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Reese DC question

Turbosix
Explorer
Explorer
We're back in a TT and I've been researching WD hitches and have settled on the Reese DC. I searched but couldn't find and answer I'm looking for. When turning sharp will the bar roll off the cam?

I've read you can back up with them but what if you have to do some sharp turning to get in tight spaces. From the videos I've seen it looks like it comes close on normal turns.

Thanks
Tommy
2016 Rockwood 8327SS
TV 2017 Duramax
25 REPLIES 25

Turbosix
Explorer
Explorer
Hannibal wrote:
Turbosix wrote:
We picked up our TT Monday and drove through a thunder storm on the way home. I had the Reese DC but didn't have the cams so it was only WD. The TT moved the truck around but never bad enough to go out of the lane. Now I'll be able to tell how much the dual cams work when I get the hitch tuned in and drive through a storm.


That'll be a good comparison! It's been a year since we picked up our new TT and towed it home without the sway control arms. Since, we've towed in some gusty winds and cross winds with about the same results you had. No real desire to buy and install the arms. This makes me wonder about the positive posts of marvel mystery wonder hitches. If the owner hadn't towed without sway control, he may attribute the excellent results to the hitch when the trailer may tow just as well with any hitch. Looking forward to your towing report comparison.


I'm looking forward to the comparison too. I have to get a tow vehicle first. We borrowed the DW parents 2500 to tow it home. Been looking for a TV and trying to decide on the best one.
Tommy
2016 Rockwood 8327SS
TV 2017 Duramax

bowebow
Explorer
Explorer
We have a 35' v cross 10800#. Keeping bars on same cam is important. Went from 1200# to 1400# bars, feels better, tighter grip to truck, less side movement.
2007gmc duramax 2500hd
2014 V CROSS 30VSK

Hannibal
Explorer
Explorer
Turbosix wrote:
We picked up our TT Monday and drove through a thunder storm on the way home. I had the Reese DC but didn't have the cams so it was only WD. The TT moved the truck around but never bad enough to go out of the lane. Now I'll be able to tell how much the dual cams work when I get the hitch tuned in and drive through a storm.


That'll be a good comparison! It's been a year since we picked up our new TT and towed it home without the sway control arms. Since, we've towed in some gusty winds and cross winds with about the same results you had. No real desire to buy and install the arms. This makes me wonder about the positive posts of marvel mystery wonder hitches. If the owner hadn't towed without sway control, he may attribute the excellent results to the hitch when the trailer may tow just as well with any hitch. Looking forward to your towing report comparison.
2020 F250 STX CC SB 7.3L 10spd 3.55 4x4
2010 F250 XLT CC SB 5.4L 5spdTS 3.73
ex '95 Cummins,'98 12v Cummins,'01.5 Cummins,'03 Cummins; '05 Hemi
2017 Jayco 28RLS TT 32.5'

Turbosix
Explorer
Explorer
We picked up our TT Monday and drove through a thunder storm on the way home. I had the Reese DC but didn't have the cams so it was only WD. The TT moved the truck around but never bad enough to go out of the lane. Now I'll be able to tell how much the dual cams work when I get the hitch tuned in and drive through a storm.
Tommy
2016 Rockwood 8327SS
TV 2017 Duramax

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Turbosix wrote:

Thanks for the input, a lot of good information. I was looking at the 1200# bars. Will that be enough? Also, round bar or trunnion?


Reese has info. on sizing the bars and part number info. http://hitchworldinc.com/catalog/section6.pdf It's important to note that Reese states "HITCH WEIGHT = TONGUE WEIGHT + VEHICLE CARGO load BEHIND REAR AXLE". I actually forgot about this. Reese is different than the other WDH manufacturers and I think most Reese DC "experts" on RV forums don't agree with this. So when sizing bars, you should be taking cargo into effect. IIRC, to go to the next size above 1200 lbs requires a different hitch head as well.

