Single Arm WDH Review

[harleywolf]

Thought I

[AustinBoston]

When I researched WDH

[Dray]

I got the same one.  It's helped my TV (Honda minivan) out a lot.  I was thinking of changing to a truck until I got the WDH.  I had to fine tune mine a bit after the dealer set it up.  Now it's even better.  

A couple things that concern me are about the tension bar.  Both ends actually.  At one end there is a stop bolt, which is designed to stop the chain from coming off that end.  After my first trip i noticed that the chain tried to come off and the bolt stopped it, but barely.  My bolt was loose and so i tightened it.  But it still seems like the bolt should be longer.  Curious.  Also at the other end where it goes up into the hitch and clicks into place.  It seems kind of flimsy.  There's just a small pin that holds it up there.  

I think my dealer doesn't install many either.  When I came to pick it up there was a bunch of people looking at it and talking about it like it was unusual or something.

Austin - you said the WDH stopped the bouncing in the rear of your van?  Mine still does.  I wonder why it stopped on yours?

[AustinBoston]

Austin - you said the WDH stopped the bouncing in the rear of your van?  Mine still does.  I wonder why it stopped on yours?

Do you need to adjust it tighter?

BTW, it didn't really stop the bouncing, it reduced it.  There is still some bouncing, just less.

Austin

[Dray]

Do you need to adjust it tighter?

BTW, it didn't really stop the bouncing, it reduced it.  There is still some bouncing, just less.

Austin

Do you mean adjust the stop bolt tighter?  

My Van still is very bouncy when I tow.  It's pretty funny when I look in my rear view and see the kids head bouncing up and down.  If the road is smooth its not too bad.  Probably just has to do with the very soft suspension in my TV.  I guess that's an easy fix.  Could put in stiffer shocks.

[harleywolf]

Dray a couple of things,  that stop bolt seems to be OK on my hitch but I DO see what you mean. I believe the way the chain and the bracket it mounts to that slides on the bar is designed like that so the bar can slide through that chain bracket for sharper turns.

I too wondered about that spring loaded pin clip that holds the TV side of the bar, but you still need to put the bar in then swing it into place just like the traditional ones and I tried to see if there was anyway that clip could give but it seemed very secure to me, and then add the spring loaded weight when your hooked up and I can

[AustinBoston]

Do you mean adjust the stop bolt tighter?  

My Van still is very bouncy when I tow.  It's pretty funny when I look in my rear view and see the kids head bouncing up and down.  If the road is smooth its not too bad.  Probably just has to do with the very soft suspension in my TV.  I guess that's an easy fix.  Could put in stiffer shocks.

This slipped by me before harleywolf brought it back to the top.  I have the dual-arm WDH.  On that, there are two rectangular washers with the center hole offset.  It allows four settings for weight distribution.  I know there came a point where I had to switch from the third setting to the fourth.

But I also need to say that we changed from passenger shocks to light truck shocks about the same time, so that may have been the main factor in eliminating the bounce.

Austin

[OC Campers]

When we first bought our trailer we towed it with an Astro Van.  Plenty of power but the rear end sagged big time.  We also had a lot of bounce so we had heavy duty shocks installed and that took care of the bounce.  We then had a Reese Mini 350 hitch  which we used for 2 years.  It worked well but you really had to "muscle it on".  If you could find a spped bump or a street gutter it made in a lot easier to get on and off.  Dh finally got tired of struggling with it and bought the Resse single bar WDH.  What a huge improvement.   This hitch was so easy to use.  When we bought the truck we didn't need to use the WDH hitch any more.  Now all we need is sway control.  The only issue we had with the single bar was how much it hung down below the tongue.  Sometimes when we went up or down a driveway it it really scraped.  
 
Jacqui

[AustinBoston]

We then had a Reese Mini 350 hitch  which we used for 2 years.  It worked well but you really had to "muscle it on".  If you could find a spped bump or a street gutter it made in a lot easier to get on and off.

The easiest way is to find a nearby parking lot, and "jacknife" the trailer and van.  Then the inside bar just places on, no struggling at all.  Jacknife in the other direction for the other bar.  This doesn't always work at the campground, as they don't always have the open space needed.  A quiet street doesn't always work either, as the road crown may work against you.

One of the valuable uses for Lynx levelers is as a WDH installation/removal aid when there's no speed bump available.  Even then, enough cranking of the tongue jack and it's not a struggle.

But I'd recommend the single bar for those who prefer an easier install.

Austin

[harleywolf]

I do have to crank the tongue jack up to get the chain attached with this hitch, enough that it raises the TV a bit but the manual says to do that so

[Dray]

I do have to crank the tongue jack up to get the chain attached with this hitch, enough that it raises the TV a bit but the manual says to do that so

[beacher]

It's only been available for 4-5 years, and the number of trailers in a size that need them is relatively small....

I have been using the single arm WDH since 2004.  I tow with a 1999 5.9L V8 4x4 Dodge Durango.  While the Durango has no problem towing my 2004 GTE Niagara, due it's soft car-like rear suspension it was sagging before I installed the WDH.

I have put on many miles using the Reese Single Bar WDH.  It really works well, and it dramatically improves high speed downhill steering when towing, (many Eastern High Sierra trips).

After three years there is ONE thing you must note.  Make sure that the spring pin holding the spring bar has good solid pressure from the spring that's holding it!  This past June, when pulling out of a gas station driveway with a steep street exit, the spring arm fell off!  We were at the stop light about to re-enter the freeway when my DW noticed a woman running towards us carrying my spring arm!:yikes:

Apparently the spring pin didn't have enough pressure on it to properly lock the arm in place.  When I exited the driveway there was no tension on the spring and is just slipped out.  The other issue is that the bolt on the end of the spring arm was too small to secure it to the chain bracket, so it also slipped out of that and ended up in the middle of the street!

Thanks to a Good Samaritan I didn't need to purchase a new spring arm, and it was discovered very quickly!

[harleywolf]

Dray wow, now that sux, I will certainly watch out for that! And Beacher, as you see we were concerned about both of those issues you mention, thanks. I suppose just putting a longer stopper bolt would solve that issue. How did you fix the spring clip issue, simply get a new one? I

[Dray]

WOW!  That's what I was afraid of.  I think I will look at getting a longer stop bolt.