2000 Ford E450 V10 VAN! 450,000+ miles
2014 ORV really big trailer
2015 Ford Focus ST
(cam follower)
Also, it is the whole system, not just the WD Hitch system.
First thing I've always done when asked to help. Is to check tongue weight
and levelness
How much force does a trunnion/round-bar with a 'hook' at the end where there
is a cam going to produce when it goes off center?
-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?...
Still waiting on that call...
2012 FR Surveyor Sport 295
2015 Nissan NVP 3500 SL 5.6L
Tekonsha P3 / "New" Blue Ox Sway Pro
So I was researching the Equalizer brand. It seems a good alternative to the Reese Dual Cam HP system since they corrected the sliding arm bracket. I then found in the instructions that you couldn't use a traditional ball nut wrench. You had to use a 1 7/8" socket since the nut went into an enclosed area. The sockets are about $25 but they are 3/4" drive which is very very expensive. Since this size drive is in the hundreds, I thought about just using a 3/4" drive breaker bar. Luckily Sears had one where the head slides up and down on a round bar. It was $33. So just to put the ball on would cost $58 and that's with no torque spec!!!
Before I even planned to buy another hitch system, Blue Ox or Equalizer, I wanted to take apart my Reese Dual Cam system. I previously broke the head socket by the bar pushing against the cam lobe from an incorrect install. Then I found another problem after dealer sent tech to my home, to replace broke parts and reinstall. I found one of the cams was angled up, not allowing the bar indent to seat flat on the cam and get wedged into the gap between the cam and the cam pull up bracket. So I took it all apart to inspect. I thought I found a bent cam frame bracket.
Well took it all apart and neither of the cam frame brackets are welded perfectly square but I thought the one tab that bolted to the frame had bent.
I swapped the cams and now everything fit perfect.
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/scratchead.gif "scratchead")
Well I then put the cams back into their original frame brackets and now everything is square and perfectly aligned.
Thought maybe it was aligned because the force wasn't on the cam to push it out of alignment. Well, hooked it all up and pulled it about 50'. ALL IS GOOD!
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/biggrin.gif "biggrin")
The service tech somehow bolted it out of alignment but it's all good now. Very Strange but I'll take it.
I readjusted the cam on the bar indents and all is perfect now.
I may need to adjust the links, not sure. Even though my new 2012 F150 is supposedly the same truck as my 2010, the ride is a bit stiffer. Better suspension?? Or is it the lower profile 18" tires next to the 2010's 17" tire's tall side wall profile?? I'll see and if it needs, I'll adjust it on the go. Actually this parts pretty easy.
So I'm sticking with my Reese since it's working. Keeping my fingers crossed.
* This post was edited 05/15/13 06:21pm by Mike Up *
2019 Ford F150 XLT Sport, CC, 4WD, 145" WB, 3.5L Ecoboost, 10 speed, 3.55 9.75" Locking Axle, Max Tow, 1831# Payload, 10700# Tow Rating, pulling a 2020 Rockwood Premier 2716g, with a 14' box. Previous 2012 Jayco Jay Flight 26BH.
CHD Dad wrote:
Following up on this - I have not received a response to two emails back to them. Site claims email reply within 3 hours which was the case when I got the canned response the first time. When I got more specific they have ignored me so far. I then placed two phone calls, 3 days apart (Mon and Wed). Both times the rep could not answer any of the specific questions that were brought up earlier. Both times the rep told me an engineer would be happy to call me back to explain how their sway control works vs. any other manufacturer with head tilt, angles of deflection needed between TV/TT, etc.
Still waiting on that call...
Following up on this - I have not received a response to two emails back to them. Site claims email reply within 3 hours which was the case when I got the canned response the first time. When I got more specific they have ignored me so far. I then placed two phone calls, 3 days apart (Mon and Wed). Both times the rep could not answer any of the specific questions that were brought up earlier. Both times the rep told me an engineer would be happy to call me back to explain how their sway control works vs. any other manufacturer with head tilt, angles of deflection needed between TV/TT, etc.
Still waiting on that call...
They were very responsive with me and friendly. Perhaps you questioned their design and they had no other answer to say except that they feel it controls better than other systems.
I was just disappointed as I thought there was more to the bar angles.
The way the engineer explained it to me in the email, I thought it had the standard down tilt, but also twisted outward with offset so that the bars would swing up and down at greater angles when out of a straight line alignement. I actually pictured the bar catch trunnion with the pin not being straight up and down, but twisted a bit sideways, at a predetermined angle. I just misunderstood and see that they simply made that predetermined angle on just the downward tilt, that almost all trunnion bar systems offer.
The bad thing about the Blue Ox Sway Pro, is that if the built in sway control turns out to minimal and poor, there's no way of adding additional friction sway control arms, like on a basic (no Dual Cam) Reese trunnion or round bar chain pull up WDH.
BTW, the engineer did personally call me and I talked with him. However it's obvious that his explanation didn't clearly detail the sway control action as I came away with the same thought as I did with the email.
Live and learn.
* This post was edited 05/15/13 06:28pm by Mike Up *
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.
2016 6.7 CTD 2500 BIG HORN MEGA CAB
2013 Forest River 3001W Windjammer
Equilizer Hitch
Honda EU2000
"I have this plan to live forever; so far my plan is working"
Ron3rd wrote:
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.
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
Mike Up wrote:
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
Ron3rd wrote:
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.
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.
* This post was edited 06/03/13 06:55pm by Rescue16 *
Rescue 16 - United States Navy Retired and Proud
Lovely Wife Carla ">
The Crew Alicia and Johnathan ">
The Camping Dog Kamp Chaos ">
2013 Keystone Cougar 32RBK
2006 Ford F350 Crew Cab Lariat 6.0 PowerStroke
Good for you!! Great. I knew that F350 could be set to ride well.
Thanks for reporting back
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!)
