Adjusting Weight Distribution - Equalizer

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I will try to make this simple. With the trailer sitting level and the tow vehicle sitting normal [both on level ground] you first have to have the hitch ball at the same height as the trailer ball socket. Next, with an angle gauge, check the angle of the tow vehicle hitch receiver. Where ever that angle is you want to adjust the ball mount 6 to 10 degrees down. I set mine at 10 degrees down. I had to add one washer to the original set up. Next you want your "L" brackets in a possition that will make the spring bars level with the trailer frame. I needed / wanted more pressure on the front of my tow vehicle; So I moved the "L" brackets up one notch. Perfect!
Basically, I went with what the factory says is ideal, 6 degrees down with level spring bars. But they say you might need more and that the spring bars don't have to be level, but should be close or something else is set up wrong. So I have my ball mount 10 degrees down and my spring bars up only one notch.
Doing this adjustment, you should always do the ball angle first and if you need a little more, like I did, then do the "L" brackets last.

Bob

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I will try to make this simple. With the trailer sitting level and the tow vehicle sitting normal [both on level ground] you first have to have the hitch ball at the same height as the trailer ball socket. Next, with an angle gauge, check the angle of the tow vehicle hitch receiver. Where ever that angle is you want to adjust the ball mount 6 to 10 degrees down. I set mine at 10 degrees down. I had to add one washer to the original set up. Next you want your "L" brackets in a possition that will make the spring bars level with the trailer frame. I needed / wanted more pressure on the front of my tow vehicle; So I moved the "L" brackets up one notch. Perfect!
Basically, I went with what the factory says is ideal, 6 degrees down with level spring bars. But they say you might need more and that the spring bars don't have to be level, but should be close or something else is set up wrong. So I have my ball mount 10 degrees down and my spring bars up only one notch.
Doing this adjustment, you should always do the ball angle first and if you need a little more, like I did, then do the "L" brackets last.

Bob

As I understand it with my limited knowledge of the Equal-i-zer setup, this is a good explanation and the proper order to make adjustments to the permanent setup.

[AlbertF]

I'm not familiar with Equalizer hitches, but I'll throw in my 2 cents worth.
You might consider having a shop redrill the 5/8" hole in the shank (and cut a bit off the end if necessary) to get the ball closer to the bumper. You might get 1.5 or 2" less overhang this way. You may notice a difference.

Also, once you've got the angle of the head they way you want it (and I don't need to add to that discussion except that you will need a couple of 1-1/8" wrenches), experiment with the torsion bar tension. I have discovered that as little as a half link of adjustment (achieved by overlapping two links with a 1/2" bolt) can make a significant difference in the way the combination rides and handles.

One more thing - you've got the factory GM receiver. If you end up towing more than the Bambi, you might consider replacing it with something more rigid.

[Minnie's Mate]

The Equal-i-zer brand does not use chains to support the "spring bars" as other brands do. The bars are 2" square solid metal bars that are held in the hitch head by metal bins and the rear ends are supported by steel L-brackets that are adjusted by moving the brackets up or down and securing with bolts that run through pre-drilled threaded holes in the L-brackets. The bars are held on the L-brackets with metal retainers that mount to the L-brackets and are held in place by cotter pins. This allows the spring bars to slide on the L-brackets. This, unfortunately, doesn't allow for the fine tuning that you describe. However, because the holes in the L-brackets and holes in the mounting brackets behind them are offset, there is some degree of fine tuning that equates to moving the brackets half way between the holes in the brackets.

From Equal-i-zer's website, the first photo below shows the complete system. The second shows the L-bracket assembly that attaches to the A-frame and subsitutes for the the take up chains of other weight distribution systems. The system is very elegant in it's simplisity and ease of use.

[Silvertwinkie]

One thing I noticed was that the weight dist bars look pretty darn big for a Bambi and a truck........

Plus a Bambi isn't gonna get a whole lot of change given it's low hitch weight of around two healthy size adults....maybe on a soft suspension car as I found, but not much with a stiffer suspension truck. My exp though is based with a Reese hitch system.

[bhayden]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

goal is 50/50 on the tv
and at the very least restoring the front axle weight that is UNLOADED without a w/d setup....
and this weight change can only be found on a scale...
2air'

How so? The vehicle suspension is a reflection of how much weight it is supporting, no? So if the height is the same after adjusting the WD bars as prior to hooking up the trailer then isn't that the point at which the weight on the front suspension has been restored? At that point the rear would have to be lower than without the hitch and granted what percentage of the tongue weight is front/rear bias is anybodies guess.

My goal is to optimize the towing characteristics of the combination TV and TT. I'm not convinced that's always going to be 50/50. As you point out spring rates differ and some TVs, like pick-ups are designed to be carrying a load. It would seem logical that those vehicles would benifit from a rear weight bias more so than a vehicle designed for carrying passengers which is usually loaded neutral or with a front seating bias.

-Bernie

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

One thing I noticed was that the weight dist bars look pretty darn big for a Bambi and a truck........

Plus a Bambi isn't gonna get a whole lot of change given it's low hitch weight of around two healthy size adults....maybe on a soft suspension car as I found, but not much with a stiffer suspension truck. My exp though is based with a Reese hitch system.

You are right. They can be pretty thick. Mine are 2" square steel bars. There are different cross sections for different tongue weights and the different bars are NOT interchangeable in the hitch head. In other words, a 1,000# set of bars won't fit in a 1,200# hitch head. You do have to match the bars to the hitch rating. My hitch is a 12,000# hitch with 1,200# rated bars. I couldn't use 1,000# bars. I would have to get a new hitch and bars to tow a Bambi.

