Weight Distribution/Sway Control on a 2499

[nickp]

Hello,

I am in need of some advice or suggestions about my sway control. I was hitching the trailer to the truck today,(winter hibernation in a heated indoor building) and noticed how difficult the weight distribution bars are to lift. Is there something that can be done to make this task easier ? The system I am using is the Reese Dual Cam Sway Control. I can barely lift the "bars" and when taking them "off" its very forceful and somewhat dangerous. I position the truck and trailer so the trailer is lifting the truck up and it makes lifting the bars a bit easier but unless I lift the truck almost off the ground I can barely lift the bars. Is there something I can do to the trailer or hitch to make this task reasonably less difficult. The hitch and trailer were set at the dealer when I purchased the trailer.

Thanks

Nick


2010 Nissan Titan LE 4x4 Galaxy Black
2006 Sunline 2499

[kanyonkitty]

Hopefully you have a power tongue jack, if not I highly recommend that you invest in one. I recommend a "Barker" as they seem to last forever, and the company is very good should you happen to need a replacement part.

I towed with an '05 F-350PSD CC shortbed, so my experience is with this tow vehicle.

Yes, you do in fact have to lift the truck up really high to take the tension off the bars. "IF" you don't take the tension off the bars you risk serious injury due to all the tension.

Once I had my '06 2499 lifted it helped make it a bit easier to attach/detach the bars, but there was still a good amount of tension on the bars.

Kitty

[EMD_Driver]

Hi Nick...

Kitty was right-on with her post. She had 1,200# bars on her 2499 and had 1,175# of tongue weight! With that much tongue weight, there is a great deal of weight on those bars! I'm sure JohnB could probably tell you exactly how much there was.

JohnB did an awesome writeup about properly setting up the Reese dual cam hitch.

You can read it HERE

Gary

[JohnB]

Hi Nick

Reading your post there may be a few things not exactly right aggravating your situation. Let’s start with the 1st one that is needed regardless of how the WD hitch is setup.

What you are describing, the high force on the WD bars and trying to lift that high force with the pipe is as you describe, seriously dangerous. One camper has reported where the pipe slipped out of his hand and threw the pipe down crashing into his ankle doing a lot of bruising.

There is a solution to mitigate this and eliminate it. I wish I would of picked up your note sooner this afternoon as I just moved our camper getting it ready to take camping this weekend. I would of taken extra pics of the process to help show you and others. This topic has come up several times before so do not feel alone in not knowing. We are here to help. I will take extra pic’s this weekend and create a post for the future. However since you have been thru this I can do this in words and this one pic.

This this pic


Look under the tongue jack. There is a 6” high x 8” wide by 12” long wood block under the tongue jack. That 6” riser is the need to reduce and eliminate this problem regardless of a manual jack or power jack. You do not have to have 1 large block and can even use the lego blocks with a cap on top but the key is you need in the area of 6” more foot.

This is how I hitch up and unhitch to take care of the problem.

Unhooking.

• Place the 6” riser block under tongue.
• Lower tongue jack and raise both TT and truck.
• Take the pipe or use your hand and feel the tension in the snap up chain. If it is still banjo tight, raise the jack more. In time you will now when to stop.
• You will find that pending loaded TT tongue weight, WD bar size, truck bed load, and how your WD hitch is setup, the jacking up process needs to raise the TT and TV a fair amount. While it is not off the ground, it can look like it…LOL
• The 6” riser gives you more jack stroke and in many cases you will totally unload the chain tension so that it is loose.
• Once there is slight slack or a lot of slack, place the pipe in the snap up, stand to the side and slowly release the load. Each side may be different pending camp ground conditions of being un-level. If one side is still tight, jack some more.
• Always using the pipe to unload even if it feels loose is a good idea especially on uneven camp grounds. The toggle action lifts and then drops the chain. The pipe allows you control the release if there is any load left.
• Unhook both WD bars and finish un-hitching.
• If you are full out of jack and still a lot of load on the chains, raise the jack and put another 2" (2 x 4 or 2 x 6) under it and start over.

Hitching up.

• This is a similar process to unhitching. Again start with a 6” riser under the tongue jack.
• Raise TT and TV up to where you “think” there is no load on the chain.
• If you are high enough the chain snap up will flip up by hand.
• Pending uneven ground, place pipe in snap up. Do not attempt to even pull on it until there is enough load removed so that you are only moving the last 20 to 30 degrees of swing.
• If you lift it high enough you can snap up both very easily. On level ground you will not need the pipe very much to snap up if you lift high enough.

