Equalizer Problem

[GCinSC2]

Grease the ball. Regular old school wheel bearing grease, nothing fancy. Wipe the ball off if you want, wipe out the coupler internals every so often.

You have about 1000 lbs of crudely stamped coupler twisting back and forth on a 2 5/16" steel ball. Run it dry, galling metal on metal tearing it wears the coupler out that's to be avoided.

Clipped from my 2007 Owners manual:
"Hitch Ball Lubricate with hitch ball lube or wheel bearing grease."

Did anyone look at the hitch ball shank length?

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by ewor

I married a musician, a guitar player. He plays great, but he doesn't have a handy bone in his body.

I'm handy but can't play the guitar. The universe is in balance.

BTW, CW gave you more bad advice. DO grease the ball.
Otherwise someday, the coupler won't let go. White lithium grease, same for the pivots mentioned earlier.

[ewor]

Thank you, Molly'sdad, Gary and all. It is greased up and ready to go! Off to MI and WI upper peninsula tomorrow for a 3 week test. We did a small camp at the local campground during our power outage after the terrible tornado here in Nashville in March, but this is our first trip. Crossing fingers. Yesterday we discovered that the plate below the propane tanks is rusted terribly, almost through. Jackson Center is on the horizon. I think we need a really good once over to make sure everything is up to snuff.
See you traveling I hope!

[Mollysdad]

That tray that holds the propane tanks is not welded to the frame, you can replace it. I wonder why it rusted so bad?
Meanwhile, have fun, let us know how it goes.

[GetawA-S]

I buy the 5 oz cans of Diamond almonds (habanero are good), rinse the empty can, and cut a “star” in the plastic top ( leave at least 1/2” uncut between the ends of the cuts and the rim). The lid/can pushes on easily over the ball when the hitch is not in use and keeps the gunk off my pants.
BTW, I had the same problem with my bar sockets. The local shop adjusted as described above, to the point I can swing them with one finger. Works fine, no need to strain yourself!

[JMynes]

You mentioned your hitch is noisy.
So was mine.
Get the plastic pads that go on the L brackets. They make a huge difference!

[dnsapp]

I have the Reese Straight Line Hitch on my 25FB AS. I am 64 too, however I don't know if that is a factor or not. I have been towing trailers for 40 years. The Reese Straight Line is so simple and the trailer tows like a dream. Have to look back sometimes to see if the trailer is still there. Big trucks pass me on the interstate and no sway. You can back up without detaching any thing when you get to the camp sight. You will have to drop maybe three links or four to see what works the best for your setup. I can be hooked up ready to go in about 10 mins. My wife can hook it up as well in about 15 mins. No tools required. Get the up to 1,200 pounds bars. My 25FB is one of the heavier tongue weight trailers.

[Skrausestl]

The guy who told you to never grease the pivots didn’t know what he was talking about. I called the factory about this problem on my Equalizer. They said:
1- Grease the upper and lower surfaces where those pivoting fittings that hold the torsion bars pivot around the bolt. You may be able to do this without removing the bolts, but I took them completely off to lube them. Equalizer sells a grease specifically approved for this purpose through their website, but said I could use any quality axle grease. (I specifically asked them to confirm that this would not reduce the anti-sway effectiveness of the hitch. The factory engineer was emphatic that it is fine.)
2- Apply EQUAL torque to each pivot bolt. They recommended around 90-110 ft-lb of torque.

Result: no more problems hooking up, no more “groaning” noises in turns, and no more issues with the F150 traction control system.

[BillTex]

Place a wooden block under the tongue jack so you can lift higher. That should do it.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Hi...
Thing's not mentioned.

That red coiled wire when extended appears that it will be too long to engage the trailer brakes before the tongue is cradled in the crossed safety chains.
I use a shorter length that will engage before separation. Others prefer the AS in the ditch.
POI..it should also be attached to the tow vehicle, not the receiver.👍 Un-twist the safety chains. And don't depend on the open link tongue connector. See pic.

