Equal-i-zer

[gandttimes]

Has anyone out there had any experience with the " Equal-i-zer" brand hitch. I have ordered a 2005 Bambi 19 with LS pkg, and part of the deal was an Equalizer. I haven't heard of them up here. Any good/bad news?

[ardenrj]

I just bought a new '04 19 foot Bambi with the same setup. Iv'e only had it out a few times for very short trips and it seems to work well. I also bought a Reece friction anti- sway bar for it. Problem with that though is that you cannot tighten or loosen the friction pad with the lever as the propane cover gets in the way.

[JohnG]

An excellent hitch. No problems and I loive that you don't have the chains to tighten up and let back down. I also have an added on sway control bar. This is mounted to the side of the AS frame and the side of the EQ hitch. I have had no problem using it.

[JohnG]

Originally Posted by ardenrj

I just bought a new '04 19 foot Bambi with the same setup. Iv'e only had it out a few times for very short trips and it seems to work well. I also bought a Reece friction anti- sway bar for it. Problem with that though is that you cannot tighten or loosen the friction pad with the lever as the propane cover gets in the way.

You could try to mount it over the small balls with the sway bar being loose and then remove it carfully and tighten it then place it back on the balls and pin it. Or you may have to shorten the bar and use a wrench to tighten it up once it is in place.

[bryanl]

An Equal-i-zer brand hitch does not need any additional sway control device. Sway control is built into the design of the hitch. But many confuse this hitch brand name with 'equalizer' load leveling hitches such as those made by Draw tite or EAZ lift.

The Equal-i-zer is on a par with the Reese Dual Cam as far as sway control. This is better than the most typical friction bar that needs the extra little ball. It isn't quite in the league of the Hensley Arrow or Pullrite.

The Equal-i-zer hitch runs about $400 and has an advantage over the Dual Cam in that it is a simpler design, doesn't require drilling holes in the trailer A-Frame, doesn't conflict with propane bottle mounting, and is easy to install and adjust.

The biggest complaint I have heard is about noise when not greased as suggested in the instructions. As far as usage and operation it seems to get very good reviews on the boards.

i.e. the Equal-i-zer brand integrated load leveling and sway control hitch is a highly recommended mid to low cost option for trailer towing.

[temcotom]

I have an Equalizer, and am very pleased with it. I wanted a Reese Dual Cam for my 22' CCD, but had problems mounting it on a smaller frame. So I ended up with the Equalizer, and I think I was lucky. Just returned from a trip to Alaska, and it worked great. To eliminate the noise, just follow the lubrication suggestions in the manual.

Tom

[flyfisher]

Originally Posted by G&TMTrails

Has anyone out there had any experience with the " Equal-i-zer" brand hitch. I have ordered a 2005 Bambi 19 with LS pkg, and part of the deal was an Equalizer. I haven't heard of them up here. Any good/bad news?

I was recently at the largest RV dealer in the state of Montana, Bretz RV, located in Missoula, MT, and the only Airstream dealer in MT. I think they have something like 26 service bays, and found it rather strange that their service manager told me they had never seen or heard of a Reese Dual Cam. He claimed that everyone in their part of the world uses Equalizers, and it is so common that most locals use the name Equalizer in a generic sense similar to calling all tissues "Kleenex"...it crossed my mind that maybe he was just pulling my leg about never seeing a Reese Dual Cam while he charged me $95 for making a 5 minute adjustment to mine!

John

[jcanavera]

After using a Reese dual cam sway control for over 6 years I switched to an Equal-i-zer with the 2004 Classic. Both hitches are great choices. From my experience, the Equal-i-zer is easier to hitch.

My reason for changing was the fact that the Reese dual-cam that I owned had clearance issues with the propane bottle carrier on my SOB and on my '01 Safari. The newer dual-cam unit required drilling into the A-frame of the trailer. The Equal-i-zer was a bolt on with no drilling or clearance issues with the propane bottles.

Jack

[wingfoot321]

Originally Posted by ardenrj

I just bought a new '04 19 foot Bambi with the same setup. Iv'e only had it out a few times for very short trips and it seems to work well. I also bought a Reece friction anti- sway bar for it. Problem with that though is that you cannot tighten or loosen the friction pad with the lever as the propane cover gets in the way.

