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Upgrade WD Bars?

Prior_Pete
Explorer
Explorer
Bought a new, heavier trailer last year & upgraded my Reese Dual Cam WD bars from 800 to 1,000lbs. Trailer weighs about 8,200 lbs & tongue weight is just over 950lbs. Any harm in going to 1,200lb bars or is that what I should be using anyways? Right now the trailer tows beautifully but I was thinking there would be no harm in getting stronger bars. Also wondering if the bars are different lengths depending on rating. Thanks for any & all help.
14 REPLIES 14

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
myredracer wrote:
Huntindog wrote:
myredracer wrote:


Reese defines their bar rating by Tongue Weight + Tow Vehicle Cargo Weight and on this basis, your existing bars are too small. This is different than how the other WDH manufacturers size their bars. See Reese's chart below.



You make a lot of assumptions.
And your chart.... is lacking.
My "cargo" can exceed 3500#. My TW is 1400# or so.
According to your thinking, I would need 4900# bars minimum.

myredracer wrote:





Not my thinking, it's Reese's thinking and bar strength/design and what I said was on the basis of Reese's definition and chart, his bars are too small.
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Huntindog wrote:
myredracer wrote:


Reese defines their bar rating by Tongue Weight + Tow Vehicle Cargo Weight and on this basis, your existing bars are too small. This is different than how the other WDH manufacturers size their bars. See Reese's chart below.



You make a lot of assumptions.
And your chart.... is lacking.
My "cargo" can exceed 3500#. My TW is 1400# or so.
According to your thinking, I would need 4900# bars minimum.




Not my thinking, it's Reese's thinking and bar strength/design and what I said was on the basis of Reese's definition and chart, his bars are too small.

Passin_Thru
Explorer
Explorer
I've also used Reese for about 20 years and have the same opinion. Keep them until they or the cam show too much wear and replace then. Mine are 10 years old.

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
myredracer wrote:
Reese dual cam user here (5+ years). This is an excellent WDH when everything is properly set up. I think you should upgrade to 1200 lb bars if you have smaller rated ones now. Your trailer may tow well or you may *think* it tows well, but if your bars are undersized and you upgrade to the correct size, I think you'll find the trailer tows better still and possibly even much better. Going to 1200 lb bars means just swapping out the bars. If you wanted to move up to 1500 lb bars, you'd need to upgrade the hitch head too.

Reese defines their bar rating by Tongue Weight + Tow Vehicle Cargo Weight and on this basis, your existing bars are too small. This is different than how the other WDH manufacturers size their bars. See Reese's chart below.

I don't think Reese has 1,000 lb bars (round or trunnion style)? They aren't shown on their website for the strait-line. Unless you have an older WDH?

How did you get the trailer weight and tongue wt? Did you go to a scale or use a tongue scale? What is the TT's GVWR? Tongue wt. is typically in the 12-13% range of the TT actual weight and can be up to about 15% in some cases (ours is 14.5%). If your tongue wt. is 950 lbs and trailer weighs 8200 lbs, you have 11.6% which is a tad on the low side. More tongue wt. can be beneficial providing you have the payload capacity. You can more accurately fine tune a WDH at a scale too.

Since you would appear to have under-sized bars, how did you set up the weight transfer onto the steer axle? Did you measure front fender heights? I don't think you can properly transfer enough wt. with 800 lb bars based on my experience setting up ours. Also, what is the tow vehicle and payload capacity rating? Going to heavier rated bars can reduce the bounce in a TT and result in less vertical motion being transferred onto the TV's ball, resulting in a more comfortable ride.

If you don't have them now, you might want to upgrade to Reese's heavy duty snap-up brackets.

