equalizer hitch - any negatives?

[Inland RV Center, In]

The Physics of guns have not changed, only dates.

The Physics of load equalizing hitches, has not changed, only dates.

Loss of control accidents, continue on, for the same reasons they did decades ago.

Strangely, most of those loss of control accidents, were avoidable, IF.

My only purpose is to educate what is safe and what is not safe, regarding the use of load equalizing hitches.

Arguments will continue in the same fashion as they do for guns.

Guns are safe, but is whose hands? Same with load equalizing hitches.

Andy

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

My only purpose is to educate what is safe and what is not safe, regarding the use of load equalizing hitches.

...

Andy

I guess this means you are saying, in your professional opinion, that Equal-i-zer brand hitches are unsafe?

I'm not even sure the Equal-i-zer brand, as the product exist today, was available in the 1960's.

[LLB21]

Short of springing for a Hensley hitch I'll stick with my Equal-i-zer.

[1cericks1]

I too think the equalizer has been quite easy, zero sway whatsoever, though I think mine might have too much weight on the front axle. not sure if it's under warranty or if the dealer would check the adjustment. I think it's sensitive enough you want to keep a close eye on your tire pressure. I worry the dealer calibrated it when the truck tires might have been low. I notice a little bit of bouncing at times, and look back and my dog seems to be bouncing even more (though my ears don't flop the way his do). I use grease on the friction points to keep the noise down and do have to regularly tighten the bolts to keep the friction on the sway bars up. for a 22' i can't imagine you'll have a problem unless it's not calibrated properly.

[dbradhstream]

Andy - I've appreciated many of your posts over the past couple of years, but to compare WD hitches with gun safety makes no sense whatsoever. Also, your position seems to have changed from your first post on this string (i.e. the EQ is rough and provides no sway control) to your last (i.e. like guns, any WD hitch used safely is safe.)

I choose to agree with your second position. I'm very happy with my EQ and I think it gives a good, stable tow. Personally, I think the tow vehicle is most important factor anyway. For the person towing a 22'er with a 1-ton, I seriously doubt any WD system is necessary at all. The assertion that one should use the lightest possible bars when towing with a super-stiff tow vehicle would seem to imply the same thing.

[dwightdi]

I own two Reese hitches. One is a Twin Cam the other has the frictional dampener. I also own a Equalizer. The Reese (with the properly selected W/D bars) offer the best performance, while offering the softest ride for the trailer. I have weighed the bars for the Reese and the Equalizer. The Equalizer are way heavier and I have calculated the stiffness. The Equalizers are much stiffer. Therefore, the coupling between the tow vehicle and the trailer is much stiffer with the Equalizer and the two can not properly bend, when encountering a bump or hole in the road. This results in a rougher ride. The Equalizer offers the same frictional resistance characteristic as my frictional Reese, which is adequate for most circumstances, but the Reese twin Cam handles the job better in those unusual situations of high speed trucks passing on the Interstates where lane dividing barriers amplify the bow wave from the trucks and you have little room to move to compensate for it. If I could afford it, and thought I needed a better hitch, I would buy a Hensley or the new knock-off product, designed by the original designer of the Hensley.

[Gene]

From time to time I look in the side mirror when a truck passes us, or is going the other way and is pretty close, to see if there's any sway. None. Going fast down a winding road, no sway either. We have an Equalizer. Easy to hitch up or unhitch. My wife and I each take one side, put the bars in, attach everything, drive away. Either of us can get the bars out of the pick up bed. Can back up easily with it attached.

It does make a lot of noise as the bars slide back and forth, though as the paint wears off, they get quieter. We like the noise—it says: "I'm doing my job".

Gene

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, the only thing a Gun has in common with a Hitch is "the ability of the owner" to set-up, maintain, and use it properly.

I, before my last trip, dissasembled my Equal-i-zer hitch head assembly and cleaned every part of it, and coated all points of movement and pivot points on the bolts with Anti-seize. The hitch performed as well as ever, but without all the moaning and groaning it did before. I left the "L" brackets dry and heard very little popping on sharp turns into the campground.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Minnie's Mate

I guess this means you are saying, in your professional opinion, that Equal-i-zer brand hitches are unsafe?

I'm not even sure the Equal-i-zer brand, as the product exist today, was available in the 1960's.

I never said, nor printed, that an Equalizer was unsafe.

I did say, that their square bar, with alleged sway control, comes from the imagination of their sales department, and indeed is not a proven fact.

That model hitch dates back some 40 years or more.

All to many loss of control accidents involved Equalizer hitches.

Same was true for Eaz-lift, with and without using their friction sway control.

Torsion type sway controls, is the only type load equalizing hitch, that has a true sway control, since it has a brain.

Andy

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

I never said, nor printed, that an Equalizer was unsafe.


All too many loss of control accidents involved Equalizer hitches.


Andy

Hi, then what does this mean?

Or did you mean it like this:

I never said, nor printed, that Equal-i-zer brand was unsafe.

All too many loss of control accidents involved equalizing type hitches.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, then what does this mean?

Lack of a good sway control, can lead to a loss of control accident.

The square bar Equalizer, does not have a sway control.

A true sway, casnnot usually be felt from a drivers seat.

BUT, a sway can be felt when riding in the rear of the trailer at 60 mph.

Another test, even at a lower speed, is to quickly change lanes, as you would to avoid a large obstacle on the road.

Then see how you regain control.

Andy

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, then what does this mean?

Or did you mean it like this:

I never said, nor printed, that Equal-i-zer brand was unsafe.

All too many loss of control accidents involved equalizing type hitches.

Sorry, but I did not misspell "Equalizer."

Nor did I intend to use the word "equalizing" in my sentence.

