Hello: I have a problem with my WD hitch. The left bar has always been looser than the right when I first had it installed. Lately this has gotten worse. Even parked on a flat asphalt area at a rest stop, the right chain was tight, and the left chain was floppy. If I take up both chains a link, I can keep tension on the left bar, but then the right one is much tighter. I have switched the bars from side to side, and counted the chain links many times. This is the case when the trailer is empty, with two horses, or only one horse on the left (driver's) side. Is this situation dangerous?
Posted 2007-05-27 4:48 PM (#61312 - in reply to #61308) Subject: RE: Adjusting WD Hitch
Expert
Posts: 2689
Originally written by cmcgraw1950 on 2007-05-27 12:41 PM
Hello: I have a problem with my WD hitch. The left bar has always been looser than the right when I first had it installed. Lately this has gotten worse. Even parked on a flat asphalt area at a rest stop, the right chain was tight, and the left chain was floppy. If I take up both chains a link, I can keep tension on the left bar, but then the right one is much tighter. I have switched the bars from side to side, and counted the chain links many times. This is the case when the trailer is empty, with two horses, or only one horse on the left (driver's) side. Is this situation dangerous?
It is potentially dangerous, on some designs the bar can easily come out of the head once a chain is slack.
I would check the trailer for side to side level, e.g. partially collapsed springs, tire pressures(even if they don't "look" soft), height of each frame rail from the ground at the point where the chains hook up (about 26 inches back from the ball IIRC) etc.
Posted 2007-05-27 10:36 PM (#61335 - in reply to #61308) Subject: RE: Adjusting WD Hitch
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Originally written by cmcgraw1950 on 2007-05-27 1:41 PM
Hello: I have a problem with my WD hitch. The left bar has always been looser than the right when I first had it installed. Lately this has gotten worse. Even parked on a flat asphalt area at a rest stop, the right chain was tight, and the left chain was floppy. If I take up both chains a link, I can keep tension on the left bar, but then the right one is much tighter. I have switched the bars from side to side, and counted the chain links many times. This is the case when the trailer is empty, with two horses, or only one horse on the left (driver's) side. Is this situation dangerous?
If you check the angle of your sway bars by just applying manual pressure, you may discover that one side or the other is slightly different...that is why it is not necessarily equal links for both sides...remember the average WD hitch is not machined to extremely close tolerances...
The real test is the leveling of the tow vehicle and the trailer...
Adjusting WD Hitch