Bob
🇺🇸

[bhayden]

>so you don't grease the ball?" He said "no, it isn't necessary and it is a mess."



As others have mentioned this is absolutely wrong, wrong wrong. Without grease not only with the ball wear but rust. I think they sell ball covers. I like the cut tennis ball cover. You can twist it around and it helps keep an even coat on the ball. I like using Amzoil synthetic bearing grease because it doesn't turn into cottage cheese when wet. White lithium grease is also a good choice and not as messy. Graphite Lock-Ez in the moving parts of the tongue. If it moves it should be lubed :-)

[Life is a Highway]

Our hitch sockets were way to tight from the day it was installed. I do not know if that was from the dealer or Equalizer. I bought the socket and a breaker bar and a torque wrench. 60-62 lbs is all you need on those nuts. And when new it did not have a drop if grease on it.

Dealer said leave it dry. Equalizer said no! please grease where we show you. We have no problems hitching up now. I also after unhitching clean off the dirty grease with WD-40 wipe dry and then re-apply grease to the area sections needed. I save up all those plastic shopping bags and cover the hitch stinger while the trucks sits or travels around. It’s always then ready to go when we hitch up.

Originally Posted by ewor

First off, thank you all. I will try to address the questions.

The tightness is in moving the bars side to side. We can't pull or push them in and out without more strength than either one of us have. I asked the gentleman at CW when we picked it up, and had this problem, if it perhaps needed grease and he said we would never want to grease it. I felt like he was in a hurry and needed us to go. How and where would grease go?

We have raised the jack as high as it will possibly go. On our last rig with this set up we would raise the jack and then push the bars in and have to lift them slightly over, sometimes with the tool, depending on the situation. Is this set-up too low? We have not put blocks under the jack and tried it. I think we are afraid to go higher than what the AS would be built to do.

Agreed that CW is not the place of choice. We just have no other option here. We live in Nashville. We could go to a suspension shop. That was a good idea. Do they do this sort of thing?

Here are a few more photos. I hope I have addressed the questions. Thank you all again!

[Ray Eklund]

If it moves, I grease it.

WD-40 attracts dust and the dust accumulates when Boondocking. Although I carry WD 40, always, I use Silicone spray for our Dirt Road Travel. Any overspray of WD 40 will collect dust, as well. You will discover this sooner than later. Go to a Car Wash and wash with soap and rinse. Then use WD 40 and avoid spraying where it is not needed. Like the top of the hitch and shank assembly.

I use WD 40 to break lubricants down and wipe down with paper towels.

Silicone spray seems to work just as well and dust resistant. I use silicone spray on the hardware for the awning and door hinges, as well. For the same reason... dust.

The swivels on the hitch, if too tight... will be so tight that they are difficult to move. Equalizer advises no less than 60 pounds torque. Up to 100 pounds they can be stubborn. (I see a card in the manual advising 'Socket Bolts at 60 to 100 pounds for 6K to 14K trailers.) I like them snug, but not so tight that you have to force it to move to the L bracket. Eventually the paint wears off and you will have a clean metal surface. Tighten snug. Not sloppy, but needing just enough strength to move the bars to the L bracket. I use wheel bearing grease, since I have several tubs to use up. The fit cleans the grease off, anyways, so wipe the excess off and wear disposable gloves when cleaning or removing bars.

You will discover one Socket Bolt will loosen more than the other side. Have your bar set into the socket and use it as a lever. Snug is better, than loose or tight... in my opinion.

There should be a Snap up Lever to assist getting the bar levered onto the L bracket. That should have been included with the hitch assembly. I can raise the trailer a few inches and swing the bar over with no or some modest pulling UP.

I have had no sway and no problems with our Equalizer Hitches with the bars. Our 27 foot uses 1,000# bars, although they are not marked.