You may very well need to go with higher rated bars than expected. The best thing to do would be to go to a scale and weigh the TT and TV to get the TW but may not be possible. You could buy or try and borrow a tongue scale or it can be done with a bathroom scale and long plank. There's info around on how to do it. For comparison, our TW is around 950 lbs and we have 1200 lb bars and it works very well but if we added the cargo weight to determine bar size, we'd be too small by quite a bit. Taking a guess at it, 1400 lbs may be the correct ones. You might try asking about bar sizing in the towing forum and see what others have to say.

For bar type, we've had both and I much prefer the trunnion style as they are easier to handle and they are easy to insert into the pockets on the hitch head. The trunnion type also will give more ground clearance which can help some folks.

Passin_Thru
Explorer
Explorer
If you grease it, do not grease the bar, just the ball ends that goes next to the ball. The Cam causes friction on the bar to keep TT from swaying.

Turbosix
Explorer
Explorer
myredracer wrote:
Never had ours pop out and always back up with it hooked up. As mentioned, these are excellent WDHs - I love ours and the self-centering action is great. Good choice on a longer TT.

Internet says that your TT is 35' with a 9K lb GVWR and dry tongue weight of 1035 lbs. With higher TW like this, there's a few things I'll mention. There is also some excellent info. on this WDH in a sticky in the towing forum. Depending on what you get for a TV, the receiver could have a max. rating of 1250 lbs.

The actual tongue weight when full loaded will be in the 1100 - 1200 lb range and possibly a bit higher. When the tongue weights get this high, the bolts holding the cam arm brackets onto the A-frame can potentially loosen and there are a few ways to address this. You could try Reese's rivnuts, but if these don't last there's more you can do. (I welded nuts on the inside of the A-frame tubing.) There is also a heavy duty snap-up bracket available that would be a good idea.

The cams will develop a wear pattern specific to each side, esp. with higher TW. Mark the bars with tape to make sure they stay on the same side. With higher TW, you may only get a few seasons out of the cams, depending on your mileage. They can be flipped side to side to get extend their life.

Make sure you get the correct rating of spring bars and do NOT select based on dry weights. Setup and adjustment on these WDHs is very important. Trailer nose needs to be level to slightly nose down when TV & TT are fully loaded for camping. I had to get a ball with a 1" rise to get it to all work right. I tried nose-level for a while but I find it better now that it's slightly nose-down. Getting the bars at the right angle with correct weight transfer to the steer axle is important. Getting the cams to center exactly in the bar "notches" is very important and will be affected by the tension you put on the bars and the weight in the TV & TT. Takes patience to get it all "tuned" up. Took me a full season of playing with adjustments to get it optimized. Also, you may need Reese's shims between the hitch head and shank if there is too much play. Make sure to take the tools needed to adjust the cam arms with you on camping trips so you can adjust the cam arms if needed. Note that depending on where your holding tanks are positioned, towing with a full tank can affect the cams & bar notches and affect towing.

Almost forgot, a few years ago, the cam arm brackets were curved on the bottom. Try and avoid buying a DC package with these one. You want the later ones that are flat. See photo below. If you end up with the curved ones, contact Reese and they should send you a new pair. On a TT with high tongue weight, it's important to have the correct brackets. Also check the curvature where the bracket mates up with the A-frame tubing. I made some shims to make the bracket fit tightly.



Thanks for the input, a lot of good information. I was looking at the 1200# bars. Will that be enough? Also, round bar or trunnion?
Tommy
2016 Rockwood 8327SS
TV 2017 Duramax

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Never had ours pop out and always back up with it hooked up. As mentioned, these are excellent WDHs - I love ours and the self-centering action is great. Good choice on a longer TT.

Internet says that your TT is 35' with a 9K lb GVWR and dry tongue weight of 1035 lbs. With higher TW like this, there's a few things I'll mention. There is also some excellent info. on this WDH in a sticky in the towing forum. Depending on what you get for a TV, the receiver could have a max. rating of 1250 lbs.

The actual tongue weight when full loaded will be in the 1100 - 1200 lb range and possibly a bit higher. When the tongue weights get this high, the bolts holding the cam arm brackets onto the A-frame can potentially loosen and there are a few ways to address this. You could try Reese's rivnuts, but if these don't last there's more you can do. (I welded nuts on the inside of the A-frame tubing.) There is also a heavy duty snap-up bracket available that would be a good idea.

