Francesca Knowles wrote:
A w/d hitch with chains doesn't have sway control- for that you need one like the Equalizer or Blue Ox, which has rigid bars where the chains would be.
Of course, with properly sized/inflated tires, the correct load distribution, and the correct speed one doesn't need mechanical sway controls at all!
As is well known throughout most of the trailering world EXCEPT in North America...
A w/d hitch with chains doesn't have sway control- for that you need one like the Equalizer or Blue Ox, which has rigid bars where the chains would be.
Of course, with properly sized/inflated tires, the correct load distribution, and the correct speed one doesn't need mechanical sway controls at all!
As is well known throughout most of the trailering world EXCEPT in North America...
Until you get into a 30mph crosswind.
2017 Ford F-150 Crew Cab 4x4 3.5 EcoBoost
2014 Cruiser RV Fun Finder 215WKS
2015 Harley Road Glide Special in Amber Whiskey
2019 Mustang Bullitt
Yamaha Grizzly 660 (his)
Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O.(hers)
uprighter wrote:
I too am considering the blue ox sway pro. Anybody out there able to explain the difference between standard vs. underslung coupler?
I too am considering the blue ox sway pro. Anybody out there able to explain the difference between standard vs. underslung coupler?
Types of couplers.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch (Sold)
Not towing now.
Former tow vehicles were 2016 Ram 2500 CTD, 2002 Ford F250, 7.3 PSD, 1997 Ram 2500 5.9 gas engine
They do say there is friction built into the trunnion bars and assume in the
socket end, but do NOT see any adjustment methods, as with 'most' friction materials,
it is a consumable, therefore needs adjustment (think of your brakes)
If there is an adjustment, it is not clearly visible here and must be on the
bottom side of the trunnion socket
![[image]](http://www.etrailer.com/merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/B/X/BXW1000_5_1000.jpg)
![[image]](http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/b/x/bxw0550_aa.jpg)
Blue Ox Sway Pro wrote:
Built-In Friction Sway Control
The SwayPro offers four points of built-in sway control. Within the head assembly, the trunnions are designed to hold the spring bars securely in position, placing just enough tension on them to cause them to constantly force your trailer in line. At the other end of this weight-distribution system, the rotating brackets ensure that the lift chains are pulled as taut as possible. In addition, the basic design of the brackets keeps much of the length of the lift chains wrapped up inside of the brackets. Typically, only a couple of links hang down from each bracket. So each chain is held more stable than in traditional weight-distribution systems, where more than twice as many links are exposed. This tight, stable design limits the movement of the spring bars so that they can exert more force on your trailer to effectively keep it from shifting side to side. Furthermore, unlike other friction-style sway controls, this system allows you to back up your trailer without having to remove or disengage the system.
Built-In Friction Sway Control
The SwayPro offers four points of built-in sway control. Within the head assembly, the trunnions are designed to hold the spring bars securely in position, placing just enough tension on them to cause them to constantly force your trailer in line. At the other end of this weight-distribution system, the rotating brackets ensure that the lift chains are pulled as taut as possible. In addition, the basic design of the brackets keeps much of the length of the lift chains wrapped up inside of the brackets. Typically, only a couple of links hang down from each bracket. So each chain is held more stable than in traditional weight-distribution systems, where more than twice as many links are exposed. This tight, stable design limits the movement of the spring bars so that they can exert more force on your trailer to effectively keep it from shifting side to side. Furthermore, unlike other friction-style sway controls, this system allows you to back up your trailer without having to remove or disengage the system.
Do like their chain tensioning system, but there is a potential weakness
![[image]](http://www.etrailer.com/merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/B/X/BXW1000_7_1000.jpg)
That is the over the top clamp bracket does not seem to have any fastening method
other than the down force from the chain tension. Anyone know if there is a
fastening system not seen in this image above?
How is it held in place from sliding along the tongue member? A few
have reported that their Andersen brackets to the tongue moved either
from just towing or encountering a bump or some such...they had lost
lots of their WD'ing when that happened
Otherwise can see a potential for it to come off during a who'd-doo
Their castings seem much cleaner than most other brands I've seen, but this too
has small cross sections and wonder how stout over time
Don't see any provision to grease the moving joints and wonder how they are
greased, if at all
Think rust catcher in this shank, as that gusset welded on has voids that will
catch and hold H2O to rust. Maybe they dunked it into a anti-corrosion whatever
after welding that has that stuff protecting the non-welded areas
![[image]](http://www.etrailer.com/merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/B/X/BXW1000_2_1000.jpg)
Since this hitch head has a cast in tilt, wonder how many links are left showing
and that maybe part of their sway control...holding or resisting side to side
movement
After checking it out, am not interested...
