Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > Towing
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 09-11-2019, 05:41 PM   #1
Scott in Michigan
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Northern
Posts: 61
CAMCO R3 Recurve WD hitch failure

Has anyone experienced a failure of the CAMCO R3 Recurve hitch? We were at the end of our second trip with a newly-installed R3 hitch and it failed.

The threads stripped on the head angle adjustment inside the head.**The*hitch head slammed back to the 0 degree vertical position with a bang.*

This new hitch was installed by Camping World about a month ago. They followed the installation instructions to the letter. I was able to watch over their shoulder.

I called Camco and aside from being relieved that no one was injured, they weren't very interested. I suggested they should examine the hitch or search the serial number range to see if there's some flaw with a supplier's product. Neither idea got traction.

They offered to replace the hitch with another R3. Safe to say I do not have confidence in their implementation of this design any longer.

Data:
TW (measured actual) 1140 #
R3 trunnions rated 1200 #
R3 hitch head stamped 15000/1500 #

So, question for the group:

Are failures of weight distributing hitches so commonplace that they're just accepted without a failure analysis?

Again, this was a new CAMCO R3 Recurve WD hitch.


Thanks,
Scott
Scott in Michigan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2019, 05:43 PM   #2
Scott in Michigan
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Northern
Posts: 61
I have no idea why my post has those **'s in it. Sorry.
Scott in Michigan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2019, 05:56 PM   #3
ADQ K9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Anchorage
Posts: 605
I don't think that type of failure is common.
Might I recommend the model I have to replace what you have? It is over kill but I have had zero issues.
Curt 17501, since my truck has a 2.5" receiver I did upgrade to the 2.5" shank
__________________
Mike
2016 Ford F350 CC 6.7 4x4 SRW (Ghost Rider)
2017 Cougar 29 RKSWE (The Tumble Weed)
Connected by a Curt 15K WDH W/Sway Control
ADQ K9 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2019, 06:15 PM   #4
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,601
Scott, I'm sorry for that failure. A failure like that of a wdh could be very dangerous.

I've heard of maladjustments and issues due to that but I've not heard of a hitch head failure - ever. It appears you are very close to the max load of your bars but that shouldn't correlate to a head failure.

IMO, and this is just mine, Camco is not a top of the line wdh. Camco makes "entry" level, affordable (cheap) components for all kinds of RV stuff - I even use some of it. None of it is critical stuff where a failure could have catastrophic consequences. I just watch their little "lego" support blocks bend and break....and buy more cause they're cheap. Won't do that with a wdh or anything else with a lot riding on whether it performs or not....in a tough situation it won't; again IMO. My suggestion? Have the dealer give you a top of the line wdh/sway control (I use an Equalizer) and let the Camco go. With the 1140# tongue weight you've got a pretty big trailer and you need a GOOD wdh; not cut corners.
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2019, 07:04 PM   #5
Scott in Michigan
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Northern
Posts: 61
Thanks for the replies, all. The Camco is history. They weren't interested in looking at it so I did a post-mortem myself. The threads inside the hitch head stripped out. At any rate I moved on to a Blue Ox sway Pro. Scott
Scott in Michigan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2019, 07:08 PM   #6
Scott in Michigan
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Northern
Posts: 61
Also, Camping World bought me out of the Camco. So I am even. They just didn't offer another hitch line at our area store I was interested in. Scott
Scott in Michigan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2019, 07:12 PM   #7
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,601
Good deal Scott! I've not owned a Blue Ox but have read a lot of positive things about them. I'm thinking it has to be a big step above the Camco. Make sure they set it up right for you and good luck!
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2019, 06:30 PM   #8
busterbrown
Senior Member
 
