Dual Cam question for guys towing heavy.

[CampingN_C_]

I've just recently gone up to 1500lb spring bars and having some issues in tight turns such as in parking lots. It feels as if the bars are not sliding freely on the cams. Hard to explain but, once I turn to a certain point I hear a wicked bang, BUT I also feel it in the truck quite a bit. I know the DC makes noise but I not talking about the normal stuff.
I did noticed when I got the new bars that the bend at the end was was more pronounced than my 1200lb bars, even posted pics here on a thread.
It's like they're binding up and then finally popping lose on the cam, which is why it rocks the truck. I've stopped and looked while in the turn and all looks fine.
I've never put any sort of lube on the cams.
Any ideas?

[TUCQUALA]

I'd still suggest checking the width of the bar vs the width of the cams. The bars don't just slide front to back, they also twist some, and if you have the narrower cams, the binding is sure to happen.

[CampingN_C_]

I've seen some paint up on that area so I'm guessing that has happened at least a few times. What I'd really like to do is ride in the back of the truck around a parking lot while someone drives and watch what it's doing.
DW can't stand the sound it makes, maybe I can ride that idea all the way into a 5th wheel! 😉

[dodge_guy]

After re-reading this the OP says he has 1500lb spring bars which are wider than the 1200`s. I`ll bet if the OP looks closely he`ll see a mark or 2 on the flange on the side of the cam`s. If he has this then the bar is definitely riding up the side of the flange and then dropping back off onto the cam surface. I used to get the loud "bang" noise. then after a couple thousand miles it went away because all the sharp edges had worn and didn`t allow the bar to "catch" on anything.

This is the area where the WD bar can ride up on (red rectangle).



As you can see mine has the wear on the flange where it rode up on it a few times. it hasn`t done it in a very long time!

[mosseater]

I don't have the tongue weight you folks do, I run around 1100 lbs with 1200 lb bars, but I do Vasoline the cam surface a tad. Just enough to have a light coating. My cams do not have much clearance on the side flanges, and in tight turns it almost disappears because of the bar angle. I almost need a feeler gauge to measure the daylight between the cam shoulders and the bar, but they don't bind so life is good.

[CampingN_C_]

I called Reese today and talked to a guy about lube on the cams. I knew that was the fix for the noise, but I'm not as concerned with that as I am the jolt that the truck gets. He said to put literally a drop of oil or Vaseline on the cam and the bar sides, but said that may not fix the whole issue.
I was probably in the 1550lb range for tongue weight on this trip. I guess I'm just looking for confirmation that other guys are getting this too.

I was on the fence about posting in the towing section, mods feel free to move.

[dodge_guy]

Per Reese instructions "it is OK to use a light dab of grease on very heavy tongue weight trailers". I just posted a pic in my other post of worn DC's. I am going to be using a light coat of grease this time. BTW. I'm around 1200lbs on tongue weight.

As far as the bang you're hearing. It is very probable that the WD bar is riding up the edge of the DC and then slipping off onto the cam lobe.

You may want to have this moved to the towing forum.

[TUCQUALA]

Do you still have your old bars?? If so, measure the width vs the new ones. Are you using the gold cams?? If so, if they are anywhere near 8-10 yrs old, they are narrower than the newer ones and the latest black ones.

Had a similar occurrence when going to a 1200# round bar set-up with the older stuff. The bars were slightly wider, and with the earlier cams, had some severe binding in some turns. So bad, that the left side hanger was bent and the inside of the frame dinged by the pinch bolt. This was on our '10 Jayco 24FBS. Went back to the 1000# bars and no more binding occured.

When we traded and got our Timber Ridge, I started using the 1200# set-up again, but with a new DC kit (the latest black arms). Other than the first few tows when the new stuff was "wearing in", there have been no heavy snaps or bangs like before, just some of the normal DC singing!!!

Check your stuff, the older DC parts sometimes don't work with the newer parts!!

[ktmrfs]

Reese recomends a light coat of vasoline on the 1500 and 1700lb bars. vasoline because it is actually a poor lube for sliding surfaces, but just good enough to get rid of the stickion and quite the "bang".

I run 1700lb bars with a 1450lb tongue weight and put just a very light coat on the top of the cam. helps a lot.

[93Cobra2771]

I'd say give it some miles and see what happens. I'd also see if you can tell how the mating surface looks between the bars and the cams. A light coat of spray paint on the bars and then a trip around the block should tell you pretty easily.

You could also put a light lube of Vasoline and see if that encourages them to release a little easier.

And finally - your heavier bars - are you sending more weight forward than with your lighter bars? It could be that simple. They aren't giving as much as the old bars and simply have a tighter grip.

[CampingN_C_]

I bought all new except for the cams but I swapped them from left to right to start with a new surface.

[93Cobra2771]

I occasional had the same feeling on mine as well. Enough that the whole truck shook occasional. I imagine as they are used they will loosen up a bit. Did you get new bars only? If so, it could just be the bars getting acclimated to the worn saddles.