Park maneuvers without WDH bars

[BeGin]

Hi Folks
Seeking advice here. I was recently in a park where I had to do a lot of back and forth, turning etc to get positioned on my campsite. A passerby suggested I remove wdh bars to make maneuvers easier. This makes sense to me in hindsight but hopefully I can get some advice here.

Is it ok to drive short distances slowly without wdh bars? (I’m thinking I could remove bars once in an unfamiliar campground to be prepared for tight maneuvers. )

Do others remove wdh bars for tight maneuvers in a campground?

Thanks in advance
B

[16WhiteColly]

I always remove my WD bars and sway control bars before leave park headquarters, not knowing what the back up will entail. Much less stress on the hitch head.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Depends on the hitch. I have a Fastway e2 hitch and never remove it until I'm parked. No problem backing up or tight turns. One reason I bought it. Best hitch I've ever used.

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by Route 66 Traveler

Depends on the hitch. I have a Fastway e2 hitch and never remove it until I'm parked. No problem backing up or tight turns. One reason I bought it. Best hitch I've ever used.

X2 on this. I have the same hitch. There is no need to remove the bars to back up. Same for the Equalizer E4.

When I had my old hitch I only needed to remove the friction sway bar.

[jpgale]

I have the steadi flex which is like the E4 but with friction material on the contact points, I do not remove the bars until I am in. I do however sometimes tow without the WDH bars. If I am just moving around the storage yard to wash the trailer for something then I will just use the hitch without the bars or another correctly rated hitch. I recently got a weigh safe hitch and have towed a short distance on the road using it, but my truck is also rated to tow that much weight un distributed, honestly could not tell any difference. I still use the WDH for longer distance towing but in town it is fine.

[mini4mw]

I had a 26BHS, 7k lbs or so loaded. Used equalizer 10k or 12k hitch. Never unhooked sway/WD bars until I was parked.

[Ryan B.]

I'm still new to this, but I've been told to always use WDH/Bars whenever towing your rig. This is so the truck doesn't have unnecessary load on the rear suspension and risk of damage to truck.

[deepsea5]

Originally Posted by Route 66 Traveler

Depends on the hitch. I have a Fastway e2 hitch and never remove it until I'm parked. No problem backing up or tight turns. One reason I bought it. Best hitch I've ever used.

Originally Posted by DocBrown

X2 on this. I have the same hitch. There is no need to remove the bars to back up. Same for the Equalizer E4.

When I had my old hitch I only needed to remove the friction sway bar.

X3 on the Fastway E2. Easiest WD/Sway hitch setup I've ever used.

[67L48]

Equal-I-zer 4 point WDH. Does great in reverse. I have had some back and forth odysseys and never felt (literally and figuratively) the need ever unhook the anti-sway bars.

[Grumpy]

Only thing you should have to remove is a Sway Control if you have one that is separate. They can and do bend when backing.

This type...

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Only thing you should have to remove is a Sway Control if you have one that is separate. They can and do bend when backing.

This type...

I forgot once and bent the bracket for the ball mount. That's a pretty thick piece of steel.

[Jagiven]

OP what WDH do you have? What type of issues where you experiencing, that might be resolved by having the bars disconnected?

I just do not see how removing the hitch would help. I can basically jackknife my rig and the bars do not seem to mind. If you have the add-on "friction sway bars", Grumpy mentions you do have to remove them to back up or they will break. But that has nothing to do with the WDH.

Sometimes, I do have to make a few attempts, but the WHD has nothing to do with that.

I too only remove my bars once parked. Not sure what the advantages might be. If you remove the bars, you will add weight to the rear wheels. At the same time you remove weight from the front steer wheels. When backing up, I usually want very good traction and better steering.

[Old and soft]

I usually drag my 264bh home from the storage locker with no bars. Maybe 300 yards between the 2. The locker lights shine in my bedroom window when the leaves are down.

[ggilbert]

i like to unplug the 7 pin cable. I pinched one when I jackknifed the camper parking it. Also I think the trailer breaks mess me up parking

[lefoster]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Only thing you should have to remove is a Sway Control if you have one that is separate. They can and do bend when backing.

This type...

X2 - i remove the sway bar only

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by BeGin

snip......Do others remove wdh bars for tight maneuvers in a campground?.......snip

I've never had the need to remove my spring bars in over 40 years of using various WDH's.

Removing them will reduce the ground clearance height under the WDH assembly, jack base, etc., and all it will take is 'Murphy's law' at that one rolling, slanted campsite.

Visit a large empty parking lot and check how tight of a TV turn you can make without the WDH spring bars slipping out of their associated supports, and/or compromising related hardware.

Bob

[16WhiteColly]

If it is a WD Hitch with chain snap up brackets, they recommend removing them. In my case, I have this type due to the 5,000 lb. rated WD Hitch and remove them. Rather take a couple of minutes to do that and not take a chance of damaging the hitch head, brackets, or even possibly bending the A frame during tight maneuvers. Maybe overkill, but I do.

[CTGT]

I have the E2 hitch and I have to back at a 110 degree angle to get into the RV carport, no problem with it.

[mockman]

Yes, as well as anti sway. . These are generally removed when disconnecting the trailer, and removing them for fine maneuvering.is a good idea.

[BeGin]

Thanks Folks
I appreciate everyone’s input. I’ll continue leaving WDH bars in place until parked.
B