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Old 06-07-2009, 01:00 PM   #1
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Equalizer vs Reese Dual Cam

No, I'm not trying to start a hitch "contest", but I am looking for information.

I'm seeking information from people who have actually towed one trailer, or simular trailers with each type of hitch....Equalizer and the Reese Dual Cam, and how each handled sway.

Don't want to hear your opinion of how your hitch does if it's the only one you've ever had, or if your heard such and such about one of them from your brotherinlaw"s second cousin.

I realize there won't be many people who have towed one, or simular trailers with both hitches, but that is what I'm looking for, and I want to know specifically how you rate each hitch ON SWAY CONTROL ONLY.

Thanks, and I look foward to your input.
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Old 06-07-2009, 01:14 PM   #2
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I own an Equalizer hitch, a Reese/Drawtite w/d hitch with frictional damper, as well as a Reese Dual cam. I have towed 31 and 26 foot Airstreams with Ford and Dodge vans and now use a Chevy long bed crew cab dually. Set up properly, the Equalizer was equal in performance to the Reese with the frictional dampener. I did not experience any trailer damage from the Equalizer but it looks like it could cause problems. I no longer use the Equalizer. Conditions and driving experience change over time and I think the Reese twin Cam was better that the frictional system when I was towing the 31 with the van. My wife had problems with both of them when she drove in heavy truck traffic. Now that we have the dually, she tows the 26 foot overlander without a problem even without the w/d bars attached. I think it all about the truck size/weight and the stiffness of the sidewalls and lateral stifness of the suspension of the truck as well as the lower weight of the Overlander.
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Old 06-07-2009, 07:00 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwightdi View Post
I own an Equalizer hitch, a Reese/Drawtite w/d hitch with frictional damper, as well as a Reese Dual cam. I have towed 31 and 26 foot Airstreams with Ford and Dodge vans and now use a Chevy long bed crew cab dually. Set up properly, the Equalizer was equal in performance to the Reese with the frictional dampener. I did not experience any trailer damage from the Equalizer but it looks like it could cause problems. I no longer use the Equalizer. Conditions and driving experience change over time and I think the Reese twin Cam was better that the frictional system when I was towing the 31 with the van. My wife had problems with both of them when she drove in heavy truck traffic. Now that we have the dually, she tows the 26 foot overlander without a problem even without the w/d bars attached. I think it all about the truck size/weight and the stiffness of the sidewalls and lateral stifness of the suspension of the truck as well as the lower weight of the Overlander.
OK, thanks for your input, but just so I understand correctly, you are rating the Equalizer equal to the Reese/Drawtite with the frictional sway control, and the Reese Dual cam best of the three. Is that correct?

Hopefully there is more input from some others.
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Old 06-07-2009, 08:04 PM   #4
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flip a coin

I pulled a 26' Terry with a front slide out using a Reese Dual Cam. I took it across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge when there was some breeze blowing. I was white knuckled (my first time towing a travel trailer) but the Reese did just fine. I don't recall it having much sway at all.

I have pulled my 34' Avion all over using an Equal-I-Zer, and I have noticed no sway whatsoever with it.

I think they're both good hitches. I could argue that the dual cam wants to fight you just as much when you want to make a turn as does the friction type. In actual use, I've seen no real performance advantage of one over the other.

Personally, I find the Eq easier to hitch up. I didn't like the grease and fighting the chains on the Dual Cam. They are both noisy when making tight turns.

Anyway, they're both good.

As for finding somebody who has used both extensively on the same trailer....good luck. I would only consider replacing my Eq with a Hensley or a ProPride, and I would bet you $20 all the Dual Cammers feel the same way about there pick.

Best of luck with whichever one you get.
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Old 06-07-2009, 08:29 PM   #5
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I pulled a 26' Terry with a front slide out using a Reese Dual Cam. I took it across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge when there was some breeze blowing. I was white knuckled (my first time towing a travel trailer) but the Reese did just fine. I don't recall it having much sway at all.

I have pulled my 34' Avion all over using an Equal-I-Zer, and I have noticed no sway whatsoever with it.

