Reese Straightline disappointment

[Jayco23FB]

Went to install my new Reese Straightline WD hitch today. I was very disappointed to find it was made in China. The quality is very poor with casting so rough I had to use a grinder on the shank to get it to fit my reciever. Next I had to use a die grinder to smooth out the pockets where the trunnions ride. The casting here was so rough they wouldn't fit. Then the fasteners for the snap up brackets and cam arm brackets were missing as well as the hanger brackets. The box arrived in fine shape...no holes or damage. etrailer was very nice and will be sending the missing parts. I sure hope this hitch works better than it is going on. Has any one else had problems with Reese products?

[soren]

thomasmnile wrote:
No problems with hitch or installation, I had the RV dealer order and install it. Sometimes I believe it's best to seek professional help, and this was one of them.

The hitch has performed flawlessly so far.........

I just installed the same "made in China" Reese about a month ago and had none of the problems the OP speaks of. In fact, the first one I installed, about a decade ago, was defective. The indexing groove in the threaded portion of the cam was machine a few degrees off. This meant that it was impossible for that cam to ride square and tight in the "hump" of the spring bar. A conversation with Reese went nowhere, since the clown I spoke to dismissed the situation as "installer error".

As for quality workmanship at dealers, I learned long ago not to trust a dealer to do a lot of things correctly. My very first tow vehicle needed a hitch receiver and wiring. I allowed the dealer to install it. It was not only 5X more that what E-trailer charges for the parts, but by the end of my first week of towing a pop-up on our maiden RV vacation, the hitch was falling off the frame. Further inspection revealed that the dealer installed wiring was rubbing a very sharp unprotected hole in the sheet metal and the installation wasn't properly grounded. I literally removed all of their pathetic "workmanship" and redid the entire job.

Since then I have done work for friends and neighbors, repairing and correcting a few other disgraceful installations of weight distribution, and sway controls that were done by "pros". The best was a 30', 8000lb, brand new toy hauler that left the dealer, after the "hitch package" was properly adjusted to the tow vehicle. The nose was down by three inches, and the "hitch package' was a dirt cheap round bar hitch and a single friction sway. We removed everything and installed a Reese Dual Cam before it left for it's fist camping trip.

I'm sure there a plenty of qualified installers out there at dealerships, but for every one of them there are an equal number of clueless clowns that shouldn't even be touching something so critical.

[Huntindog]

waynec1957 wrote:

TNRIVERSIDE wrote:
I'm happy with my MADE IN AMERICA EQUALIZER. I do look for made in America when I'm spending my money.

I have an American made Equalizer now and have been very happy with it. It's just not rated high enough for the camper we're buying so I'm going to have to buy another hitch anyway. This new camper will be longer (36' versus 30') and a lot heavier (8,500 dry versus 4,700 dry) than the one we have now. The new one will also have 2 huge opposing slides in the rear living room so I'm thinking there's a good chance for sway. I'm just not convinced a friction anti-sway hitch is the way to go on something that big. That's what got me looking at "premium" hitches in the first place.

By the way...East Tennessee is my home away from home. Has been since I was a kid. Absolutely love it there. :B

I tow a 11,500 TT with a 14K Equalizer. It works fine.

[waynec1957]

TNRIVERSIDE wrote:
I'm happy with my MADE IN AMERICA EQUALIZER. I do look for made in America when I'm spending my money.

I have an American made Equalizer now and have been very happy with it. It's just not rated high enough for the camper we're buying so I'm going to have to buy another hitch anyway. This new camper will be longer (36' versus 30') and a lot heavier (8,500 dry versus 4,700 dry) than the one we have now. The new one will also have 2 huge opposing slides in the rear living room so I'm thinking there's a good chance for sway. I'm just not convinced a friction anti-sway hitch is the way to go on something that big. That's what got me looking at "premium" hitches in the first place.

By the way...East Tennessee is my home away from home. Has been since I was a kid. Absolutely love it there. :B

[TNRIVERSIDE]

I'm happy with my MADE IN AMERICA EQUALIZER. I do look for made in America when I'm spending my money.

[elidodge]

I went to pro/pride3 and coulnt be happer

[waynec1957]

Jayco23FB wrote:
Thanks for all the info!
Reese called a few minutes ago. They will be sending all the missing parts and took down my info for a tech report on the workmanship of the product. Also Reese products (at least this one) are made off shore so this is ot a knock off just a monday morning job. I will have to say Reese did stand behind the product.

Again...this seals the deal for me. I'll be buying the made in Grand Blanc Michigan, U.S.A ProPride P3 hitch. I don't care if it's more money, I'd rather support American workers whenever I can.

Just my opinion.

[dodge_guy]

Good to hear. Reese is a great company to work with. there have been others on here that have had issues with there hitches and they sent the customer whatever new parts were needed, and some products were 10 years old and they still stood behind them!

[Jayco23FB]

Thanks for all the info!
Reese called a few minutes ago. They will be sending all the missing parts and took down my info for a tech report on the workmanship of the product. Also Reese products (at least this one) are made off shore so this is ot a knock off just a monday morning job. I will have to say Reese did stand behind the product.

[nomad297]

Here's an old thread that leads to another thread about the made in China Reese hitches.

Bruce

[myredracer]

We bought a new Reese DC last year which turned out to be hecho en China. No problems at all with the fit and finish on it and certainly nothing needed grinding. It has worked beautifully when all set up correctly. No unusual wear or issues after one season. I would not hesitate to buy another one.

If you had to take a grinder to it because it was that bad, perhaps you should have returned it for another? I don't think I would have done that anyway because of warranty.

Not all the parts on ours have made in China marked on them. I read last year that manufacturing was moving from the US to Mexico but I guess they went to China instead. Maybe there is still old stock around for some components? There is also Draw-tite which Reese bought out (if I have that right). I actually ordered a Draw-tite WDH and got Reese.

Can you post pics of it? If it did turn out to be a knock-off, I take it off pdq. Imagine something snapping while towing...

[Jayco23FB]

Thanks for all the input. I am checking with Reese this morning to see if it is a knock off.

[MuddyLane]

I suspect it is a knock off also. If it is not it has nothing to do with it being made in China and the blame should be placed on Reese as they set the standards to how things are made not the manufacturer in China. We all seem to live in this perfect world where we think that everything made in North America is perfect and if it is from somewhere else it is junk. So if manufacturers chose to get products made elsewhere then they also decide what the final product looks & performs like.

[camperforlife]

dodge guy wrote:
Or you got a knock off Reese product. In my Hot Rod magazine they did an article on knock off performance parts. To the regular person you couldn't tell the difference. They looked exactly the same untill you opened them up and found the knock offs were very poorly made. And some of these were sold by big name performance stores and internet sites. They were even fooling a few manuf. until they put them under closer imspection. It sounds like you may have one of those knock off chinese products!

I run into knock offs in the dental industry everyday. If they are shipping in bootleg medical devices that should have FDA approval, they certainly will do it with trailer hitches.

[dodge_guy]

Or you got a knock off Reese product. In my Hot Rod magazine they did an article on knock off performance parts. To the regular person you couldn't tell the difference. They looked exactly the same untill you opened them up and found the knock offs were very poorly made. And some of these were sold by big name performance stores and internet sites. They were even fooling a few manuf. until they put them under closer imspection. It sounds like you may have one of those knock off chinese products!