Dual Cam Setup

TUCQUALA wrote:
Well, back from an unsuccessful trip to DC adjustment land!!!

After centering the detents, took 2 right turns in parking lot which produced 2 pronounced bangs and associated shakes in Ex. Straightened out to remove bars for trip back to stable, and found that either side would not release. Don't think it was totally the detents hanging up, 'cause the chain hangers would not rotate when the chains were loose. Took a few whacks with brass hammer to dislodge the bars and remove. Now I have a slight indentation in the right side frame from the snap up pinch bolt, but the snap up looks unhurt.

Parking lot is fairly flat other than drainage slope at the ends toward a flat center. The turns probably were close to a flat turn without much up or down to either of the TV or the TT during the turns. But I would bet that if I was in a compound angle turn, the head rotation may have made the binding even worse, only speculation.

FYI, I have not done any reinforcing on the frame, and maybe the new HD snap ups would not have dented the frame if used, don't know. Have to step back and think and decide what to do next. I am thinking of going back to the old welded round bar head and my 750# bars and recheck how the combo works. Maybe look for a couple of used 1K bars for the old head.

John, do you know if the cams have been changed, like maybe widened (??), since my purchase of the DC in '04??? Too late now to call Cequent out here on the left coast.

Hi,

I'll add some here to help the cause as this does come back to the DC and where all the forces are coming from. 1st the easier question. The DC and WD bar rub when sliding through. Yes, I use to have a little of this but I dusted off the WD bar when I found it get rid of it. My cam arms are from late 2003, (moved from camper to camper) so your 2004 vintage is just like mine. And mrekim's is different. From this post and helping work through it, I have found Reese helped fix the problem with our long ago vintages.

See here. I have a collection of Reese hitches and parts.... This is my 1,200# set of trunnion WD bars resting on the 2003 purchased DC. Note there is not much if any daylight between the WD bar and the cam area between the inside boss and the chain plate. The space is 1 3/8"


Now look at mrekim's one he bought in 2013. Same rating 1,200# trunion bar. He has approx 1/8" space extra as he reported his was 1 1/2". Reese fixed it.


In my pile of Reese parts...I'm a good customer, LOL here are the 800# WD bars compared to the 1,200# WD bars


You are right, your older lighter WD bars where thinner even in the round bar hitch

When I bought my 1,700# bars I saw the problem you are referring to slightly more pronounce. The V shaped end of the WD bars are forged, when they bend the end of the bar the metal flares out a little in the bend. That flare can bind when trying to slide through the DC area of the vintage DC we have. I corrected this by grinding off the little bit of flare interference. Early on with my 1,200# bars I would have real heavy scraped grooves in the chain plate and the on the DC inside boss are from that flare. Once I dusted off the flare, the issue went away.

If you cannot by hand slide the WD bar through the DC area with the chain plate tight to the side of the cam arm, I myself would dust off the WD bar flares and move on. That may help your instantaneous shutter bang coming around a turn.

To add to this, when there is a ~ 1,100# and up loaded TW I have noticed the bang too. It sounds like the entire hitch is going to fly apart. I never felt the shutter in the truck, in either my 2003 K2500 Suburban or the F350 though. It may have been I addressed the WD bar flare. The bang is the high friction lock of the DC breaking free from the WD bar. It is going to happen when the turn is quick and more degrees of turn.

To tame down the bang, I use a light coat of vas-o-line (not grease)on the cams with these higher TW's. The bang goes away almost to nothing. This is a Reese approve weak lube. You will loose a little friction grip holding power, however with your heavier truck and if your TT has good TW (13% and up) odds are you will not feel the loss of holding power. The vase-o-line will help slow down the cam wear too. In case you did not know, mark the WD bars left and right and always put them back on the same side. They will become matched wear sets to the cams and then slow down the wear. If you keep flip flopping the bars, the wear pattern starts all over again.

Hope this helps and good luck

John