I think they're both good hitches. I could argue that the dual cam wants to fight you just as much when you want to make a turn as does the friction type. In actual use, I've seen no real performance advantage of one over the other.

Personally, I find the Eq easier to hitch up. I didn't like the grease and fighting the chains on the Dual Cam. They are both noisy when making tight turns.

Anyway, they're both good.

As for finding somebody who has used both extensively on the same trailer....good luck. I would only consider replacing my Eq with a Hensley or a ProPride, and I would bet you $20 all the Dual Cammers feel the same way about there pick.

Best of luck with whichever one you get.
Thanks Jim, and just so you know, I curently own a Reese Dual Cam, and have had others in the past, but never an Equalizer. So, just wanting comments like yours from people who have actually used both.
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Old 06-08-2009, 10:40 AM   #6
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I've had both hitches and currently use the Equal-i-zer. You can't go wrong with either but both have their own traits which one might find a benefit or a liability. The Equal-i-zer has more components that need connection when hitching. Loose one component and you may be in trouble. To that extent Equal-i-zer sells a spare parts box which contains the pins and other small parts that could be left behind or lost. I carry one and have never had to use it. You also have to properly torque a couple of bolts occasionally that provide a friction component to the sway control.

The Reese has a chain type of system that is used to provide the proper amount of lift. Pick the wrong link when you hitch up, or if you don't match the links on both sides, problems may occur. When you set up the Equal-i-zer at installation, it's done forever, unless you change trailers. Typically the Reese's sway control is based on a cam system rather than friction, which is providing force to push the trailer into a straight line behind the tow vehicle. The Equal-i-zer is using a friction based control that is based on hitch weight and two bolts that I talked about in the previous paragraph. Unlike other friction based controls, it needs no adjustments for weather conditions or backing.

The other thing that I like about the Equal-i-zer is the ability to hitch up or unhitch when the tow vehicle is at a bad angle to the trailer. It's not often but I have had to jockey in some back in sites due to narrow roads, trees, other parked vehicles that have caused the tow vehicle to be at a bad angle. The result in some cases was that there was not enough clearance to get the Reese tow bar out of the stirrup that the bar slips through resulting me having to jockey the trailer and tow vehicle enough to get that angle removed. No issue on the Equal-i-zer.

My local dealership owner sells both hitches and based on customer feedback the Equal-i-zer gets great marks from its owners. To be honest I don't believe we've seen any negative feedback on either hitch.

I pulled a 27' Safari with the Reese and a 30' Classic Slide Out with the Equal-i-zer with the same tow vehicle. Quite honestly I've felt that the Equal-i-zer has done a little better job that the Reese did when dealing in heavy cross wind situations. Whether that has something to do with the fact that the Classic outweighs the Safari by 2,000+ lbs. or another 500 lbs of hitch weight may be part of the reason. I just know we drove up to the Moraine View rally a couple of years back with some terrific cross winds in excess of 30 mph hitting us directly on the side. The folks following me on that road noted that the Classic just stayed behind the van without showing any evidence of wind induced sway. That made me a believer.

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Old 06-09-2009, 09:02 AM   #7
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Thanks Jack. I apprecate your input, and is exactly the type I'm looking for.

Anyone else have an input on the subject?
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Old 06-09-2009, 09:53 AM   #8
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Steve, there's one other thing to keep in mind as you get info on the Reese Dual Cam hitch... there are several generational iterations of that hitch and it's components floating around out there. While I presume that they all perform similarly, that is solely a presumption on my part.

The variants (at least a partial list) are:

The standard drawbar/ball welded component mount head
The hi-performance forged steel drawbar/ball mount head
The bolt-on two-armed saddle assembly
The bolt-on one-armed 'Reese Straight Line' saddle assembly
And then the trunnion bars have had several iterations themselves...
for quite a number of years, the top of the saddle assembly bolted to the regular WDH trunnion bars. Those were wear items and could be replaced. In later years, the trunnion bars are forged with the saddle top as an integral part of the end of the bar. To further complicate the trunnion bar issues, they've been issued in a number of different weight ratings over the years as well.

