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Old 09-14-2020, 11:54 AM   #1
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RAM + Equalizer = ?

Hi everyone, I am new to the forums and figured I would jump right in with a "fun" one. I have done the search and read on this subject and have seen too many different answers that contradict my own knowledge so I thought I would ask the experts.

I have a 2019 RAM 2500 Limited (6.7 Cummins) and I am getting the Equalizer 14k hitch sold and installed by AS of Tampa for my 2021 Classic 33 FB.

They offered the 12k hitch and I talked to them into 14k (only $20 difference).

Question - should I just leave it as the 12k? I have read that going to 14k or bigger was not a good idea. That being overkill actually hurts the ride on the AS.

Can someone please drop some wisdom on this for me?
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Old 09-14-2020, 12:20 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnaBelle33 View Post
Hi everyone, I am new to the forums and figured I would jump right in with a "fun" one. I have done the search and read on this subject and have seen too many different answers that contradict my own knowledge so I thought I would ask the experts.

I have a 2019 RAM 2500 Limited (6.7 Cummins) and I am getting the Equalizer 14k hitch sold and installed by AS of Tampa for my 2021 Classic 33 FB.

They offered the 12k hitch and I talked to them into 14k (only $20 difference).

Question - should I just leave it as the 12k? I have read that going to 14k or bigger was not a good idea. That being overkill actually hurts the ride on the AS.

Can someone please drop some wisdom on this for me?
The Equalizer bar size guide takes the guess work out of selecting bars. You'll need to know your loaded tongue weight and max loaded trailer weight. I use 1,000/10,000 bars with my 2016 RAM 2500 and 2017 25 FB combination.
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Old 09-14-2020, 12:25 PM   #3
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From a technical perspective both will do the job. I recommend using the hitch with the 12k tension bars. The equalizer bars are stiff to begin with, no sense going more in my opinion. With a GVWR of 10,000k either will provide the range of tension that is right and the 14k will likely be a bit easier to set up but the extra range of motion the 12k will provide I think is less jarring.
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Old 09-14-2020, 01:11 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by SilverWind View Post
The Equalizer bar size guide takes the guess work out of selecting bars. You'll need to know your loaded tongue weight and max loaded trailer weight. I use 1,000/10,000 bars with my 2016 RAM 2500 and 2017 25 FB combination.
Thank you! With 1,200 hitch weight and 10,000 GVWR - I figured I was good at 12k hitch but when I saw the 14k was only $20 more, I asked them to throw that one in and they agreed.
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Old 09-14-2020, 01:13 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by BayouBiker View Post
From a technical perspective both will do the job. I recommend using the hitch with the 12k tension bars. The equalizer bars are stiff to begin with, no sense going more in my opinion. With a GVWR of 10,000k either will provide the range of tension that is right and the 14k will likely be a bit easier to set up but the extra range of motion the 12k will provide I think is less jarring.
Thank you! I am looking for what is best for the AS. I guess there is no reason to go bigger if it doesn't make a real difference. Appreciate your response above.
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Old 09-14-2020, 02:28 PM   #6
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There will be some minor differences. The 14k bars will damp pitch (porpoising, like that galloping feeling on interstate bridges where the pavement sections are uneven) more than the 12k, and they will provide a bit more sway damping but your combination won't need it. As you surmised the 12k bars will be more gentle to the trailer.
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Old 09-15-2020, 10:30 AM   #7
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You might be surprised by the hitch weight. Better to go with the heavier bars. I did.
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Old 09-15-2020, 11:09 AM   #8
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We had a similar decision point (from the same dealer) for our Flying Cloud 27FBT. They said 1000, but we went with 1200 after reading all the reviews about Airstream's light tongue weight estimates. Even thought about going to 1400 for that reason, but I recall reading that at some point going too high would lessen the sway control, so we settled for the just-right option.
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Old 09-15-2020, 11:52 AM   #9
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This is one time when "Bigger is better" doesn't work for me.
According the AS the tongue weight is 886#. Figure 1000# by the time you tow it away. I'd stay with the 1200# bars and allow more flex.
IMO the 1400# bars will make it too stiff.
You can't always swap bars, the sockets might be a different shape to accommodate bigger bars.
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Old 09-15-2020, 01:53 PM   #10
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Less is more here. I'd actually recommend going down to the 10k kit.

