system why? I am considering getting this and would like some feedback. Thanks

[ktmrfs]

I also have run the dual cam setup for the last almost 15 years. IMHO it is a very good setup, works well for us.

I'll agree with everything JBarca posted. If there was a downfall to the dual cam, it was with earlier trunnion bar setups with the biggest bars (1400lbs) where the bracket wasn't up to snuff for the forces and unless everything was perfect, the bracket could bend. (happened to me) But the updated brackets with gussets fixed that problem more than a decade ago.

[BarneyS]

A good portion of the Dual Cam information by John Barca is located in the hitch set-up instructions stuck at the top of the Towing forum. There is a ton of good information in the links in that thread along with LAdams and Johns excellent tutorials and pictures.
Barney

[BigToe]

Wow, that green line you drew as a circle looks like a 3D alien worm... one of those visual puzzles like the infinite stairway.

Thanks for redoubling your efforts to teach the hopelessly thick, but alas, my browser does not present the option you so clearly and kindly circled.

I only have 2 choices... view post from new to old, or view posts from old to new. And it appears that Good Sam's definitions of "old" as presented in my browser doesn't go back beyond 2 pages. There is no option in that box on my screen to select "Last 14 Days".

Thanks once again for going through the trouble to post a pic, because I know that sometimes isn't easy, as it takes several steps to do it. So know that I appreciate your help, even if the option isn't presented in my screen.

[Bobbo]

BigToe wrote:

Bobbo wrote:

BigToe wrote:
I'm not sure why the forum history is truncated to only two pages,

At the top of the forum there is a box where you can change how many pages you see. Mine defaults to the last 14 days, but it can be increased up to as high as 12 months.

Bobbo, thank you for taking the time to share the forum navigation tip. I looked for, but could not find, any "box" at the "top of the forum" where one could change how many pages of history can be seen.

I also checked in the "Preferences" settings under "My Forums", and wasn't able to find any history depth setting there either.

Still, even if I were able to find that box, and increase the look back of posts "as high as 12 months"... 12 months is not very high. 12 years isn't even high enough to capture the burgeoning content that flowed through this forum 15 years ago, specifically on the topic of this thread (straight line WD system).

This obviously is not your fault or doing... and I very much appreciate your help.

It is a puzzle, across many fora, how only "recent" posts are valued, where "old threads" are relegated away as irrelevant to current issues. And that's too bad, because if folks had access to "old" information, they might not have the current issues.

[BigToe]

Bobbo wrote:

BigToe wrote:
I'm not sure why the forum history is truncated to only two pages,

At the top of the forum there is a box where you can change how many pages you see. Mine defaults to the last 14 days, but it can be increased up to as high as 12 months.

Bobbo, thank you for taking the time to share the forum navigation tip. I looked for, but could not find, any "box" at the "top of the forum" where one could change how many pages of history can be seen.

I also checked in the "Preferences" settings under "My Forums", and wasn't able to find any history depth setting there either.

Still, even if I were able to find that box, and increase the look back of posts "as high as 12 months"... 12 months is not very high. 12 years isn't even high enough to capture the burgeoning content that flowed through this forum 15 years ago, specifically on the topic of this thread (straight line WD system).

This obviously is not your fault or doing... and I very much appreciate your help.

It is a puzzle, across many fora, how only "recent" posts are valued, where "old threads" are relegated away as irrelevant to current issues. And that's too bad, because if folks had access to "old" information, they might not have the current issues.

[Bobbo]

BigToe wrote:
I'm not sure why the forum history is truncated to only two pages,

At the top of the forum there is a box where you can change how many pages you see. Mine defaults to the last 14 days, but it can be increased up to as high as 12 months.

[BigToe]

I likewise have owned and used the Reese Straightline Dual Cam for the last 15 years.

JBarca has, over the same period of time, posted some remarkably well written, and well illustrated (with detailed, annotated photographs) information on the set up, care, and feeding of the Reese Dual Cam system.

I'm not sure why the forum history is truncated to only two pages, because John alone has singlehandedly produced enough data on the Reese Dual cam... original data... far beyond the instructions offered by Reese, Cequent, or Horizon... to be conferred a Ph.D. on the topic, if RV'ing was institutionalized as a formal education.

Everyone will likely agree that RV'ing is an education, and we are lucky that a few members of this forum have gone above and beyond the call of duty of a neighboring camper, to offer as much help on setting up the Reese Dual Cam as John has over the last decade and a half.

It puzzles me though, that this forum has appeared to change, not readily revealing the many prior posts that cover this topic?

