Installing Reese Hitch - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

TrulyOregon · 02-20-2011, 04:05 PM

Looking into purchasing Reese WD hitch (part # 66021) for our 2010 Tacoma
(4-door sport) and Hi-Lo 2207. Has anyone installed one themselves? How
difficult? I've installed the Equalizer hitch which I'm looking to replace with
the Reese.

The eTrailer.com video makes it look pretty easy, except for the sway control,
i.e. drilling holes in frame

. Most say that the sway control isn't necessary for Hi-Los (didn't have one for our last Hi-Lo, but did for our Komfort), except
during an accident or I guess when you may have to do swerve avoidance. Anyone have very definite opinion/reasoning for sway or no sway control?

RichR · 02-20-2011, 04:39 PM

I take that you do not have the Toyota tow package. If you get the Reese hitch or another brand make sure it is a custom no holes drilled, bolt on. The universal hitches are not recommended. I have the Reese with the dual cam sway control and towing is rock solid. I highly recommend it and installation is not that hard. Don't let the cost get in your way, it is an investment in safety. Reese instructions are usually easy to follow. You can download them from their website.

JMDoering · 02-20-2011, 04:48 PM

Oregon,

I've towed a bunch of different trailers over the years. As different as each trailer is, so is the way they tow. A lot of factors are involved, such as how they are loaded, what kind of tires they have, what the road is like, skill of the driver, how fast your speed is, amount of cross wind, etc.

Both of our Hi-Lo's tow differently from each other. Our older one tends to fishtail in certain conditions, without sway control, especially when my wife is driving (no, I'm not slamming her... she's a good driver and we can't figure out why... but it does hit her confidence). With the sway control bar installed it keeps it under control, and that is the only way my wife will drive when towing it. The older trailer has leaf springs and is a bit heavy in the stern, which could contribute. Fishtailing was particularly evident for a few years when I had some off-brand cheapo tires installed. Good tires made a big difference.

Our newer Hi-Lo has never fishtailed, with either of us driving. Based on our experience with the older Hi-Lo, we bought a sway control system for the new trailer. We've only used it once, and now don't even take the bar with us.

My best specific answer to you question is: If possible ask the previous owners if they've experienced any fishtailing while towing, and if yes, if they found any way of reducing it. Ask if it started fishtailing after they had owned it for a while.. could be a cause like new axles installed out of alignment, or new tires with weird tread patterns. If fishtailing was never an issue for them, don't waste the money. If fishtailing was an occasional issue, an anti-sway bar would be a good investment... at least for peace of mind. Also, make sure you've properly adjusted your trailer brakes!

Jim

TrulyOregon · 02-20-2011, 05:05 PM

Thanks Rich (and Jim as well). The drilling was in reference to the sway cams that attach to the trailer. We do have the towing package and the Reese hitch was the bolt on except for the sway cams. We towed to Colorado and back through the Tetons with no problem last year, except for our Equalizer hitch. Have never had any sway problems with our Hi-Los, just want that extra security in case a situation comes along that would benefit from anti-sway. Looking at the Reese 66021 with the 26002 cams.
Frank

campthewestcoast · 02-20-2011, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrulyOregon

Thanks Rich (and Jim as well). The drilling was in reference to the sway cams that attach to the trailer. We do have the towing package and the Reese hitch was the bolt on except for the sway cams. We towed to Colorado and back through the Tetons with no problem last year, except for our Equalizer hitch. Have never had any sway problems with our Hi-Los, just want that extra security in case a situation comes along that would benefit from anti-sway. Looking at the Reese 66021 with the 26002 cams.
Frank

Nice reese hitch, I like the dual cam design of the sway control. I'm using an older round bar equalizer with a single brake-bar style sway control. The question I would have, on the reese 66021 trunnion bar hitch,does the trunnion bars remove easily from the hitch head? When I camp and disconnect the trailer, I remove the round bar equalizer bars, then the hitch head from the receiver(so I don't run into it unloading the truck) With the trunnion bars connected to the hitch head,would it be to heavy to remove easily? I never used a trunnion bar style equalizer hitch.