Andy

[Gene]

If the Equalizer does not prevent sway, and I have an Equalizer, and I cannot see any sway, nor feel any sway, what is preventing sway?

Seems like either:

1. I can't see it or feel it, but it's happening, or

2. Some unknown (to me) force is preventing sway—magic, great truck, special trailer, or something else I can't imagine (this seems very unlikely), or

3. Equalizer.

And, a number of others using this brand have posted that they have no sway. Are all of us unable to detect sway?

This is very confusing.

Gene

[SteveH]

My telling what to me is an interesting story at this point in the thread might be appropriate.

Recently at a very large rally, I was talking to a gentleman who I know has lots of experience towing Airstreams about his Hensley hitch, and I asked him things like, how he liked it, and if he could tell me the point of pivot projection? After answering my specific questions, he then went into almost a rant about how he would never own anything but a Hensley, and that every other hitch made simply offered resistance to sway, and could not possibly eliminate sway. Intersting, I thought, as I know the Reese dual cam is at least one hitch that works on more than just resistance, not to mention the ProPride, and the other one that uses a track under the TV(can't remember the name of that one).

Then, later in the day, I was talking with a friend that I know has been towing Airstreams for over 40 years, and he told me he would NEVER spend the money for a Hensley. I asked him why not. His response was, "Any weight distribution hitch on the market will eliminate sway IF IT IS SET UP PROPERLY". He contined, "If you have a weight distributing hitch, tow an Airstream, and you have sway, your hitch is not set up properly".

Personally, I think both of my friends may be right, mostly.

[Airtandem]

OK; Guys; Which is better, Hensley arrow, Reese dual cam, Equilizer or.. Chevy, Dodge, Ford or Toyota: Strawberry, Chocolate or Vanilla?
Was the tires inflated properly, was there fluid in the holding tanks, are the shocks good etc?????
And while we are at it; Have you stopped hitting your mother?? (yes or no) -- something else to discuss.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Airtandem

OK; Guys; Which is better?

Ok, since you asked, Tundra with Equalizer covered in chocolate. I had to stop hitting my mother in 2000 when she died. Tires proper, some fluid, Bilstein shocks.

Now, let's go on to religion, politics and sex and Airstream floorplans.

Gene

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Sorry, but I did not misspell "Equalizer."

Nor did I intend to use the word "equalizing" in my sentence.

Andy

From their web site: http://www.equalizerhitch.com/

"Equal-i-zer" is the brand name. I guess you were talking generalities and not brand specific?

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Lack of a good sway control, can lead to a loss of control accident.

The square bar Equalizer, does not have a sway control.

A true sway, casnnot usually be felt from a drivers seat.

BUT, a sway can be felt when riding in the rear of the trailer at 60 mph.

Another test, even at a lower speed, is to quickly change lanes, as you would to avoid a large obstacle on the road.

Then see how you regain control.

Andy

Also from their site:

"It has been specially designed to tackle the three biggest problems found with conventional trailer hitches: trailer sway, weight distribution, and complicated hook-ups. "

I guess you mean that they are quilty of false advertisement on their site and your experience from 40 years ago can back that up?

When you make absolute statements, you open yourself up to refutation.

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Another test, even at a lower speed, is to quickly change lanes, as you would to avoid a large obstacle on the road.

Been there, done that. Tracked beautifully, no sway.

[dbradhstream]

Let me put an end to all this argument, I mean, discussion, by just saying ...

sorry I actually have no idea what to say to end this argument, I mean, discussion.

Instead I'll just say what I think and keep things going b/c we're all just here to have fun anyway, right?

Since don't have or claim to be aware of decades of research or data or anything else other than a little of my own experience and a miniscule amount of common sense and a lot of cynicism, I'll start with "IMHO" ...

(1) the tow vehicle's ability to handle the trailer you're pulling dictates what degree of weight distribution is required to properly distribute the weight being towed. If you're pulling a little red wagon with a locomotive, presumably no WD system is needed at all, although there are any number of WD hitch manufacturers and salesmen who would love to sell you one anyway and every one of them sells the best one.

(2) Separate from the issue of weight distribution is the issue of sway, and a properly loaded and balanced trailer (i.e. slightly front heavy) with properly inflated tires simply should not sway. So, presumably, in most cases no significant degree of sway control is needed, although there are any number of sway control manufacturers and salesmen who would love to sell you their sway control system anyway and every one of them sells the best one.

3) If you tow with an appropriate vehicle, and you tow a balanced and well maintained trailer, minimal WD and minimal sway control are needed and, giving the anti-Equalizer crowd the benefit of the doubt and assuming the EQ only provides a minimal benefit, then the EQ should still be completely adequate and a good value for the price.

4) Having never used them I have no opinion on other brands, they may be better, they may do more, I don't know. I do know that generally they cost more, the Hensley a lot more, and I wonder how out of kilter your tow vehicle and/or trailer need to be before you have a big enough problem to even notice the difference? And if you can notice a difference, aren't there bigger issues you need to address in your towing habits?

There, that should keep things going for another 50 or so posts, right?

Brad

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by dbradhstream

There, that should keep things going for another 50 or so posts, right?

Brad

Right. and of course and .

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by dbradhstream

(2) Separate from the issue of weight distribution is the issue of sway, and a properly loaded and balanced trailer (i.e. slightly front heavy) with properly inflated tires simply should not sway. So, presumably, in most cases no significant degree of sway control is needed, although there are any number of sway control manufacturers and salesmen who would love to sell you their sway control system anyway and every one of them sells the best one.

Brad

Brad.

All travel trailers have a "sway" regardless of manufacturer.

Little to no tongue weight creates a sway, that basically cannot be eliminated.

A proper tongue weight creates a sway, that can be eliminated, depending on the components used and how they are adjusted.

Andy