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Should I use my Equal-i-zer?

Fordlover
Explorer
Explorer
Bit of a long story, so bear with me.

We just sold our old camper, but have had no luck selling our 600/6,000 lbs. Equal-i-zer brand WD hitch.

New trailer is 32' foot 750 lb. tongue weight 6500 lb. empty. We moved all the stuff from the old camper to the new one and it is nearly exactly 700 lbs of stuff. We will be <8,000 lbs. rolling down the road with the new camper.

Truck is a 2018 F-250 crew 4x4 6.2 V8. Hitch rating is 1,500/15,000 no WD hitch required. Payload sticker allows for nearly 3,000 lbs.

My question is should I set up the 6,000 lb. hitch to tow with the new truck? In my evaluation, I contacted Progress manufacturing, and asked them about my setup. They advised my drop shank is the same between the 6,000 model all the way up to the 14,000 unit. The limitation seems to be the WD bars and sockets on the hitch head. I won't be distributing much weight with the bars because the truck doesn't squat much with the hitch weight. I'm mostly interested in the sway mitigation in the event I ever experience big wind or evasive maneuvering for some reason.

Obviously Progress MFG. couldn't advise I go over the limit of the hitch, but did confirm the bars/sockets are the limiting factor and that my shank, L brackets, etc. are the same across the models. So using the hitch to transfer less weight of the hitch I'm thinking will permit me to use the hitch with my new set up.

anyway, lets see what everyone thinks.
2016 Skyline Layton Javelin 285BH
2018 F-250 Lariat Crew 6.2 Gas 4x4 FX4 4.30 Gear
2007 Infiniti G35 Sport 6 speed daily driver
Retired 2002 Ford Explorer 4.6 V8 4x4
Sold 2007 Crossroads Sunset Trail ST19CK
15 REPLIES 15

Vintage465
Nomad
Nomad
The long and short of it is........even if the tongue weight, and carrying capacity of all the pieces involve are within the guide lines, it will always tow much better with a properly set up weight distributing hitch. As one reply mentioned, it's not just about the "squat" of the tow vehicle.
V-465
2013 GMC 2500HD Duramax Denali. 2015 CreekSide 20fq w/450 watts solar and 465 amp/hour of batteries. Retired and living the dream!

Fordlover
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks Hannibal. I ended up taking the hitch apart, brushing off all the rust, spraying brake cleaner, taping up the ball and stickers, and repainted the whole hitch. Looks close enough to new for me. All lubed up and set up correctly.

Just a few more weeks (and a few more miles on the truck) and we'll take it on our maiden voyage.
2016 Skyline Layton Javelin 285BH
2018 F-250 Lariat Crew 6.2 Gas 4x4 FX4 4.30 Gear
2007 Infiniti G35 Sport 6 speed daily driver
Retired 2002 Ford Explorer 4.6 V8 4x4
Sold 2007 Crossroads Sunset Trail ST19CK

Hannibal
Explorer
Explorer
Good find! Not suggesting or recommending but, with our F250 and 32.5' TT, I tighten the sockets to 65ft lbs and lube both the socket frictions points as well as a touch on the L brackets. The hitch is silent and works great. We have no sway without sway control. We have no push from passing trucks with the Equalizer.
2020 F250 STX CC SB 7.3L 10spd 3.55 4x4
2010 F250 XLT CC SB 5.4L 5spdTS 3.73
ex '95 Cummins,'98 12v Cummins,'01.5 Cummins,'03 Cummins; '05 Hemi
2017 Jayco 28RLS TT 32.5'

Fordlover
Explorer
Explorer
Alright you guys talked me into it. Found a 12,000 lb Equal-i-zer nearby for sale, picked it up for 200, and now I need the correct 2-1/2" drop hitch shank. Just so happens Etrailer.com was running a free shipping till midnight tonight, so I've got it on the way.
I did need to grease up the socket friction surfaces, and tighten the bolts, as the sockets were flopping back and forth. Snugged up to 50 lb. ft. they are tight like I'd expect.
2016 Skyline Layton Javelin 285BH
2018 F-250 Lariat Crew 6.2 Gas 4x4 FX4 4.30 Gear
2007 Infiniti G35 Sport 6 speed daily driver
Retired 2002 Ford Explorer 4.6 V8 4x4
Sold 2007 Crossroads Sunset Trail ST19CK

