Blue Ox Sway Pro Setup question UPDATE
I have a B.O Sway Pro 1500, Prime Time Lacrosse 324RST TT and Ram 2500 CTD. When hooked up, TT and TV are level. Hitch/Bars setup on 10th link. Tongue Weight is 1480 with two 30lb propane tanks, TT...
Forum Discussion
Great discussion here. Keep it going. I'd like to share some of my experiences with the Sway Pro. First of all I have a Ford F250 with the 2.5 to 2 inch adapter which is rated for 1200 pounds. My tongue weight runs right around 1150 pounds so I'm considering springing for the 2.5 inch hitch mount ($166 at Amazon) but not just yet.
Like many of you I have to jack the hitch up pretty high to relieve the tension (I use a stick with a piece of tape at the 25" mark to get to a consistent height setting). I never know how hard it's going to be to release the bars. Sometimes it hardly takes any force at all. Sometimes I need a mighty heave on the breaker bar to get it to let go. I have to figure out the physics of the problem in order to predict the amount of torque it's going to take. I've been using this hitch for about 3 1/2 years and I still haven't figured all the factors yet.
Someone here mentioned that sometimes the chain will get a twist that can make it difficult to release the tension. I've had that happen more than once. I need to pay attention to how the chain is laying in the saddle more.
One last thing, I don't know about the GM or Ram trucks but the stock Ford suspension sure does allow a lot of sag in the rear when hitched to a trailer. I installed a set of Timbren Suspension springs and now my truck stays level and it seems to help reduce some of the torque needed to release tension. I used to use 9 free links of chain but now I get by fine with 8 free links.
Like many of you I have to jack the hitch up pretty high to relieve the tension (I use a stick with a piece of tape at the 25" mark to get to a consistent height setting). I never know how hard it's going to be to release the bars. Sometimes it hardly takes any force at all. Sometimes I need a mighty heave on the breaker bar to get it to let go. I have to figure out the physics of the problem in order to predict the amount of torque it's going to take. I've been using this hitch for about 3 1/2 years and I still haven't figured all the factors yet.
Someone here mentioned that sometimes the chain will get a twist that can make it difficult to release the tension. I've had that happen more than once. I need to pay attention to how the chain is laying in the saddle more.
One last thing, I don't know about the GM or Ram trucks but the stock Ford suspension sure does allow a lot of sag in the rear when hitched to a trailer. I installed a set of Timbren Suspension springs and now my truck stays level and it seems to help reduce some of the torque needed to release tension. I used to use 9 free links of chain but now I get by fine with 8 free links.
