Equal-i-zer Hitch Thread.

[interstateflyer]

4"x42". No cement.

[m.hony]

I just slide the bars back in the L-brackets until the ends go under the trailer and leave them in the L-brackets. I don't see any reason to remove them at all.
When I couple the trailer to the truck, I just slide them forward into the receivers on the hitch head and insert the pin.
This is why I like the Equal-i-zer- easiest to hitch up that I'm aware of.


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[Drathaar]

Originally Posted by AZAS

I'm taking delivery of a new 30' Signature next week. I'm planning to twin up the Airsafe with an EQ. TV is 2012 Ram 2500 4WD. I used an EQ for the past 10 years on a 28' 2004 International CCD with great results. The dealer (Albany RV) is pushing the Reese which doesn't excite me. The only other option would be to go to the PP, but the $$$ is an issue.
Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated

You're going to have $13-1,400 in the pairing, unless you're using an existing hitch.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by m.hony

I just slide the bars back in the L-brackets until the ends go under the trailer and leave them in the L-brackets. I don't see any reason to remove them at all.

When parked, I'd be worried that someone would take them, at the storage lot same feeling plus rain would make them rust. I'd prefer storing them in the garage or the 4Runner when at the RV park. It's a good idea, I'm just a worry-wart. I think I'll look into the PVC tube, looks like a better idea than mine.

[eheffa]

Originally Posted by R2DTube

Another +1 for the EQ hitch. We use the bracket jackets and grease in the usual places, which keep the thing fairly quiet. My question is where do you all store the shank and bars once you unhitch at your campsite? I put a cover on the ball and then toss everything into the back of the 4Runner. But with all the grease, it's become a kind of a mess back there, mostly on the removable rug which I clean from time to time. I don't care too much about the grease on the rug because that's just what happens, but I wonder if there's some better, neater way to store all those greasy parts when they're not in use. I've thought about leaving the shank and ball in the hitch, secured with a locking pin. But the greasy bars need to go somewhere too. It's just so easy to throw them in the back of the 4Runner. What do you all do with yours while you're camping?

I got 2 lengths of 2 inch ABS pipe and Plumbing caps. (glue on for one end and screw on for the other). I then Mounted the two pipes under the Airstream belly on either side of the sewer hose storage pipe. These were strapped and screwed in place.

Now, when I stop to camp or in long-term storage the EQ bars are stored inside the storage pipes. I screw off the caps (by hand) and slide the bars into their pipes. Screw the caps back an and the bars are no longer visible to the casual passer-by.) They stay clean and out of the way this way. (I did rig up a little piece of 1/4 inch rope to allow me to pull the bars out of the hole when I wanted access to them. I will see if I have any pictures if anyone is interested.)

It works very well.

-evan

[eheffa]

Found the pics:











The retrieval line is simply run through a small hole drilled in the bottom of the storage pipe. The hole is quite close to the screw off end. The line was fed from inside to out and knotted off.

When placing the bars into the carrier I allow the EQ bar with the U-shaped slot to catch the line pushing it in all the way to the back of the pipe. To retrieve the bar, I pull on the line which slides the bar out of the carrier enough for me to grab it and pull it out all the way.

I Don't travel with the bars in there so there is minimal stress on the mounts while underway.

-evan

[youngpeck]

Nice!

[R2DTube]

Thanks for the great ideas for storing the bars! Looks like I have a project now!

[Rich W]

Now I'm torn between the two great ideas, I like both. Thanks for the great pictures, everyone. Like R2DTube, a new project looms on the horizon

[aftermath]

OK, now that we have the bar storage addressed, what do you do with the head when you are camping? I worry (some) about having the hitch disappear since it sits under the trailer when we are camped.

[Rocinante]

Very cool ideas, worth considering! Since our bars aren't greasy anymore, we put them in the storage compartment under the bed, along with Lynx caps, wheel chocks, a little tub that holds small parts like the sway bracket clips, and other miscellaneous small light items. Given we have an FB model, that compartment is conveniently located when we're hitching and un-hitching.

[casarodante]

Originally Posted by R2DTube

Another +1 for the EQ hitch. We use the bracket jackets and grease in the usual places, which keep the thing fairly quiet. My question is where do you all store the shank and bars once you unhitch at your campsite? I put a cover on the ball and then toss everything into the back of the 4Runner. But with all the grease, it's become a kind of a mess back there, mostly on the removable rug which I clean from time to time. I don't care too much about the grease on the rug because that's just what happens, but I wonder if there's some better, neater way to store all those greasy parts when they're not in use. I've thought about leaving the shank and ball in the hitch, secured with a locking pin. But the greasy bars need to go somewhere too. It's just so easy to throw them in the back of the 4Runner. What do you all do with yours while you're camping?

