Torsion bars and elevation changes while towing

[Nate]

Is it harmful to have the weight distribution bars in use while going over rougher terrain? The seasonal site I'm at has some bumpy elevation changes -almost offroad- to get into and out of my spot and was wondering if I should take the bars off for the ups and downs or just leave them on?

[TWP723]

I'd remove them if it were me. The bars aren't meant to contort to "more than average" ups and downs.

[Nate]

That's what I was thinking as well. Thank you!

[Jagiven]

Going a short distance, at low speeds. You could take them off. What I would be concerned mostly about, would be the TV’s back end squatting and the hitch assembly bottoming out and causing issues if you plant it on a LARGE immovable object like a rock and getting stuck on it. At the same time the 23B sits low, so make sure to watch the sewer system as you might damage the drain pipes, AKA “rip out the sewer system” as we call it.

[TWP723]

Yep!!!

[Nate]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

Going a short distance, at low speeds. You could take them off. What I would be concerned mostly about, would be the TV’s back end squatting and the hitch assembly bottoming out and causing issues if you plant it on a LARGE immovable object like a rock and getting stuck on it. At the same time the 23B sits low, so make sure to watch the sewer system as you might damage the drain pipes, AKA “rip out the sewer system” as we call it.

Thanks! I have noticed it the couple of times I have towed it so far that the sewer drains are very low. I've been concerned about ripping it off myself. Luckily there's a piece of steel that looks like will offer a little bit of protection but it still looks very vulnerable. I wonder if they make lift kits for TVs?

In any case, I was more worried about damage to the fork or the bars in the front if it tries to angle over an incline that my truck is travelling. Looks like if my truck is bending over a hill and the TV isn't there is no-where for the torsion bars to go except into a stressful event that might break something.

[Rustic Eagle]

I would leave the spring bars engaged and drive slow. Leaving the bars engaged will aid in maintaining your WDH and HTT ground clearances......., dis-engaging the bars will just influence additional TV/TT porpoising.

If you have a manual friction sway control arm, I would remove it.

In the case of TT's with heavier tongue weights the potential for flexing the TV's receiver pin box becomes a risk (bars dis-engaged) under these conditions.

Bob