Hooking and unhooking anti sway devices

WyoTraveler wrote:
Not really a problem with any of the sway bars. Before unhooking use tongue jack and raise about a foot to release pressure on sway bars. Disconnect sway bars. Then lower the jack to unhook. Same way hooking up. Make sure hitch is latched. Raise jack about a foot. Connect sway bars. Then lower jack.

This is correct for the weight distribution spring bars if those bars are part of a sway control system such as the Equalizer brand but not for the friction sway controls which have no pressure on them and release by pulling spring clips.

I find it very easy, maybe 5 minutes? I've never timed it. While camping, I leave the hitch head on the van, and the weight distribution bars in the hitch head (just swung all the way forward against the bumper). No heavy lifting required.

Unless my wife is helping, then it's probalby more like 15 minutes. 30 if she's 'helping' me line the hitch up under the ball while I'm backing up. :B

anaro wrote:

bradyk wrote:
I do have the real thing and Safety chains are part of unhooking a trailer. ! At least I hope you use them.........Kind of hard to pull away from the trailer with the safety chains attached.

I think he thought you meant the kind of chain seen on the Reese dual cam.

that's what i meant and i did say if your WDH has chains, you don't have the Equalizer. safety chains are part of the trailer, not the WDH.

bradyk wrote:
I do have the real thing and Safety chains are part of unhooking a trailer. ! At least I hope you use them.........Kind of hard to pull away from the trailer with the safety chains attached.

I think he thought you meant the kind of chain seen on the Reese dual cam.

I do have the real thing and Safety chains are part of unhooking a trailer. ! At least I hope you use them.........Kind of hard to pull away from the trailer with the safety chains attached.

bradyk wrote:
I have the Equalizer setup as well. Quick and easy to setup and a few seconds to unhook from trailer. Kust lift the power tongue jack and 2 clips and unhook chains and she is off.

if your WDH has chains, it's not an Equal-i-zer. a true brand-name Equal-i-zer has no chains in it.

I have the reese dual cam set up and it takes me about 3 or 4 extra minutes max to get the whole thing hooked up over when I hooked trailers up without this stuff. The electric tongue jack is your friend. Once the trailer is on the ball and locked in place, use the tongue jack to raise the rear of the truck up, this makes hooking up the bars easier to do. Get your chains, emergency brake cable and pigtail (lights/brakes) hooked up. retract the jack (we use an extra wood block underneath so it doesn't have to go down as far). Pull your chocks and off you go. The bars are as simple as sliding them into place, lifting them and using a cotter pin to hold them in place. Very easy thing to do to be ready for the just in case. By the way, integrated sway control (ie reese dual cam or equal-i-zer) is recommended for over 26 ft, friction sway bars are recommended for under 26'. Another style of hitch that is supposedly very easy but very pricey is the hensley arrow.

I have the Equalizer setup as well. Quick and easy to setup and a few seconds to unhook from trailer. Kust lift the power tongue jack and 2 clips and unhook chains and she is off. You can just swing the bars forward if you want to leave the setup on the truck or a few more minutes you can remove it and put it in the back of the truck. Either way is real simple and quick.

Ditto regarding hitching/unhitching with Equalizer, Reese dual cam or similiar hitch is pretty easy. If you're considering a Hensley hitch, than it can be a little more tricky. I used a Hensley for 10 years, and it's a great hitch. But it's a bit more tricky when it comes to lining up truck and trailer, and having the truck on an angle can be more challenging.

For what it's worth, it's usually easier to hitch up without help from DW....she just doesn't always understand response time of truck when backing and turning. I use a set of the hitch guides that are basically telescoping antennas with a magnet at the base and a yellow ball at the top. And, after many years, I'm learning that they work even better if you use your rear view mirror rather than trying to look out the rear window of the truck.

In my opinion, hooking up is second only to backing the trailer as a cause of divorces. That's why I do it alone. There are a number of gimmick devices available to help line things up, but I just do it by eye. Never takes me more than a couple of minutes to line up the ball and hitch.