Over the years I've used all of the variations in combination to good effect. It's just interesting to know which components, exactly, are being discussed by owners. Also having spoken with various RV dealer's part's counter folks and various Reese dealers over the years, it is a rare individual indeed who understands ANYTHING about the product they're selling, much less how to set it up and use it correctly.

Roger
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Old 06-09-2009, 10:12 AM   #9
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Roger is quite correct regarding the Reese and it's many iterations. The one I used had the square trunnion bars and was the current model at the time which was at least 10 years ago. I first used the Reese on my SOB 30' trailer. When I got the Safari, I upgraded the trunnion bar to heavier capacity models due to the increased hitch weight of Safari.

I went to the Equal-i-zer since the heavy hitch weight of the Classic slide-out pushed me into the need for a Class V receiver and hitch. I could have gone with the Reese offering but with so much good word out there on the Equal-i-zer, I decided to make the change.

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Old 06-09-2009, 10:56 AM   #10
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I have not owned a Reese Dual cam, I do have the Equal-i-zer. Reason I chose it over the Reese, is I also have an enclosed snowmobile trailer with a straight tongue, like a boat trailer, rather than the traditional "V". With the purchase of another set of "L" brackets, I am able to use the same Equal-i-zer head and bars on both trailers. All I have to do is adjust the hitch head height for what ever trailer I need to tow. "L" brackets stay put.

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Old 06-09-2009, 12:11 PM   #11
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I've had both, although they've been with different trailers. The Dual Cam was difficult to get adjusted at first, but once it was dialed in it performed beautifully. I feel that they both performed equally well at preventing sway, but I tip my hat toward the Dual Cam due to physics.

With the Equal-i-zer it takes just as much effort to get the trailer back in line as it takes to get out of line, or better stated, the Equal-i-zer trys just as hard to stop the movement back to center as it does with the initial sway. With the Dual Cam, the cams are always trying to return to the high point in the trunion bar, thus the Dual Cam is actually trying to return you to center. This can be a life-saver if you find yourself towing in slippery conditions.

I liked the fact that the components on the Dual Cam were bolted into the trailer frame and didn't move or loosen like with the Equal-i-zer. Right now the Equal-i-zer is scraping up my frame and causing some rust.

I feel the Dual Cam was easier to hitch up and it was definitely easier to adjust for those days when you have a bed full of fire-wood and need an extra chain link to make up for the extra weight. That kind of adjustment requires a wrench with the Equal-i-zer. All you need to hitch the Dual Cam is a breaker-bar. The Equal-i-zer requires two bolts, four cotter pins and two L-brackets. It's a little more work to hitch the Equal-i-zer, but not enough to sway one way or the other. Just an observation.

Hope that helps.


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Old 06-09-2009, 01:38 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 85MH325 View Post
Steve, there's one other thing to keep in mind as you get info on the Reese Dual Cam hitch... there are several generational iterations of that hitch and it's components floating around out there. While I presume that they all perform similarly, that is solely a presumption on my part.

The variants (at least a partial list) are:

The standard drawbar/ball welded component mount head
The hi-performance forged steel drawbar/ball mount head
The bolt-on two-armed saddle assembly
The bolt-on one-armed 'Reese Straight Line' saddle assembly
And then the trunnion bars have had several iterations themselves...
for quite a number of years, the top of the saddle assembly bolted to the regular WDH trunnion bars. Those were wear items and could be replaced. In later years, the trunnion bars are forged with the saddle top as an integral part of the end of the bar. To further complicate the trunnion bar issues, they've been issued in a number of different weight ratings over the years as well.

Over the years I've used all of the variations in combination to good effect. It's just interesting to know which components, exactly, are being discussed by owners. Also having spoken with various RV dealer's part's counter folks and various Reese dealers over the years, it is a rare individual indeed who understands ANYTHING about the product they're selling, much less how to set it up and use it correctly.

