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Kampfirekid's avatar
Kampfirekid
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013

Dual Cam Bar Selection

I posted in the TT section about the head failure I am experiencing, but am thinking that now maybe I should consider making changes.
The trailer we bought is a 2011 Jayco 32BHDS. I weighed the tongue at 1160, or 40 pounds short of the WDH installed by the dealer.
This setup is sloppy. Dealer said he knew how to set up hitch, and basically forced us to let him configure it prior to taking the trailer last fall.
So, being so close to 1200, should i consider upgrading to the next weight class bars, or stick with the 1200? Im not confident the Dual Cam is worth the time,money, and effort to replace the head and bars. I never had issues with an 850 pound tongue with a 1000# Equalizer setup, but Equalizer does not show a WDH for my weights if configured on their website.
  • snap ups were welded on? Wow, You could have all sorts of issues. If that isn't set correctly you can't really readjust. From your post here and the post about the head I would bet that a full reinstall to ensure correct positioning would be the best course of action. I would highly recommend reading the install instruction and watching a few youtube videos (there are some really good ones) and do the install yourself so you know it is correct and then you know the system in case something would happen and you need to readjust.
  • No issue with snap-up brackets. They are welded to the frame. On bracket is a bear to get the pin in as the holes never align. The pin has to be beat in and out.
    The wear on the bars is from the cams. I suspect that as snaky as the trailer feels, there is not enough load distribution or sway control. I will set up the new system myself, but want to upgrade bars, but not take it in the shorts for a $135 head.
  • I would opt for the heavier bars being that close to the rating max of your current set up. See my post and others re: you other post on your hitch head. This problem can be corrected. Sounds like your dealer is off base, IMO.
  • If you are having premature failure in the head is there excessive wear on the bars as well? I can tell you from experience that Reese has had quality issues with the manufacturer of the snap-up brackets for their systems. Not sure if it is the same mfgr as the heads or not. We bought ours last year and went through 3 sets of the snap-up brackets. Have not had a single problem with the head or bars yet. Our dealer was great and easy to deal with. He contacted Reese on our behalf and they gave us upgraded snap-up brackets and now the heavier gusseted brackets are standard due to the issue with the others. I would bet that your dealer probably didn't have it dialed in properly and it failed due to stress. The dual cam is a B**CH to get set right sometimes but once it is on it is great. Mine took some tweaks to get right but now I love it.
  • I'd say you are fine. The your SD does not need full front axle load restoration. If you want to buy new bars anyway, I would consider 1400 pound bars. They should work well for 1000-1400 pounds of TW.

    EQ offers 1200 and 1400 pound bars systems.
  • Since you actually weighed the tongue weight I would say your bars are ok. Not sure what you mean by the setup is sloppy but I won't trust the dealer install at all. Hopefully he got the cam brackets mounted in their proper location, but I would remove everything else and start from scratch following Reese's install instructions. Once you get it dialed in I think you will be happy with the DC.

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