Equalizer or Reese Dual Cam

[chinook507]

It is time for a new hitch setup. I Have a 25' TH and a Ford Excursion. I am trying to figure out which hitch to get and I have it narrowed down to 2 different models. Reese Dual Cam and Equalizer.
The problem I am having making my decision is because I dont always haul my toys around in the back. With my current setup I have the ability to drop a link when loaded and add a link unloaded. The Equalizer doesnt seem to offer adjustability unless I am mistaken. The Reese Dual Cam looks like it would be a better fit for my situation. Just want to see if anyone else has dealt with this issue when choosing their hitch. Thanks in advance!

[mfifield01]

Anyone had any problems with the Equalizer Hitch? I have one and it gives me intermittent problems with sway. The dealer initially set it up, but I have looked through it. I have setup a 2 point hitch before. It will seem perfectly fine during towing one time and then horrible the next time. It even happens the same day. In the same day, I went to the dealer with trailer. It was fine on the way down, but was bad the way back.



I talked to progressive and sent them pictures. According to customer support, everything looks fine. They are going to take my info to engineering.

[Need-A-Vacation]

myredracer wrote:

Need-A-Vacation wrote:

myredracer wrote:
shimmed the WDH to take out play. The only thing I do get affected by is strong gusting side winds, but any WDH is going to be affected to some degree and you need to slow down. A TH may not be a good fit for a Reese DC tho. because of the amount that the TW can vary.

What part of the wdh did you shim to remove play? The one thing I noticed with our DC is the cam arms have a little play to them. Plan on trying to see if I could shim those at all. I know I am crazy.... but I would like to see a "hybrid" DC system, a combination of the old u-bolt bracket with the new style adjustable cam arms....

Reese has a shim kit consisting of two shims. Available hereat etrailer.com. The shims go between the hitch head and shank. You shouldn't have to shim the cam arms.

Forgot about the hitch head shim! Lol I have one on our set up as well....

As for the cam arms, this is the first I have owned/used the new(er) style model (had the old u-bolt), and noticed there is play where the cam arm pivots on the bracket. Wasn't sure if this was "normal" on the new version (just bought this past July).

[RinconVTR]

lbrjet wrote:
Rincon, you have no idea what you are talking about. Please quit spreading false information.

Actually, I do. Some of you are just stuck on marketing text and opt to believe it as fact. That's fine, then I expect none of you to claim OEM's towing specs are not accurate.

I'm not bashing either one, don't get me wrong, I'm saying they are all very good at doing the very same thing. One is absolutely not better than the other.

Where the most friction occurs...I find it laughable people think a well lubricated joint (at the head) would have anywhere near the amount of friction a dry interface has (L brackets). Believe what you want to believe...I could care less.

[lbrjet]

Rincon, you have no idea what you are talking about. Please quit spreading false information.

[BarneyS]

RinconVTR,
Despite your supposed "extensive knowledge" because you have owned one, you evidently do not really know how they work. Your second sentence is completely wrong, as are most of the other statements you have made.

The amount of friction between the head and spring bar sockets is extremely high when the WD bars are put under tension. What do you think happens when you lift up on those bars?

That is is where most of the sway control comes from - the friction between those sway bar sockets and the under surface of the hitch head. There is MUCH more pressure on those surfaces than at the L bracket/WD bar junction. Here is a quote directly from the Equal-i-zer web page on how the hitch works.
"Second, the forward and back friction of the hitch arm on the bracket serves as a secondary sway control system."
If you or anybody else would like to read the whole page it is located here.

As far as your statement that the friction of the Equal-i-zer hitch head and the normal trunnion or even the round bar being about equal, that is ludicrous! I don't see how you could "easily prove" your statements with "hands on" comparisons when you cannot possibly move the WD bars when they are loaded under tension from a trailer connected to a truck. The pressure of the weight of the tongue and truck pushing down and the WD bar sockets trying to lift up produces a lot more friction than you could ever hope to move - if you could figure out a way to get it done.

There have been numerous discussions on this subject and I think it would be good if you would check out some of them here and also in some of the links given in that thread.

By the way, I have done a whole lot more than "read on the internet" and have been dealing with hitches and towing issues for over 45 years.
Barney

[RinconVTR]

BarneyS wrote:
The Fastway (Equal-i-zer) E2 hitch has two points of sway control. Those two points are where the WD bars contact the L brackets on the trailers A frame. The WD bar sockets at the hitch head are free swinging just as in a normal trunnion style hitch.

The Equal-i-zer 4 point hitch has those same two control points (which are secondary) plus the main two control points which are the interface between the WD bar sockets and the underside of the hitch head surface - hence the advertised 4 point control.

So No, the two hitches are not the same and are actually quite different and have different amounts of sway control.
Barney

You can read all you want on the internet...but reality is another thing.

You consider the L brackets "secondary" sway control on these hitches? AND believe the head actually creates friction to the point it can reduce sway? Wrong on both.

I don't care what the marketing literature says, the L brackets create the majority of friction in both the E2 and Equalizer. And the brackets are 100% identical between the two.

Both head designs offer (in all practical terms) the same amount of friction, ESPECIALLY in when lubricated. Its actually a joke in terms of controlling sway. Its a just a marketing gimmick.

For one, there is very little movement at the head connection point during a sway event and not enough friction to have any meaningful resistance. Period.

I have extensive knowledge and hours using both hitches and I stand by my statements very firmly and can easily be proven when hands on and side by side.

In fact, I've had more trouble with the Equalizer than the e2 when the head connection point was not lubed enough and it became sticky. (Don't confuse stick with friction...its not the same) When it would stick, much like what can happen at the L brackets in the right scenario, it can actually steer the TV one direction on the interstate.

