Can I hitch or unhitch at an angle?

[GoodoleBob]

Good Morning Sunny Friends...I always make an effort to align my truck straight to my Sunny for hitching or unhitching. I do this because most campsites allow me the manuverability to do so, and my driveway does as well.

Well what if I am in a situation of relatively poor alignment and the angular relationship is like say for example 30-40 degrees off straight...will my Reese DC still allow for me to hitch/unhitch without complications?

I think it should, but I may be under estimating the dynamics involved, and certainly don't want to get tossed into orbit by an unfriendly swaybar.

Bob

 

[JohnGB]

Bob, hitching on an angle is not a problem with the Reese DC. Do it all the time. Just jack up the tongue jack high enough to not have to pull real hard on the pipe of the snap up bracket. I use a 6" wood block under the tongue jack all the time to allow me to get higher and unload the WD bars. Can most times snap them up by hand.

The danger is not jacking up high enough once coupled to unload the WD bars and trying to lift all that weight with the pipe at the sanp up bracket. And that danger is there is the truck is stratight or at a 50 degree angle to the TT.

Good luck and hope this helps

John

 

[GoodoleBob]

Hi John...you point out some interesting things. One being to use a thicker block under my tongue jack to allow for additional height to unload the WD bars. I normally just toss a piece of 2 x 8 under it and raise it up to what seems like high enough. Then you noted your often able to snap up by hand...WOW.......I would never have imagined that...! ! ! At the very least I put some muscle into the process never really thinking that some additional height could make such a difference...live and learn again. So angular hitching is standard stuff for you...and I appreciate having you confirm this for me before I go get myself into a jam...like my last jam...phew.

Thanks for always being such a great and willing guide to a trailering newbie like me.

Best to you.

Bob

 

[MACK C-85]

Bob:

I carry an approximately 9" long piece of landscaping timber (~4"x6") to put under the front jack. I have an Equilizer hitch and I can jack high enough with that to slip my bars in without using the "tool" at all. The equilizer works a little different in that there are no chains involved, just two bars that sit in "L" brackets.

Get something to get ~ 4" of lift, it makes all the diffence in the world!!

Mack

 

[JohnGB]

Hi John...you point out some interesting things. One being to use a thicker block under my tongue jack to allow for additional height to unload the WD bars. I normally just toss a piece of 2 x 8 under it and raise it up to what seems like high enough. Then you noted your often able to snap up by hand...WOW... ....I would never have imagined that...! ! ! At the very least I put some muscle into the process never really thinking that some additional height could make such a difference...live and learn again.

Bob see this pic of my trusty block. It is about 6 x 8 by 12" and camps with me all the time.

This 6" of height allows the connected TV & TT ball coupler to be raised up higher to in some cases fully unload the WD bars. Then you simply flip up the snap up with 1 finger. And this same thing works when unhooking. BUT on unhooking always use the pipe as you never know how loaded the WD still is. I always tap the chain when unhooking to see if they are still banjo string tight or loose.

It is dangerous to snap up or unsnap with a fully loaded WD bar. Some have reported the pipe flying out down into there foot creating a serious bruise.

And as Mack pointed out his Equal-I-zer brand hitch has the same issues just no chains/snap up and the block helps that style hitch too.

The trusty block is your hitch friend and needs to go camping with you all the time.

Don’t feel bad about not knowing this. Like everything else it has to be understood and learned. It is common to find campers not knowing about the trusty block and once they learn, they are converted for life…. Oddly enough most WD hitch instructions do not mention the trusty block. And I can tell you on my 1,700# WD bars there is no way I have enough strength to even think about pulling up the snap up without the block. A 1,200# WD bar can be as bad.

Good luck and glad it helped. Let us know how it goes after the next hook or unhook

John