do weight distributing bars weaken with age?
I have been towing a 24ft 5500 lb TT with my 5.3L V8 Trailblazer for over 40,000 miles. Back when I first got the hitch, the trailer and the trailblazer sat level. Now I notice that the rear sags en...
Forum Discussion
Spring steel is expensive, tough and made to flex for millions or more cycles
before they start to fatigue...
But...they can be over flexed to go beyond their designed range (plastic) and
into the range where they will NOT go 'back' (yield)
This is basic strength of materials science, or metallurgy classes
WD Bars are NOT static in usage, but are preset in a static condition
Meaning while they work...they have a range of flexing that the WD Hitch
System imparts on them. That includes the TV/TT setup plus the biggie: The
Road conditions & how fast
Those Whoop-d-doos will un-weight them (un-bend) and over-weight them
(bend them more)
The faster you go over those Whoop-d-doos...the higher the chances of over-bending
the WD bars (no matter round or trunnion). Not just a one time thing, but
over time (many cycles) will or might over bend them to fatigue them
Think of your coil spring or leaf spring suspension on your car/truck/SUV/etc
Same thing and they do have a cycle life span
before they start to fatigue...
But...they can be over flexed to go beyond their designed range (plastic) and
into the range where they will NOT go 'back' (yield)
This is basic strength of materials science, or metallurgy classes
WD Bars are NOT static in usage, but are preset in a static condition
Meaning while they work...they have a range of flexing that the WD Hitch
System imparts on them. That includes the TV/TT setup plus the biggie: The
Road conditions & how fast
Those Whoop-d-doos will un-weight them (un-bend) and over-weight them
(bend them more)
The faster you go over those Whoop-d-doos...the higher the chances of over-bending
the WD bars (no matter round or trunnion). Not just a one time thing, but
over time (many cycles) will or might over bend them to fatigue them
Think of your coil spring or leaf spring suspension on your car/truck/SUV/etc
Same thing and they do have a cycle life span
