Forum Discussion

forrestrv's avatar
forrestrv
Explorer
Jun 03, 2013

weight distribution bar came off

My wife and family minus myself do to work obligations went camping for 5 days. The campground which they stayed at was approximately 425 miles round trip. My wife said our 22 foot travel trailer towed great both there and home. The problem came when she got out of the tow vehicle and discovered the trailers weight distribution bar out of the hitch. My theory is based on last camping expedition about 2 weeks ago. My house is located at the end of a cirle street so last time we pulled in we went around the circle we have to then make a 90 degree cirle to pull up our driveway last time I noticed my emergency trailer brake line pulled out now this time my wife said that one of our weight distribution bars was out and hanging by the chain. Question.. can the turn be too tight? For now I think I will unplug, unhook the weight distribution bars before making that turn up our driveway. It was the drivers side bar that was out

8 Replies

  • Turtle_n_Peeps's avatar
    Turtle_n_Peeps
    Explorer
    Jun 03, 2013
    We had a set that did. My dad welded a little bit more of a corner on it and it never did that again until we sold the trailer with the bars.

    My bars I have now you can turn as tight as you want and they won't come loose.
  • MitchF150's avatar
    MitchF150
    Nomad
    Jun 03, 2013
    If they are your standard round bars with the little pin that locks them in the head you either have broken the little pin or it did turn sharp enough for it to release...

    I take mine off before putting the trailer to bed at home because of the steep drive way I have to go up and the jack knife move I have to do to get it in it's space.. It's just easier to remove the bars while it's on the street than when it's in a jack knife position... ;)

    Been doing this for over 10 years now and have not broken a pin yet...

    Now, my wife helped me hitch up once and she put the bar in, but didn't get it right and the bar fell out as soon as she let go of it. I showed her that it has to engage the pin and that you should be able to move the bar in a reasonable arch and it should stay in place.. Once she knew that, she's not any issues with the bars.

    Anyway, good luck with whatever happened!

    Mitch
  • old_guy's avatar
    old_guy
    Explorer
    Jun 03, 2013
    could be they didn't lock the bars in when they inserted the bar to the hitch
  • Terryallan's avatar
    Terryallan
    Explorer II
    Jun 03, 2013
    trickyvic3 wrote:
    I was always under the impression that you were not supposed to back up with the bars on.


    I believe you are thinking about swaybars. I never heard of it harming a springer / weight bar
  • trickyvic3's avatar
    trickyvic3
    Explorer
    Jun 03, 2013
    I was always under the impression that you were not supposed to back up with the bars on.
  • GENECOP's avatar
    GENECOP
    Explorer II
    Jun 03, 2013
    Also radicle changes in grades combined with bumps can cause them to fall out.
  • chevyman2's avatar
    chevyman2
    Explorer
    Jun 03, 2013
    I would say you are on to something. Those bars were not designed for tight turns. Actually you are supposed to take them off when it is time to maneuver into the campsite. Most people dont do this, and most never have any problems, but you are supposed to.

About RV Tips & Tricks

Looking for advice before your next adventure? Look no further.25,178 PostsLatest Activity: Nov 28, 2025