Equal-I-Zer Correct Hitch Ball Shank Length

[GCinSC2]

Folks,

Not a debate about which hitch to use, this is strictly my report on the CORRECT hitch ball shank LENGTH, per Equal-I-Zer.

I'm also an Equal-I-Zer hitch owner.

This spring I inspected an Equal-I-Zer hitch on a newbie's rig that was freshly bought and "setup" by the retailer, yup the big retailer.

The shank bolts were loose, the angle set bolt was not tightened but the big one was the hitch ball shank length was TOO long and interfered with the rotation of the sway bar sockets at the head. The sockets left deep gouges in the ball shank from tighter turns. This made serious popping snapping noises in tighter maneuvering, like backing in.

I had a correct length replacement hitch ball and tools with me, installed it, tightened the angle set bolt and shank bolts.

Now last week we have a friend with a freshly bought SOB with an Equal-I-Zer installed by a different branch of the same big retailer.

Guess what? Same too long hitch ball shank. This one I helped the new owner find over the phone, pic's confirmed same shank gouges etc.

Returned to a different store of same company, yeah OK, we'll replace it.

Now it comes back with a true Equal-I-Zer hitch ball 2 5/16" ball, 1 1/4" diameter shank and a 2 1/4" shank length. Equal-I-Zer also states the max shank length is 2 3/8" on their website.

All's well, right?

The new owner asked if I'd mind checking the ball torque, yup it was not fully tightened. A gentle push on my 3/4" breaker bar and it spun. We setup to tighten it and he was on his way.

If you own an Equal-I-Zer hitch you might want to look underneath the hitch head and see if your shank is the correct length. The gouges will be very visible.

Summary:

The same company, two different stores sold the same style hitch to two different customers with INCORRECT long standard shank lengths and sent the customer on their merry way.

And attention to detail is darn important and all too often lazily overlooked.

Gary

[NoResults]

Thanks for the heads up. I am moving the ball from my previous 600 lb head to a new head 1200 lb for my new 27' coming and will check to make sure it is correct or order a new one.


Dave

[GCinSC2]

Sorry I should have included this link direct from Equal-I-Zer addressing this same issue.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/manua...the-hitch-ball

[JMynes]

My Equalizer was set up by the dealer with a long shank as well. Aside from that problem, absolutely nothing was right about the hitch setup.
I marked the shank with a Sharpie and cut it to the proper length. Stepped on the scale and did some math to torque it down with a seriously long 3/4” drive breaker bar. Went to the local school parking lot and got the setup right with very little trouble.
It’s my experience that dealerships don’t care what happens after you leave. All they want is the check, and get you off their parking lot. After that you’re on your own.

[morrismaster]

When we bought our 26U Twin Bed 2018, I bought it from a big dealer. I told them I wanted a great setup and did not specify. I thought I would be getting a premium setup. That was my first mistake. They put on a undersized unit from a company I had never heard of... It did not pull smoothly, banged and lurched roughly. I took it back and they argued with me and I thought the Service Manager was going to hit me. Bad day instead of a pleasant day. I took it to another dealer and specified Equalizer since I had experience with that. The second dealer installed it wrong. I watched all the YouTube videos, read all the instructions, got my tools together and just jumped in. It turned out great. Pulls smoothly now and the truck and trailer are level. Eureka. The only problem I am having, if this is related, is that I popped about 6 rivets towards the rear of the AS ceiling right behind the bathroom and in front go the twin beds. I don't think it is from the setup because the bars, while tight, are not too tight. I think I am popping them because of regular towing conditions.