"Vintage" Reese Dual Cam WDH
Hi all! I happend upon a WDH at a garage sale for $5 and just couldn't pass it up! I didn't really know what I had until I did a little research. Turns out I have the original ("vintage") dual ca...
Forum Discussion
As far as setup goes, the advice given in the 2nd part of this thread will apply no matter if you have the old style or the newer style of Dual Cam system. You MUST get the V of the bars EXACTLY centered on the cam when the truck and trailer are in a straight line for the system to work as intended.
I used the old style dual cam for quite a few years and found the easiest way to adjust it was to drive around a parking lot making several R & L turns and then drive straight for a short distance so the truck and trailer are exactly in line with each other. Then get out and tap the frame mounting brackets either forward or backward and they will "snap" into place. Once that happens you can then torque the large U bolts to the correct tighness to hold the cam mounting plate in place. Check that tighness frequently as if they loosen up or stretch the bars will drag the cams so the system doesn's work right and, in fact, may make the trailer tend to sway a bit as the bars fight each other for center. This is why it is so improtant to have those bar V's exactly centered on the cams.
Other than that, there is no special trick or problem installing the old style Dual Cam system. Hopefully, you can raise your propane tank to allow the U bolts to fit under it. I used longer sheet metal screws through a 1/2 inch or 5/8 in nut under the propane tray to act as a spacer.
You will like the way the Dual Cam works if you get it adjusted correctly. Your shank should work fine as long as it fits the hitch head you purchased. Most are pretty much the same.
I agree with the comment above about the bars possibly being a bit light and your tongue weight probably being around 1000lbs when you are ready to go camping.
Barney
I used the old style dual cam for quite a few years and found the easiest way to adjust it was to drive around a parking lot making several R & L turns and then drive straight for a short distance so the truck and trailer are exactly in line with each other. Then get out and tap the frame mounting brackets either forward or backward and they will "snap" into place. Once that happens you can then torque the large U bolts to the correct tighness to hold the cam mounting plate in place. Check that tighness frequently as if they loosen up or stretch the bars will drag the cams so the system doesn's work right and, in fact, may make the trailer tend to sway a bit as the bars fight each other for center. This is why it is so improtant to have those bar V's exactly centered on the cams.
Other than that, there is no special trick or problem installing the old style Dual Cam system. Hopefully, you can raise your propane tank to allow the U bolts to fit under it. I used longer sheet metal screws through a 1/2 inch or 5/8 in nut under the propane tray to act as a spacer.
You will like the way the Dual Cam works if you get it adjusted correctly. Your shank should work fine as long as it fits the hitch head you purchased. Most are pretty much the same.
I agree with the comment above about the bars possibly being a bit light and your tongue weight probably being around 1000lbs when you are ready to go camping.
Barney
