Sway bar bending mount plate? |
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TylerK9
Newbie Joined: 20 Jun 2016 Location: Santa Fe, NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Topic: Sway bar bending mount plate? Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 8:47am |
Just returned from an Easter weekend camping trip at Bear Creek Lake Park outside Denver. That's about 350 miles each way, and by the time we got back to the New Mexico border, the Curt sway control bar had bent the mounting plate as shown below. Forunately we had an extra ball mount with us!
Towing an RP-180 with a 2006 F-150. We did hit some high winds (25 MPH) on I-25 near Raton, but I would think a sway control should be able to handle that easily. Am I using it incorrectly? Any thoughts on what might cause this? Thanks! |
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Craneman
Senior Member Joined: 12 May 2013 Location: Tokeland,wa Online Status: Offline Posts: 387 |
Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 9:00am |
Mine did the same thing, I was able to use my buddies hyd press to straighten it back to normal. Twice!!!!! I backed up with out unhooking the sway bar,no problem since
Moe
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Jo and Gary, 2010-174,2011 F150
Jo and Gary 2010 174 2011 Ford 150 |
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TylerK9
Newbie Joined: 20 Jun 2016 Location: Santa Fe, NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 10:36am |
Thanks Craneman. I'm concerned that the degree of bending may have compromised the integrity of the metal plate to the point where it could shear off. I wound up ordering a different mount (link) that looks a bit sturdier than the setup I had before. My challenge has been finding a sway-control mount that has the 3" rise I need, since most (including our backup mount) seem to feature a drop, which has us towing with the trailer nose down more than I'd like.
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mjlrpod
Senior Member Joined: 27 Sep 2016 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 1215 |
Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 10:58am |
I would NOT straighten that, and put it back on!!. That metal is fatigued now, and surely has stress cracks in it. It appears the weld on the small gusset underneath the sway ball has failed. Did you back up with the sway bar on? I cant think of a reason that should have happened otherwise. It took alot of force obviously, and unless you were in hurricaine winds, you sway bar should not be exerting that much force.
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2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
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mcarter
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Location: Greenbrier, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 3419 |
Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 2:12pm |
Looks like what happens if you back up with the sway bar on.
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Mike Carter
2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
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mcarter
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Location: Greenbrier, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 3419 |
Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 2:37pm |
TylerK9,
The hitch from etrailer is excellent, I have a couple of tow vehicles and it makes it easy to move from one to another with one hitch, also you are correct the sway bar mount is heavy duty. |
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Mike Carter
2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
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TylerK9
Newbie Joined: 20 Jun 2016 Location: Santa Fe, NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 3:08pm |
Yeah, mjlrpod, there's no way I'm putting that back on! (My wife said she'd take an Uber to our next campground if I did!)
We did back up once with the sway bar on, but that was a couple days ago when we arrived and everything seemed fine when I hitched up after that for the drive home. We did have to take a couple VERY sharp turns navigating a crowded gas station, but no backing. Lesson learned: don't cheap out on your hitch equipment. The one that bent was a relatively inexpensive model I bought on Amazon. Glad to hear from Mike Carter that the replacement one on order is worth the additional cost!
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fonseca179
Newbie Joined: 19 May 2015 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 38 |
Posted: 19 Apr 2017 at 7:54am |
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fonseca179
Newbie Joined: 19 May 2015 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 38 |
Posted: 19 Apr 2017 at 7:55am |
If you didn't back up with it than it was most likely too tight. I over tightened mine once and bent it just like that. I replaced it with a new.
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mtdave
Newbie Joined: 07 Jul 2016 Location: MONTANA Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Posted: 19 Apr 2017 at 5:00pm |
I have this ball mount with sway control tab. I haven't had it long but have made one 1,700 mile trip with it and it worked great.
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2011 R-Pod 176
2009 Chevy Suburban 1500 |
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