Bolts Failing on Equalizer Hitch

[wgriswold]

I have an Equalizer Hitch with 1400 lb bars. Today I replaced the third pair of bolts and nuts that attach the head to the shank They are grade 8, 3/4" in diameter and 5" long. The threads failed on the bolt and the nut had some damage but not as bad. The first time I had to cut off the failed bolt. This time I was able to get it off with lots of WD40.

The directions say to torque these bolts to 420 ft-lbs (see edit) and I found a table that confirms this value. I do this by putting a socket and breaker bar on the nut and then a pipe over the breaker bar. I stand at 2 feet on the pipe and since I weigh 208 lbs that should be about the right torque.

So, why are my bolts failing? Has anyone else had this problem?

Edit: The torque for these bolts is 320 Ft-lbs. I confused the torque for the ball with the torque for the bolts.

[SoundGuy]

SpeakEasy wrote:
In the process of doing so I discovered that my hitch is NOT actually an "Equal-Iz-Er" hitch. It is an E2 Roundbar hitch. (The dealer had "told" me it was an Equal-iz-er, and I never questioned it.)

Yikes! I hope you paid what a Fastway roundbar E2 is worth and not what an Equal-i-zer costs. :E Technically I suppose the dealer wasn't 100% incorrect as Fastway is a subsidiary of Progress Mfg that manufacturers the Equal-i-zer. FWIW, you might want to change your SIG which currently indicates you're running a phantom Equal-i-zer - i.e. one that doesn't exist. 😉

[SpeakEasy]

I have to contribute to this discussion. I've recently had to re-set my hitch, due to changing tow vehicles. First I had to raise it, because I needed to tow with a rental F-250 which was much higher than my F-150. Then I had to lower it again, when I was back into the F-150.

In the midst of these changes, this thread popped up. Wanting to do things right, I started looking for a way to borrow or rent a torque wrench capable of getting the 320 ft-lbs setting correct. I thoroughly beat the bushes in my local area and came up with NOTHING. No one had one to rent or borrow. I called about 10 places. I could easily find torque wrenches that could go to 250 foot-pounds, but not 320.

My search ended with a call to a local trailer shop.

Me: I'm looking to rent or borrow a torque wrench capable of 320 foot-pounds. Is that something you can help me out with?

Trailer Guy: What? What are you trying to do? Is this a joke or something?

Me: (I laugh). No. No joke. (I explain what I'm doing.)

Trailer Guy: Just get a 1/2 inch breaker bar and tighten it down good and strong. Or use an air wrench and hit it hard a few times. It will hold. I guarantee you, if you try to do it the way you're going about it you'll be the first guy to do it that way. In fact, bring it in and I'll do it for you with my air wrench. I'll put my name on it. No problem. Bring it in.

Me: You're on!

So I went in, he put his air wrench on it and hit it hard a few times, and I was on my way.

But I was still a bit uneasy about it. So I called my RV dealer, where I bought the trailer, and made an appointment to have them torque it properly. (After I got assurances from them that they actually WOULD torque it according to specs.) The appointment is for tomorrow.

So today I went out to finalize all the setup adjustments. I wanted to make sure I had the right height and the right amount of weight distribution. I was set to go through the manual step-by-step. In the process of doing so I discovered that my hitch is NOT actually an "Equal-Iz-Er" hitch. It is an E2 Roundbar hitch. (The dealer had "told" me it was an Equal-iz-er, and I never questioned it.) On one of the spring bars there was a web address that I could use to find the manual. I went to the website, found the manual and read it carefully. Everything was exactly the same as the Equal-iz-er, except that the final step called for tightening the shank bolts to 250 foot-pounds!

Eureka! I could do that! Torque wrenches in that range were readily available So, I cancelled the appointment, went down to Runnings and got me a nice torque wrench, and torqued the shank bolts down to proper torques.

Long story, I know.

Thanks to all for contributing to this discussion. If you sort through the questionable stuff on forums like this one, and read with a critical eye, you can learn things. I appreciate that.

-Speak

[wgriswold]

Back in 2007 when I bought my Equal-i-zer Progress Mfg was actually using all Grade 5 bolts so I was somewhat surprised a few years later to see they had switched to Grade 8. One would assume that Progress knew what they were doing but for the reasons you mention perhaps they should have just left it as is, with Grade 5.

I bought mine in the summer of 2008. It came with grade 8 bolts but grade 5 nuts and washers. After the first one failed I attributed that to the grade 5 bolts and replaced everything with grade 8. I too assumed that Equalizer knew what they were doing.

