Eaz Lift or Reese

[tdmaymac]

Originally Posted by 64Lincoln

I've got a choice I have to make and I'm confused. I've had a 22' 1964 Safari for five years and have been using the Eaz-Lift hitch setup. It's rated at 800 lbs. which I always thought was a bit much for an Airstream with a tongue weight of about 350 lbs. but I was assured it was not and it always seemed to work well. This is coming from someone who has towed a lot of trailers, boat, car, etc. but never with any type of weight distribution hitch so I really have nothing to compare it to. Here's the issue. I just bought another 22" 1964 Airstream Safari to replace the first one. It's a lot nicer. I have the two of them in my driveway and I'm stealing the best from both for the one I'm keeping. Well, now i have to choose between the Eaz-Lift and the Reese. Which would you keep?

I had a Reese installed by the dealer when I purchased my 2011 27' Flying Cloud. After the first two years of use, I felt that the trailer and truck were not sitting quite level, despite using the highest setting on the Reese bars. About 5 years ago, I took my rig to Andy Thompson at CanAM for evaluation and it was determined that the 900# bars installed by the dealer were insufficient for the tongue weight of the 27'. CanAM recommended replacing the Reese with an EZLift with 1100# bars and I have been very happy ever since. While the EZLift bars are indeed heavier (with good reason given their added strength), I've never had issues installing them. Sway control is accomplished by separate sway control bars. I've never had sway issues, with or without the sway control bars added. The EZlift system also eliminated occasional "porposing" I used to experience once in awhile.

Andy also diagnosed that my brake setting set by the dealer (at 5.0 or 50%) was set too low and I was requiring the trucks to do more of the braking than necessary. As Andy noted, "trailer brakes are also cheaper to replace that the truck brakes" when they wear out.

I couldn't recommend more highly the advice and service I received at CanAM to optimize my towing setup. Good luck reaching your decision.

[RacerRodney]

I cant help it.. I have to ring in here. My Dad had a local RV Center in town starting in about 1964. BIG daily business was installing equalizer hitches. The argument about which one was better ramped up as more and more folks realized they could not drag big heavy trailers behind the 65 Buick using a Draw-Tite bumper hitch. The debate over which torsion bar hitch it better has always seemed to me the same as asking what car is better, Chevy or Ford... There is a difference, but it comes down to what do YOU want to own!
Now, as for the photo of the brackets on the tongue posted by someone here, Is there anyone here that remembers the use of the small dual wheel helper contraption that was used before the equalizer hitch became popular?

[bhayden]

I've used both and had a similar choice to make. I grew up with EZ Lift and always thought it was easier to use. But... the pin/spring clip arrangement in the EZ Lift can fail and the internals need to be greased which makes for a muck magnet. I kept the Reese and gave away the EZ Lift. Once you get used to the Reese it's no harder to use than the EZ Lift and I think it's a superior design.

[bhayden]

> my Eaz Lift bars are rated for 1000 lbs. and the Reese bars are probably rated for even more


As long as you adjust the tension on the bars to "equalize" the suspension on the car I'd argue that stronger than needed bars aren't an issue. The tongue weight isn't the only issue. And keep in mind that the forces when you hit bumps in the road are going to peak much higher than your static loading. With your Lincoln the long overhang and the weight of the car + anything you have loaded in the back also have to included in the bar tension required. What you are trying to do is "equalize" the load on the cars front and rear springs. The way to do this is the simple tape measure measurement from the ground up to the wheel well; both ends should drop an equal amount. How much tension do you need to apply for this to happen?