Bolts Failing on Equalizer Hitch

lbrjet wrote:
Soundguy,
I set mine up according to the instructions 7 years and 25,000 miles ago and have never touched the shank bolts since. Have no clue why you would have to do it over and over. 250lb torque wrench and cheater bar for the shank bolts and a 40 inch breaker bar for the ball.

I purchased my 1,000 / 10,000 lb Equal-i-zer along with my then brand new K-Z Spree ... the dealer's lot guy who initially installed it had no idea how to properly set it up, in fact hadn't ever seen one before in his life. :E Obviously he set it up on an empty trailer and while it was sufficient to get the trailer home my first task was to load the trailer and start all over again with the EQ installation. Aware of the importance of torquing those shank bolts correctly I borrowed a 600 ft/lb torque wrench from a friend and began the process. Ultimately it took 1/2 dozen tries before I finally got the trailer loaded the way I wanted it and towing the way I wanted it to tow. Once set up it was a joy to tow but at the end of my Silverado's 4 yr lease I replaced it with an Avalanche which sat much higher so I had to redo the entire setup, including flipping the head. That again required several more tries before I got the combination towing just the way I wanted it, the key to it all being to have access to a properly sized torque wrench which ensured each time I took that head apart, then reassembled it, that those shank bolts were correctly torqued. Having BTDT so many times I'd likely not want to go through this again when there are now other systems out there which don't rely on taking the head completely apart in order to change the number of head washers that determine head angle, systems that can be properly torqued with a relatively inexpensive 250 ft/lb torque wrench which doesn't cost anywhere near as much as a heavier version needed to properly torque those Equal-i-zer shank bolts. Others can agree or disagree as much as they want but that was my experience in owning an Equal-i-zer and is why I'd likely not buy another one in the future.