[SoundGuy]

BurbMan wrote:
I use this Harbor Freight 3/4" Torque Wrench for FWD axle nuts that go to 175+ ft/lbs. HF torque got very favorable reviews and stand up next to Snap-on for accuracy.

mike-s wrote:
Doesn't help when you need almost double that. 320 for the shank bolts on the hitch in question.

If you click on that HF link the torque wrench mentioned is actually rated 50 - 300 ft/lbs so with a bit of cheating I suppose it would be good enough to tighten the shank bolts on an Equal-i-zer. Heck of a price though, sure wouldn't get anything like that here in Canada. 😞

[mike-s]

BurbMan wrote:
I use this Harbor Freight 3/4" Torque Wrench for FWD axle nuts that go to 175+ ft/lbs. HF torque got very favorable reviews and stand up next to Snap-on for accuracy.

Doesn't help when you need almost double that. 320 for the shank bolts on the hitch in question. Although, strangely, their E2 (round bar) hitch, with a similar shank setup and 3/4" bolts, only calls for 250 ft-lbs.

[SoundGuy]

FWIW for anyone who may be interested ...

[BurbMan]

I use this Harbor Freight 3/4" Torque Wrench for FWD axle nuts that go to 175+ ft/lbs. HF torque got very favorable reviews and stand up next to Snap-on for accuracy.

[SoundGuy]

Hannibal wrote:
Pretty sure every bolt on the hitch should be grade 5, note grade 8. 8 is stronger but also more brittle with shock loads. Grade 5 will stretch or bend to be more forgiving of the stress a hitch sees where a grade 8 can snap or chip threads.

Back in 2007 when I bought my Equal-i-zer Progress Mfg was actually using all Grade 5 bolts so I was somewhat surprised a few years later to see they had switched to Grade 8. One would assume that Progress knew what they were doing but for the reasons you mention perhaps they should have just left it as is, with Grade 5.

[Hannibal]

Pretty sure every bolt on the hitch should be grade 5, note grade 8. 8 is stronger but also more brittle with shock loads. Grade 5 will stretch or bend to be more forgiving of the stress a hitch sees where a grade 8 can snap or chip threads.

[SoundGuy]

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.

[Fordlover]

SoundGuy wrote:

BarneyS wrote:
It is not just the Equal-i-zer hitch that requires those torque numbers. Most hitches manufacturers, other than a select few, require the bolts for the hitch head and the ball to be torqued to almost the same numbers.

Not sure what "most" would mean as there are so many WD systems available on the market today and each has it's own specific requirements for correct installation. The Blue Ox Sway Pro, as an example, requires a torque wrench capable of 257 ft-lbs and since those rated to 250 ft-lbs are quite common and not that expensive this is much easier for most owners to achieve. Second point - unlike the Equal-i-zer the Sway Pro has a fixed head with a fixed head angle, therefore there's no need to install or remove head washers as there is with the Equal-i-zer. In other words, installation is MUCH easier as there's so little involved in installing a Sway Pro correctly.

I only set up the hitch once, however I connect and disconnect it several times each trip. I prefer the bars and L brackets over any of the snap up and chain WD hitches I've used in the past. I'd much rather use the Equal-i-zer, simply because I find the hitching process so much more pleasant.

The first time around I had to adjust my 6,000 lb. unit once. Hopefully I'll have similar luck setting up my 12,000 lb. unit.

[Huntindog]

lbrjet wrote:

mike-s wrote:

SoundGuy wrote:
Disagree completely, the only way to know for a fact that your Equal-i-zer is properly set up for both the TV and trailer is to take the combination for a tow, over a variety of road surfaces, both wet and dry, and at varying speeds to see how it behaves ... and it will behave differently, the recourse being to take it apart yet again and reset those head washers until you get the system functioning as you believe it should, and that does mean re-torquing those head bolts each time. BTDT many times, it does make a difference.

Well then, you just need to buy the proper tools.

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.

Same here. I am on my 3rd one. I had a 10K, 12K, and now a 14K.

Each one was perfect after the intial setup, (following the instructions.)

[lbrjet]

mike-s wrote:

SoundGuy wrote:
Disagree completely, the only way to know for a fact that your Equal-i-zer is properly set up for both the TV and trailer is to take the combination for a tow, over a variety of road surfaces, both wet and dry, and at varying speeds to see how it behaves ... and it will behave differently, the recourse being to take it apart yet again and reset those head washers until you get the system functioning as you believe it should, and that does mean re-torquing those head bolts each time. BTDT many times, it does make a difference.

Well then, you just need to buy the proper tools.

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.

[Huntindog]

nctrailboss wrote:
A good 1/2 inch drive impact wrench,and hit with about 8 uga-duga's....

NOT a good idea.