Roger
Roger, Yes, I am aware of all the different "generations" of the Reese dual cam hitch because I've owned and used several, and now own and use the latest version with the bent trunion bars (I've tried two different weight's on recommendations from members of this forum :-( ), and the adjustable cam bolts, and quite frankly, it does not perform as well as the older versions I used to have.

Tinloaf,

Thanks, and yes I fully understand the "physics" of the Reese Dual Cam hitch, as I said above, have used them for years. I'm not trying to argue against their virtues or design, I just want a consensus of users that have also had the Equalizer opinons of just how well it stacks up against the one I have. I have not owned an Equalizer and would like to know how they actually work without haveing to go buy one. This is the only way I know of getting the information short of buying one and useing it myself.

Steve
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Old 06-10-2009, 09:01 PM   #13
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Anyone else use both hitches?????
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Old 06-11-2009, 05:19 AM   #14
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Quote:
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I have not owned an Equalizer and would like to know how they actually work without haveing to go buy one. This is the only way I know of getting the information short of buying one and useing it myself.

Steve
Mine have always been the square trunnion bar models which I'm actually quite happy with... and frankly your reasoning is exactly why I've just always stayed with the Dual-Cam... it may be kind of lame, but I have always figured that struggling with the devil I know is better than the one I don't.

Roger
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Old 06-11-2009, 06:33 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by 85MH325 View Post
Mine have always been the square trunnion bar models which I'm actually quite happy with... and frankly your reasoning is exactly why I've just always stayed with the Dual-Cam... it may be kind of lame, but I have always figured that struggling with the devil I know is better than the one I don't.

Roger
Roger, I understand and cannot argue that reasoning. I'm just unhappy with the difficulty of adjusting the newer model cams, and the fact that with every different loading of the trailer or vehicle, to perform correctly, the cams really need to be readjusted.

If both cams are not exactly in the correct position...i.e. touching the bars in the front and the back of the bend when the TV is straight ahead, the anti sway does not perform correctly.

I've proven this to myself by using a feeler guage between the bars and the cams after making changes, and while doing adjustments. Also, the new type cams must be "persuaded" with at least a 2 pound hammer to move to the new position when doing the adjustments. The older "U" bolt attached cams would slide very easily to the new possition after loosening only one side of the "U" bolts.

I believe this is because the older cams where carried by a "U attachment" that distributed the load to both sides of the cam and therefore did not tend to twist the cam as the newer system does, because it's load is applied to only one side of the cam.

After using them for a while, it is my evaluation that the newer cam bolts get wedged in their slots when under the strain of the bar being loaded, and they MUST be loaded to get to the correct adjustment position.

All in all, it is my opinion that the newer design was of course intended to be an improvement, that in operation, has proven not as good as the original.
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Old 06-11-2009, 07:27 AM   #16
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Hmmm... interesting observation, Steve. I confess that I've had no issues with mine at all... at least not that I've noticed... since it was originally set up in October of '06, and I've now used three tow vehicles with this tongue setup.

Next time I hitch it up, I'll take a closer look at the saddle position... but remember I'm also using the square trunnion bars rather than your round ones... with the Hi-Performance forged ball mount. I don't know if that ball mount/trunnion bar setup would make any difference or not.
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Old 06-11-2009, 08:57 AM   #17
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Roger, I'm also useing the trunion bars....600 pounders, used to have 800 pounders, but was "told" by THE hitch "guru" I needed the smaller ones. They do ride better, but the anti-sway works no better, and I'm concerned about the amount of bend in them. Wish I had stayed with the Reese recommended bars.

I actually wish sometimes I had the round bars, as I know they would ride better at the appropriate sized bars for my tongue weight. By the way, I actually weighed the tongue yesterday. It weighs 780 pounds. The specs say it weighs 760, so no problems there.
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Old 06-11-2009, 09:55 AM   #18
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Actually, the bars will deform an amazing amount... something like 4-6".

Roger
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Old 06-11-2009, 10:01 AM   #19
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Actually, the bars will deform an amazing amount... something like 4-6".

Roger
And, that's about what they are deforming. Hope they don't break.
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