Overrated equalizer hitch on sport 16? Any issues?

[Msherw]

Originally Posted by pteck

It might be just me, but I don't get into company politics and such. It's about what's best for me and the value proposition of the product for me. Otherwise, I'd swear off too many great things, including a bunch of technology products.

i don’t think buying or not buying a product based on company policy, beliefs, or other criteria is necessarily politics. It is spending my money in support of a quality item - and refraining from doing so when I find the management in opposition to my personal criteria. The company must make an unquestionable product and in doing so must not publicly denigrate my personal beliefs.

In this case, Anderson chose to deface a national monument and I choose not to support the company products. In fairness, he did apologize to America when his selfie went viral and he was caught. Other companies make great products (like coffee) and don’t make the front page of the news with news-grabbing quotes by management. Coffee is coffee and it easily purchased elsewhere.

And if you agree with a company’s (known) policies then I support their products. Bottom line. I like and trust the Equal-I-Zer product and found it had supported Airstream a long time.

[fishbisquit]

It seems like any hitch that controls sway also distributes weight, am I wrong?
Is there a hitch that just controls sway?

[Ronyx]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

... check out the Fastway E-2. It's the baby brother to the Equalizer, operating on the same principle, but with smaller parts and less cost.

I have a 2017 FC19 and a 2017 Sierra 1500, which isn’t much different from your setup. The 19 has a GVWR of 4,500lbs and a dry/no options hitch weight of 550lbs.

Upon delivery the dealer installed a Pro Series WD hitch. That was OK but in cross winds on the highway I could feel some sway. This year the I replaced that hitch with the E-2, which has two point sway control and WD. This new set up is a huge improvement. Feels much more secure and stable. The WD also seems to work better IMO.

[fishbisquit]

Does anybody have any experience with this?

Pro Series Friction Sway Control Kit - Economy - by Draw-Tite, Reese and Hidden Hitch

https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...ies/83660.html

It has over 250 positive reviews, looks like this may be a good solution?

[HowieE]

In my original comment I suggested you should be more interested in sway control than WD based on your smaller trailer. I did not mention the Andersen because of the political controversy currently surrounding the owner of the company.

Now that you are aware of the hitch I will address it from it's mechanical considerations. I was one of the first to install an Andersen, some 6 years ago. I discovered it at the Quartzite RV show. I have to admit my first impression was that thing can't work but after sleeping on it I went back the next day and told them to ship one. If you look at other Andersen products you will see they do not just follow the heard on design considerations but rather present new approaches to old problems.

The hesitation I had was understand how the WD aspects of how the hitch worked. Once I understood that I have never regretted the choice. Ease of connection, superior sway control, and elimination of porpoising is what you want.

I started what turned out to be a very extensive thread on the Andersen here on the forum. If you want some deep reading I would start there.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ead-92131.html

You will see many comments regarding the use of the Andersen on an Aistream with respect to the A frame coupler. Yes there is a problem of the shark fin ware on the cheap couplers Airstream uses. However I can not see that being an issue with the smaller trailer.

[mojo]

Yes, that is what I suggested in post #7. I used to tow my 19' Bambi on the ball with a Reese anti sway bar and never experienced any problems. You just need to be sure your trailer is level when connected to the truck when loaded. This may require a drop hitch for your truck. The hitch also requires a small offset ball for the sway bar. You have to remember not to make excessive tight turns, especially when backing up and best to remove the sway bar when backing. It has limitations on tight turns.


https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...ies/83660.html

[pteck]

Originally Posted by fishbisquit

Does anybody have any experience with this?

Pro Series Friction Sway Control Kit - Economy - by Draw-Tite, Reese and Hidden Hitch

https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...ies/83660.html

It has over 250 positive reviews, looks like this may be a good solution?

You would be amiss to choose a sway control only solution. The function of weight distribution is itself to increase stability against sway. It's missing the point to address sway with only literal sway control. As an engineer, I take advantage of every opportunity if resources allow. Or like doing a job with only 1 hand, no one said you can't use both.

The outcome you want is great stability, regardless of the solution. For that, I would encourage you to choose a hitch that provides both for your advantage. At heavier loads in your trailer and truck, you'll be happy you have the ability to apply WD to keep the truck attitude more level and stable.

[mojo]

Belt and suspenders work....but overkill.

[tjwoods1]

Originally Posted by HowieE

General rule for a WD hitch is use the lightest bars available.
Unless you are towing with a VW bug or a Smart Car I am not sure you even need a WD hitch.

You could need some form of sway control but that function is most often built into the WD hitch so use the lightest you can find.

I have a 19’ FC that is 550 dry tongue weight and about 4,000 or slightly more trailer weight. With a Husky Centerline I can’t decide which would work best ... spring bars 400-600/ 6,000 lbs or 600-800/ 8,000 lbs. Would tongue weight be the deciding factor rather than trailer weight? With water and the hitch weight the tongue might go up a bit.