The cams will develop a wear pattern specific to each side, esp. with higher TW. Mark the bars with tape to make sure they stay on the same side. With higher TW, you may only get a few seasons out of the cams, depending on your mileage. They can be flipped side to side to get extend their life.

Make sure you get the correct rating of spring bars and do NOT select based on dry weights. Setup and adjustment on these WDHs is very important. Trailer nose needs to be level to slightly nose down when TV & TT are fully loaded for camping. I had to get a ball with a 1" rise to get it to all work right. I tried nose-level for a while but I find it better now that it's slightly nose-down. Getting the bars at the right angle with correct weight transfer to the steer axle is important. Getting the cams to center exactly in the bar "notches" is very important and will be affected by the tension you put on the bars and the weight in the TV & TT. Takes patience to get it all "tuned" up. Took me a full season of playing with adjustments to get it optimized. Also, you may need Reese's shims between the hitch head and shank if there is too much play. Make sure to take the tools needed to adjust the cam arms with you on camping trips so you can adjust the cam arms if needed. Note that depending on where your holding tanks are positioned, towing with a full tank can affect the cams & bar notches and affect towing.

Almost forgot, a few years ago, the cam arm brackets were curved on the bottom. Try and avoid buying a DC package with these one. You want the later ones that are flat. See photo below. If you end up with the curved ones, contact Reese and they should send you a new pair. On a TT with high tongue weight, it's important to have the correct brackets. Also check the curvature where the bracket mates up with the A-frame tubing. I made some shims to make the bracket fit tightly.

ktmrfs
Explorer
Explorer
Turbosix wrote:
We're back in a TT and I've been researching WD hitches and have settled on the Reese DC. I searched but couldn't find and answer I'm looking for. When turning sharp will the bar roll off the cam?

I've read you can back up with them but what if you have to do some sharp turning to get in tight spaces. From the videos I've seen it looks like it comes close on normal turns.

Thanks


never had that problem. usually backing will get a sharper angle than foward turning and even then I've never come close to it coming off.
2011 Keystone Outback 295RE
2004 14' bikehauler with full living quarters
2015.5 Denali 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison
2004.5 Silverado 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison passed on to our Son!

LIKE2BUILD
Explorer
Explorer
WayneAt63044 wrote:
I previously used the Reese Dual Cam for 8 years and never had an issue with the bar coming off the cam.

Same here. Excellent service for 10 years until I went to a 5th wheel. I towed a 34' TT with no sway issues and fantastic weight distribution.

KJ
'14 Ram 2500|Crew Cab Long Bed|4X4|Cummins
Curt Q20 with Ram 5th Wheel Prep
2000 Crownline 205BR
1997 Ranger Comanche 461VS
'01 Polaris Virage TX PWC
'94 Polaris SLT750 PWC
3 Wonderful Sons (21, 15, & 13)
1 forgiving wife!!!

Need-A-Vacation
Explorer
Explorer
Congrats on the new tt!!!

I never have had an issue dropping a bar with our DC.

Just make sure you mount the cam brackets properly. If not mounted correctly, it can cause issues.

There is a very extensive archived thread regarding mounting the cam brackets on RV.net.
Bubba J- '13 Chevy Silverado 2500HD LT CCSB 4x4 6.0

'16 Jay Flight 32 BHDS ELITE 32 BHDS Mods Reese DC HP

WDH Set Up. How a WDH Works. CAT Scale How To.

Lynnmor
Explorer
Explorer
djgarcia wrote:
Be sure and use white lithium grease on all the parts that rub against metal. White lithium does not leave black grease marks on your hands or pants.


At one time I used nothing but white lithium, but it turned black quickly and thickened into a semi-dry mess. I now use a red wheel bearing grease with much better results.

Passin_Thru
Explorer
Explorer
Never a problem with mine. I have 2. Onef or TT and one for machinery trailer a 20 ft 12K trailer.

MarkTwain
Explorer
Explorer
Be sure and use white lithium grease on all the parts that rub against metal. White lithium does not leave black grease marks on your hands or pants.