How does the sway control work in an Equal-i-zer hitch?

[Skelshy]

We have this:

http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Equal-i-zer/EQ37100ET.html

Two years ago the left bracket got lose and kept getting pushed back. When we had the hitch adjusted for the new truck, the shop ended up spot welding that bracket to the frame.

Last weekend the right bracket shifted back and dropped the bar taking a tight turn out of the campground.

I understand how a WDH works - you have three points of contact forming a plane keeping the trailer from pivoting on the hitch ball.

Where's the sway control on this setup? Is it safe to lubricate the underside of the bars so they move easier during turns?

Thanks
Martin

[BarneyS]

The OP got his answer and the discussion has turned into a skirmish so I am going to close this one.
Barney

[dodge_guy]

DutchmenSport wrote:

LarryJM wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

BillyW wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
The system really doesn't have any real form of sway control! Look at how it's designed. It's basically a friction bar. The EQ statement hat he pivot points at the hitch head are the main sway control are also questionable. It would take quite a bit of angle on the hitch for them to do anything, and that control would be after the fact. The DC has the detents in the bars that increase pressure as the move, and once it stops it will want to return back to center. The DC is the better system. The EQ doesn't offer any sway control compared to the DC.

I respect your opinions and agree with most, but I'm confident you're wrong on this one. Friction works very effectively against sway. Though I have to admit I'm not at all familiar with the sway bars in the picture.

Yes, friction does work well as that is what makes it work on any system. but with the EQ, the angle required to make that friction work would require the trailer to be at a substantial angle to the truck for it to work. and EQ saying that the pivot points in the hitch head being the main sway control only confirms my point they are trying to sell a product based on something it cannot do! watch an EQ hitch when hooked up and working. the bars in the head do not pivot until the trailer is at least 10 degrees off center. the bars sliding on the L brackets move well before the bars pivot in the head. however the bars sliding on the L brackets are hardly enough to stop or minimize sway. as someone that has studied physics I don`t buy the claims of the EQ hitch. it just cannot work the way it is designed.

While you have a right to YOUR NON PROFESSIONAL OPINION I think you are totally lost on this one and I'll take the designers, manufactureres and engineers that are the professionals in the Equal-i-zer system and how it works. IMO non of the friction based systems are much better than another especially the top two .... Reese and Equal-i-zer so while you can believe one is superior to another that opinion I think is in the very small minority of RVers here.

Larry

The only argument I can truthfully reply about on these comments, is the simple fact, with my 35 foot TT and Equal-i-zer WD system, I've never had sway that I know of. If the trailer had sway, I'd think being that heavy and that long I would have detected it while driving. But to the best of my "experience", I've never had sway. So it must be working. Until science proves different 1 plus 1 does equal 2.

I stand by my comment.not the words of someone trying to sell me thier product. I do my own research before I buy something with claims like we are talking about.

[mike-s]

The bracket shouldn't "walk" on the frame if properly installed. The bolts which clamp the bracket to the frame are supposed to be torqued to 65 ft-lbs.

You level the brackets when installing them to the frame, before fully tightening the bolts. They can be tilted back and forth slightly to align things. Just get everything snug, then use a straight edge or yardstick resting on the "L" like the bar would to make sure the flat points to a couple of inches below the bottom of the bars on the hitch head (because the tongue will come up a couple of inches when the bars are in use). After they're aligned, go back and torque the brackets down.

[Skelshy]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Do not lubricate the L bracket. That will reduce the friction which will then reduce the sway control. Friction, not lubrication is how it works.As WYNBob pointed out, the L bracket appears to not be sitting flush to the bar, could be bent. By the wa6, those pads help quiet things down a bunch.

Unfortunately the L bracket is not completely level. I might have to get a new one then.

[Skelshy]

3oaks wrote:
I have been lubricating the "L" brackets on my Equal-i-zer hitch for years now without and noticeable loss of sway control. It The lubricant suppresses but does not quiet the hitch noise when making sharp turns. A dry lube leaves less of a mess and doesn't attract dirt.

Thanks I will give some lithium grease...

[Skelshy]

trail-explorer wrote:
THe location where it sits now (where it's welded) looks like the bar will slide out again on sharp left hand turns.

That's the side that's newly broken. The other side is welded.

[DutchmenSport]

LarryJM wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

BillyW wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
The system really doesn't have any real form of sway control! Look at how it's designed. It's basically a friction bar. The EQ statement hat he pivot points at the hitch head are the main sway control are also questionable. It would take quite a bit of angle on the hitch for them to do anything, and that control would be after the fact. The DC has the detents in the bars that increase pressure as the move, and once it stops it will want to return back to center. The DC is the better system. The EQ doesn't offer any sway control compared to the DC.

I respect your opinions and agree with most, but I'm confident you're wrong on this one. Friction works very effectively against sway. Though I have to admit I'm not at all familiar with the sway bars in the picture.

Yes, friction does work well as that is what makes it work on any system. but with the EQ, the angle required to make that friction work would require the trailer to be at a substantial angle to the truck for it to work. and EQ saying that the pivot points in the hitch head being the main sway control only confirms my point they are trying to sell a product based on something it cannot do! watch an EQ hitch when hooked up and working. the bars in the head do not pivot until the trailer is at least 10 degrees off center. the bars sliding on the L brackets move well before the bars pivot in the head. however the bars sliding on the L brackets are hardly enough to stop or minimize sway. as someone that has studied physics I don`t buy the claims of the EQ hitch. it just cannot work the way it is designed.