busterbrown's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 1,659
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott in Michigan View Post
Thanks for the replies, all. The Camco is history. They weren't interested in looking at it so I did a post-mortem myself. The threads inside the hitch head stripped out. At any rate I moved on to a Blue Ox sway Pro. Scott
Have you pulled with the Blue Ox yet? My experience was very subpar and it lasted for only about 3 months before upgrading to a Hensley Arrow. The white knuckling got old very quickly when towing my 7600# GVWR, 35' trailer, both with a 1/2 ton and my current 3/4 ton Mega cab. Hope you have better results. IMO, the only traditional hitch I would have upgraded to would have been a 4pt friction one from Equalizer.
__________________
2017 Keystone Bullet 308BHS in Saddle.
2017 RAM 2500 Laramie Mega Cab 4x4 Hemi 6.4L
2008 GMC Yukon XL Denali (SOLD)
Hensley SwiftArrow Control Hitch with 1000 lb Spring Bars
Me, DW, (3) little DS's, and 1 rambunctious Boston Terrier

busterbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2019, 06:50 PM   #9
Northofu1
Senior Member
 
Northofu1's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Markham, Ontario
Posts: 1,942
Quote:
Originally Posted by busterbrown View Post
Have you pulled with the Blue Ox yet? My experience was very subpar and it lasted for only about 3 months before upgrading to a Hensley Arrow. The white knuckling got old very quickly when towing my 7600# GVWR, 35' trailer, both with a 1/2 ton and my current 3/4 ton Mega cab. Hope you have better results. IMO, the only traditional hitch I would have upgraded to would have been a 4pt friction one from Equalizer.
Quite the opposite here. Both with my 1500 and 2500. No sway, no problems.
Maybe yours was undersized or not dialed in.
__________________
Dan & Serena

2019 GMC SIERRA 2500 HD SLE
2015 Cougar X-Lite 29 RET
Northofu1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2019, 07:05 PM   #10
Scott in Michigan
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Northern
Posts: 61
1 trip with the Blue Ox so far, and it pulled well. I realize a single trip does not qualify as an exhaustive test, but I end this season with very good anticipation for its use next year.

It's nice to be able to adjust the weight transfer, and after my CAMCO experience I appreciate the fixed head angle - knowing that weak point does not exist with the Blue Ox.

The original purpose of this thread was to share the weakness and failure of the CAMCO R3 which was directly attributable to how they implement the head angle adjustment.

The downside of the Blue Ox is the wrench they include for placing the chains. It's totally inadequate to the task. I wonder how many users end up riding it back around because they can't generate the torque needed to seat the chain head at the end of its travel, where the torque need is the highest. I carry a 3/4 breaker bar.

Scott
Scott in Michigan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2019, 07:37 PM   #11
busterbrown
Senior Member
 
busterbrown's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 1,659
Quote:
Originally Posted by Northofu1 View Post
Quite the opposite here. Both with my 1500 and 2500. No sway, no problems.
Maybe yours was undersized or not dialed in.
Two completely different tow vehicles (and dialed in) resulted in similar driving dynamics. I've read other reviews saying the same with lengthy (30+ feet) trailers. As an Equalizer would have been my second choice, my Hensley is in a league of its own.
__________________
2017 Keystone Bullet 308BHS in Saddle.
2017 RAM 2500 Laramie Mega Cab 4x4 Hemi 6.4L
2008 GMC Yukon XL Denali (SOLD)
Hensley SwiftArrow Control Hitch with 1000 lb Spring Bars
Me, DW, (3) little DS's, and 1 rambunctious Boston Terrier

busterbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2019, 06:32 AM   #12
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,238
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott in Michigan View Post
1 trip with the Blue Ox so far, and it pulled well. I realize a single trip does not qualify as an exhaustive test, but I end this season with very good anticipation for its use next year.



It's nice to be able to adjust the weight transfer, and after my CAMCO experience I appreciate the fixed head angle - knowing that weak point does not exist with the Blue Ox.



The original purpose of this thread was to share the weakness and failure of the CAMCO R3 which was directly attributable to how they implement the head angle adjustment.



