Until the OP shears off one of those bolts during a tight turn...
or that it might have higher resistance when turning one way vs the other
How, exactly, would that happen?? The end of the WD bars is in the same place regardless of where the bracket mounts in front of it, right? The only thing that changes is where the bracket is mounted, and if the brackets are not even on the tongue, the angle of the adjustment link will differ slightly from side to side.
Quote: Also, there is a difference in forces between the left to right, so
will it 'steer' or 'pull' one way or the other?
Where is the difference? Again, if the bar ends are nested in the pockets like they should be, what does the arm care where the bracket is on the frame? It's the bar that moves, not the cam.
I'd personally contact the manufacturer and ask them before I contact the dealer again. In the mean time, I wouldn't be concerned myself.
Maybe these threads might answer your questions/understanding of
how this system works
Gee whiz, it is a freaking 1/2". I bet that most of you will find at least a 1/4" difference in any Dual Cam set up you have. I installed mine purposely slightly off the 18" recommended to make it fit my trailer better. I know they are not exactly the same and I did them myself. Come on, most people can't even see the difference looking at it with the eye.
So maybe you can explain how three threads about a defective lot of bolts from Reese is related to a misalignment of the brackets? I fail to see the connection here...
I'm quite familiar with how the setup works, if not the subtle nuances of the setup. I thoroughly understand how the forces are transferred in the system. The chains and the cams are adjusted such that they are above the ends of the spring bars. The location of the mounting brackets for the cams is not all that important for transferring the forces to the tongue. Theoretically you could mount the brackets behind the cams instead of out front and the system should perform exactly as intended. I'd wager a bet that a half inch difference from side to side would have no measurable affect on the performance or function of the system, but would also defer to the manufacturer for the final analysis.
BenK wrote: Maybe these threads might answer your questions/understanding of how this system works
Ben, IMO, those threads have absolutely nothing to do with the question of whether a slight mis-alignment of the cam brackets will affect the operation of the hitch.
Also, IMO, there is no need for RevJosh to try to "correct" the mis-alignment.
Again, you have nothing to worry about! As long as you have enough thread on the cam arms to make necessary adjustments, you are ok. The WD will not change one bit because the cams still rest on the bars in exactly the same place. One will be adjusted out a small bit more than the other but the snap-up brackets and WD will be exactly the same. It doesn't matter where the mounting plate is as long as you have adjustment room on the arm.
Gijoecam was exactly right on the money when he said above, "Where is the difference? Again, if the bar ends are nested in the pockets like they should be, what does the arm care where the bracket is on the frame? It's the bar that moves, not the cam."
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch
2002 Ford F250 Super Duty, 7.3L PSD Visit our website here
gijoecam wrote: So maybe you can explain how three threads about a defective lot of bolts from Reese is related to a misalignment of the brackets? I fail to see the connection here...
I'm quite familiar with how the setup works, if not the subtle nuances of the setup. I thoroughly understand how the forces are transferred in the system. The chains and the cams are adjusted such that they are above the ends of the spring bars. The location of the mounting brackets for the cams is not all that important for transferring the forces to the tongue. Theoretically you could mount the brackets behind the cams instead of out front and the system should perform exactly as intended. I'd wager a bet that a half inch difference from side to side would have no measurable affect on the performance or function of the system, but would also defer to the manufacturer for the final analysis.
I just got off the phone with Cequent and the representative confirmed that, as long as the bars were seated properly on the cams, the system would perform correctly even if the brackets weren't mounted the same distance from the coupler. He also said he didn't understand how someone could mount it that far off, and I completely agreed!
Not only are the brackets not the same distance from the coupler, but the chains were bolted to the wrong side of the bend on the hanger bracket, the hanger bracket was installed backwards on the cam, and the ball height was set about 4" above the height of the leveled trailer!
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