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Old 09-08-2015, 09:18 PM   #1
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loosening bolts on Reese Dual Cam Sway Control

We have taken two long trips with our trailer utilizing the Reese Dual Cam Weight Distribution/sway control hitch. After driving on a very rough strip of I40 in AZ, we pulled into an rv park in Williams, AZ and noticed we had lost all of the bolts out of the bracket that holds the cam to the a frame of the trailer. The bolts had wallerd out the holes making it impossible to install the same 1/2" bolts. Amazingly, we only lost the bolts and didn't lose the parts. We ended up installing some 9/16 bolts which lasted until we got home but we noticed the bolts loosening up on the other side. Has anyone else had this problem? I have read some suggestions on other forums by people who have had the same problem. Some of suggested installing a plate on the back of the a frame and installing bolts that could go all the way through the frame with lock nuts securing the bolts. The plate would serve to reinforce the frame to prevent damage to the frame.
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Old 09-08-2015, 10:13 PM   #2
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I never had that issue with my Reese DC. I would contact reese customer support directly and ask what they suggest. Something may be faulty or installed wrong or they may have a good suggestion to help.
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Old 09-09-2015, 06:23 AM   #3
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Are you referring to the 2 bolts that screw into the steel sleeves you put in the frame?
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Old 09-09-2015, 07:55 AM   #4
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locktite
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Old 09-09-2015, 07:57 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cw3jason View Post
locktite

Ditto!
Red or blue?
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Old 09-09-2015, 08:13 AM   #6
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Quote:
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Ditto!
Red or blue?
Red requires heat for removal to soften it up. I guess it depends on how long you want the the hardware to stay on and how much force you can apply to remove it. I used red on my hitch. did not want it to ever come loose, and the breaker bar I used was strong enough to override the locktight the few times i removed it for adjustment.
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Old 09-09-2015, 10:45 AM   #7
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We used red locktite and it still loosened up before we made it home.
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Old 09-09-2015, 12:56 PM   #8
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wow. thats more than vibration. must be some movement to loosen the bolts, like you said the holes were elongated. I am not sure what I would do in that situation. I do not think I would drill thru the frame, that would void the warranty and possibly weaken the frame. New brackets may be in order and self locking bolts, the kind with teflon in the threads maybe?
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Old 09-17-2015, 08:32 PM   #9
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We have a trusted company here in Wichita that has done quite a bit of work for us. After researching this issue on the web, I discovered that other people have had this problem. A couple of people placed a 1/4" plate on the back side of the cam bracket and put bolts, washers and locking nuts on the bracket. One guy said he had 20K miles after the fix and had no other problems. We took the trailer to our local company and showed them the photos of the fixes. They agreed that this would be a good solution. We had the hitch fixed yesterday. They put a 1/4" steel plate on both sides of the trailer frame and drilled through the frame and installed automotive grade hardware. It looks great. Their mechanics told us that since the trailer frame was 2" wide and the bracket was 2 1/2" wide, there was slop in the bracket. They feel that "slop" is what caused the bolts to loosen and fall out. The bracket is now very snug with bolts all the way through the frame and 1/4" of steel plating on both sides of the frame. I will add photos if anyone cares to see this fix. I found this problem on several rv forums and hopefully, no one else will have the problem. Reese told me that it can happen if the hitch isn't properly installed.
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Old 09-17-2015, 08:40 PM   #10
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These are photos I copied from someone else who had our problem. Our repair shop did this plus put a 1/4" plate on the front of the frame.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 001Medium-2.jpg (42.7 KB, 6 views)
File Type: jpg 002Medium-1.jpg (40.4 KB, 7 views)
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Old 09-18-2015, 07:29 AM   #11
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It does look good and will definitely solve your issue. Did you check with Lippert to see if it voids your frame warranty?

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Old 09-18-2015, 07:32 AM   #12
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No, but that is why we had them put the plates on both sides of the frame to reinforce the frame to prevent damage to the frame. Our trailer is out of warranty anyway.
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Old 09-18-2015, 07:40 AM   #13
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Understood, and it looks like a great repair.

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