I have same problem. I set the length between balls without the locking pins and then tighten to the desired position. Then reattach with locking pins.
I had to test the tightness setting two or three times until I reached the desired sway control. After that it is just a matter of duplication each time.

[Rhodie]

We just brought our Bambi home from Eugene Oregon to San Diego using the "Equalizer" brand hitch and it works great, pulling straight without any movement at all behind our Tundra. The dealer suggested this and we are very happy, as even on the 2 lane roads with some big trucks we never had a tense moment. It does make this "groaning" sound so I will get out that manual as we didn't know there was a fix! Here's a few pics of the hitch set up.

BTW, congratulations on your new Bambi...we love ours

Barbara

[bake315]

I purchased a an Equal-i-zer the day I bought my Airstream and have to say it seems to work great and is a breeze to set up and connect.

[crazylev]

Greetings.

I am also in the Equilizer camp. I tow with my VW Eurovan our 19' CCD. I was real scared at first, but found that I actually had less sway and such from big rigs on the expressways, than I did when there was nothing being towed! Needless to say, I drive cautiously, and am really happy with the Equilizer set up.

When I took delivery of my AS last May, I practiced hooking and un-hooking the trailer in the dealers parking lot where I "camped" a few nights to check all systems.

The first thing I wondered was how anyone could possibly lift the hitch assembly any more than one time before needing a good chiropractor. The thing weighed a ton, was ackward, and where the hell do you put it when you store it.

As it turned out, I was doing it all wrong. I thought that the two heavy "spring" bars had to stay attached to the hitch/ball assemby. After contemplating life with a perpetual hernia of everything, an RV cleaning person who worked after hours at the dealership, watched me in dismay wrestle with the Beast-U-Lizer. She told me it might be easier if the "spring" arms were detached from the hitch/ball assembly. Before I could catch my breath to say something rediculous, she pulled the cotter pins on arms, and my lifting was now cut in half. I told here not to tell anyone, or I would have to kill her, but also thanked her much. DOH!

I store the arms in the trunk of the AS, and the main hitch/ball thing sits in front of the CCD door on newspaper. I keep it there so it is easy to get at, and that I don't forget to use it before pulling away

Good luck with your Bambi. We absolutely love ours, warts and all, and are sure that you will love yours as well.

Jonathan

[markdoane]

Originally Posted by crazylev

Greetings.

. . . and the main hitch/ball thing sits in front of the CCD door on newspaper. I keep it there so it is easy to get at, and that I don't forget to use it before pulling away

Jonathan

Ha Ha


You've convinced me. I think I will get an Equal-I-Zer.

[B25guy]

I've towed my 25' Safari SS cross-country once with my Equal-I-zer and have to say that sway and weight distribution were great...or were they?

I did notice that the 5/8" square head bolt would loosen, not enough to fall out or allow the L-bracket to drop. However, even when I tightened the bolt (about 35 ft-lbs), there was still noticable movement at the bottom of the L-bracket, to the tune of about 5/8". This frustrated me because I thought how could the moving bracket (rocking back and forth within the pocket of the side plate) provide any anti-sway?

Being an engineer by trade, I ran some numbers (gotta love that!) and figured at roughly 2 degrees of "sway" (difference between trailer and tow vehicle), the bars would move approximately 1/8", at 4 degrees of "sway" the bars would move about 1/4" and at 6 degrees, the bars would move just shy of half an inch. Finally, at 10 degrees of "sway", I computed the bar's movement would have just exceeded the "slop" of the moving bracket!!

I found this to be extremely odd given that 10 degrees of sway is squarely in the realm of "white-knuckle" handling qualities.

I've contacted the manufacturer about this for their comments and they said that they were aware of the movement but didn't think it would adversly affect the anti-sway. But what about the numbers?

I've since found a "different" way of hooking up the side plates and L-brackets and have bounced it off of the manufacturer and they don't see a problem with my set up.

Just wondering if anybody else ever sat there and wondered why those dang L-brackets were so loose!

