You have to start with the bar swung across the center?? Won't that make it impossible to insert the bars while the hitch is on the ball? It would seem that the bars won't clear the jackstem.
I'm very surprised. In your case, I would at very least be emailing Reese tech support. I had a question for them years ago, and they were reasonably responsive.
You mentioned a part number, for the receiver/ballmount assembly and the springbars as a kit. This part number does not come up on the Reese site, although by removing the "-020" from the end, it does hit. By any chance do the bars have a separate number on them, either stamped into the steel or on a label? Not all bars fit all ballmounts.
Finally, who put the chain's U-bolts onto the bars? The photo on the Reese site is poor, but it does suggest that the kit comes with the U-bolts in a bag, and you install them yourself. If that is the case, how did you decide which side of the bar is the top, and which side is the bottom? It is at least possible that the stickers that say "Pro Series" were applied upside down. Remember, the Chinese assembler can't read the label, so one way looks as good as the other to him.
The ultimate aribiter of top and bottom would be made on the basis of the angle of the springbar body vs the springbar head. They are not quite perpendicular, but I can't remember for sure which way it leans. My bars are not here, or I would check. I think (but don't trust me) that when the springbar stubs are held in vertical alignment, the top of the bar is UP when the springbar tips are slanted slightly toward the ground. And indeed, your very first picture seems to show this. So I am not being much help ...
Bill
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