# Wd Bar Storage



## Bob Landry (Apr 18, 2011)

How do you Outback TT owners store your tension bars when they are not in use. In my previous trailer, I hung 2 pieces of PVC from the top of the pass through but the doors on my 227RL are too small for me to crawl up inside to do that again. I don't want to leave them out and I hate the greasy mess it makes just putting them in the pass through locker.


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

are you looking for a place to store them when the trailer is in storage, or a place to put them when your at a camping spot??

Since our community storage lot is about two houses away from our house, bars are at home in the shed when hot used.

When camping, with round bars and my small trailer I picked up a set of round bar holders at a local dealer. Basically a piece of say 1.5" dia tubing, maybe 3 " long with a piece of angle iron welded to the side. Angle iron flange Bolts to the side of the tongue near the back. So the bar ends drop into it (bars "upside down") and just swing to be next to the a frame. Keeps them out of the dirt, grease off the clothes.

for my outback with 1700lb trunnion bars, that doesn't work, and I haven't found a easy way to store them when camping other than either laying them on the ground or on top of the big battery box.

I have thought of getting pvc pipe that I could bolt under the a frame on the tongue to slide the bars in when camping.

Something else that might work. I have a folding ladder that folds down to about 4" square x 7' long. I bought a 5" square PVC fence post (hollow) and bolted it to the top of my tongue A frame as close as I could to the trailer cap, behind the battery box. it holds the ladder well, probably would hold bars equally well. at the ends I cap it with the plastic fence caps that match the post and drop a SS bolt through the cap and tube to keep the ladder from coming out. With round bars you might need to make a u shaped channel in the bottom and end of the tube to allow the end to slide all the way in and cap it.

I keep thinking of putting them in the pass through but that seems like an invitation to getting stuff greasy or broken.


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## Aussiefire (Aug 12, 2012)

I keep the bars in garage area of our toy hauler when at home but when camping I have hung a piece of 4" PVC pipe under the A frame at the front of the trailer. Bars slide in when I unhook, they are out of sight and it does not really add any weight when towing as the PVC is empty except when we are all set up. Thought I had pictures easily accessible but cannot find them. I got this idea from this site, so I am sure there are pictures around if needed.


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## Bugsmema (Feb 16, 2013)

Ok, another stupid question here. What are the tension bars for? Our old trailer had one slide out and a tension bar for when we were traveling. Our trailer now has two slides and no tension bars, if that's what your talking about. KTMRacer, did you get tension bars for your trailer?


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## Bill & Kate (Apr 28, 2012)

We have a Reese Pro Series SC hitch with trunnion bars - they really don't get too greasy except at the trunnion end which can be easily wiped off. I have a couple of red "service station" rags dedicated to the trunnion bars that I use to wipe them, then leave them wrapped around the end.

While we are camping, the trunnion bars are stored across the frame adjacent to the battery box. For longer term storage they go in the side compartment under the bed with the rags in place.

I would like a more elegant solution, but so far haven't come up with one ....


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

You know those old umbrella chairs that always seem to break and get thrown away. Toss the chair and save the bags to store the bars.Keeps the mess to a minimum.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Bugsmema said:


> Ok, another stupid question here. What are the tension bars for? Our old trailer had one slide out and a tension bar for when we were traveling. Our trailer now has two slides and no tension bars, if that's what your talking about. KTMRacer, did you get tension bars for your trailer?


The thread is about the weight distribution bars for the trailer to truck. The locking or tension bars that some older trailers used to make sure the slide stayed in while traveling is not needed on the Outback slides or should not be needed anyway.


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## Bugsmema (Feb 16, 2013)

Ahhh, thank you Andy! Glad you cleared that up for me. Glad to know we don't need those tension bars anymore to. Couldn't ask hubby as he's not here right now, and he would make some wise crack about me asking anyway. Y'all wouldn't know anything about that though, right? Lol, JK


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Here is how it was done on my prior Outback with the bars stored under the frame.

http://home.comcast.net/~tannerjim1/Mods/wdh_bar_storage.htm


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## Rmk2001800 (Apr 17, 2011)

I just push them forward on the hitch when camping- they point at the tires kinda.


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Here is how it was done on my prior Outback with the bars stored under the frame.
> 
> http://home.comcast.net/~tannerjim1/Mods/wdh_bar_storage.htm


I have a similar plastic post on top of the a frame to hold my folding ladder, Maybe I'll add one underneath for the bars, since mine are trunnion, they should fit pretty easily.


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## Tourdfox (Oct 4, 2012)

CamperAndy said:


> You know those old umbrella chairs that always seem to break and get thrown away. Toss the chair and save the bags to store the bars.Keeps the mess to a minimum.


Now there's a good tip Eh!!!!When camping i just leave mine in and slack of the chain.When home i just wrap a rag around them and stand in a corner.No big greasy messes so far


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## sptddog (Mar 22, 2006)

I use a 15 dollar rifle case for them and just drop them in my storage area under the bunk or the one in the back of my 25RSS.


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## LaydBack (Aug 22, 2010)

check the pictures in the link in my sig.


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## pep_ (Apr 27, 2012)

CamperAndy said:


> You know those old umbrella chairs that always seem to break and get thrown away. Toss the chair and save the bags to store the bars.Keeps the mess to a minimum.


That is what I use as well and then slide them into the pass through storage. The inside of the bag can get greasy but I just turn it inside out once in a while and wipe it down. Rather the bag get greasy than the storage though


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## Bart Youngblood (Jan 2, 2013)

Rmk2001800 said:


> I just push them forward on the hitch when camping- they point at the tires kinda.


That's what my father does with his on his Airstream. I'd just be a little afraid of scrap metal thieves in some places.

When I'm camping, I just put them in the cargo area in the back. When I come home, they are stored in the garage, as I store my camper about 7 miles away.


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## RDS (Jul 20, 2011)

This is where mine reside when camping.


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

I purchased a long and low plastic box with wheels at one end, and a cover that was hinged about midway on the top. In this box I stored my tension bars, sway control bar, wheel chocks with wrenches, extra pins, stabilizer cranks, and anything else that I wasn't too worried about getting too greasy.

This worked great because I could still store chairs and other doodads on top of the box and not worry about finding the contents or having them contaminate anything else.


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## rattrizity (Jul 30, 2007)

Here is my solution to the WD bar storage issue. I didn't want them in the trailer and I didn't want to have to lug them to some external storage point&#8230;&#8230; so.
I bolted a length of angle iron under the trailer at the point where the hitch A-frame meets the trailer frame. The angle iron extends from each side far enough for the end of the WD bar to sit on it. I took 2 5/16 x 3 inch bolts and drille a hole through the top of each for a small pad lock to pass through. Next I drilled a 5/16 hole in each end of the angle, passed the 3 inch 5/16 bolt through the hole and welded the bolt to the angle. Next I drilled a 3/8 hole through the tag end of each WD bar so that it will drop over the 5/16 bolts.
Now when I disconnect the trailer I can just disconnect the WD bars from the hitch and slide them back and over the bolts. For storage I secure the bars to the bolts with a lock for each bar. 
The other end of the bars sits on the bar carrier bracket for the hitch.
The only think I would do differently is to use 1/5 inch bolts rather than 5/16. 
I suppose someone could twist the bars and break the weld at the bolts but sure seems a lot of work . I've never had any issues with the bars in the years since I made this mod.
I don't have pictures but if folks want some visuals I will take some pics next time I am at the trailer.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Pictures....please.


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## CRZ (Feb 3, 2009)

X2 for some pictures!!!


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