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  1. #1
    Setting Up Camp
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    Weight distribution

    We have a Blue Ox hitch, and it's tricky and time consuming to hitch and unhitch. We have to gone to a CAT scale yet because I'm concerned the operators will get impatient with us fumbling to get hooked and unhooked. Can anyone demystify this process for me? Thanks.
    Imagine XLS 21 BHE since June 2020
    Toyota Tundra quad cab 2004

  2. #2
    Site Sponsor JCR GD's Avatar
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    You shouldn't make any changes while on the scale so do 3 weights for all the info you will need using parking lot for "fumbling" around

    -Go on scale with trailer and truck.
    -Pull off into parking area and unhook trailer.
    -Weigh just truck.
    -Then hook back up without Blue Ox bars engaged.
    -Weigh truck and trailer again. (so you can tell the difference made by Blue Ox)
    -Back to parking, hook up Blue Ox for travel and go inside to pay for 3 weights. (2nd two will/should be discounted)
    Jim (& Sharon)
    2015 GD Momentum 385TH - SOLD
    For Sale - 2015 Ford F-350 DRW 4x4 Lariat w/ AirLift bags, Titan 65 gal. OEM replacement fuel tank.
    The toy:
    2017 RZR XP 1000 EPS SE

  3. #3
    Site Sponsor
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    I feel you pain with the BO hitch.
    I'm going to assume you are jacking the rear of the tow vehicle up so hitching is easier.
    I'll add that you should chuck that little bar they give you for cranking up the chains.
    Get a 2'+ breaker bar. It will make life much easier.
    With that being said I swapped out the OEM chain tensioners for these,
    https://store.propridehitch.com/lipp...echnology-kit/
    They're much cheaper on Amazon.

    Used them for one season and they make hitching and unhitching super easy. I notice no difference in towing between the OEM rotating latch vs the Strap Teks.

    If you don't have a huge amount of tongue weight then you can easily use them without raising the tow vehicle.

    They will simplify you trip to the scales as well as your camping trips. IMO the whole latching system is an accident waiting to happen.
    Had i known what i know now I would've went with the EQ 4 point sway WDH. Used one in the past. hated the noise and grease but it was more user friendly.
    Cheaper in the long run too.

  4. #4
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by Varmint View Post
    We have a Blue Ox hitch, and it's tricky and time consuming to hitch and unhitch. We have to gone to a CAT scale yet because I'm concerned the operators will get impatient with us fumbling to get hooked and unhooked. Can anyone demystify this process for me? Thanks.
    Get a stand to put under the power jack. I made one out of wood and I can add/subtract pieces of 2x6 to get it right under the jack. Then it’s only a few inches of travel to take the weight off the bars. That, plus a socket and large breaker bar vice the tool they include - I haven’t used their tool even once.

    Those two things don’t make it painless, but most of the time is spent jacking the trailer up and down to get weight off the bars so you can hook the chains. Then hooking (and especially unhooking) is so much safer with a real tool.

    The method above for weighing the truck can be done one other way that may be even quicker:

    1. Pull trailer to scale hooked up to WDH and get weighed.
    2. Unhook WDH bars only on the scale. If you use a stand for the jack, you can do this in 30 seconds to 1min. Weigh again.
    3. If you don’t already have an empty weight, pull trailer off scale, leaving WDH bars off. Park and unhook trailer away from the scale and weigh the truck. If you already have a comparable truck weight, skip step 3. Instead, pull off the scale and re-hook the bars (or, if confident you can do it quickly / nobody else waiting, just do it on the scale).
    2022 Transcend Xplor 240ML
    2019 Imagine XLS 17MKE (sold 8/22)
    2017 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0 Fx4
    Blue Ox WDH

  5. #5
    Fireside Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by goducks14 View Post
    I feel you pain with the BO hitch.
    I'm going to assume you are jacking the rear of the tow vehicle up so hitching is easier.
    I'll add that you should chuck that little bar they give you for cranking up the chains.
    Get a 2'+ breaker bar. It will make life much easier.
    With that being said I swapped out the OEM chain tensioners for these,
    https://store.propridehitch.com/lipp...echnology-kit/
    They're much cheaper on Amazon.

    Used them for one season and they make hitching and unhitching super easy. I notice no difference in towing between the OEM rotating latch vs the Strap Teks.

    If you don't have a huge amount of tongue weight then you can easily use them without raising the tow vehicle.

    They will simplify you trip to the scales as well as your camping trips. IMO the whole latching system is an accident waiting to happen.
    Had i known what i know now I would've went with the EQ 4 point sway WDH. Used one in the past. hated the noise and grease but it was more user friendly.
    Cheaper in the long run too.
    I got the Straptek also and it was the best investment I've made. So much faster to hook up and unhitch. I got lucky and found a new set on eBay for about $90 plus shipping.

    Before I got the Straptek I actually didn't think the Blue Ox was any more difficult than my previous Reese Pro Series. Both felt like I had to strain the jack lifting the truck.

  6. #6
    Seasoned Camper
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    Sep 2019
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    I had someone point out how to most easily use the blue ox before it started getting easier for me. The key is you want the hitch on the ball but not pushing down on the truck. Easy to do when hooking up but harder when unhooking. I now have a feel for how much my truck drops (I could measure ground to bumper or something to verify it) so when i raise it back off I stop at that point and they are pretty easy to use.

    I just did the three weight measurements for the first time yesterday and did them right on the scale since no one else was there. It would have only taken me a minute or two to re-hook mostly due to the jack. It took me longer using the app. I was surprised at my trailer total (by a few hundred pounds), and therefore also the tongue and truck load. I've got some weight loss to look into this weekend. This site will do the calcs for you once you have the weights.
    http://www.towingplanner.com/ActualW...ailerCatScales
    Imagine 2020 2670MK,
    2021 RAM 2500

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