Question for the Reese Dual Cam pro's !

CampingN.C. wrote:

#40Fan wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but when you go from 5 links to 6 links the cams are not centered anymore. Might be close, but not like they would have been at 5 where you set them up previously.

Excellent point, and that could explain the way it felt at 6 links. I didn't even look at that.
Still, I'm not sure how to get adequate pressure on the cams with virtually no rear squat, without simply adding weight?

Hi Camping NC,

I use to tow with a 2003 K2500 Burb and I know some about the era 2500HD you have.

You need to find out the actual loaded tongue weight of the camper and the total weight of the camper and figure out what the real tongue weight percentage is. That is step 1. Get the camper balance right

I would not change the WD bars until you have actual weights. And if you are above 800# on a Trunnion bar hitch (you did not say which hitch you had) you will need the 1,200# bars unless you are over 1,200#.

The 2500HD once setup correctly with hitch and camper should tow the TT better than the Burb. The 2500HD has heavier suspension and a longer wheel base.

Tire pressure can make or break a rig. As well as the brand of tire. The 2500HD is already on LT tires but do not know if you are on stock tires/rims or oversize tires and then what pressure are you running at?

Load the truck bed like you go camping, get the TT balance to 13 to 15% loaded TW per TT GVW and reset the entire hitch including the cams for proper WD. You said the truck was level, this is not an measure of proper WD setting, it may come out that way by fortune but not the end goal of WD setting. Need to get the front end close to unhitched height/weight or above and not below on your style front end suspension . The rear needs to be squatting. If you have a 1,000# to 1,200# TW, the rear will be about 1" to 1.5" down on rear fender height from unhitched once WD is all done setting up.

The right pressure on the cams comes along for the ride when the hitch is setup correctly and the TT is balanced correctly.

What hitch style do you have? Trunnion or round bar? Any chance of some hitched up pic's?

Hope this helps

John

We tow with a K2500 Burb and on our last trip I had a cam arm get bent. When I spoke with a technician (Lucas) at Cequent (Reese), he emphasized that cargo in the back of the Burb was to be added to tongue weight when determining how much the spring bars were being loaded.

I believe the reason you're seeing a difference between your Burb and your truck despite the geometry and the trailer being the same may be related to the truck being lighter on the rear axle than the Burb was.

I recommend that you set everything up from scratch and monitor the hitched and unhitched weight on the front axle to be sure it doesn't change. At that point you'll have the right amount of pressure on the cams.

#40Fan wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but when you go from 5 links to 6 links the cams are not centered anymore. Might be close, but not like they would have been at 5 where you set them up previously.

Excellent point, and that could explain the way it felt at 6 links. I didn't even look at that.
Still, I'm not sure how to get adequate pressure on the cams with virtually no rear squat, without simply adding weight?

Correct - an additional link will move how the bars sit in the saddle...

Correct me if I am wrong, but when you go from 5 links to 6 links the cams are not centered anymore. Might be close, but not like they would have been at 5 where you set them up previously.

x2

1200lb bars are appropriate for a 1000lb tongue weight. No need to buy new 1000lb bars.

Just guessing before an actual trip to the scales. Trailer gross is 7700 lbs. 13% of that would be roughly 1000 lbs. I had no propane up front this weekend and 1200 lb bars. Full LP would only add about 100 lbs.
Sounds like I need more tongue weight or lighter bars.

Scale time.

My best recommendation would be to hit the scale. I had much the same issue you did when I upgraded from a F150 to my dodge 3500. Hitch heights the same but naturally the squat was different. Wheel base was much different also. All of my measurements were almost exactly the same but it didn't fit right. I dropped one hole on the shank and changed the tilt to add more tilt. Very small change but the scale told me I was right on and it felt better. I think you need a good tongue weight measurement and to see just how much you are transferring back. Front doesn't necessarily need to return to full unloaded weight/measurement as you don't want to take too much off the rear for the reason that you are experiencing. You may also just need to readjust the load in the TT.