Your Ram 2500 diesel will have a lot of inherent towing prowess and stability on account of it's mass, wheelbase, and structure. As a diesel, it will already have plenty of front axle weight that Front Axle Load Restoration (FALR) is not as necessary compared to most tow vehicles. It's why you bought the vehicle you did after all.

A WD hitch and its anti-sway and FALR effects are not as necessary and can be downsized. If anything, because of your TVs inherent robustness and spring rates, you'll want to go more tender on the WD bars to reduce loads on the trailer structure.

Therefore, you really do not want to go up to 14k. 12k will have stiffer WD bars than you need. 10k may be optimal.
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Old 09-15-2020, 04:12 PM   #11
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His trailer (33' Classic FB) has an Airstream spec empty tongue weight of 1,175. With front bed actual tongue weight ready to camp likely will be about 1,400 lbs possibly more. So getting 1,400 lb bars could be the best way to go.
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Old 09-15-2020, 05:07 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Wazbro View Post
His trailer (33' Classic FB) has an Airstream spec empty tongue weight of 1,175. With front bed actual tongue weight ready to camp likely will be about 1,400 lbs possibly more. So getting 1,400 lb bars could be the best way to go.


This is what AS of Tampa & Equalizer are telling me.
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Old 09-15-2020, 06:05 PM   #13
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Not the end of the world if you get the wrong bars the first time. They will still work just fine. And you can buy different ones if it feels to light or too stiff. I do not have an
Equalizer hitch so I will not venture a guess. My preference with a 2500 Dodge diesel and the Reese hitch that I use is for bars rated slightly lighter than the tongue wt. Camping world fixed me up initially with some heavier bars which now reside in a storage shed.
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Old 09-15-2020, 09:11 PM   #14
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Ft twin and hitch bars-

Trying not to hijack this but my situition is a consideradion for the bar selection .

Oh here goes as this will open it up! This spring in service this has happend to me and three others I met in Jackson service. If you own a ft bedroom twin look down at the corners of the ft locker hatch, the one behind the propane cover. If you see dimples at each corner starting you have an issue or will soon have one-

Airstream engineering and or assembly left twin bed trailers weak up there and they are hinting that a stiff 3/4 ton truck frame and or the weight distribution bars are causing to much shock to the trailer body which is not correctly enforced so it literally compresses the aluminum trailer against the floor and starts the dimples.
( Like a crushed aluminum can !)
Jackson Center was outstanding and fixed it which is a two day rip the entire front end apart from the inside or outside and reinforce the structure. Made us SICK to see this for a new trailer but service designed the repair and stands by it.

Sooooo that said I would NOT use any more tension on that trailer than absolutely necessary as per equalizer charts. Our 25 ft has 10,000 pound bars.
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Old 09-27-2020, 10:47 AM   #15
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Call Equalizer

Call Equalizer and talk to them. Get number from equalizerhitch.com. Your tongue weight will most likely be quite a bit more than the Airstream number once you load the trailer up. The 14K hitch and bars are a little heavier, but not dramatically.
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Old 09-27-2020, 12:19 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Life is a Highway View Post
Trying not to hijack this but my situition is a consideradion for the bar selection .

Oh here goes as this will open it up! This spring in service this has happend to me and three others I met in Jackson service. If you own a ft bedroom twin look down at the corners of the ft locker hatch, the one behind the propane cover. If you see dimples at each corner starting you have an issue or will soon have one-

Airstream engineering and or assembly left twin bed trailers weak up there and they are hinting that a stiff 3/4 ton truck frame and or the weight distribution bars are causing to much shock to the trailer body which is not correctly enforced so it literally compresses the aluminum trailer against the floor and starts the dimples.
( Like a crushed aluminum can !)
Jackson Center was outstanding and fixed it which is a two day rip the entire front end apart from the inside or outside and reinforce the structure. Made us SICK to see this for a new trailer but service designed the repair and stands by it.

Sooooo that said I would NOT use any more tension on that trailer than absolutely necessary as per equalizer charts. Our 25 ft has 10,000 pound bars.
I found the ‘dimples’ as well on our 2018 27 FC front twin and almost every other front twin trailer I looked at. I kept having dinette cushions and pillows on the floor after traveling and started looking closer. My TV is also a Ram 2500 with an Equalizer & 1000# bars, set up by the Airstream dealer on purchase. As an experiment I towed without the bars and the trailer faired much better, no tossed pillows and messed up cabinets and little if any change noticed from inside the truck. I have reduced the number of washers on the hitch from 6 to 4 to lessen the tension on the L brackets and will test this setup on the next trip.
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