Many posts over the years on greasing the Ball. When removing, wipe and apply fresh grease every time you detach. Also the hitch where the ball fits. Spray... WD 40 in this case as it thins the soiled grease hardened by use and wipe clean.

With the F350... I have FOUR Washers. Five was too many. Three, not enough. My Tundra used 5 washers. Make sure the Angle Set Bolt is SNUG... not too tight so not to strip any threads.

If the bar swings over and is a bit UNDER the L Bracket, lift the trailer until they swing over to the L Bracket and install the Snap L Pin. I keep two spares... just in case someone steals one or both...

Somewhere I read about a Ball with a Shank that is too LONG is BAD. Someone may have this to mention. The swivels would never get close to the Ball shank as it is in the Center and the bars would never get that close.

I started with the Equalizer with the Chains on the 23 footer and the 25 and 27 footer with bars. I really like this hitch. I have had NO Sway and with some moving the Link Bolt settings and washers... getting the setup with your satisfaction... Great for years to come.

If I am incorrect on anything above. Please whip me into my senses. We all need to have second opinions... often three to seven work, too!

[Joe15601]

My previous Airstream had the Reese hitch. It was fine. I purchased my new 27GT and picked it up last December with the Equalizer. When I got home I found the set-up to be less than ideal, to put it mildly. I readjusted everything, lubed the surfaces near the sockets and added L bracket jackets. Much better and quieter, but the quiet did not last. I retorqued, re-lubed and been frustrated. Even though the sockets are torqued the same, one socket is much. much harder to move than the other. I had some time tonight so I investigated. Once I loosened the bolts for the sockets completely, one was still much harder to move, so I disassembled. Both sockets adjacent surfaces on the head were gouged, and the one that was hard to move had metal protrusions on the surface of the head and the socket. I degreased, went to work with a Dremel and a file, smoothed everything up and coated everything with Equalizer lube. Then I put everything back together and torqued to 65 Ft/Lb. They both take an equal amount of force to move now. I can't wait for my next tow to see how it pulls and if it is anymore quiet.

Short Version: The surface where the sockets slide in the head had abnormal wear and needed filed smooth.

[GCinSC2]

Joe,

Just to rule this out, can you take a look at the end of the hitch ball shank under the hitch. Look for a arc shaped gouge right at the end of the threads.

If you see any gouge care to take a pic and post it? Equal-I-Zer uses a specific length shorter than many shank length. I posted info of it early in this thread.

No arc, my question wasn't the issue.

Gary

[jcanavera]

I don't worry about the moans and groans at low speed. In all honesty the noise is a heads up to those around me to stay clear as I'm maneuvering. I do see the heads come up as I pass by, but I consider that a good thing!

Almost 17 years with my Equal-i-zer and it's been rock solid for me. I did buy a pin kit which has a set of L pins and all the various pins and clips. Never have had to use it although I probably will buy a new set of L pins since the original ones are showing the wear from the years of the bars sliding back and forth. The brackets that hold the pins still look good. As others noted I keep those pivot bolts torqued to 60 ft lbs. Any more would be a real struggle to move those bars in and out when hitching or unhitching. I do this torquing annually and quite honestly it doesn't take much to get them to 60 ft lbs. Mine stay pretty tight. Especially with the heavy tongue weight of my 30' Classic slide out. Definitely do lube the ball!

Oh and buy one of these. Makes picking up and positioning your shank assembly a breeze. https://www.ebay.com/p/1323987385?ii...SABEgLhWfD_BwE

Jack

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Joe15601

Both sockets adjacent surfaces on the head were gouged, and the one that was hard to move had metal protrusions on the surface of the head and the socket.

Maybe a bad casting that shouldn't have been sold.

The orange carrier was included when we bought the Nash as a gift from the dealer. I used it for a while, but I feared the ball would slip out of it and the hitch head would land on my foot. I could keep my feet out of the way, but what if I made a mistake? I don't use it anymore.