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
When I spoke to them on the phone multiple times about this new design (I had ordered what I thought was the old but all they had was this new one) they kept telling me that all the sway control was in those hanging chains that are wrapped around that bracket. The way the bracket wraps around the chain was supposed to supply control. I asked it they were joking several times and they sounded serious...
2012 FR Surveyor Sport 295
2015 Nissan NVP 3500 SL 5.6L
Tekonsha P3 / "New" Blue Ox Sway Pro
Barney
Francesca Knowles wrote:
A w/d hitch with chains doesn't have sway control- for that you need one like the Equalizer or Blue Ox, which has rigid bars where the chains would be.
Of course, with properly sized/inflated tires, the correct load distribution, and the correct speed one doesn't need mechanical sway controls at all!
As is well known throughout most of the trailering world EXCEPT in North America...
A w/d hitch with chains doesn't have sway control- for that you need one like the Equalizer or Blue Ox, which has rigid bars where the chains would be.
Of course, with properly sized/inflated tires, the correct load distribution, and the correct speed one doesn't need mechanical sway controls at all!
As is well known throughout most of the trailering world EXCEPT in North America...
That is incorrect information this poster is stating. If a person is new to this whole concept of weight distribution and sway control, I would suggest you do some research on the subject, and you will come to an understanding of how all this works.
As to the BlueOx swaypro, I have the old design, and it works very well for both weight distribution and sway control. I have pulled this trailer with this truck just "on the ball" and also with the swaypro.
As far as the 'new' design, I have not used it, but what it looks like to me is they have fixed the head at about tilt angle that I chose anyway, with the old design. As for the sway control, I "think" the adjustment on mine ( old design ) was mostly a fine tuning feature. I tried it adjusted to 40 ft-lbs, 60 ft-lbs and max at 80 ft-lbs, and to be honest, I could not get it to sway at any of the settings. So I left the bolts at 80 ft-lbs and called it good.
To "test" it, I took it out on a deserted road in a local industrial park on a sunday morning. I tried, what would essentially be violent lane changes at 20, 30, 40 and 50 mph. No sway. At all. As soon as the truck and trailer were back in line, it was all rock solid. I did manage to "rearrange" a few things in the trailer doing it though.
I also found a short section of road, where I was able to drop the right side trailer wheels off the edge, and drove it back up onto the lane. Again, it just tracked back onto the road, no drama.
I feel it's a good hitch. It seems very well made, the welds are good, the hardware is grade 8 on the hitch itself.
BarneyS wrote:
I fail to see how the chains can supply much,if any, sway control at all since the brackets pivot right along with the a frame and bars in a sway event and in a turn. The bars DO move forward and back but are not rigid side to side, which would be necessary for sway control to take place.
Barney
I fail to see how the chains can supply much,if any, sway control at all since the brackets pivot right along with the a frame and bars in a sway event and in a turn. The bars DO move forward and back but are not rigid side to side, which would be necessary for sway control to take place.
Barney
When the trailer is not in line with the tow vehicle, the bars have an unequal force applied to them. That unequal force is applied ( if I am understanding it correctly ) because of the fact the head of the hitch is tilted backwards at it's top.
As proof of this, when I am cranking up the chains on this hitch, if I don't have the truck exactly straight in line with the trailer, one bar will "chain up easily" while the other bar is very difficult to get the latch to turn. In that case, I have to crank up the tongue jack some more to get enough weight "off the bars".
It's that unequal force, created by the geometry of the hitch head, bars, and attaching chains that is apparently the force the keeps the trailer inline when it tries to sway.
At least that's my take on it. All I know is it works. And the weight distributing part works as well, a fact I verified by setting mine up and going to the CAT scale.
By the way, I am not saying at all that the Blue Ox doesn't work. It is just that I feel that they are stretching things to claim that the chains can do very much for sway control. Of course, I am not an engineer and could be way off base in my thinking.
Barney
gmw photos wrote:
When the trailer is not in line with the tow vehicle, the bars have an unequal force applied to them. That unequal force is applied ( if I am understanding it correctly ) because of the fact the head of the hitch is tilted backwards at it's top.