The downside of the Blue Ox is the wrench they include for placing the chains. It's totally inadequate to the task. I wonder how many users end up riding it back around because they can't generate the torque needed to seat the chain head at the end of its travel, where the torque need is the highest. I carry a 3/4 breaker bar.



Scott

I bet if you raise the tongue of the trailer while locked onto the ball of the TV, you can just about eliminate the need to use the breaker bar.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2019, 06:47 AM   #13
CaptnJohn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Ocean Isle Beach
Posts: 1,431
Friend borrowed my Equalizer with 4 point sway control while waiting on ordered Blue Ox to arrive. e likes the Ox but will not give my Equalizer back until he buys one.
__________________

2022.Montana 3855 BR
2019 F350 6.7 4X4 DRW
CaptnJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2019, 07:44 AM   #14
Scott in Michigan
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Northern
Posts: 61
Chuck,

Absolutely I am using the tongue jack to raise the hitched vehicle. There's no way to even start attaching the chains without doing so.

As noted, with only one trip under my belt, I can't speak definitively about the Blue Ox but it appears good so far.

I transitioned from a Curt, which I only retired because it was underrated for my tongue weight, to the disaster that was the Camco R3. A letter from my attorney got Camping World to buy me out of both hitches, and now I'm on to the Blue Ox.

Both the Curt, which I liked, and the Camco, which failed on me with a bang, were selected by Camping World.

We'll report back next year.

Scott
Scott in Michigan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2021, 12:57 PM   #15
linux3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Western NY
Posts: 586
Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
Scott, I'm sorry for that failure. A failure like that of a wdh could be very dangerous.

I've heard of maladjustments and issues due to that but I've not heard of a hitch head failure - ever. It appears you are very close to the max load of your bars but that shouldn't correlate to a head failure.

IMO, and this is just mine, Camco is not a top of the line wdh.
Hey Sourdough, small world.
Friend just bought a 2016 Featherlight and the dealer wants to install a Camco Recurve R3.
He looked on line and sent me a link that said you were not impressed.
I said you can never trust a poster with the handle of Sourdough. LOL

Actually I said there were better choices.

Jayco Featherlite is not a Keystone brand but RV is RV.
__________________
#####################
Rob
Bereft of TT and looking.
2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 6.2L
linux3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2021, 02:29 PM   #16
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,601
Quote:
Originally Posted by linux3 View Post
Hey Sourdough, small world.
Friend just bought a 2016 Featherlight and the dealer wants to install a Camco Recurve R3.
He looked on line and sent me a link that said you were not impressed.
I said you can never trust a poster with the handle of Sourdough. LOL

Actually I said there were better choices.

Jayco Featherlite is not a Keystone brand but RV is RV.

Hi Rob. Hey, what's not trustworthy about "sourdough"?? Actually that name kind of came to me one evening when I was trying to set up an acct. and every single thing I tried was in use...unbelievable. I thought who in the world would use "sourdough" because it's....weird. Well, it was in use too so I ended up using it because it WAS weird and I could remember it (after adding a lot of stuff behind it). That's where that came from.

The Recurve R3 is an entry level wdh with 2 point adjustable sway. You "adjust" the sway with a little allen wrench - none or a lot they say to "completely eliminate sway". That won't happen, their ads are misleading and no, I'm not impressed. Have a great day.
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-23-2021, 07:07 PM   #17
Falcon67
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: Merkel
Posts: 146
I use Equal-i-zer W/Ds and have not had any fails. 13,900 bumper pull trailer, tw 2200-2500 lbs, 14k hitch. Lots of miles, been in service 4 years. Used at least twice a month during racing season.
__________________
Keystone 2021 Springdale 220RD
Tow - 2022 F-350 Lariat DRW 7.3L / 2021 F-150 XLT 3.5L Twin turbo
Falcon67 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
hitch

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 08:02 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.