Weight Distribution Question

[Leipper]

BTW

The Hensley does not reduce inputs from the trailer, it relocates them. You can't reduce inputs without having problems with conservation of mass and energy.

The Hensley moves the latteral forces on the hitch from behind the bumper to forward of the rear axles. This means that these forces no longer attempt to yaw the tow vehicle but rather attempt to translate it (move it sideways).

Since a tow vehicle is much more resistant to sideways forces than it is to yaw, handling in response to trailer rotations about its axle is improved.

[dmac]

Leipper - I am unaware of any bolt-tightened spring in the Equal-i-zer hitch. The spring bar pivot castings are attached to the head with bolts, but they are not adjustable. The purpose of the L brackets, vs chains, is to provide friction. Both the pivots and the L brackets are greased to reduce noise, but I believe both still provide friction.

[Leipper]

Look at the instruction sheet provided with the Equalizer hitch.

Unless I misread, it recommends lubrication for the L bracket and the top of the spring bar receiver to reduce noise.

It also recommends keeping the bolt holding the spring bar receiver tight.

You don't put grease on surfaces where you want friction.

You don't have tight bolts as a pivot when you want to pivot freely, either.

The other issue that may cause confusion is that springs are not necessarily coiled wire.

check the diagram at http://www.equalizerhitch.com/home.html
and note where the arrow by "friction sway control" points. or check the faq which says "The Equal-i-zer hitch eliminates trailer sway through a friction system built directly into the hitch head."

Let me know if you think I misread the Equalizer instruction sheet and I'll go back and re-read it again.

[Pahaska]

You are correct according to my understanding of the Equalizer site and their VHS tape which I have around here somewhere. As I understand it, the Equalizer hitch works a little like the Reese Dual Cam except that the camming action is built into the hitch head rather than into the end of the bars.

Equalizer keeps trumpeting that their bars are not tapered, but they never tell you why they think that is better.

[Leipper]

In thinking about why the EQ uses L brackets rather than chains, one idea is that these cause the spring bars to track with the trailer frame wuthout the sideways slack that chains would provide.

This means that the L brackets can better convey tangential forces as a rotation at the spring bar pivot points on the hitch head. The hitch head mechanism can then dissipate these forces with friction..

Sorry if the double posts cause any grief but your comments get me wondering and my mind is not on instantaneous anymore (if it wver was). So thanks for a bit of intellectual stimulation and please let me know what you think of my rationale if you dare give me anything else to ponder!

[Leipper]

"Equalizer hitch works a little like the Reese Dual Cam"

"Equalizer keeps trumpeting that their bars are not tapered, but they never tell you why they think that is better."

What struck me about the Dual Cam is that the cams are a 'return to center' force which is the essence of an oscillatory system. The fact that the DC uses this kind of force to dampen sway tells me that sway is not a mechanical oscillation but rather an aggravated handling problem (think springs and shocks).

The EQ uses friction (just try to swing the bars back towards the bumper to get them out of the way while the hitch is on the truck!), which is a traditional oscillation damping method. The fact it works as well as the DC indicates that all that is really needed for moderate sway problems is just a little help in restricting rotation around the pivot.

As for the shape of the spring bars, that sounds like advertising hype. I think the EQ bars are probably a lot less expensive to manufacture,. would show less bending as the bending moment would be spread more evenly over the length of the bar, and would be less prone to failure becuase there are no welded links for attaching chains. Any other ideas?

[dmac]

The Equal-i-zer bolts do need to be kept tight to keep things from falling apart - however this provides little or no friction effect (try swinging the bars when not connected to the L brackets - very easy). The tension applied to the bars introduces the friction between the bar sockets and the head, and the bars and the L brackets. There is nothing fancy built into the head at all - the bar sockets simply pivot on those bolts - no springs, no spiffy mechanism at all. Also - you grease both the L brackets and the pivots (everything that moves).

Their web site is a bit misleading, as is their advertised "4 way sway control". All the device does is use the bar tension against the L brackets and the bar-induced tension against the bar pivot sockets to provide friction.

[Leipper]

OK. We don't agree.

re "try swinging the bars when not connected to the L brackets - very easy"

This is not the case on any I have seen when the spring bar receiver bolt is tightened to spec. It also doesn't fit with using a bolt rather than pin.

The idea of the L brackets providing friction also doesn't fit with the lubrication recommendations provided by the manufacturer. It also doesn't fit with the promotional material provided by the manufacturer.

So I am at a loss to understand the strong adherance to the L bracket friction thesis.