Boomerweps
Explorer
Explorer
Try seeing if your local RV dealer will take your current WDH in on trade if you are buying a newer heavier duty one from him. I bought my WDH used from the RV dealer I bought my TT from. Another guy had needed to upgrade when he increased his TT size.
You can also list it on eBay for sale locally only.
I've sold a few things on Craigslist, sometimes it takes a bit of time.
Facebook also has local ad listings.
Unfortunately, wanted and for sale posts are against this forum's rules.
2019 Wolf Pup 16 BHS Limited, axle flipped
2019 F150 4x4 SCrew SB STX 5.0 3.55 factory tow package, 7000#GVWR, 1990 CC Tow mirrors, ITBC, SumoSprings,

dodge_guy
Explorer II
Explorer II
Yes, you will want the proper rated WD hitch. I would go with a Reese Dual Cam. Much better than the EQ. And all you have to do is swap the bars if and when needed.
Wife Kim
Son Brandon 17yrs
Daughter Marissa 16yrs
Dog Bailey

12 Forest River Georgetown 350TS Hellwig sway bars, BlueOx TrueCenter stabilizer

13 Ford Explorer Roadmaster Stowmaster 5000, VIP Tow>
A bad day camping is
better than a good day at work!

bartlettj
Explorer
Explorer
I find that even my 5000 lb 25 foot Passport rides better with wdh on my GMC 2500HD than without it. It doesn't really steer or stop better, it just doesn't porpoise or bounce as much so I use the WDH bars for comfort. It doesn't take much tension to fix the ride.

Fordlover
Explorer
Explorer
Well, looks like I'd be better off using my 10,000 lb. rated draw bar with a 2 5/16" ball mounted, rather than using my 6,000 Equal-i-zer.

Once I get 1,000 miles on the truck I'll hook up and see how it tows.
2016 Skyline Layton Javelin 285BH
2018 F-250 Lariat Crew 6.2 Gas 4x4 FX4 4.30 Gear
2007 Infiniti G35 Sport 6 speed daily driver
Retired 2002 Ford Explorer 4.6 V8 4x4
Sold 2007 Crossroads Sunset Trail ST19CK

lbrjet
Explorer
Explorer
The shank may be the same, but the hitch heads attached to the shank vary greatly between the 600 and 1400 models. Your hitch is rated for 6K lbs. Use it if you want to, but I certainly wouldn't. New truck, new trailer, old undersized hitch? Makes no sense.
2010 F250 4X4 5.4L 3.73 LS
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equalizer E4 1200/12000

SoundGuy
Explorer
Explorer
mm047 wrote:
The bar for you Equal-I-Zer are too light for the trailer. You should get a pair of 10,000 lb bars. Unless the hitch head is damaged or warn it will be correct for the new bars.


Unlike the Blue Ox Sway Pro one can't simply replace lighter Equal-i-zer spring bars with heavier ones, the head must also be replaced. 1000 lb spring bars would also still be too light for the OP's intended use, he'd want at least 1200 lb bars.
2012 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab
2014 Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS
2003 Fleetwood Yuma * 2008 K-Z Spree 240BH-LX
2007 TrailCruiser C21RBH * 2000 Fleetwood Santa Fe
1998 Jayco 10UD * 1969 Coleman CT380

mm047
Explorer
Explorer
The bar for you Equal-I-Zer are too light for the trailer. You should get a pair of 10,000 lb bars. Unless the hitch head is damaged or warn it will be correct for the new bars.
Mike M.

2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6
2016 Flagstaff 21FBRS
Equal-I-Zer

rexlion
Explorer
Explorer
What's the worst that could happen? You could crack the hitch head when greater than normal stress is encountered (think of going through a swale or hitting a big bump). You could also have insufficient friction to counter the sway; a heavier TT needs greater friction to dampen unwanted motion, but you can't apply greater friction because of the hitch's limitations. So, I vote for a new hitch.

If you don't want to spend on a heavier Equal-i-zer, the Husky Centerline TS appears to work in the same manner but is priced lower.
Mike G.
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. --Frederick Douglass
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Lwiddis
Explorer II
Explorer II
X2, Lynnmor. OP, howโ€™s your panic braking with the new TT? Front wheels doing their share? Or do you know?
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

Lynnmor
Explorer
Explorer
First, the squat of the truck is not the purpose of a WDH, it is to distribute some of the weight to the front axle. After adjusting weight transfer properly, then you can adjust squat with springs or air bags if needed. That 600 lb unit would be better than nothing, just don't try to adjust it in a way that exceeds the 600 lb rating. The correct way is to just install the right WDH to get full benefit of weight distribution and sway control, but you already know that.