We tow a 29' TT weighing about 6800 lbs. I started out using 800 lb bars based on the brochure tongue wt. of 514 lbs which I ordered in advance of the TT arriving here. A scale showed it ended up being approx. 950 lbs fully loaded for camping. I could NOT get enough wt. back onto the steer axle, even after going to a scale and making numerous adjustments and passes through the scale. The bars were bent like a banana. The tail of the TT was extremely bouncy too. I bought 1200 lb bars and was able to set them up properly and it made a huge difference. The heavier bars also reduced the bounce in the tail end significantly. We have zero sway and the handling is excellent on the twistiest of mountain roads at speed (max. 65 mph). We also have Bilsteins on the truck and shocks on the TT which are a HUGE improvement.

FWIW, what tire pressure do you run? TT tires should be max. sidewall psi. TV tires can be up to or near max. psi rating - I run ours at 75 psi front and 80 rear which gives better performance. Have you got the trailer level to slightly nose down? You might benefit from more tongue wt. - if you can load the trailer differently and shift wt towards the front. You want the TT to sit level to slightly nose down if you shift cargo in the TT. The towing sub-forum has an excellent sticky on setting up the dual cam WDHs which may help if you need to go through the adjustment process again with heavier bars. When you've tweaked all the variables that can contribute to sway, the improvement in tow experience can be amazing.



You make a lot of assumptions.
And your chart.... is lacking.
My "cargo" can exceed 3500#. My TW is 1400# or so.
According to your thinking, I would need 4900# bars minimum.

The thinking of adding the cargo in IS......Wait for it......
The amount of cargo that is BEHIND the rear axle of the TV. This has been stated by several Hitch makers over the years. It got it's start when most everyone towed with softly sprung full sized sedans with large trunks,,,, that were BEHIND the rear axles.
Now that such sedans are history, and most tow with large pickups, it is different.
The percentage of cargo that ends up BEHIND the RA is a lot less, and the pickups are designed to carry a lot more weight in the bed.
So it is no longer necessary or even possible to try to size the bars the way you think
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

Prior_Pete
Explorer
Explorer
Ivylog wrote:
What are you towing with?

2015 Silverado, 5.3, 3.73 gear with tow package.

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Reese dual cam user here (5+ years). This is an excellent WDH when everything is properly set up. I think you should upgrade to 1200 lb bars if you have smaller rated ones now. Your trailer may tow well or you may *think* it tows well, but if your bars are undersized and you upgrade to the correct size, I think you'll find the trailer tows better still and possibly even much better. Going to 1200 lb bars means just swapping out the bars. If you wanted to move up to 1500 lb bars, you'd need to upgrade the hitch head too.

Reese defines their bar rating by Tongue Weight + Tow Vehicle Cargo Weight and on this basis, your existing bars are too small. This is different than how the other WDH manufacturers size their bars. See Reese's chart below.

I don't think Reese has 1,000 lb bars (round or trunnion style)? They aren't shown on their website for the strait-line. Unless you have an older WDH?

How did you get the trailer weight and tongue wt? Did you go to a scale or use a tongue scale? What is the TT's GVWR? Tongue wt. is typically in the 12-13% range of the TT actual weight and can be up to about 15% in some cases (ours is 14.5%). If your tongue wt. is 950 lbs and trailer weighs 8200 lbs, you have 11.6% which is a tad on the low side. More tongue wt. can be beneficial providing you have the payload capacity. You can more accurately fine tune a WDH at a scale too.

Since you would appear to have under-sized bars, how did you set up the weight transfer onto the steer axle? Did you measure front fender heights? I don't think you can properly transfer enough wt. with 800 lb bars based on my experience setting up ours. Also, what is the tow vehicle and payload capacity rating? Going to heavier rated bars can reduce the bounce in a TT and result in less vertical motion being transferred onto the TV's ball, resulting in a more comfortable ride.

If you don't have them now, you might want to upgrade to Reese's heavy duty snap-up brackets.

