Will the Reese Replacement Head and Shank Work with Reese Trunnion Style 1,700 lb Spring Bars

Updated 06/08/2012 | Published 06/06/2012

Question:

need replacement head and shank, i have reese sq. spring bars with sway control. on bar it says 1700 wt.dis. spring bar, 17000 max gross trailer wt. and 1700 max hitch wt. dont want to change brackets on trailer,will these bars work with #rp54980

asked by: Ken A

Expert Reply:

I checked with my technical contact at Reese and he said that as long as your trunnion bars are the Reese branded bars, like part # 66010, they can be used with the Replacement Head and Shank for Reese Weight Distribution Systems, # RP54980. He also mentioned that that newer bars cannot be used in older heads that have Latch Pins, like part # 58025, for securing the spring bar, see photo.

Since the system you are replacing the head on is designed for 1,700 lbs tongue weight and 17,000 lbs gross trailer weight, and is normally used with vehicles that have a 2-1/2 inch hitch, you should keep in mind that you will be limited to the lowest rated item in your towing system, which could be your tow vehicle, the trailer hitch, or the replacement shank you selected which has a tongue weight capacity of 1,500 lbs and 15,000 lbs gross trailer weight.

I added links to a couple of articles that you may find helpful also.

expert reply by: Robert G