Equal-i-zer Hitch Thread.

[Tomzstream]

Originally Posted by Silvery Moon

Good point. The WD adjustments for my EQ setup clearly weren't configured correctly by my dealer. My hitch seems properly installed, and now it needs to be properly adjusted. I hope your situation proves easy to diagnose and resolve!

I moved away from the dealer I bought from a long time ago, and while everything seemed OK at the time, the CAT scales tell a different story. I suspect what happened was the tech let the truck sit awhile and it lowered to the ground at which time he took the hitch height measurement. Using that, he figured he had more leeway using the standard 6000 LB shank in an inverted position and went ahead with the install. that would have been too low for the actual air suspension ride height and it threw the whole WD dynamic off kilter with the end effect being the ball height ended up higher than he expected. The best analogy I can come up with is if someone lifted the front of a wheelbarrow up while you were trying to dump it out the front... The torsion bars (wheelbarrow handles) lose their effectiveness.

So if the shank is set back to its original intended downward direction, and the hitch height is measured with the air shocks elevated, I believe our wheelbarrow will be back on level ground. Net net the hitch ball will be lower and the bars will have more leverage. I'll take another look at the trailer level on Friday and maybe snap a few photos, but I'll bet it is tilting back because the hitch ball is riding too high and the WD is off because we lost leverage in the process.

I really don't think there is anything inherently wrong with air suspension (ride leveling), its just prone to mis-measurement by inexperienced techs.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by kscherzi

Actually, your weights don't look all that bad. Look at the front/rear axle load specs on the tag in the driver side door jam and compare to your scale weights. Typically, the front truck axle doesn't have much extra load capacity so just getting back to the unloaded weight is usually considered success. You only have 80 lbs to recover. I bet a washer or two should do the job.

Thanks for the kind words. Ideally, I'd like to move at least a couple hundred pounds off the rear axle. That rear axle is right at its weight limit presently, and I want a bit more leeway. The truck is well within its overall limit, we just need to distribute the load more effectively.


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[Tomzstream]

So I measured the height of the hitch ball this morning with the truck pretty much unloaded but in its "load leveled" position and it is 23 inches to the top of the ball. Height to the top of the receiver is 18 inches. The Ball height seems a bit too high to me. I've attached a photo of the hitch showing the inverted shank.

If the specs for an 2007 AS Safari 23 ft are correct, tongue height is more like 18 inches. I believe this shank needs to be reversed and the ball lowered.

Your thoughts?

[Grand Master]

I am going to set up my equal-i-zer on my new Mercedes ML350 Bluetec. I previously towed with a Jeep GC (with the Mercedes diesel engine). My 1963 Trade Wind it 19" to the top of the coupler. The hitch (when set up on my Jeep) was 20-3/4" to the top of the ball. After hitched up with the equalizing bars it settled in to 19".

Has it been most others experience that the ball needs to be a couple on inches higher than the desired towing height? Therefore after hitching up the ball settles 1" - 2".

[daveswenson]

Originally Posted by Tomzstream

So I measured the height of the hitch ball this morning with the truck pretty much unloaded but in its "load leveled" position and it is 23 inches to the top of the ball. Height to the top of the receiver is 18 inches. The Ball height seems a bit too high to me. I've attached a photo of the hitch showing the inverted shank.

If the specs for an 2007 AS Safari 23 ft are correct, tongue height is more like 18 inches. I believe this shank needs to be reversed and the ball lowered.

Your thoughts?

Yes you definitely need to invert the shank. Level the trailer and measure to the top of the coupler. Then you need to set the height of the top of the ball close to that height by moving the head down on the shank.

I was trying to set up the hitch on my new Ram 2500 today. Couldn't get the ball height low enough so I had to order a shank with more drop. My Airstream is a money pit. But I wouldn't trade it.

[m.hony]

Maybe I should invert the hitch head.
I don't think another washer or 2 will lift it this high-

[SCOTTinNJ]

Just installed a Equalizer for my 2012 F-150 and 2014 25' FC rear twin combo. I wasn't able to get to the scales yet but I did take some measurements. Wondering what the forum feels about the setup.

I am purposely not saying what size bars I have because I would like to see the comments first.

Truck empty
front: 37 7/8"
rear: 38 5/8"

Truck and trailer without WD bar
front: 38 3/8" (up 1/2" from truck alone)
rear: 36 1/4" (down 2 3/8" from truck alone)

Truck and trailer with WD bars
front: 37 3/4" (down 1/8" from truck alone)
rear: 36 7/8" (down 1 3/4" from truck alone)

How does that look?

[Rocinante]

Sounds pretty good, but based on our limited experience I'd suggest distributing a bit more weight on the front to even out the displacement of your front and rear axles. Maybe just a washer or two?

Let's see what the truly experienced EQ jockeys have to say.

[SilverCabin]

I would say you need another washer. The ideal is to have the front and rear of the truck compress equally, but within an inch if each other is acceptable. You're 1 5/8" apart now. Once you get that in range, make sure the trailer is parallel to the ground and then drive on a scale to get all the axle weights. Make sure you haven't exceeded the axle ratings on the truck.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Would it change the equation to know that these are 600# bars? I am a bit concerned that I should go to the 1000# bars for my combination.

Also, here is a photo of the washers. Looks like three. The dealer (who I trust highly) did the install. Still want to verify the reasonableness of that trust.

[Alphonse]

Did the dealer have heavier bars?

[SCOTTinNJ]

Yes. But they specifically recommended the 600# bars. Since I've been home and have read about it, I am having second thoughts.

[dkottum]

I think the dealer earned some mistrust here.

Here is the hitch selector page from the Equal-I-Zer website.

Hitch Sizes

[Al and Missy]

My F-150 sits unloaded with the rear higher than the front. The front axle is much closer to its weight limit than the rear. I wonder about the advisability of having front and rear compress the same amount. While it depends on the spring constants of the front and rear suspension, I'd think I would want the rear to compress more than the front.

As others on this thread and other threads have pointed out, the only way to know for sure is to get it weighed. I'd think the ideal solution would be to have the TT and TV both level, with at least as much weight on the front axle as when unloaded, maybe a little more. Clearly, at least in my case, there is going to be a lot more weight added to the rear axle.

Al

[J. Morgan]

In my view not putting some trailer weight on the rear axle is a mistake, especially on a pickup truck.

[KJRitchie]

My AS dealer set me up with a Equalizer with 1000lb bars and put 4 washers in the head. I've added an Arvika bike rack with 2 bikes. I tow with a 2010 Tundra 2wd double cab with tonneau cover. I just carry lawn chairs, O'Grill BBQ and a couple of plastic bins with leveling blocks. I also use the bracket jackets on the L brackets.
I would like to see what its like with 5 washers but don't have the tools to do the job. Hitch weight is around or close to 1200lbs. 2008 Classic 25fb.

[Alphonse]

Originally Posted by SCOTTinNJ

Yes. But they specifically recommended the 600# bars. Since I've been home and have read about it, I am having second thoughts.

Scott,
If you were to call AS customer service, they will tell you 1000 lb. bars.
If you call Equalizer, they will say 1000 lb. bars.

A few here will say go with light to give the trailer a light ride. I suggest one should be more concerned with front axle load, weight distribution and the general topic of vehicle dynamics and capacities vs. opinions on light ride.

Your trailer likely will push the scales to 850 or 900 lbs. on the tongue weight. You will note from Ford that the hitch receiver is rated for 1000 lbs with proper weight distribution.

So with what Airstream, Equalizer, and Ford says, I personally would go with the 1000 lb bars. BTW, I don't remember if the hitch head changes between 600 and 1000. But a call to Equalizer will answer that quickly.

Lastly follow Equalizer's installation instructions in terms of measurements and you will get it close enough to go to the scales. Measurements and scales are way better than opinions.

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by Tomzstream

So I measured the height of the hitch ball this morning with the truck pretty much unloaded but in its "load leveled" position and it is 23 inches to the top of the ball. Height to the top of the receiver is 18 inches. The Ball height seems a bit too high to me. I've attached a photo of the hitch showing the inverted shank.

If the specs for an 2007 AS Safari 23 ft are correct, tongue height is more like 18 inches. I believe this shank needs to be reversed and the ball lowered.

Your thoughts?

I think that you are on the right track ... set your "load leveled" ball height as specified by AS for your trailer via stinger reversal / manipulation of the cross bolt mounting and then use a combination of washers and L-bracket positioning to equalize the load as much as possible. The EQ site and manual are very clear on the before and after measurements for wheel wells, but I would also check when finished the AS frame to ground measurements to make sure that it is truly parallel to the roadway - not necessarily level, however. The goal for the load bars is to also have them as parallel as possible to the trailer frame...this took me much fiddling/disassembling the the washers and L-bracket to accomplish but now, well worth the hours of effort. The best my local dealers could do was get the trailer relatively level on a flat surface...not sure that he'd ever even thoroughly read the manual!

The EQ site will suggest heavier bars than you might actually need...at least according to (IIRC Andy's) research. We started with the 1000# bars for a FC20 and have used them on both of our EB25s. However, to reduce the stress transferred to the trailer A-frame / soften the AS ride just a bit, I have systematically machined off a bit at the corners on my load bars (approximating ~800# bars) ... now just perfect for me. We thought that the 600# would be a bit light for our then TV (F150) AS combo.. If you search, I posted detailed instruction on here for the bar mods.

Of course, YMMV, but I rarely need to adjust the L-bracket positioning due to trailer load ... water, food, or baggage ... but can feel just a bit of difference (possibly needing to move the brackets down one hole) when loading the motorcycle not quite over the trailer axles.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally Posted by Alphonse

Scott,
IBTW, I don't remember if the hitch head changes between 600 and 1000. But a call to Equalizer will answer that quickly.

Yes. It does change.

[Ron Gratz]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

My F-150 sits unloaded with the rear higher than the front. The front axle is much closer to its weight limit than the rear. I wonder about the advisability of having front and rear compress the same amount. While it depends on the spring constants of the front and rear suspension, I'd think I would want the rear to compress more than the front.

Ford agrees that the rear should compress more than the front. In fact, Ford now specifies that the front axle load, when hitched with WD applied, should be less than the unhitched axle load.

Since 2010, Ford has specified that their F-series trucks should have the WDH adjusted to eliminate approximately 50% of the front end rise due to tongue weight. That corresponds to restoring approximately 50% of the load which was removed from the front axle.
When the WDH is properly adjusted, the front might be up about a half inch and the rear might be down 1-1.5" -- depending on tongue weight.
Too much load transfer to the front axle can lead to undesirable oversteer.

I think the reason Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Equal-i-zer, Reese and others have changed their weight distribution specifications is pretty well summed up in this Letter to Editor by Richard H Klein, P E printed in TRAILER BODY BUILDERS Magazine. The comment which specifically addresses front axle load is:

QUOTE
[blue]2. The statement “too much tongue weight can force the truck down in the back, causing the front wheels to lift to the point where steering response and braking can be severely decreased” is not the real issue with heavy tongue weights. The real problem is that the tow vehicle's yaw stability, as measured by “understeer gradient”, is severely decreased. This increases the propensity of the tow vehicle to jackknife in turning maneuvers. Specifically, recent full scale testing conducted by the SAE Tow Vehicle Trailer Rating Committee (and now published in SAE J2807), determined that the use of weight distributing hitch torque should be minimized. In fact they recommend that the Front Axle Load Restoration (FALR) not exceed 100% (100% means that the front axle weight is brought back, via weight distribution, to a weight equal to its “no trailer” condition).[/blue]
UNQUOTE

A related explanation from a representative of the company which manufactures the Equal-i-zer hitch was first posted here. It says:

QUOTE
[blue]In the past we had suggested that you should see a small drop on the front suspension. We are always trying to improve things here at Progress – our motto is “Safe and Happy Customers,” and so we are always reviewing our instructions and installation process. Recently, as part of this constant effort our engineers looked more deeply into this aspect of installation. We had always felt that a small drop was a sign that the trailer’s weight was being transferred to the front axle, and that this was essentially a good thing.

As our engineers reviewed the instructions for the last round of renewal of our instructions, the{y} found research results that contradicted our prior thinking. There has been a substantial amount of testing conducted by experts from SAE and the RV Industry Association to find out what will produce the best stability when towing. This towing suggests that you want your front axle’s compression to be close to, but not lower than your free-standing height.[/blue] (Underline added for emphasis.)
UNQUOTE

Ford says the Front Axle Load Restoration should be approximately 50%.

Chevrolet/GMC says the FALR should be 100%, 50% or 0% depending on TV model and TT weight.

Reese now includes the following in some of their WDH installation instructions:
[blue]8. A new term in the industry is (“FALR” – Front Axle Load Return).
100% FALR Means the front fender is returned to the preload position.
That is our recommendation for best performance.[/blue]

Equal-i-zer says the Front Axle Load Restoration should be between 50% and 100%.

Equal-i-zer's revised instructions specifically state:
[blue]Good adjustment:
You have most likely achieved good weight distribution adjustment if your measurements show the following with the trailer coupled and the weight distribution engaged:
1. From the coupled without weight distribution measurement, the front wheel well measurement is at least halfway back to the original uncoupled measurement. See line C on Front Wheel Well Measure Chart.
2. The rear wheel well measurement is somewhere between the uncoupled height, and the coupled with no weight distribution height. It should NEVER be higher than the uncoupled height. See line C on Rear Wheel Well Measure Chart. See Figure 19.[/blue]

Ron