While you have a right to YOUR NON PROFESSIONAL OPINION I think you are totally lost on this one and I'll take the designers, manufactureres and engineers that are the professionals in the Equal-i-zer system and how it works. IMO non of the friction based systems are much better than another especially the top two .... Reese and Equal-i-zer so while you can believe one is superior to another that opinion I think is in the very small minority of RVers here.

Larry

The only argument I can truthfully reply about on these comments, is the simple fact, with my 35 foot TT and Equal-i-zer WD system, I've never had sway that I know of. If the trailer had sway, I'd think being that heavy and that long I would have detected it while driving. But to the best of my "experience", I've never had sway. So it must be working. Until science proves different 1 plus 1 does equal 2.

[LarryJM]

dodge guy wrote:

BillyW wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
The system really doesn't have any real form of sway control! Look at how it's designed. It's basically a friction bar. The EQ statement hat he pivot points at the hitch head are the main sway control are also questionable. It would take quite a bit of angle on the hitch for them to do anything, and that control would be after the fact. The DC has the detents in the bars that increase pressure as the move, and once it stops it will want to return back to center. The DC is the better system. The EQ doesn't offer any sway control compared to the DC.

I respect your opinions and agree with most, but I'm confident you're wrong on this one. Friction works very effectively against sway. Though I have to admit I'm not at all familiar with the sway bars in the picture.

Yes, friction does work well as that is what makes it work on any system. but with the EQ, the angle required to make that friction work would require the trailer to be at a substantial angle to the truck for it to work. and EQ saying that the pivot points in the hitch head being the main sway control only confirms my point they are trying to sell a product based on something it cannot do! watch an EQ hitch when hooked up and working. the bars in the head do not pivot until the trailer is at least 10 degrees off center. the bars sliding on the L brackets move well before the bars pivot in the head. however the bars sliding on the L brackets are hardly enough to stop or minimize sway. as someone that has studied physics I don`t buy the claims of the EQ hitch. it just cannot work the way it is designed.

While you have a right to YOUR NON PROFESSIONAL OPINION I think you are totally lost on this one and I'll take the designers, manufactureres and engineers that are the professionals in the Equal-i-zer system and how it works. IMO non of the friction based systems are much better than another especially the top two .... Reese and Equal-i-zer so while you can believe one is superior to another that opinion I think is in the very small minority of RVers here.

Larry

[dodge_guy]

BillyW wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
The system really doesn't have any real form of sway control! Look at how it's designed. It's basically a friction bar. The EQ statement hat he pivot points at the hitch head are the main sway control are also questionable. It would take quite a bit of angle on the hitch for them to do anything, and that control would be after the fact. The DC has the detents in the bars that increase pressure as the move, and once it stops it will want to return back to center. The DC is the better system. The EQ doesn't offer any sway control compared to the DC.

I respect your opinions and agree with most, but I'm confident you're wrong on this one. Friction works very effectively against sway. Though I have to admit I'm not at all familiar with the sway bars in the picture.

Yes, friction does work well as that is what makes it work on any system. but with the EQ, the angle required to make that friction work would require the trailer to be at a substantial angle to the truck for it to work. and EQ saying that the pivot points in the hitch head being the main sway control only confirms my point they are trying to sell a product based on something it cannot do! watch an EQ hitch when hooked up and working. the bars in the head do not pivot until the trailer is at least 10 degrees off center. the bars sliding on the L brackets move well before the bars pivot in the head. however the bars sliding on the L brackets are hardly enough to stop or minimize sway. as someone that has studied physics I don`t buy the claims of the EQ hitch. it just cannot work the way it is designed.

[TurnThePage]

dodge guy wrote:
The system really doesn't have any real form of sway control! Look at how it's designed. It's basically a friction bar. The EQ statement hat he pivot points at the hitch head are the main sway control are also questionable. It would take quite a bit of angle on the hitch for them to do anything, and that control would be after the fact. The DC has the detents in the bars that increase pressure as the move, and once it stops it will want to return back to center. The DC is the better system. The EQ doesn't offer any sway control compared to the DC.

I respect your opinions and agree with most, but I'm confident you're wrong on this one. Friction works very effectively against sway. Though I have to admit I'm not at all familiar with the sway bars in the picture.

[trail-explorer]

THe location where it sits now (where it's welded) looks like the bar will slide out again on sharp left hand turns.

[mrjmrobertson]

Something doesn't look right with your installation. The L-brackets should fit flush against the link plates. The nuts on the link plates should be on the inside.
The two 1/2" x 3-1/2" bolts should fit into the pocket on the outside of the link plate.
You might have the outside link plates backwards, I can't tell in your picture. That would cause the heads of the bolts to prevent the L-brackets from fitting flush.

[3oaks]

I have been lubricating the "L" brackets on my Equal-i-zer hitch for years now without and noticeable loss of sway control. It The lubricant suppresses but does not quiet the hitch noise when making sharp turns. A dry lube leaves less of a mess and doesn't attract dirt.

[dodge_guy]

The system really doesn't have any real form of sway control! Look at how it's designed. It's basically a friction bar. The EQ statement hat he pivot points at the hitch head are the main sway control are also questionable. It would take quite a bit of angle on the hitch for them to do anything, and that control would be after the fact. The DC has the detents in the bars that increase pressure as the move, and once it stops it will want to return back to center. The DC is the better system. The EQ doesn't offer any sway control compared to the DC.