equal-i-zer

Looking for a new hitch can be a pain. Been reading all over and found,,, Blue Ox has questionable sway control, Equalizer types are noisy, and others are expensive and complicated. I just have the round bar and single friction device. Thinking of just going to a trunnion type bar with dual friction brakes. Or heck, just keep what I have, clean it up and recheck all adjustments. A new TT has brought this on. I really don't want to drill all those holes in my tongue for the brake mount.

You might look at the Reese Dual Cam as many are happy with it but it does take a few more minutes to set up, big deal huh? Also, Anderson has a hitch that is interesting technology, Husky Centerline has their improved version of the Equalizer hitch and it is more quiet; but, what I would do is look for a good used Hensley on sale for about half the price of new. Then you will have the last hitch you will ever need, controls sway not just mitigates it since it is not a friction based hitch, great customer service and high quality. You might also find a good used ProPride that essentially works on the same principle of the Hensley, also good customer service. A good used Hensely or ProPride is probably a better value and a far better product than most new friction based hitches.

Looking for a new hitch can be a pain. Been reading all over and found,,, Blue Ox has questionable sway control, Equalizer types are noisy, and others are expensive and complicated. I just have the round bar and single friction device. Thinking of just going to a trunnion type bar with dual friction brakes. Or heck, just keep what I have, clean it up and recheck all adjustments. A new TT has brought this on. I really don't want to drill all those holes in my tongue for the brake mount.

I was told by the tech that set us up that you really shouldn't grease the "L" pin surfaces, as that is where the anti sway comes from.

The sway mitigation in this hitch is mostly at the head, not the L brackets. The L brackets, if lubricated, will operate in a slightly less efficient manner. Progress Mfg, the makers of the hitch, recommends lubricating the sockets where they come in contact with the head. That has little or no affect on how the hitch works. Lubricating the ends of the bars into the sockets will also have no affect on how the hitch works. Putting grease on the L brackets where the bars contact under tension would have some affect on the performance of the hitch and some noise is probably a better choice than any loss of performance. Noise is part and parcel of the hitch and if it gets to be bothersome, there are quieter hitches.

I have greased both the ball and inside the sockets where the spring bars are inserted, and there was no appreciable difference.

I don't think lubricating the inside of the socket where the bars go will have any effect. But with how noisy these things can be I can fully appreciate trying anything and everything to make it quieter. I know on mine the noise was coming from the friction between the outside of the sockets and the head.

I eliminated the noise from my equal-i-zer although I'm sure it's only temporary. But for now it's quiet.

I disassembled the two bolts that hold the sockets on the hitch head.
Then I cleaned off all the old grease and inspected the sockets.
There was some cracking so Equal-i-zer replaced the sockets.

Lubricated the friction surfaces of the hitch with new disc brake wheel bearing grease (it's what I had on hand.)

Greased up both sides of the sockets and inserted them back into the head.
Torqued the bolts to 55 ft lbs.

My hitch is quiet for the first time in it's life. :)

I love our equal-I-zer, but it can be noisy. I found that most of the noise on ours was coming from friction on the top and bottom of the sockets that the square bars go into. I insert and pin the bars, then move them back and forth to grease the surfaces they rub on before each tow. This helps greatly with the noise. I was told by the tech that set us up that you really shouldn't grease the "L" pin surfaces, as that is where the anti sway comes from. Equal-I-zer even tells you that if you install the pads that were linked earlier in this post that it will quiet, but reduce sway control somewhat. I thought about getting a set though, thinking I could always take them out if I encounter a situation where I needed max sway control.

I don't have the same hitch, but I have a Husky Centerline and it was really noisy when I first used it. Went back to the dealer and they reset the hitch (faulty locking plates needed replacement) and it was set completely different by a different technician, now it is all but silent and seems to work better. Originally I think it was too high and then angled down aggresively, thus putting way too much load on the bars, to the point the truck did not move independantly of the trailer. Now the hitch is lower and more level, the truck moves as I expect, not like it is welded to the trailer. I can make very sharp turns without any noise, where as before any turn made a lot of noise. I think the two hitches share similar brackets and that was the source of the noise in my case. My bars and hitch lost a lot of paint after only 300 miles.

BillB800si wrote:
For the last 7 plus years I've been using the 1400# Equalizer. First on our 32 foot Jayco Eagle and now on our 35 foot Cougar High Country. Keeping the noise level down has been a simple matter of greasing up the ball and spraying the silicone lubricant on the spring arm (bar) where it goes into the head (of the hitch).

I was told years ago by Equalizer that their anti sway control uses torque not friction in preventing sway. So not to worry about too much grease.
Happy trails,

I put up with the noise for awhile when new...then realized a little lub on the hitch where the bars attach made almost all the noise abate. After a while, you can tell where the noise is coming from because the paint will wear off the hitch where it is rubbing and making noise.

BillB800si wrote:
For the last 7 plus years I've been using the 1400# Equalizer. First on our 32 foot Jayco Eagle and now on our 35 foot Cougar High Country. Keeping the noise level down has been a simple matter of greasing up the ball and spraying the silicone lubricant on the spring arm (bar) where it goes into the head (of the hitch).

On mine, the noise is coming from the metal-to-metal contact points between the spring bars and the L-brackets. I have greased both the ball and inside the sockets where the spring bars are inserted, and there was no appreciable difference. Now I just ignore the sound as I am not greasing the aforementioned interface since that will reduce the friction coefficient and hence the anti-sway effect.

For the last 7 plus years I've been using the 1400# Equalizer. First on our 32 foot Jayco Eagle and now on our 35 foot Cougar High Country. Keeping the noise level down has been a simple matter of greasing up the ball and spraying the silicone lubricant on the spring arm (bar) where it goes into the head (of the hitch).

I was told years ago by Equalizer that their anti sway control uses torque not friction in preventing sway. So not to worry about too much grease.
Happy trails,