[alvinator]

Originally Posted by B25guy

I've towed my 25' Safari SS cross-country once with my Equal-I-zer and have to say that sway and weight distribution were great...or were they?

I did notice that the 5/8" square head bolt would loosen, not enough to fall out or allow the L-bracket to drop. However, even when I tightened the bolt (about 35 ft-lbs), there was still noticable movement at the bottom of the L-bracket, to the tune of about 5/8". This frustrated me because I thought how could the moving bracket (rocking back and forth within the pocket of the side plate) provide any anti-sway?

Being an engineer by trade, I ran some numbers (gotta love that!) and figured at roughly 2 degrees of "sway" (difference between trailer and tow vehicle), the bars would move approximately 1/8", at 4 degrees of "sway" the bars would move about 1/4" and at 6 degrees, the bars would move just shy of half an inch. Finally, at 10 degrees of "sway", I computed the bar's movement would have just exceeded the "slop" of the moving bracket!!

I found this to be extremely odd given that 10 degrees of sway is squarely in the realm of "white-knuckle" handling qualities.

I've contacted the manufacturer about this for their comments and they said that they were aware of the movement but didn't think it would adversly affect the anti-sway. But what about the numbers?

I've since found a "different" way of hooking up the side plates and L-brackets and have bounced it off of the manufacturer and they don't see a problem with my set up.

Just wondering if anybody else ever sat there and wondered why those dang L-brackets were so loose!

My Equalizer had the same problem with the loose L Brackets; I even lost one once and did not know it till I arrived at the campground and found a swinging WD bar! I solved that problem by adding a bolt at the top of the bracket that would prevent it from falling out. However, I could never figure a way to keep the L brackets from rocking; I was considering having them permanently welded so they couldn't rock but I just gave up and sold it on ebay. Nothing in the manufacturer's literature ever mentioned anything about rocking L brackets. I then bought a Reese Dual Cam which works great.

[janetb]

Yowza. That "search" function works! Found some old threads that were very helpful with some Equal-i-zer issues. Works great, but boy is there a lot of moaning and groaning going on back there.
Thanks,
Janet

[SilverGate]

For additional detailed info on the Equal-i-zer Hitch...
Especially deciding what size to get...Check out the link below...
And Equal-i-zer users: Let's elevate our knowledge base:
If you have been reading this thread and have an Equal-i-zer WD Hitch…
Please take a moment and go to "Community Polls" here:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f232/what-size-equal-i-zer-hitch-do-you-use-28204.html
And add to our knowledge base under thread, "What size Equal-i-zer Hitch Do You Use?"
The size of your Equal-i-zer Hitch (600# or 1000#)
Your tow vehicle model and size
Your trailer size… and why you like your hitch.

Thank you!
SilverGate

[elfirebob]

I also opted for an Equal-i-zer due to its simplicity in design and use.
We have had a few problems such as the clamp plates shifting forward or aft on the 3" frame channels on our 19' rig.
On our Sequoia trip, I had to re-mount the assembly. On our Montana run, same problem but less so, shifting on both sides.
We called the plant, don't overtighten it they said, and perhaps weld two vertical guides to the frame to keep it straight.
I do like the performance and "feel" of the hitch though; trucks, winds, bumps and curves, it tracks great.
The trailer is in the shop for "adjustments" we'll let you know how it comes out.
Stream Safe,

[Phil Gobie]

I am no expert. I am actually new to all of this. But it seems to me after reading about and looking at the different systems that an active sway system would be better. The dual cam and the Hensley know where strait is and want to get back there. a friction sway control does not know center or strait. Can you back up with the sway bar connected?

[SilverCabin]

Originally Posted by crazylev

Greetings.

I store the arms in the trunk of the AS, and the main hitch/ball thing sits in front of the CCD door on newspaper. I keep it there so it is easy to get at, and that I don't forget to use it before pulling away

Jonathan

If you are storing the "main hitch/ball thing" inside your trailer, I recommend that you set it on a piece of wood. I have a "bed blanket" in my truck bed and after 5 days of sitting on that, there are some nice dents that I hope will come back up now that the weight is removed. I wouldn't want those in the floor of my trailer.