Now to issues that come from not doing this 6” riser block pending many hitch setups,

• The danger you described of the pipe flying out of your hand.
• The chain plate will get bent trying to do a total toggle up with no load removed. I have seen this are I had to straighten 2 chains plates for a camping buddy as he never knew to jack up the TT and TV.
• You can bend the knob on the DC arm with the full stroke motion. Again same buddy bent his.

Now to the 2nd thing from your note. If your WD hitch is not setup correct it can and will aggravate the snap up process. You mentioned the dealer set the hitch for you. Was this on the day you picked it up and brought it home? Meaning it was an empty TT and maybe an empty truck? If so, if you now have the camper loaded and the truck too, the odds are very good your WD hitch is no longer set correct as the weights have changed a lot and the settings are no longer valid. The hitch needs to be reset. Not hard to do once understood.

You also listed 2 different TV’s. Do you tow with both? Both are good trucks but they are very different in regards to WD hitch setup. If the hitch was actually set correct for a loaded TT on the one truck say the F250, the settings would be very different on the Titan as the suspension and receivers are very different. If you do want to flip flop between the 2, it is common to buy a separate hitch head and shank so each can be adjusted correct for each vehicle. The WD bars and snap ups can work the same between the 2.

The next area is what rating WD bars did the dealer give you? Knowing Reese and not knowing if you have the round bar hitch or the trunnion bar hitch odds are you have the 800, 1000 or 1,200# bars. Which hitch do you have and what size WD bar?

If you really do not know which one you have, see here. For the WD bar rating there should be a weight rating sticker on them

This is the Reese HP trunion bar WD hitch and on 2004 T2499. It has a different A frame then your 2006 but will be similar. The bars are square and have trunnion pugs on the ends.


This is a round bar Reese on a 2004 T2499 just not the DC. And it does not have the V notch ends on the WD bars.


Glad to help you set up your hitch if you want. If you can post some side pics of your hitch we can better see what you have and how the setup is.

Hope this helps

John

PS As Kitty stated if you do not have a power tongue jack, they make real good presents... Hint, Hint.. I hand jacked for 2 years and then converted to an Atwood 3500. Once you convert you will never go back….

[EMD_Driver]

Hi John...

I was trying to save you some typing, by linking to the other thread you did...


Oh well.. Only a couple more days and we get to go camping again!!

[EMD_Driver]

Originally Posted by JohnB

I hand jacked for 2 years and then converted to an Atwood 3500.

Wow... Some people are slow learners!!

[kanyonkitty]

JohnB ...... hand cranking for over 2 years, I'm shocked. I'm blonde but even I knew to depend on power to do the cranking. I will even admit to having a power tongue jack on my little 1986 T-1661.

This blonde DON'T crank !!!!!

So glad you joined the "power club"

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by EMD_Driver

Wow... Some people are slow learners!!

Originally Posted by kanyonkitty

This blonde DON'T crank !!!!!

So glad you joined the "power club"

You know, you 2 just got me in trouble with the boss.

I was laughing so hard Cindy hollered at me as she was trying to watch TV…. LOL

You don’t know what your missing if you don’t have it… or never had it…. I'm now a true convert!!!


Now I have a new problem, have to find another right arm exercise…..

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by EMD_Driver

Hi John...

I was trying to save you some typing, by linking to the other thread you did...


Oh well.. Only a couple more days and we get to go camping again!!

We where both typing at the same time.....

Plus do not know which vintage of hitch Nick has.

The jack riser block or jacking higher is a common problem of folks not knowing. The dealers seldom mention anything about it and the instructions if you ever get them do not mention it much either. In fact it was not until this year Reese redid the DC instructions as they created an updated version of the HP DC to address some of the setup issue with the prior version. And for the 1st time it states this

Reese States: WARNING:
When lifting/lowering Snap-Up Bracket, Avoid putting any part of your body in the path of the lifting handle and under the cam arm and spring bars. Components of this system are loaded with substantial force and could shift position or drop suddenly causing serious injury or death.

Never Raise or Lower Snap-Up Brackets without raising the trailer tongue jack to remove the load from the spring bars and cam arms. Failure to do so could cause serious injury.

Oddly enough this shows up in the DC instruction not the WD hitch instructions.

