Weight Distribution bar - using a pipe ... ?

[RoadXYZ]

We have lost the pipe to lift up the weight distribution bar ... what do you use ?

[jaycocreek]

I think there is a lot to the above statement of basically lack of experience and knowledge of WD hitches and the way they were designed to work.

I was taught at an early age on the how too's of pulling trailers. My first solo trip at 15 years old with a 1957 GMC 1/2 ton step side with a small block 265 motor pulling a 20 ft trailer without WD hitch from Boise Idaho to Whitefish Montana over the old unimproved grades that were switch back heaven.

WD hitches have changed a lot since the first one I ever had years ago, but the premises is the same, to take part of the strain off your tow vehicle and not to over stress your jack by raising it un-necessarily several inches higher than need be.

[Bumpyroad]

jaycocreek wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
I can guarantee you that even with a 3 foot pipe I couldn`t get my latches up and over without raising the truck and trailer. My TW is 1200lbs! All I do is raise the truck and trailer and flip the latches by hand. very simple and I don`t run the risk of losing a foot!!!

Umm, how are you going to lose a foot?

That appears to be a little extreme!

If somebody is so clumsy and inept that they can't handle a hitch bar safely they probably shouldn't be handling a RV anyhow. they might lower that electronic hitch onto their toes and cut them off.

JMHO
bumpy

[jaycocreek]

dodge guy wrote:
I can guarantee you that even with a 3 foot pipe I couldn`t get my latches up and over without raising the truck and trailer. My TW is 1200lbs! All I do is raise the truck and trailer and flip the latches by hand. very simple and I don`t run the risk of losing a foot!!!

Umm, how are you going to lose a foot?

That appears to be a little extreme!

[dodge_guy]

I can guarantee you that even with a 3 foot pipe I couldn`t get my latches up and over without raising the truck and trailer. My TW is 1200lbs! All I do is raise the truck and trailer and flip the latches by hand. very simple and I don`t run the risk of losing a foot!!!

[jaycocreek]

This particular hitch was designed to be used with a cheater type bar,not with your hands..I rather doubt our electric trailer hitches were designed to lift the truck/trailer and all it's cargo higher than needed to apply the spring bars.



It's just to simple to do it the way it was designed!

[Bumpyroad]

jaycocreek wrote:
It's just to easy to use the hitch as it was designed to use..They didn't put a thumb or hand notch on it for a reason,I assume, but they did put a place to use a bar/helper etc to cinch up the links.

It's just to easy to do it the way it was designed!

yep, and I confess I did exaggerate the 5 minutes of cranking. How about instead of a one second flip up with the bar, about 50 turns of the crank on the jack. and I don't need to spend a couple of hundred $$$ to buy an electric jack.
bumpy

[jaycocreek]

It's just to easy to use the hitch as it was designed to use..They didn't put a thumb or hand notch on it for a reason,I assume, but they did put a place to use a bar/helper etc to cinch up the links.

It's just to easy to do it the way it was designed!

[LarryJM]

Lynnmor wrote:
I'll use the power jack to lift at bit, but I see no need to strain the jack any more than necessary. We read hear often about power tongue failures, I wonder how much abuse they can take.

We must be reading different forums since I have NEVER heard of a power jack failure from straining it too much as you have stated. I've been using the same power jack to lift and hook up two different trailers for literally "THOUSANDS" of times since 1984 w/o a failure ... I actually moved the jack from one trailer to the newer one during the new trailer PDI.

I also don't understand these folks that say they can't raise the tongue enough to not use the pipe. My TW is close to 1000 lbs and the rear axle on my Van when the trailer is attached weighs close to 6000 lbs and I can use my 3K Barker to lift the tongue enough to hook up my Equal-i-zer bars by hand. Thus I'm not hooking up a PUP to a YUGO weight wise, and bet my weights exceed most others here by a good 500 to 1000 lbs. In fact when the trailer is along side my home the Van and trailer are slightly unlevel side to side where one bar goes on before the other as the tongue is lifted.

Larry

[beg4mercy]

ScottG wrote:
I cant latch our either just by using the tongue jack.
I can't tell you how many trailers I've seen with bars that have virtually no tension on them. Seems like a lot of people don't understand how they work and never get them set up so they actually do anything.

Yep! I don't even use the first link in the chain. I use the second to ensure I get a tight grip and although it makes it easier raising the tongue jack.....that definitely doesn't make it easy enough to not use the pipe.

[Gene_Ginny]

Bumpyroad wrote:

Gene&Ginny wrote:

opnspaces wrote:
... Also after latching the trailer onto the ball try using the tongue jack to lift both the tongue and the back of the trailer up really high. At that point you will possibly be able to just flip the levers over by hand and not need a pipe.

That works for me. :C .... but I still have the pipe "just in case" ...

I was shown how to use the pipe to raise mine. takes about 1 second. don't know why I would mess around with tongue jack,etc. I was warned to stand off to the side in case the pipe comes shooting out. 🙂
bumpy

Well, this old back doesn't take to bending and lifting more than needed so I stand and put my finger on the electric jack lever and watch the scenery while the tongue rises, less than a minute. That also confirms that the latch is secure on the ball. Heard enough stories about the latch not being secure.

Whatever floats your boat, not a "right" or "wrong" way to do it.

[gchackett]

You can use anything as a replacement for the original. My trailer came with old piece of galvanized pipe that was threaded on one side. I somehow misplaced it and cut off a legnth of an old garage door torsion spring pipe.

“Give me a place to stand, and a lever long enough, and I will move the world. ”
? Archimedes

Just don't get it too long as you will not have clearance with the ground to use it.

Also learned my lesson not to remove the pipe before securing the bars. Almost broke my hand when it snapped back. Now I hold the pipe with one hand and insert the clip with the other before taking it off.

[Lynnmor]

I'll use the power jack to lift at bit, but I see no need to strain the jack any more than necessary. We read hear often about power tongue failures, I wonder how much abuse they can take.

[myredracer]

racer4 wrote:
OP,

This might be what you are looking for:
Snap-Up Handle for Reese Weight Distribution Lift Brackets

Not to pic nits, but isn't that exactly what I posted above?? Sometimes I wonder why I bother posting anything. Sigh... 😞

[LarryJM]

Bumpyroad wrote:
As usual, I don't get the big picture here. I have a light tongue weight and a manual crank jack. I can flip the fittings easily with the pipe in about 1 second. x 2 that is 2 seconds. instead of this I should crank for 5 minutes? does not compute.

bumpy

Yep you're missing the picture entirely I think ... your tongue jack is SERIOUSLY BROKE IMO if you have to crank on it 5 min to get enough tension off to not use a pipe. Of course you could go the electric route like many of us have found is the best overall solution.

Larry

[Ron3rd]

opnspaces wrote:
You can probably get a piece of black gas pipe at the local home improvement store.

Also after latching the trailer onto the ball try using the tongue jack to lift both the tongue and the back of the trailer up really high. At that point you will possibly be able to just flip the levers over by hand and not need a pipe.

That's how I do it. You could even use a long screwdriver. I bought my old EZ lift used off a buddy for $100 and the pipe was missing. I cut one out of a piece of steel rod, which you could probably pick up at Lowes, Ace, or Home Depot.