One thing I do sometimes with my hitch is to latch it back on the tongue and let it hang there. I will lock the hitch latch and put my receiver lock in the hitch also...

[m.hony]

I'm not really worried about another RV'er stealing my stuff in a campground. He would have to have an Equal-i-zer and a 10,000# trailer. I guess a thug could steal them and sell them as scrap or use them to smash a window and burglarize, but there are 30 other campers within sight-
I store at home.
I used to remove the bars and put them in the rear bumper storage.


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[m.hony]

I leave the hitch head in place all the time. I have an anti-rattle device and Rock Tamers installed and it would take a socket set to remove the hitch head. Otherwise, I would leave it dangling from the trailer coupler.
Storing the bars the way I do, the only rust is where the paint is rubbed off- hitch head end and where they slide back and forth in the L-brackets.


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[mefly2]

Originally Posted by R2DTube

Another +1 for the EQ hitch. We use the bracket jackets and grease in the usual places, which keep the thing fairly quiet. My question is where do you all store the shank and bars once you unhitch at your campsite? I put a cover on the ball and then toss everything into the back of the 4Runner. But with all the grease, it's become a kind of a mess back there, mostly on the removable rug which I clean from time to time. I don't care too much about the grease on the rug because that's just what happens, but I wonder if there's some better, neater way to store all those greasy parts when they're not in use. I've thought about leaving the shank and ball in the hitch, secured with a locking pin. But the greasy bars need to go somewhere too. It's just so easy to throw them in the back of the 4Runner. What do you all do with yours while you're camping?

My bars go into PVC tubes ... electrical conduit. Works great - cap them at one or both ends! Then, into the back of the TV. No mess! And, no back breaking getting under and into ... or out of ...

[kscherzi]

I wrote in a bit ago, probably on another thread, about how I discovered the ball on my Equalizer hitch had come loose. A loose ball is a small step from a huge disaster.

I noticed as I was unhitching. When jacked up, (upward tension on the ball) the ball was extending about 1/8" above the hitch indicating the nut had unwound itself a couple of turns. Since I was leaving to go camping I took the hitch to the local RV shop to tighten. Turns out he didn't have the correct thin wall socket so just jammed a screwdriver between the nut and hitch then torqued (spun) the ball with a wrench. Told me how he did it and said it was real tight. Hoped for the best and left to go camping. Not really trusting this job I ordered the following parts:

1. Powerbuilt 643216 3/4-Inch Drive 12 Point 1-7/8-Inch Socket
2. TEKTON 15207 3/4-Inch Drive x 24-Inch Breaker Bar

After work tonight I took apart the hitch and cleaned it up real good. Turns out grease had worked its way between the ball base and hitch allowing it to spin. This was how it worked itself loose over time. It was real easy to take off, so much for being real tight. Using white fuel I stripped every last vestige of grease off the ball base and hitch, then retightened. Spec calls for 430 lbs of torque. I weigh in at about 170 lbs. Its a two foot breaker bar. Standing on the end and bouncing up and down I figure I got it close, better than the guy at the RV shop. Here's some photo's.

[sheriff1]

Now take a hammer and a center punch and punch the threads on the ball threads just where the nut meets it to keep it from backing off.


2015 F350 CC 4X4 6.7 Diesel
2010 27FB Silver Cloud "The Silver Spoon"

[OilnH2o]

My bars, when removed, slide right back into the cardboard box they arrived in- with some duct tape reinforcement on the ends. They have lasted several years with judicious and careful use, sliding in and out carefully and store easily in the back of our Sube.

The hitch/head I simply remove, put into a card-board lined (for padding and to keep the grease from the carpet) "milk crate" that lifts easily, and fits it handily - I remove the hitch from the receiver, put it in the crate, then lift the crate into the back of the Sube. Works great, simple, handy, and if we leave the campsite, the hitch leaves with us. I like, and have seen, MeFly's well-fitted plastic conduit solution. When my cardboard box falls apart, I'll probably do what he did!

[Alphonse]

I used to fret over how to store bars and head when camping. I gave it up and now store them like this. Obviously I have given up worries about theft of the bars. Also yields big benefit when hooking back up, it's all right there.

[KJRitchie]

Does any know how much lower the bars go down in relation to the L brackets when you add another washer on the head? The lower the bars go down the higher you have to raise the trailer connected to the truck. I also have to clear the thickness of the bracket jacket I have on the L bars.

Kelvin