Advice on wdh

Equalizer

stephend wrote:
Go Equalizer!

And as the OP has now done, moving from one weight range to a different one with an Equal-i-zer requires changing the complete system ... with a Blue Ox Sway Pro only the spring bars need to be changed. He got lucky finding a used E2 and being able to swap out his 600 lb version for a 1000 lb version for just $75 ... lucky indeed.

Go Blue Ox Sway Pro! :W

Went to dealership today and traded my 600/6000 E2 trunion hitch for a used E2 1000/10000 round bar hitch.I paid $75 difference which I considered quite fair.Thanks for all responses!

Go Equalizer!

Ron3rd wrote:
"We have pulled with this setup @200 miles so far and handles great."

If you like the way it handles, and the weight distribution is correct to the front axle, meaning it is transferring sufficient weight to the front axle, why change? I'm going to be in the minority here, but if you like the setup, go with it.

Why? Shouldn't it be obvious? - because he's pushing those 600 lb spring bars WELL beyond their rating ... 50 lbs maybe, but no way would any manufacturer recommend running bars several hundred pounds beyond their rating. :E

"We have pulled with this setup @200 miles so far and handles great."

If you like the way it handles, and the weight distribution is correct to the front axle, meaning it is transferring sufficient weight to the front axle, why change? I'm going to be in the minority here, but if you like the setup, go with it.

Lance72 wrote:
I did a lot of reading and research on WDH and sway control. Blue Ox certainly seems like a great product but the price was extremely high. Also the bars must be sized correctly for the sway prevention to work. Where you have friction to reduce sway on the E2, Blue Ox uses deflection in the bars to reduce sway. Basically the bars fight each other and the result is both bars maintain the same amount of deflection (in a perfect world). My RV dealer insisted that 1000# bars were just fine for my 450# TW. He was wrong. I went with an Eaz WDH and 600# bars w/ a Reese friction arm. Half the price.

btw. you are over the limit. as a rule i never exceed the name plate data on anything.

The Sway Pro is a very good hitch, and worth the money for its easy set up, removal, and clean bars. Many more expensive hitches on the market than the Sway Pro.
As for your dealer, 1,000 lb bars were probably what he had in stock, as Blue Ox makes bars from 350 to 2,000 lbs. I wouldn't trust a dealer that told me I had to use 1,000 lb bars with 450 lb tw.
Glad your happy with what you got.

With a bit of patience and local Craigslist, I found an Equal-i-zer of correct weight rating and sold my E2, with a net out-of-pocket of $75.00.

I did a lot of reading and research on WDH and sway control. Blue Ox certainly seems like a great product but the price was extremely high. Also the bars must be sized correctly for the sway prevention to work. Where you have friction to reduce sway on the E2, Blue Ox uses deflection in the bars to reduce sway. Basically the bars fight each other and the result is both bars maintain the same amount of deflection (in a perfect world). My RV dealer insisted that 1000# bars were just fine for my 450# TW. He was wrong. I went with an Eaz WDH and 600# bars w/ a Reese friction arm. Half the price.

btw. you are over the limit. as a rule i never exceed the name plate data on anything.

As a Coachmen Freedom Express owner myself I'd say there's no doubt you're exceeding the 600 lb rating of those E2 spring bars by quite a bit. :E Do the math - your new FE 236BHS has a factory unloaded weight of 5000 lbs so even if you conservatively estimate your gross trailer weight at just 6000 lbs fully loaded and ready to camp you could easily be running nearly 800 lbs of gross tongue weight at ~ 13%. Such is just one example why (having previously owned a Progress Mfg Equal-i-zer myself) next time around I'd instead select a Blue Ox Sway Pro because if one switches to a trailer in a different weight range one only needs to swap out the spring bars, not the entire system as is the case with the Equal-i-zer and I presume as well the E2 which is manufactured by Fastway which is part of Progress Mfg. If I were in your shoes I'd personally ditch the current E2 and put the proceeds towards a Blue Ox Sway Pro with 1000 lb spring bars. JMO. ;)