What is slightly different, is the E2 round bar version. And even this I would argue it works exactly the same as the other two with trunion bars and different head attachment geometry. It is simply not possible to create enough friction at the head to have an effect on actual sway.

[myredracer]

Need-A-Vacation wrote:

myredracer wrote:
shimmed the WDH to take out play. The only thing I do get affected by is strong gusting side winds, but any WDH is going to be affected to some degree and you need to slow down. A TH may not be a good fit for a Reese DC tho. because of the amount that the TW can vary.

What part of the wdh did you shim to remove play? The one thing I noticed with our DC is the cam arms have a little play to them. Plan on trying to see if I could shim those at all. I know I am crazy.... but I would like to see a "hybrid" DC system, a combination of the old u-bolt bracket with the new style adjustable cam arms....

Reese has a shim kit consisting of two shims. Available hereat etrailer.com. The shims go between the hitch head and shank. You shouldn't have to shim the cam arms.

[BarneyS]

The Fastway (Equal-i-zer) E2 hitch has two points of sway control. Those two points are where the WD bars contact the L brackets on the trailers A frame. The WD bar sockets at the hitch head are free swinging just as in a normal trunnion style hitch.

The Equal-i-zer 4 point hitch has those same two control points (which are secondary) plus the main two control points which are the interface between the WD bar sockets and the underside of the hitch head surface - hence the advertised 4 point control.

So No, the two hitches are not the same and are actually quite different and have different amounts of sway control.
Barney

[Need-A-Vacation]

2500 Grunt wrote:
To the Op,make sure you know your loaded TW because the TW capacity of the Equalizer and the Reese WDH's mentioned here are only rated to 1700# TW if I remember correctly. I have a 28' TH,TT and my loaded hitch weight is way over 1700#. Had to go the Blue OX direction which is rated for 2000# TW.

As of just this past July when I was deciding on which wdh to go with, the Equal-I-Zer 4 way system was only available up to a 1400lb bar system. Not sure about the E2 as I didn't look at that model.




While the E2 and 4 way system are similar, doesn't the 4 way have more sway control than the E2??? I don't believe they are the exact same, but could be wrong. Difference being in the head system.

And as I mentioned, the Reese has more head tilt adjustability than the Eqaul-I-Zer system.

[2500_Grunt]

To the Op,make sure you know your loaded TW because the TW capacity of the Equalizer and the Reese WDH's mentioned here are only rated to 1700# TW if I remember correctly. I have a 28' TH,TT and my loaded hitch weight is way over 1700#. Had to go the Blue OX direction which is rated for 2000# TW.

[RinconVTR]

The Equalizer is the same as the E2, now made and owned by the same parent company. If you think one is better than the other, you're being tricked. Both are very good traditional, no-chain, friction based, HIGHLY adjustable WHD options.

The Dual Cam is a step up IMO, mechanically speaking, is a different animal and is a more effective WDH. Not covering poor set ups, but apples to apples better than the E2 and Equalizer. Do you need this? Well, IMO I think larger trailers benefit.

25' is middle of the road average for bumper pull TT's and being pulled by a larger SUV one could easily could go either way and never look back.

EDIT: Forgot to mention feedback on PP and Hensley. Their mechanism to eliminate sway is the real deal. The best bumper pull set ups will see an improvement and at insane towing speeds feel rock solid. (That's coming from my actual experience...not assumptions). Not many will actually need such a hitch, but if one really wants a 5th wheel like towing experience, these are your only two options besides buying a 5th wheel.

Question is , is the price worth it for the amount and distance you travel? For most the answer is...NO.

BTW....for a time I was torn between the two competing companies with no clear winner. But I now have a crystal clear opinion...and its Propride.

[Need-A-Vacation]

myredracer wrote:
shimmed the WDH to take out play. The only thing I do get affected by is strong gusting side winds, but any WDH is going to be affected to some degree and you need to slow down. A TH may not be a good fit for a Reese DC tho. because of the amount that the TW can vary.

What part of the wdh did you shim to remove play? The one thing I noticed with our DC is the cam arms have a little play to them. Plan on trying to see if I could shim those at all. I know I am crazy.... but I would like to see a "hybrid" DC system, a combination of the old u-bolt bracket with the new style adjustable cam arms....

The "modern" DC system is new to us (had the original u-bolt model) and passing semis or semis passing me, set up seems pretty darn solid, but I have noticed the darn wind as well. I wonder IF part of it could be the Reese Titan shank I have due to the length of it. Feel the side wind like you mentioned, possibly due to the higher leverage of the longer shank.



Chinook,

The receiver hitch was mentioned due to the factory model not being as stout as the aftermarket hitches. Check the max tw rating for you factory receiver hitch. From what I recall reading here, I think the rating isn't even 1k lbs with a wdh. Some who have that rig will know better though.

[bbaker2001]

I did a lot of posting, and decided on equalizer. purchased it for new 2015 3500 ram. never put it on, wife said we have a bigger truck, lets get a 5th wheel.
I really think it is the best

[chinook507]

Thank you for all the insight. That is what I love about this forum! Reasoning for not wanting a HA or PP is of course the cost factor. I have seen a couple on CL but they were scooped up pretty quickly and they were for a fraction of the cost.

I seen that one of the posts talked about a new receiver. Out of curiosity how would that help? I am not an engineer, but is it because it mounts differently to the truck? Or is it better than the stock receiver?

As for adjustment I didnt even think that the cams would need readjusted on the setup also. That is some good info there that may help me in my decision. Maybe airbags are in the mix unless I run across another HA...wishful thinking on my part.

Again a big thanks to all, now I just need to make a decision and hopefully when I get home in 3 months from my little trip from Uncle Sam overseas is over.

Thanks and God Bless!