We tow a 29' TT weighing about 6800 lbs. I started out using 800 lb bars based on the brochure tongue wt. of 514 lbs which I ordered in advance of the TT arriving here. A scale showed it ended up being approx. 950 lbs fully loaded for camping. I could NOT get enough wt. back onto the steer axle, even after going to a scale and making numerous adjustments and passes through the scale. The bars were bent like a banana. The tail of the TT was extremely bouncy too. I bought 1200 lb bars and was able to set them up properly and it made a huge difference. The heavier bars also reduced the bounce in the tail end significantly. We have zero sway and the handling is excellent on the twistiest of mountain roads at speed (max. 65 mph). We also have Bilsteins on the truck and shocks on the TT which are a HUGE improvement.

FWIW, what tire pressure do you run? TT tires should be max. sidewall psi. TV tires can be up to or near max. psi rating - I run ours at 75 psi front and 80 rear which gives better performance. Have you got the trailer level to slightly nose down? You might benefit from more tongue wt. - if you can load the trailer differently and shift wt towards the front. You want the TT to sit level to slightly nose down if you shift cargo in the TT. The towing sub-forum has an excellent sticky on setting up the dual cam WDHs which may help if you need to go through the adjustment process again with heavier bars. When you've tweaked all the variables that can contribute to sway, the improvement in tow experience can be amazing.

Ivylog
Explorer III
Explorer III
What are you towing with?
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
Sold 04 Dynasty to our son after 14 great years.
Upgraded with a 08 HR Navigator 45’...

MitchF150
Explorer III
Explorer III
It really comes down to how much tension you put on the bars that matter..

I can hook mine up one less link less and make a world of difference in the WD tension.. For the worse BTW...

Or, I can crank it up one additional link, and it's still no bueno..

If what you have works for you.. Go with it.. No one here can tell you anything different for sure because we aren't towing your rig..

Good luck!

Mitch
2013 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCab Max Tow Egoboost 3.73 gears #7700 GVWR #1920 payload. 2019 Rockwood Mini Lite 2511S.

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
colliehauler wrote:
I would use what you have, designed for the load you have. Stiffer bars does not necessarily mean better.
X2. The bars are working springs, designed to flex as the TT/TV enters/exits driveways etc.
Bigger isn't always better.
I wear a size 12 shoe.... A size 14 would not work as well.

The right size is the right size.
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
"Right now the trailer tows beautifully..." You supplied your own answer to your question. Do you know how many posts have been added to these forums with folks complaining about how horrible their trailer tows? You've found the sweet spot! Why change it?

colliehauler
Explorer III
Explorer III
I would use what you have, designed for the load you have. Stiffer bars does not necessarily mean better.

Beachums
Explorer
Explorer
The main difference in the size of spring bars is its relative stiffness. The overall dimensions (the ones that count) will be the same. I have found that going with a rating too much over your tongue weight will make the ride less progressive and twitchy near the limit. I tried this with my old TT to see what the difference was I went back down to the 1,000lb bars after a few trips.
Remember, the bar's main function is leverage weight towards the front truck axle and collaterally the trailer's tandem axles. A stiffer bar will give less and transfer that weight during bumps and dips faster and more harshly than a lighter weight bar.
You can also expect greater wear to the points of connection as more strain is added to them with each bump. Not that it is much more wear. I did notice more metal dust at the end of the few rides I did take with the 1,200lb bars.
All that said, that was just my experience. Other than the cost of the new bars, there shouldn't be any harm in trying them.
2004 Ford Expedition 4X4 3.73 w/quick shift kit
Reese DC Straight Line/ Prodigy P2 Controller
2010 Coleman CT 250 GS

73guna
Explorer
Explorer
If the 1000# bars work Id just use them or call Reese and see what they'd recommend.
2007 Chevy Silverado Crewcab Duramax.
2016 Wildwood 31qbts.

MitchF150
Explorer III
Explorer III
Well, I've been using #1000 bars for a #650 TW trailer for 15 years and it's all been good for me..

I think that using #1200 bars for #950 TW would be just fine..

Good luck!

Mitch
2013 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCab Max Tow Egoboost 3.73 gears #7700 GVWR #1920 payload. 2019 Rockwood Mini Lite 2511S.