Equal-i-zer Hitch: Tools to have on hand.

[jason26]

I just purchased an Equal-i-zer hitch and will be installing it myself. For the first setup my neighbour, a mechanic has everything needed to torque the stuff down including the hitch ball. But for adjustments, and maintenance, what tools should I have on hand.

The manual says the shank bolts need to be torqued to 320 ft-lb, and the sway bracket assembly to 75 ft-lb. Should I get myself a torque wrench capable for 320? I'm not sure how often I'd need to touch the shank bolts, hopefully not often.

Thanks.

[jason26]

WDP wrote:

TxTwoSome wrote:
Don't forget the Hitch Ball the torque needed for mine when I just switched hitches was 450 foot pounds!

And the hitch ball requires a special large thin wall socket, your neighbor will prolly not have it. I took my ball and head to the local dealer and for $5.00 he tightened her up.

WDP

Actually we were able to move the bar ends around and fit a regular socket in there. The torque was all off on the bar end bolts anyways.

Anyways, ended up with all the tools I needed except that ball socket, which I likely won't need anyways.

[WDP]

TxTwoSome wrote:
Don't forget the Hitch Ball the torque needed for mine when I just switched hitches was 450 foot pounds!

And the hitch ball requires a special large thin wall socket, your neighbor will prolly not have it. I took my ball and head to the local dealer and for $5.00 he tightened her up.

WDP

[TxTwoSome]

Don't forget the Hitch Ball the torque needed for mine when I just switched hitches was 450 foot pounds!

[Kalabin]

FLY 4 FUN wrote:
I would say an annual once over to inspect for wear or loose bolts would suffice. If I were to suggest something it would be to have spare pins for retaining the "L" brackets as that's what usually gets lost.

Daryll

Very good advice,

I picked up a used Equalizer 1,000lb hitch this spring. I decided to dial it in a bit more for my truck and had to flip the drop shank and adjust the bolts (which are supposed to be @ 240ish ft/lbs. I broke both nuts loose with little effort. Not sure if the PO actually cranked on them, but I know I did this time around.

[hawkeye-08]

I carried all the tools needed to adjust it and check to make sure things were tight the first year. Now I just check things at home in the spring and visually check the rest of the summer. Some sort of witness mark as mentioned earlier is a good idea.

[FLY_4_FUN]

I would say an annual once over to inspect for wear or loose bolts would suffice. If I were to suggest something it would be to have spare pins for retaining the "L" brackets as that's what usually gets lost.

Daryll

[owenssailor]

I have had the nuts on the "L" brackets back off. I now have them all marked with red nail polish to make a visual check easy. A friend had the same issue and has done the same with the nail polish.

I carry sockets for all the different nuts and a torque wrench that will do all the lighter nuts. For the 320 ft-lb nuts I have a johnson bar and put my weight full on it at a bit over 2 ft to give the about right torque.

[Community Alumni]

I took the whole hitch/shank assembly to my rv dealer and they torqued all the bolts for me.

[DutchmenSport]

Mine was set up at the dealer 3 years ago and never touched again. Get it set up right and go camping. Sometimes fiddling with things when they is really nothing wrong will cause unnecessary problems.

So, if it's set up, check it again at home after your first trip. If all is well, then forget it and save yourself money on tools.

Remember, the purpose for "tourqueing" is to prevent OVER tightening, running the risk of breaking bolts or nuts.

[bob213]

Don't think you will need the 320 ft/lb torque wrench if your neighbor has one. Once set up , maybe bring a beer over once a year and let him re-check them. A decent torque wrench for the sway brackets will also be a good thing to have for your lug nuts on the wheels. That is where I would spend my money if I were going to buy a torque wrench. I store my wrench at zero to help keep the calibration correct.(others may dispute that but that's what I do)