Hey folks,I am not fond of the setup of my Equalizer brandh WDH from the dealer. The bars are nowhere near parallel, in fact they are probably 3" or moer out. According to my recent trip to the CAT Scales they are doing their job, but I want to get the same outcome with a better setup. I know I need to at least add 1 washer for the adjustment possibly more. From what I understand, a good starting point for a truck is 5 washers, and I currently have 4 (the same as my 4Runner and 19' TT). I have a feeling they left the ball the same and only switched the brackets to make adjustments. Can I just use any stainless steel washer that is similar size to the others, or does it take a special type? Also, is the placement of the angle set bolt completely set by the amount washers? Thanks for any advice.Chris

I used a grade 8 washer from the local hardware store for a few pennies to do the same as what you're doing. Easy fix. There's lots of physics that go into the WDH, but changing the angle and not the torque lifting up on the bars wouldn't change anything, I'd think.

The manual is online. It explains everything you need to know to add a washer.

There's a sticky in the Towing section of this forum that may help you with your setup:Sticky

If your bars are not parallel, I doubt adding a washer will do anything. All that does is puts more tension on the bars and transfers more weight to the front, it does not change the angle of the bars. Check the manual first, it sounds like it's not set up right and you need to move the head up or down or the L-brackets on the trailer up or down.

Ron3rd wrote:If your bars are not parallel, I doubt adding a washer will do anything. All that does is puts more tension on the bars and transfers more weight to the front, it does not change the angle of the bars. Check the manual first, it sounds like it's not set up right and you need to move the head up or down or the L-brackets on the trailer up or down.You are correct. I probably didn't explain myself well. I am moving the brackets to make the bars parallel, but and I have a feeling that will not provide enough distribution, which will cause me to change the head angle to create the same distribution.

Adding a washer to my Equalizer | Good Sam Community

AH64ID
Explorer
Mar 28, 2014
The ball gets torqued to 430-450 ft/lbs, depending on the ball.
The shank bolts get torqued to 320 ft/lbs.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Mar 28, 2014
kknowlton wrote:
A question for those of you who set up your hitches yourselves: what kind of wrenches do you use? The setup video Equal-I-zer sends out says that the bolts need to be torqued to over 300 foot-pounds. That's just not possible for us with regular wrenches.

You're talking about the nut on the bottom of the ball, and yes, it's very high torque using a BIG Socket that costs about 60 bucks. A buddy with an auto shop installed mine.

The rest are torque values around 45-60 lbs as I recall.
kknowlton
Explorer II
Mar 28, 2014
A question for those of you who set up your hitches yourselves: what kind of wrenches do you use? The setup video Equal-I-zer sends out says that the bolts need to be torqued to over 300 foot-pounds. That's just not possible for us with regular wrenches.
mkirsch
Nomad II
Mar 27, 2014
TundraTower, if you haven't killed yourself or your family yet, it measures up, and you're happy with the way it drives, I wouldn't bother with any "factory trained" technician.

Basically, if you had any doubt about your setup, you never should have taken it on the road. The fact that you have (implied) taken it on the road already, and are going to drive it 400 miles to find the nearest "factory trained" technician means that you have confidence in your setup.
TundraTower
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
I had a similar problem a year ago with our new TT and 10K Equalizer hitch. Dealer was afraid to add washers for some reason and would only adjust it by moving the shank and L brackets. After a few trips I took it all apart and got the bars level with descent load transfer.

However, since this is such an important part of the rig I want to know it is right. Look on the Equalizer website at the list of dealers and notice the ones that have FACTORY TRAINED technicians have a notation in the list.

I'm 400 miles away from the nearest factory-trained tech, but have cut a deal with one in Oklahoma to review/adjust my setup as we go thru there on our way out west in May.

Might be worth your time and peace of mind to find a factory-trained technician nearby that knows how to set it up.
uintafly
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
ah64id wrote:
Ron3rd wrote:

Maybe, but his bars are level and his measurements are correct.

That was his entire goal, same distribution with parallel bars.

Exactly my goal. And according to my TV owners manual and the Equalizer's manual I am within specs and where I want to be. I will probably run over a CAT Scale next time I am passing one, but with what I have done don't feel I need to make an extra trip for it.

Chris
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Mar 26, 2014
Agreed.
AH64ID
Explorer
Mar 26, 2014
Ron3rd wrote:

Maybe, but his bars are level and his measurements are correct.

That was his entire goal, same distribution with parallel bars.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Mar 26, 2014
ah64id wrote:
myredracer wrote:
Changing the angle of the hitch head can alter the distribution of weight to steer, drive and trailer axles so you may want to watch that. You shouldn't just arbitrarily change the angle.

Hopefully the dealer installed the correct rating of WDH for your tongue weight.

The OP stated he added 2 washers and dropped 2 holes, effectively cancelling each other out.

Maybe, but his bars are level and his measurements are correct.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Mar 26, 2014
uintafly wrote:
I ended up taking care of everything last night. Had to add 2 washers and drop 2 holes. I also was running almost 2 inches tongue high, so I also dropped down an inch on the shank. Now I am running a little tongue low, which is fine by me. I was able to get the bars parallel and return the front wheels to the same height as before. Once you read through the manual the Equalizer is surprisingly easy to make adjustments on. Thanks again for the help.

I think you're good to go if your wheelwell measurements are in spec, and your bars are parallel or close to it. The trailer slightly nose down is fine IMO.

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