FastWay e2 600/6000 Trunnion Hitch

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   I think you're being mislead because of the beefed up suspension and/or the lightly loaded R-pod. I think you would be best served by loading up the R-pod as close as you can get to "typical", then do the weighing at a nearby scale facility or borrowing or renting a portable scale. Then you will know what you've got. A V6 Tacoma with a towing package is almost perfect rig for towing an R-pod.
Also, you may not "need" the WDH for your Tacoma. For example, we really don't "need" the WDH for our F-150, but we do prefer the ride and anti-sway we get with the E2. 

As per usual, YMMV.

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GlueGuy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2702	Topic: FastWay e2 600/6000 Trunnion Hitch Posted: 16 Jan 2019 at 1:33pm
	I think you're being mislead because of the beefed up suspension and/or the lightly loaded R-pod. I think you would be best served by loading up the R-pod as close as you can get to "typical", then do the weighing at a nearby scale facility or borrowing or renting a portable scale. Then you will know what you've got. A V6 Tacoma with a towing package is almost perfect rig for towing an R-pod. Also, you may not "need" the WDH for your Tacoma. For example, we really don't "need" the WDH for our F-150, but we do prefer the ride and anti-sway we get with the E2. As per usual, YMMV.
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

michaeln Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 08 Dec 2018 Location: Avery, CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 40	Posted: 23 Jan 2019 at 1:45pm
	After lots of back and forth with support and my sending them detailed pictures, they determined my hitch head is defective, and they are sending me a new one.
	--- Avery, CA

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 23 Jan 2019 at 1:57pm
	michaeln, I hope your new hitch head helps but I suspect it won't because even without any tension on your hitch your front wheels only rise up 1/8 inch. A different hitch head won't change that I don't think. Did you get your Sherline yet? If so, what is your actual tongue weight?
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

michaeln Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 08 Dec 2018 Location: Avery, CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 40	Posted: 23 Jan 2019 at 2:06pm
	They said this is the hitch they recommend for my setup. We'll see. I at least have to try it. Otherwise, I am gonna be out a lot of money. I won't be able to return it to e-trailer because it is used, and selling it I'd be lucky to recoup 1/2 of what I have into it. I wish I had not bought a WDH at all at this point. Yes I have the Sherline, but have not used it yet. My trailer is parked on my driveway which is sloped, and I don't want to try to measure the tongue weight there, my intention was to do it when I tow the trailer out to a level area to attempt the setup and adjustments again.
	--- Avery, CA

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 23 Jan 2019 at 3:04pm
	Sounds like a plan.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

michaeln Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 08 Dec 2018 Location: Avery, CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 40	Posted: 28 Jan 2019 at 3:19pm
	I measured the tongue weight this morning with the Sherline scale. 380lbs... and that is with all camping stuff (except food) and 36 gallons of fresh water (which I would virtually never carry). That is actually a little lighter than I had expected given I have two 235ah 6v batteries, a full 5 gallon propane tank and a power jack up there. FastWay has shipped me a new e2 head today. It occurs to me that in order to use it or test I am gonna have to have the hitch ball removed and torqued (430 ft/lbs) onto the new one. I don't have the tools to do that, 250 ft/lbs is my limit. My plan is to measure it and compare it with the one I have first. The problem with the old one is that the FastWay support guy told me the angle adjustment bolt should be able to close up the gap between the rivet head and the shank even with NO washers on it, even though the installation manual says you must use 5 to 9 washers. The one I have now even with 3 washers leaves a 3/16" gap between the rivet head and the shank with the bolt screwed down tight. Based on that, they decided the head was welded together wrong or the holes were drilled wrong. I'm not buying that. These things are certainly made in jigs that assure stuff like that doesn't happen. I am not going to go to the trouble and expense of having that ball transferred unless I can find a difference between the new and old heads. I will try just putting the new head on the shank with 3 washers on the rivet, and I am betting the new one won't close up that gap either. I pulled the trailer today about 100 miles on the same type of roads I would be normally using it on and never felt the slightest amount of sway even with 18 wheelers blowing by from the opposite direction on a 2 lane road at 55mph.
	--- Avery, CA

TheBum Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 1407	Posted: 28 Jan 2019 at 5:28pm
	If you have a Harbor Freight handy, grab one of their $80 300 lb-ft torque wrenches (https://www.harborfreight.com/34-in-drive-click-type-torque-wrench-63883.html). That's what I did for the E2 head bolts.
	Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats

michaeln Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 08 Dec 2018 Location: Avery, CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 40	Posted: 28 Jan 2019 at 5:51pm
	I am talking about the torque for the BALL to the hitch head. That is 430 ft/lbs. I have a decent 250 ft/lb torque wrench, but that (or the HF one you are recommending) won't get anywhere near 430 ft/lbs..
	--- Avery, CA

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 28 Jan 2019 at 7:02pm
	I don’t have a torque wrench with that capacity either. Here’s how I would do it: Place the hitch temporarily in the receiver at a 90 degree angle. Install the ball, lock and nut. Put a box end wrench on the nut and tighten until the lock is crushed. divide 430 by your weight and multiply by 12. Put a piece of tape on the wrench handle that number of inches from the center of the nut. Using something to balance so you don’t fall, step firmly with your full weight on the tape spot and bounce up and down gently a few times. That should do it.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

David and Danette Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 24 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1222	Posted: 28 Jan 2019 at 7:21pm
	When we had our 171 I thought we needed more hitch weight and I moved the spare tire to the front of a-frame connected to a bracket. That made a difference, you need to remember with a single axle trailer it is like a scale if you have weight in the back it will lighten the front and weight in the front will lighten the back. We used the Equalizer 4,000 lb. WDH with 4 point sway control. The camper handled very well towed with a Saturn View and a Jeep Liberty.
	2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018- 2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019) 2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014) Middle Tn 2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab