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KJRitchie · 08-30-2015, 06:25 AM

I just bought a Ram 2500. I had to buy the 2 1/2" 12"/6" drop shank. The head is mounted on the lowest holes. The ball sits at a tad higher than the top of tongue. I use 5 washers on the head. The trailer looks pretty level and the front axle vender to ground is returned to the unladen distance which is 41". Did a short tow yesterday and it seems to tow well.

I may have to add a washer after I have my shell installed and and load up our camping gear.

I have the 1000lb bars.

Kelvin

m.hony · 08-30-2015, 06:51 AM

Higher at the front is bad news. You need more drop in the hitch shank. You may have to have one custom built at a welding shop.
Dead level is where you want to be.
A little nose down is second best but still safe.
Nose up is bad. It causes sway.
All that having been said, can you measure your tongue weight? If you still have 1,000# on the tongue you may be OK.
The reason nose up on a half ton is bad is because it does not have enough tongue weight- losing rear traction and braking-
None of this may matter on a 3/4 ton-
You could still have traction and braking even nose up if the tongue weight is there-
And that being said- seems like nose high would cause the back of the trailer to bottom out in a dip or driveway-
Dead level or slightly nose down is better-

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SMLJeep · 08-30-2015, 07:17 AM

I did tow a short distance and didn't notice any sway. The only thing I noticed was when I went on some roads with lots of bumps we could feel the AS bounce more than we thought we would with a 3/4 truck. With a tongue weight of just under 600 lbs I didn't expect to have almost as must bounce as when we towed with our Jeep GC.

chaseav · 08-30-2015, 07:57 AM

My only real concern about my nose up or down (angle of attack?) is uneven wear on the tires or more weight on the forward axle suspension. Maybe neither are a problem and if that's the case, I'll just go on my merry way. It seems like raising the bolt in drop shank (?) thing may be too much nose high. It looks to me more like the part the ball attaches to has bent downward over time. 9 months and maybe 5000 miles. I don't see it being possible to hand tighten, or loosen for that matter, what the dealership put on there with an air wrench.

m.hony · 08-30-2015, 09:27 AM

Nothing the folks at Equal-i-zer said to me ever worked in reality.
Experiment. Find out first-hand what works or doesn't work.
Needless to say, mine isn't adjusted per Equal-i-zer's instructions. By their example I could not get enough weight transfer or sway control.
One more washer and one notch higher on the L-brackets did it.
Having said sll that, I'm sure you can throw it all out the window if you have. a 3/4 ton truck.
Hook it up. Tow it down the highway. See what does. Come home and adjust.

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KJRitchie · 08-30-2015, 09:50 AM

The latest videos from Equalizer only focus on two items; restore the height of the steering axle and keeping the trailer level.

Kelvin

m.hony · 08-30-2015, 10:27 AM

I have to go beyond their generic example to accomplish those two goals-
When I speak with the on the phone or via email they are disbelieving.
Therefore, I experimented until I found what really works in the real world with my particular rig- one more washer in the hitch head and one hole higher on the L-brackets-
My settings may not work for others with a shorter or lighter (or heavier) trailer or a 3/4 or 1 ton truck-

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KJRitchie · 08-30-2015, 11:04 AM

One of the problems with adding more washers and raising the L brackets is you have to raise the tongue higher with the truck attached. I get worried I'm putting too much strain on my 3500 Barker tongue jack. I noticed putting in just another washer I had to raise the trailer/truck higher. I also have to clear the Bracket Jacket thickness. Using the supplied tool to lift the bars on helps but can you use that tool to remove the bars?

Kelvin

m.hony · 08-30-2015, 03:26 PM

Lifting my Tundra and Classic 30 high enough isn't a problem, but you would have to lift your 2500 even higher because it is already higher-

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PKI · 08-30-2015, 08:48 PM

So, know nothing about 3/4ton trucks, but if the truck is too high, consider getting lower profile tires to drop it a bit. Not inexpensive, but the factory tires likely have some resale value to offset the cost and unless the rims are really narrow, they should accept a change in profile. Being lower has lots of advantages, unless you need to travel off road or through deep snow. The alternative of a custom shank as mentioned prior or a taller trailer tire configuration are also both ways to address the problem. The 23 has 14s? and 15s are supposed to fit? Adds about an inch to the trailer clearance per the AF thread on that mod. Also wonder if going to the lighter weight bars might help. Sounds counter intuitive, but it's supposed to help when the TV capacity goes up. Not an approach presented by the mfg, so proceed carefully after you have done some research. Hope you find a solution that works.

PS - nose high or nose low configurations are supposed to increase the load on the associated trailer axles, a bad thing? A indication of higher loading is supposed to be higher heat on the tires of one set of axles.

chaseav · 08-31-2015, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PKI

PS - nose high or nose low configurations are supposed to increase the load on the associated trailer axles, a bad thing? A indication of higher loading is supposed to be higher heat on the tires of one set of axles.

Yes, when the weight on the two axels is different... a bad thing. And yes, increased heat would be a good indicator of higher loading... there's just no way to measure the temp differential accurately and even if there was, what would be acceptable and normal. Temp diff means tire pressure diff which could lead to a nasty chain of events which is my concern.

KJRitchie · 09-05-2015, 03:40 PM

It kinda works. If you have a shank longer than mine it won't work. Despite no being able to grap ith handle at the end only between the shank an ball, it's still easier to pick up the hitch head and insert it into the receiver.

Kelvin

KJRitchie · 09-05-2015, 03:43 PM

On the truck.

kscherzi · 09-05-2015, 10:20 PM

Today I disassembled and cleaned my Equal-i-zer again. It was making a lot of noise earlier this week. I've used this hitch for about 7,000 miles. Seems like I need to clean and re-grease every 500 to 1,000 miles to keep the noise down. I also added another washer. Over time the hitch seems to compress upon itself. Washers bend a little, the pin held by the washers seems to flatten against the drop bar a little. The spring bars sockets have more slop...

m.hony · 09-06-2015, 04:36 AM

Can the spring bar sockets be tightened?
Or is the slop/looseness due to use and wear?
Seems like I greased mine back in the spring if the year and I haven't heard a peep out of it in several months.
I was pretty OCD with the red wheel bearing grease.

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KJRitchie · 09-06-2015, 06:31 AM

My spring bar sockets have a loose fit, there seems to be almost an inch of play at the end of the bar. I don't think they've expanded open as they still appear square. However I could see some wear on the retaining pins and one of them was slightly bent so I replaced them with new ones.

Kelvin

dznf0g · 09-06-2015, 07:47 AM

They are supposed to be torqued. This is where most all of the sway resistance takes place. I believe the spec is 65lbft. When I used eq, I torqued to 75 lbft.

dznf0g · 09-06-2015, 07:49 AM

Are you talking about the bars themselves, or the head bar pivots? Can't remember the name right now......

Rich W · 09-06-2015, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dznf0g

They are supposed to be torqued. This is where most all of the sway resistance takes place. I believe the spec is 65lbft. When I used eq, I torqued to 75 lbft.

The labels on mine say "approx. 45 ft lbs."

They need to be checked periodically because they will loosen. I check mine after the return trip, but I don't stay on the road, just out and back. I'd say check them every 2,000 miles or so.

Rich W · 09-06-2015, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

It kinda works. If you have a shank longer than mine it won't work. Despite no being able to grap ith handle at the end only between the shank an ball, it's still easier to pick up the hitch head and insert it into the receiver.

Kelvin

I like they way they use AS trailers in their ad.

So what do you think of it?

I think I would have a hard time lifting it with one hand. It would throw me off balance it seems. Wearing cheap work gloves, I put one hand under the ball head and the other under the shank. It seems to be working and I don't have to carry or wipe down another piece of equipment.