Equalizer Hitches on ALL MY Tow Vehicles

[DonRich7878]

Originally Posted by Bill_H80

Worst case if I can’t find a shank sized for a 3” receiver I’ll get a 2.5” and look to have a local fab shop weld on an adapter so I don’t have to deal with it banging around on me. (As a note, I’ve heard of GenY doing this for people for an added $50, not a bad deal).

I use a Curt 3"...

https://youtu.be/QjpJRuj1evE

https://www.curtmfg.com/towing-acces...-mounts/3-inch

[Ray Eklund]

Equalizer Hitch damages frame of Airstream... on a Thread. That caught my attention... which is short anyways.

When Off the Grid and trolling for a campsite on a two rut, dirt, gravel, boulder - gravel - dirt - grit... roads you find at the majority of NFS and BLM and County roads into the 'hinterlands'... be smart.

I was 12,000 years old in the third grade, for example. I am a Neanderthal towing Airstreams.

When OTG Boondocking... REMOVE THE SWAY BARS and put them into the back of the Tow Vehicle. You do not need sway bars going 5 to 35 mph on uneven roads. Reread the first sentence... again.

We all learn lessons... it just takes me longer than most of you. I am an Airstream Princess and working into being an Airstream Experienced Human Bean.

Took 15 years of practicing good and bad advice. Many sales people do not tow a trailer... just a clue as to an excellent source 'bad advice'. Your choice. Not mine. Good Dealers have Sales People who know their product.

Whiskey advice is where advice is much better. Sales people vary in their eagerness to learn... in different products. Equalizer Hitches.. maybe not as interesting.

I found three examples when to not have sway bars operating. You can swing them to the side and once on a road surface, swing them back. Or... just take ten minutes and wipe the grease off, remove, make sure you have all the hardware you removed attached to the bar... and avoid problems. Put them where you can find them later.

I am always looking for my reading glasses... no strings attached, either.

Leverage they say can bend your Airstream Frame. OK. This will help.

Tow on the Ball when OTG Boondock campsite hunting.

Also be aware of these stresses driving into a Service Station with big dips to divert water away. Just avoid them when possible. I could possibly put a list together with photographs, but Maverick Truck Stops are the best... and save yourself some grief.

You will avoid breaking the sway bar bracket... the Sway Bar slips into.

Yes, this is a bit wordy. Just skip the parts you do not care to read. Works for me on many posts. Even some of my Airstream Princess experiences... which are just wonderful and some... not so.

[jondrew55]

Was not critiquing your approach, just my failing memory.

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

****
Jon... you should avoid MY Posts and Threads. I try to cover EVERYTHING which most do not attempt when explaining WHY I do anything... correctly. The more experience someone may have... the more information learned by trial, error and taking bad advice from others.

Sorry you do not like my approach. It works for me.

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by jondrew55

Was not critiquing your approach, just my failing memory.

*****
Jon, you now need to do a 100 word Why I (fill in the blank) post of a (fill in the blank) hitch. If you go over 100 words, I will say you were the buyer of this 325 pound jukebox.

Otherwise I am going to post this photograph, why some people should not be towing anything... This is real. I took this photo after looking for some Rope? I cannot recall, like Jon.

The identity of this individual is being protected for obvious reasons. Well... he had to ask his wife to help unload this 1936 Wurlitzer model 600 Jukebox I sold to him in 1979 or so.

Because I am very ancient, I have done many businesses, most are of no value to anyone... like converting an antique jukebox from a 78 player to a 45 player... or restoring antique slot machines or... well, you get the idea.

I tried 'flint knapping' but my fingers swelled up and that ended that idea.

[jondrew55]

Lol

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

*****
Jon, you now need to do a 100 word Why I (fill in the blank) post of a (fill in the blank) hitch. If you go over 100 words, I will say you were the buyer of this 325 pound jukebox.

Otherwise I am going to post this photograph, why some people should not be towing anything... This is real. I took this photo after looking for some Rope? I cannot recall, like Jon.

The identity of this individual is being protected for obvious reasons. Well... he had to ask his wife to help unload this 1936 Wurlitzer model 600 Jukebox I sold to him in 1979 or so.

Because I am very ancient, I have done many businesses, most are of no value to anyone... like converting an antique jukebox from a 78 player to a 45 player... or restoring antique slot machines or... well, you get the idea.

I tried 'flint knapping' but my fingers swelled up and that ended that idea.

[pteck]

I think this is a great thread. I know we do a lot of back and forth in threads as to what's "better". What's better for one rig may not be for another. And better is really not the goal. Rather making things work for specific rigs as each rig and owner is dealing with different variables, priorities, and requirements. Thanks to Ray Eklund as to what has worked for him. I'll take that lead and share what's worked for me as I likewise have found great success with an Equalizer hitch.

Rig is a Lexus LX570 towing a 27FB. Concerns are the LX is rather short wheelbase at 112.2" towing at the high end of its static capacities. Yet I've found great success and stability by paying attention to details. Part of the saving grace is that the LX570 (aka Lexus Land Cruiser) is robust and heavy at 6200lbs, which is closer to many HD trucks.

The LX570 has a 3" lift between taller tires and suspension lift. Airstream has a matching 3" lift between Dexter blocks and incrementally taller 235/75R15s. I've found this to be excellent for clearance when going off the beaten path, or just traversing areas that have lots of grades. The hitch head clearance is likewise improved greatly and I never have a concern about dragging on even larger transitions.