Additionally, the Equal-i-zer bars aren't meant to have that "slight upward bend" like the Reese and other brands have.

[2airishuman]

hi bernie


i'm not a hitch, towing or suspension expert, but i did sleep in an airstream last night!

my notation about 50/50 wasn't a general guide it was specific to my rig and to campadk's yukon. specifically for the yukon i'd want to restore the front axle load for steering control...

of course lots of variables come into play and i agree there are many suspension varieties, and just as many distribution plans....

the usual guide is the tongue mass is 1/3 on each tv axle and 1/3 on the trailer....that doesn't happen with all units. the little trailers like campadk and the really long ones like mine may not allow that split...

my superduty was 56/34 ft/rr as i recall. my goal after loading the bed full of crap and adding the tongue mass of a 34 was equal loads on each truck axle...

with that done the truck is 1/2-3/4 inch lower in the rear relative to the starting position and unladen.

if i restored the original 56/34 distribution i'd be at or just over the front axle capacity and tires too...so that wasn't my goal. some folks with same set up do try to reload the front axle, but i'm carrying a big load IN the truck bed too...

so my point to campadk, was just take it to the scales and record axle weights at a variety of settings. then when fiddling with setups he can at least know what each does to the actual loads...

not all t.v.s will be prefectly level or just like unladen even with the ideal w/d adjustment....

everyone's mileage will vary and my thoughts are void where prohibited...

cheers
2air'

[63air]

Give the guys at Equal-i-zer a call. Their tech support is excellent and they will answer any question you have. I did this when I set my hitch up and thought it wasn't quite perfect. Big things are do you have the correct shank,I had to get a different size than the standard one that came with the hitch. Did you set it up per the instructions and how does it perform when towing.

Biggest thing I found in doing the setup is make sure you are on a level surface.

[63air]

Looked at your pictures again and I can't say for sure but you might need the longer shank. I tow with a 2500 Dodge Ram 4x4 and had to go that route. Put 12,000 miles on the hitch last year and it was the greatest.

[scottanlily]

Im late on this and that ok ,albertf has a great point that needs to be thought of .the hitch shank needs to be as close to the rear of the tv as is
possible without interference ,moving it closer in changes the sway action
of the trailer and does improve stability .I had to do exactly this procedure as he has described ,cut the shank down an have the hole redrilled .I effectively
moved it in about 4 to 5 " and a big difference .Now many will say it won't
help as my local RV guy had said (I had upgraded the vintage 1 3/4 reciever
to the standard 2 " ) and it stuck out 4" farther than the old one )but it
dramatically was different ,so putting inward as the old style was fixed my trouble instantly as far as the stability went. I see many folks hitches with
the shank way far out the rear of the TV ,by 6 8" or more ,and the farther out it is the more prone to sway or instability .That said ,some of these hitches can over come some of this ,mainly the reese dual cam .
This is just a helpful suggestion that works and may be able to help others as well .

Scott

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, while on that thought, mine must be just right because with my trailer hitched, I can't open my lift gate. [Too close to trailer tongue jack and propane cover.] Also my shank assembly dragged on the ground so I cut off the bottom hole which will never be used since I use the top hole for the ball bracket.

Bob

[bhayden]

2air,

I think we're in violent agreement over this

I haven't been able to take our rig to a scale yet but I have tried towing with the hitch adjusted with slightly more and less weight distribution to the front. I've done this by removing and adding one washer to the hitch angle which is the smallest incrementaly adjustment I can make. One chain link is a HUGE adjustment. With our set-up equal suspension compression front and rear is what works best. I can't say for sure without going to the scales (on the to do list) but I'm going to guess that it's pretty close to equal weight added to front and rear axles.

The (very) old instructions that came with our Reese hitch say to load set-up with the rear bias like you have. From what you and others have said that seems to be most applicable to HD trucks that were designed to carry a load in the bed. I've known a lot of people that routinely carry arround a few hundred pounds in the back of there trucks all the time just so that it handles and rides better.

I think one golden rule you pointed out is that as a MINIMUM you should restore the original amount of weight to the front axle and I think that can be determined without a scale just by measureing fender well height. I llike that measurement better than bumper height though both would probably work.

Thanks for the response,

-Bernie

[bryanl]

" I think we're in violent agreement over this"

What we should not do is to forget the reason for load leveling hitches in the first place. The "one golden rule" gets close but is again missing the point.

What you are after is good handling in your rig. You want your rig to steer properly, drive a straight line, and stop safely.

Now, there are scads of gadgets, devices, techniques, add-ons, fixtures, and devices to improve vehicle handling. There are also all sorts of different vehicles that deal with loads in various ways. There are also personal preferences about how a vehicle should handle. And don't forget that issues of maintenance can be a big factor as in the choice of tires, tire pressure, and so on.

The lesson is that we shouldn't loose track of the forest in looking at trees.

There's a guy in Texas towing his Airstream trailer with an HDT. I don't think he uses either load level or sway control gadgets. He doesn't need them. I know people with F250 pickups who also don't need such things for towing 8k lb Airstream trailers.

Then there is the controversy Can Am stirs up even after they demonstrate the effectiveness of their efforts with track tests.

Let's not loose sight of the goal in arguing the fine points.