As proof of this, when I am cranking up the chains on this hitch, if I don't have the truck exactly straight in line with the trailer, one bar will "chain up easily" while the other bar is very difficult to get the latch to turn. In that case, I have to crank up the tongue jack some more to get enough weight "off the bars".
It's that unequal force, created by the geometry of the hitch head, bars, and attaching chains that is apparently the force the keeps the trailer inline when it tries to sway.
At least that's my take on it. All I know is it works. And the weight distributing part works as well, a fact I verified by setting mine up and going to the CAT scale.
BarneyS wrote:
I fail to see how the chains can supply much,if any, sway control at all since the brackets pivot right along with the a frame and bars in a sway event and in a turn. The bars DO move forward and back but are not rigid side to side, which would be necessary for sway control to take place.
Barney
I fail to see how the chains can supply much,if any, sway control at all since the brackets pivot right along with the a frame and bars in a sway event and in a turn. The bars DO move forward and back but are not rigid side to side, which would be necessary for sway control to take place.
Barney
When the trailer is not in line with the tow vehicle, the bars have an unequal force applied to them. That unequal force is applied ( if I am understanding it correctly ) because of the fact the head of the hitch is tilted backwards at it's top.
As proof of this, when I am cranking up the chains on this hitch, if I don't have the truck exactly straight in line with the trailer, one bar will "chain up easily" while the other bar is very difficult to get the latch to turn. In that case, I have to crank up the tongue jack some more to get enough weight "off the bars".
It's that unequal force, created by the geometry of the hitch head, bars, and attaching chains that is apparently the force the keeps the trailer inline when it tries to sway.
At least that's my take on it. All I know is it works. And the weight distributing part works as well, a fact I verified by setting mine up and going to the CAT scale.
Hi Barney,
I have seen the new version up close at dealer and took a bunch of pics. The hitch is made well, craftsmanship wise. And it does have grease fittings on the trunnion pivot pins. There are no trunnion pivot bolts to tighten. The trunnion sockets pivot free other than the high force of the WD pulling on them.
Blue Ox has now created a video with a computer simulation. They show a computer model creating the effect gmw photos is explaining.
This Blue Ox should fire off Blue Ox site and scroll down to the 6 minute info video. They do not come out and say it, but they are down playing the Reese. I can tell they are Reese parts.
The WD part is straight forward like any other conventional WD hitch. However as said, no more head tilt. So chain links is the total adjustment. If you get real heavy bars in relation to the TW, the chains are going to hang down pretty far which then comes to the anti sway part.
The profile of the WD bars leads itself to be able flex more easy as compared to say, an all square Equal_I_zer. The concept "appears" to be counting on an angle being created down the center line of the truck and TT at the tow ball to create higher force on the down stream WD bar in relation to the sway force acting on the TV and TT. That higher force would tend to want to push the connection back towards the direction of sway force.
They intentionally have a large tilt angle backward on the hitch head to help create this higher force in the WD bar.
I can see the force it creates reacting on the hitch head and wanting to help bring the TT back in line. The further off center the TT and TV go, the larger the force. A similar WD force occurs on the Reese DC if the hitch head is titled approx 7 to 10 degrees to the rear. On the Reese the down stream WD bar increases in WD force riding up the cam and increasing the ultra high friction.
A difference in the Blue Ox is that the TV and TT has to become out of line for the force to build as going dead straight ahead both WD bars are loaded equal.
An unknown right now is, for a given TT length and TV wheel base how much force is needed in that down stream WD bar and how much off center angle of the TV & TT to exert enough force at the hitch head to dampen the sway action? Good question.
The ultra high friction hitches like Equal-I-zer or Reese DC use the friction to help prevent the angle between the TT and TV from forming while the Blue ox needs some level of angle for it to work.
I can see the force happening they are talking about, I just can't yet sort out how much force is needed and how far the angle between TV and TT needs to get to be effective in anti sway control of a large TT.
This would be a good one to stimulate Ron Gratz with.
John
John & Cindy
2005 Ford F350 Super Duty, 4x4; 6.8L V10 with 4.10
CC, SB, Lariat & FX4 package
21,000 GCWR, 11,000 GVWR
Ford Tow Command
1,700# Reese HP hitch & HP Dual Cam
2 1/2" Towbeast Receiver
2004 Sunline Solaris T310SR
(I wish we were camping!)
