towing the tm

[Craigrrr]

https://youtu.be/6qkyAN4a4Mg



our 2008 TM towed with our 2008 Sienna fwd I need to lube the pivot points on the anti-sway bar.... NOT the friction bar if anyone is confused.

[Bill]

I need to lube the pivot points on the anti-sway bar.
Yes, you do.

Is there a question in there somewhere? Are you asking what points need to be lubed, or what lube to use, or when to use it? Let me toss out some random info and perhaps some of it will be useful to you. By the way, the bar I am looking at is not an antisway bar, since it will do nothing to control sway. It is a springbar, part of the Weight Distributing Hitch (WDH) setup.

The hitch ball itself should be greased. Not daily, but every two or three outings. Use a paper towel to clean off the old grease. Then apply a blob of new grease to the ball, and smear it around with your fingers. You should have a generous coating of grease over the entire ball, especially the front and back surfaces that get most of the wear. I'm not sure if it matters what kind of grease you use - I have always used a white lithium grease in a toothpaste-type tube, because it is easy to apply, and has other uses around the trailer.

From viewing the video, I think you have trunnion-style springbars, and that each springbar has upward- and downward-pointing stubs at the end, as shown at the left end in the picture below. (If you have a bent springbar, the same comments apply except that there is only one stub.) These stubs are what mate into the sockets on the ball-mount.As the tow vehicle turns corners, the stubs rotate in their sockets, and this results in wear on the stubs. If you inspect the stubs, you will see shiny areas where the wear is taking place. These shiny areas should be oiled (not greased) each time you insert the springbar into the ballmount.

The chain hangers do not need to be lubed. However, it should not groan like that. When the chains groan (as they do in your video), this is an indication that the chains have been tightened too far. There should be 5 or 6 links between the chain hook on the trailer's A-frame and the chain's attachment point at the rear of the springbar. If the chain is too short (say 3 or 4 links), and your tow vehicle makes a sharp turn, you can actually pull the chain out to full horizontal, and if you turn more sharply than that, you can break the chain or the hanger hook.

Is any of this what you were looking for? You might also check out the applicable articles in the Trail Manor Technical Library, such as

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2616

Bill

[Craigrrr]

No question, just stating the point it needs grease because of the moaning . lol I have round wd bars, the anti sway is mounted on the other side. I did have the anti-sway bar too tight and yes the wdh was tightened up 1 extra link as I was trying which is best 3 link or 4 link to the wdh bracket.

[Bill]

I understand. But let me say again that if the moaning is coming from the hitch and springbar assembly, it is not primarily a lube issue. And lubing it won't cure the moaning, at least in tight turns. Try this, right in your driveway or at the side of the street. Turn your tow vehicle sharply, as you would if you were turning a tight corner or backing into a campsite. Then stop and look at the hitch. You will find that the side of the hitch on the outside of the turn has moved forward relative to the trailer, and the side at the inside of the turn has moved rearward. Since the springbars are attached to the hitch, they move forward and back, too. And this pulls the chains off vertical. When the chains are pulling at an angle, it puts tremendous extra stress on the entire mechanism. And if the chain is too short, it will pull right out to horizontal, and something will break. This will be expensive, and your trip will end on the spot until repairs can be made.

The right solution, and an easy one, is simply to tilt the ballmount backward a little. This will lower the tips of the springbars, allowing you to use another link or two of chain to get the same amount of lift. The ballmount's tilt angle is intended to be easily adjustable.

There are some good thoughts in the middle of this long thread, from about post #8 to #18 or so.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10585

Bill

[Craigrrr]

Thanks Bill, I will check that out.

[tentcamper]

+2. lube the spring bars at the point where they make contact with your hitch. For us we have a trunnion bars. So the top I lube the front half of the pivot and the bottom pivot I lube the back half.

[Craigrrr]

Yes, I do lube as there is a zerk fitting there at each side for the spring bars, I just did not grease the anti sway pbar pivot balls. when I remove the anti sway bar the groaning moaning stops. I was just letting people know the sienna can tow the TM I knew it needed grease and most anti sway bars do creak and moan on sharp turns I have found out