One of the key parameters that Andy at CanAmRV points out over and over is keeping the ball close and tight to the rear bumper. Close and tighter if possible. Because reducing this overhang and lever arm has so many great knock on effects for stability. Less overhung tongue weight. Less porpoising. Not optimizing this parameter can have the opposite effect of greatly reducing stability, requiring compensation elsewhere like PPPs (which effectively is virtually bringing the ball closer to the rear axle) or more WD tension. In towing, we all hear about the benefits of wheelbase. More specifically, it's about wheelbase to rear overhang ratio. Practically understood as giving the steer axle as much leverage against trailer forces on the ball as possible, and giving as little leverage to tongue forces as possible. For my shorter wheelbase vehicle with roughly a 2:1 wheelbase to rear overhang ratio, bringing in the ball 1" closer to the bumper has the perceived effect of increasing my wheelbase by 2". That's a big deal

This is so key that I spent time optimizing my stinger projection and cut it down by ~2.5" and drilling a new hitch pin hole (for 5" more effective wheelbase!).



Ray mentioned it, but when I unhitch for short trips, I often just swing my WD bars parallel with my rear bumper. I will take the whole hitch off most times going off-road as it gets caked with dirt quickly.



For those that have adjustment holes unused at the top of the hitch stinger, I found it great to add a quick release handle. Makes it cleaner and easier to handle. These are readily available at your hardware store, possibly near the tie wrap section. Also serves as umbilical cable management keeping it high up and protected.



An interesting interaction for my tow vehicle as it has suspension lift on demand is that I can reduce tension of the WD hitch on the fly. By raising the suspension to high, it slackens the WD bars, so I can traverse uneven roads and gullies without excess strain and stress on the trailer. Other cars that have this function may also get similar interactions. Mine also lowers 1" at freeway speeds at 65MPH. Which is great as it increases WD tension exactly when it's needed for high speed stability. This allows me to set the tension statically less, which is helps around town.

Happy streaming

[Mollysdad]

Quick survey:
Equalizer E-4 or Blue Ox Sway Pro?

[SteveNdebbie]

Originally Posted by pteck

I think this is a great thread. I know we do a lot of back and forth in threads as to what's "better". What's better for one rig may not be for another. And better is really not the goal. Rather making things work for specific rigs as each rig and owner is dealing with different variables, priorities, and requirements. Thanks to Ray Eklund as to what has worked for him. I'll take that lead and share what's worked for me as I likewise have found great success with an Equalizer hitch.

Rig is a Lexus LX570 towing a 27FB. Concerns are the LX is rather short wheelbase at 112.2" towing at the high end of its static capacities. Yet I've found great success and stability by paying attention to details. Part of the saving grace is that the LX570 (aka Lexus Land Cruiser) is robust and heavy at 6200lbs, which is closer to many HD trucks.

The LX570 has a 3" lift between taller tires and suspension lift. Airstream has a matching 3" lift between Dexter blocks and incrementally taller 235/75R15s. I've found this to be excellent for clearance when going off the beaten path, or just traversing areas that have lots of grades. The hitch head clearance is likewise improved greatly and I never have a concern about dragging on even larger transitions.

Attachment 400028

One of the key parameters that Andy at CanAmRV points out over and over is keeping the ball close and tight to the rear bumper. Close and tighter if possible. Because reducing this overhang and lever arm has so many great knock on effects for stability. Less overhung tongue weight. Less porpoising. Not optimizing this parameter can have the opposite effect of greatly reducing stability, requiring compensation elsewhere like PPPs (which effectively is virtually bringing the ball closer to the rear axle) or more WD tension. In towing, we all hear about the benefits of wheelbase. More specifically, it's about wheelbase to rear overhang ratio. Practically understood as giving the steer axle as much leverage against trailer forces on the ball as possible, and giving as little leverage to tongue forces as possible. For my shorter wheelbase vehicle with roughly a 2:1 wheelbase to rear overhang ratio, bringing in the ball 1" closer to the bumper has the perceived effect of increasing my wheelbase by 2". That's a big deal

This is so key that I spent time optimizing my stinger projection and cut it down by ~2.5" and drilling a new hitch pin hole (for 5" more effective wheelbase!).

Attachment 400025

Ray mentioned it, but when I unhitch for short trips, I often just swing my WD bars parallel with my rear bumper. I will take the whole hitch off most times going off-road as it gets caked with dirt quickly.

Attachment 400026

For those that have adjustment holes unused at the top of the hitch stinger, I found it great to add a quick release handle. Makes it cleaner and easier to handle. These are readily available at your hardware store, possibly near the tie wrap section. Also serves as umbilical cable management keeping it high up and protected.

Attachment 400027

An interesting interaction for my tow vehicle as it has suspension lift on demand is that I can reduce tension of the WD hitch on the fly. By raising the suspension to high, it slackens the WD bars, so I can traverse uneven roads and gullies without excess strain and stress on the trailer. Other cars that have this function may also get similar interactions. Mine also lowers 1" at freeway speeds at 65MPH. Which is great as it increases WD tension exactly when it's needed for high speed stability. This allows me to set the tension statically less, which is helps around town.

Happy streaming

Attachment 400031

After our MDX is retired, we were wonder if Andy and Can Am could modify a Yugo to tow our 25’ AS? They might need to add a little reinforcement [emoji23]