Another change that has taken place over the same number of years is the manufacturing quality of Reese products. The cam arms that Reese sells today, from China, are not the same material, with the same corrosion protection coating, or same casting/construction design, as the cam arms that many of the members here are talking about having for 13, 15, 17, and 20 plus years.

I remember ordering a second Reese Straightline High Performance Dual Cam system for another tow rig set up about 12 years ago, and it was "cheaper made" than what I had ordered 15 years ago. That was before Horizon Global. The changes in other Reese products made since Horizon Global give me pause enough to say only this... the longevity and performance that I have enjoyed with Reese products of yesteryear is no guarantee that Reese products of today will last as long or perform the same.

I own a lot of Reese towing products... from the 30K medium duty 5th wheel hitch to the Signature Series (aka Elite Series in later years) underbed puck system to the Titan (and temporarily called Tow Beast) receiver hitch products (on both Ford and GM) to all the bric a brac ball mounts, trunnion heads, spring bars (from 800 lbs to 1,700 lbs), and sleeve inserts. One cannot accuse me of not liking Reese products. But I have not liked the direction that Reese has gone.

On the other hand, and specific to the Reese Dual cam WD / anti sway system, Reese did improved the snap up bracket design that attaches to the trailer tongue, adding stiffening gussets that prevent the bracket from opening up.

Anyways, post your details, and the long time regulars here will get you sorted.

[CaLBaR]

I have been using the Reese Straightline for 13 years now and as others have said, once it is setup it is a very good system for towing. I was even surprised when I went from a Tundra to my RAM 3500 on the same trailer. All I had to do was to adjust the ball height and everything else stayed the same with no other adjustment needed.

[DustyR]

LITEPHIL wrote:
I had mine on two separate trailers. Really works well. Simple set up really. Drill and mount as they say and then just drive perfectly straight on flat ground and stop and loosen the two big jam nuts and tap the cams so they're center in the bars and then tighten them up. After many miles you will flip the cams over due to wear on the cams. People over react on the set up. Really prett easy.

X-2

I have used this setup on every trailer I've had since the seventies. E-Trailer has a very good set up article and if you follow all of the steps you will end up with a very stable combination. I experience minimal sway from traffic and the only truck that will disturb this combo is a 20' freight truck.

[LITEPHIL]

I had mine on two separate trailers. Really works well. Simple set up really. Drill and mount as they say and then just drive perfectly straight on flat ground and stop and loosen the two big jam nuts and tap the cams so they're center in the bars and then tighten them up. After many miles you will flip the cams over due to wear on the cams. People over react on the set up. Really prett easy.

[APT]

I adjusted the WDH after changing tires on last TV, then when I got new TV 9 years ago, and then once when I replaced one of the arms after damage. Just use a lot of torque on those nuts!

[dodge_guy]

goducks10 wrote:

APT wrote:
I had mine for 10 years. It is picky about adjusting the cam arm length such that the detent on the cam is centered over the lobe. I have the same truck/trailer combo scary at 55mph and comfortable at 75mph depending on that adjustment.

Does it stay in adjustment?

Yes it did. The only time I did an adjustment was when I removed averything to paint the A-frame. I flipped the cams to get a new surface on the cams to mate with the WD bars. This is the only time it required an adjustment.

[JBarca]

goducks10 wrote:

APT wrote:
I had mine for 10 years. It is picky about adjusting the cam arm length such that the detent on the cam is centered over the lobe. I have the same truck/trailer combo scary at 55mph and comfortable at 75mph depending on that adjustment.

Does it stay in adjustment?

If you optimize the WD setup on the truck, which sets the WD tension and then set the DC, then yes, the dual cam system stays in adjustment.

I am still running the same original cams I bought in 2003 which now have over 50,000 miles on them. I have changed campers and trucks which required me to change the sizing of the WD bars due to heavier tongue weights, but I am still using the original cams.

On my current camper and truck in my sig, I am using the 1,700# WD bars with my F350 truck bed full (500#) and the camper with a 1,600# tongue weight. From my experience, after optimizing the WD setup and dialing in the DC adjustment, I can vary the camper TW and or truck bed weight combo up to approx. +/- 150# and not have to make any WD or DC arm adjustments.

When I was running 1,200# WD bars on a 1,200# TW camper on my prior 2003 K2500 Suburban, I could adjust truck cargo and/or camper TW combo by approx. +/- 100# and not have to make any WD or DC setting.

In order for this to come out that way, you have to setup the WD and the DC cam arm adjustment optimized on your normal loaded truck and camper. Then you have some freedom to change bed to camper weights and still be OK.

[Bobbo]

I have the Reese Strait-Line w/Dual Cam. I have only had a trailer for 3 years, but if I had to buy today, I would buy the same.