[pteck]

Originally Posted by tjwoods1

I have a 19’ FC that is 550 dry tongue weight and about 4,000 or slightly more trailer weight. With a Husky Centerline I can’t decide which would work best ... spring bars 400-600/ 6,000 lbs or 600-800/ 8,000 lbs. Would tongue weight be the deciding factor rather than trailer weight? With water and the hitch weight the tongue might go up a bit.

A big part of that equation is your tow vehicle. What are you towing with?

[tjwoods1]

Originally Posted by pteck

A big part of that equation is your tow vehicle. What are you towing with?

Nissan Frontier SVX 4WD. Tow capacity 6,100 lbs

[tjwoods1]

Nissan Frontier SVS 4WD - Tow Capacity 6,000.

[fishbisquit]

The TV we are hoping to get is a Ford f150. After the replies here and looking over other threads and talking with our AS dealer my current plan is to get a regular ball hitch and probably the reese sway bar I linked to earlier. Once our dealer heard we were looking to get an f150 he said we would be totally fine with a regular hitch and saw no need for any wd at all.

[tjwoods1]

Originally Posted by tjwoods1

Nissan Frontier SVS 4WD - Tow Capacity 6,000.

Opps - sorry for the double post.

[64GlobeTrotter]

Try towing without the add-ons and see how your trailer handles. With a small trailer & a large TV you likely don't need anything. I made the mistake of pulling a 20' trailer with a large TV and WD hitch. The trailer sustained damage in the form of popped rivets and bent / cracked body panels.


Friction sway bars are a waste of money - while they sort-of work, they are far from ideal.


I use neither WD nor sway control and my trailer pulls just fine.

[gecko]

Welcome fishbisquit!

The Equalizr is super easy to use and very effective. The ONLY negative as put forth by Andy Thompson of Canam (the Toronto, Canada AS dealership, and perhaps the leading expert on all things about towing Aitstreams) is the aforementioned symmetrical bars. You do need to be careful going through deep dips like steep driveway entrances. So get the lightest weight Equalizr to do the job and you’ll be fine.

As far as the F-150, that’s a great TV for your Bambi. Andy prefers SUV’s to pickups because of chucking or porpoising with the separated bed and body, but other than that, if you’re pickup people, go for it!

One caution—payload. Make sure that the sticker on your particular truck shows enough payload left over after you subtract the tongue weight of your Bambi when loaded fir camping (NOT the spec in the manual which may be an empty trailer stat) , the weight of you and family AND ANYTHING ELSE that you put in the truck! Some trucks overloaded with options may not have much payload to spare.

Good luck!

[Dallashayes]

same set up here and say the same thing.

[richcrest]

I have used a 6K Equalizer hitch assembly with my 19' Safari Bambi and 4 different TVs. While the tongue weight of the AS when fully loaded is only about 500#, my 2018 Ford F-150 FX4 loaded with camping gear and a full tank squats nearly 3" when the trailer is coupled before installing the Equalizer bars. 4X4s are typically sprung higher than 4X2s. Both trailer and TV benefit from WD even when the TV is well under its loading capacity.

Going to a used heavier capacity Equalizer than 4-6K to save money will subject your trailer to excessive pounding and will cause breakage of rivets, screws, caulking, etc. Spring for a new matched Equalizer and you won't regret it.

With a 2016-up F-150 you'll need a hitch shank with at least a 10" length hole to hole if you want to be able to open the tailgate with the trailer hitched. Otherwise the tall tailgate will strike the AS jack tube.

[Olscot]

There are too many variables to give a perfect answer. What works well for some will not work for others. IMHO hook your TT to your TV. Are both still level? An adjustable drop hitch may be needed if not. Take it for a short drive. Do you have experience with similar TV and towing? Are you comfortable towing? Will you be racing down the Interstate at 75+ MPH to get to your destination or taking other roads at your leisure? Do you weave in and out of traffic? Can you wait out bad weather/heavy traffic or need to race on regardless of conditions? Any of these questions may influence your choices. Above all make sure you can be relaxed and comfortable while driving. I, like many others, tow 'on the ball'. I also stay off the Interstates when possible and rarely go over 60 MPH. With over 50 years towing and nearly 4 million miles I'm comfortable but, my TV and 31' TT are nearly perfectly matched, loaded, and level. If I need to carry more weight in the TV then I will need a hitch also to keep it level. Others would not think of going out the driveway without an expensive WD hitch. Have fun and be safe.

[mshumer995]

I may get some grief here but I believe the best in the industry may be the Hensley. You can probably use the Hensley Swift Cub, thats the one I have. I'll never use another anti-sway/load equalizing hitch. Watch the video here: https://www.hensleymfg.com/hensley-hitch-video/