They also state this now too. Again in 2010. How many years has Rees been in business? Lots

Reese States:

Connect the trailer to the tow vehicle. Tow vehicle and trailer should be on level ground and in a straight line. Raise the tongue and rear of the vehicle enough to install the spring bars onto the dual cam arm with the trailer tongue jack (approximately 6”-12” or until the spring bar can be lifted with the supplied lifting handle with very little effort, this will vary depending on spring bar rating and head tilt adjustment).

Here is the complete link to the updated DC instructions. http://www.reeseprod.com/content/dow...ion/N26002.pdf

This weekend I'll take some pics and create a post on this as is more common then we think for new folks not knowing. Or even folks who have been camping a while.

John

[nickp]

Thanks for the input. I will have to get the # rating of the bars. Actually, I have two sets of bars and two shanks, etc. When I purchased the trailer the dealer stated the prior owner only used the trailer once and offered it for sale on consignment with all of the towing equipment included. I would assume the hitch and bars are all original.(2006). The trailer does offer a power tongue jack. The hitch was "set" at the dealer when I purchased the unit. The trailer and hitch are always checked and adjusted each year when the trailer is inspected. (required in the state of pa).

Johnb, thanks for the pictures, I will use those as a reference when I pickup the trailer from storage this spring. The only concern is, the block under the tongue is something I always have in place when hitching or unhitching. Could I use more then 1 block or will this prohibit me from lowering the tongue onto the ball ? Can I lift the trailer when hitched too high the truck's wheels could be lifted off the ground ? My driveway slopes slightly when the truck is backed to the trailer, but the trailer is mostly level. So in conclusion, the truck is sloped towards the rear which may make the situation even more challenging.

Thanks

Nick

[henryj]

Nick, for sure a truck sitting in a dip drops the wd bars and makes hitching and unhitching a big pain. If it's really bad, you can raise the ends of the bars by driving the rear wheels of the truck up on a block of wood. On the other hand hitching on a crest or crown is a piece of cake. One more thing to check before backing into a campsite...

A number of SOC members, including myself, have reinforced the A-frame of the 2499. I strongly recommend that you read this thread http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...99-a-9326.html which applies to all '05-'07 2499s except the very latest production '07s. If you are hitching and unhitching in a dip the wd bars are definitely working on the A-frame.

Henry

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by nickp

The hitch was "set" at the dealer when I purchased the unit. The trailer and hitch are always checked and adjusted each year when the trailer is inspected. (required in the state of pa).

Johnb, thanks for the pictures, I will use those as a reference when I pickup the trailer from storage this spring. The only concern is, the block under the tongue is something I always have in place when hitching or unhitching. Could I use more then 1 block or will this prohibit me from lowering the tongue onto the ball ? Can I lift the trailer when hitched too high the truck's wheels could be lifted off the ground ? My driveway slopes slightly when the truck is backed to the trailer, but the trailer is mostly level. So in conclusion, the truck is sloped towards the rear which may make the situation even more challenging.

Thanks

Nick

Nick

Some day when you get to the camper and have it hitched up, take some pics of the side of the hitch. Seeing what you have can answer a lot here.

Having the truck down hill and the TT level. Yes that aggravates the problem. However to help this problem in your yard, yes you can use more then 1 block if needed. The 2499 has a ball height of 18 1/2". So if you had to you could even use 2, 6” blocks (12” riser) if you had too and still be able to connect on the ball. It may be you only need 8 to 9 ish inches.

Lifting the truck up off the ground. You have used this now twice so I’m thinking you mean this seriously as the wheels lifting off. If you are using your F250 the power tongue jack most likely does not have enough power to physically lift the rear tires and axle off the ground. A F250 rear axle curb weight is around 2,700 to 2,800 # and no weight in the truck bed. The T2499 can be sitting there easy with a 1,000# or more tongue weight. So the tongue jack would have to lift 3,800# to raise the tires off the ground and I seriously doubt it can. I have a 3,500# rated jack and I do not think it will lift my F350 off the ground.

Now it may look like you are really jacking it up and thinking it is going to lift off. But I doubt the rear axle itself is moving. The rear leaf springs really lift way up but the axle never budges. I’ll take some pics of this process this weekend to show as we are camping. Mine the back of the truck really goes high too. I have some slight down hill too where my camper is parked. And in my case I have to unload the weight as I have 1,700# WD bars. There is no way that little pipe can even attempt to flex those bars. With my 6” block and ~ 23” ball height I about run out of jack stroke. But the last 15 degrees of snap up I can do on the down hill side with the pipe. I’m not pulling much, maybe ~ 30 to 50# of force.

John