RichR · 02-20-2011, 06:11 PM

Sorry, my brain was on break there for a bit. For some reason I thought you needed the receiver and everything else.
If you decide on the dual cams pay strict attention to mounting to the frame. There is, I believe, 18" measurement from the center of the ball to the center of the cam arm mounting hole. Also, you can attach the frame plates in two ways depending on which way makes a better fit. You can flip them from one side to the other so the cam arms can be mounted more forward or more backward. Just do a trial fitting before drilling any holes. You will probably want to mount them with the arm mounting hole toward the rear of the trailer as it is on mine.
The instructions are pretty clear, just give them a couple of reads before you start drilling holes. Measure twice drill once.

RichR · 02-20-2011, 06:14 PM

The trunnion bars come off very easily, maybe easier than the round bars. I have had both trunnion and round. I'm using the round ones now, I like them better for no special reason.

TrulyOregon · 02-20-2011, 07:30 PM

Thanks again Rich for the extra info. Just ordered the complete Reese system (66073) that includes the sway cams. Looking forward to installing them soon and may post questions on installation. I downloaded the instructions so will try to familiarize myself before their arrival. M-2, D-1 is my mantra - lessons learned through experience are the best. BTW, for anyone else out there looking for hitches, ordered through RVDirect.com. Best deal I could find anywhere. Thanks again.
Frank

RCREYES · 02-20-2011, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrulyOregon

Looking into purchasing Reese WD hitch (part # 66021) for our 2010 Tacoma
(4-door sport) and Hi-Lo 2207. Has anyone installed one themselves? How
difficult? I've installed the Equalizer hitch which I'm looking to replace with
the Reese.

The eTrailer.com video makes it look pretty easy, except for the sway control,
i.e. drilling holes in frame

. Most say that the sway control isn't necessary for Hi-Los (didn't have one for our last Hi-Lo, but did for our Komfort), except
during an accident or I guess when you may have to do swerve avoidance. Anyone have very definite opinion/reasoning for sway or no sway control?

etrailer.com and you tube have some excellent videos on seting up WDH's. I am using the Curt Trunnion and it is my first experience with a WDH. Easy to set up and use.

eartha · 03-02-2011, 07:46 AM

If you go with the new Reese SC it gives great sway control with no holes to drill. It is very easy to hook up. I installed one last year and love it.

TrulyOregon · 03-04-2011, 08:33 PM

Received our Reese SC hitch couple days ago and it looks like an easy install. The hitch is formidable in weight and size, even more so than the one we had for our old Hi-Lo in the 80s.

Frank

TrulyOregon · 07-09-2011, 07:44 PM

A month ago I installed the Reese hitch I purchased, drilled two holes on each side to attach the four bolts for the anti-sway bars.
Well, when I went to the lot today to bring the trailer home, the second bolt on each side (closest to the trailer) had both sheared off. The heads were on the ground. I don't have a clue why that happened.
I purchased two additional bolts, but don't know if they are strong enough. We leave in a few days for several weeks' camping so would appreciate any input.
Frank

RichR · 07-09-2011, 10:38 PM

I can't understand why they would be sheared off. Thy weren't over torqued and twisted were they? Did you drill the proper size holes?

Check the bolt heads to see what grade bolts they are. Three marks are grade 5 and six marks are grade 8. Go for the grade 8.

Here is a chart that shows the grade markings.
Bolt Depot - Bolt Grade Markings and Strength Chart

Checking the Reese instructions, they call for 1/2-13 thread forming screws, not a standard bolt.

TrulyOregon · 07-09-2011, 10:59 PM

Rich, thanks for your reply. The bolts I bought today to replace the ones that sheared are grade 8. The bolts that sheared came with the Reese hitch. Don't know what grade they were. I think the holes I drilled were the right size.
Frank

TrulyOregon · 07-09-2011, 11:00 PM

Also, they were tightened to 50 ft lb.
Frank

RCREYES · 07-09-2011, 11:04 PM

I'm going with over torque. What were the sizes of the bolts and how tight did you tighten them?
http://www.imperialsupplies.com/pdf/...rqueCharts.pdf

TrulyOregon · 07-11-2011, 01:31 AM

I posted the "sheared bolt heads" problem on another RV Forum and found out that the same thing happened to others. The Reese self threading bolts were defective (factory rep admitted as much). In fact, bolts failed twice for one individual.
In my case, the bolts weren't stressed. I installed the hitch at the storage facility, and hadn't towed the trailer at all.
Frank