Equalizer Hitch Question

[augustpilot]

Installed new equalizer hitch with sway control yesterday. Coming home when making street turns would hear popping noise. This is first bumper pull trailer so am not familiar with noises to expect , know all units have noise they will make. Anyone with the brand equal-I-zer have the popping noise. Thanks

[owenssailor]

I found that having the bars parallel to the tongue helped reduce noise a little bit. But they are still noisy.

Check on the L brackets that the wear is even across the bottom piece. It should show wear evenly all the way across if the bars are parallel and the brackets are mounted square.

[BillB800si]

When I had the Equalizer I would have campers come over and tell me to grease my hitch. Guess they didn't appreciate all that noise when backing up into a campsite...

[MNRon]

Equilizer also makes platic wear pads to go under the bars on the L brackets. These significantly reduce the noise (not eliminate it though) and don't negatively affect the sway control. We ran with these for a number of years while we had a bumper pull.

[TomG2]

goducks10 wrote:

GrandpaKip wrote:
They make all kinds of racket. Another reason I got the Andersen hitch, besides the grease.

x2.

x3 Hard to sneak our of the campground in the middle of the night with a conventional WD setup. 🙂

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

cmoecmoe wrote:
From the manual... "Lubricating the socket joint may help reduce this noise, and is part of the required regular maintenance routine. Lubricating the L-bracket joint is optional. A better solution is a set of official Equal-i-zer brand Sway Bracket Jackets™. They quiet the ride without the mess of using a lubricant.

The noise is also addressed on the FAQ section of their web site. http://www.equalizerhitch.com/Equal-i-zer%20Support/faqs.php

Craig

And from the Sway Bracket Jacket product description

NOTE: Utilizing lubrication on the Equal-i-zer L-Bracket, in the form of the Sway Bracket Jacket or any grease type lubricant, may lessen or decrease your sway control by a small degree.

So the Sway Bracket Jackets nor a grease type lubricant is actually 'dangerously reducing sway control' according to the manufacturer.

[Ron3rd]

downtheroad wrote:
Equal-i-zer Brand hitches...pop, snap, squeal and screech.
Normal.

Mine too.

[Community Alumni]

My Equal-i-zer pops, bangs and generally shouts back at me! :E As mentioned, it's normal.

I use the Equal-i-zer brand grease at all the points of contact which really helps lesson the noises and groans. :C

[coolmom42]

The noise will decrease somewhat as the contact points get a little wear on them. And for some reason it is worst on a new hitch when there is a little moisture involved, don't ask me why.

First trip I made in a TT with Equalizer, we missed a turn and had to make a U-turn. We spotted a mostly empty very wide parking lot and swung into it, then made a reasonably tight turn. The whole time that hitch was creaking, groaning, and moaning. Looked at the sign above the parking lot and it was a veterinary clinic! First thing popped in my mind was that the vet was going to come out, and offer to euthanize our dying cow! That's how loud the hitch was.

The noise does decrease pretty quickly.

[cmoecmoe]

downtheroad wrote:
Someone above advised you to grease all the contact points....I would not do this as it will keep the sway components from doing their job.

You can and should grease the hitch ball and the trunnion bar ends that attach to the hitch head....but not grease the trunnion bar ends that contact the saddles.

From the manual... "Lubricating the socket joint may help reduce this noise, and is part of the required regular maintenance routine. Lubricating the L-bracket joint is optional. A better solution is a set of official Equal-i-zer brand Sway Bracket Jackets™. They quiet the ride without the mess of using a lubricant.

The noise is also addressed on the FAQ section of their web site. http://www.equalizerhitch.com/Equal-i-zer%20Support/faqs.php

Craig

[goducks10]

GrandpaKip wrote:
They make all kinds of racket. Another reason I got the Andersen hitch, besides the grease.

x2.

[_tiredTeacher]

cmoecmoe wrote:
You can use lithium grease to lube up all the contact points and it will help with the noise. They all groan/pop and make noise as there is a lot of pressure there to "level" out the trailer/tow vehicle.

Add to that, the noise is your stability control. The hitch uses the friction of the sway bars on the L brackets to dampen sway. The pivot points of the sway bars are the other two points of the "Four-point Sway Control." If you lube the fiction points, you detrimentally affect the anti-sway function.
I roll the windows up and turn on the radio. 😉

[downtheroad]

Someone above advised you to grease all the contact points....I would not do this as it will keep the sway components from doing their job.

You can and should grease the hitch ball and the trunnion bar ends that attach to the hitch head....but not grease the trunnion bar ends that contact the saddles.

[fx2tom]

beemerphile1 wrote:

downtheroad wrote:
Equal-i-zer Brand hitches...pop, snap, squeal and screech.
Normal.

I appreciate the audible notification that it is doing its job.

Exactly. If you can hear it than you know it's working 😄

[beemerphile1]

downtheroad wrote:
Equal-i-zer Brand hitches...pop, snap, squeal and screech.
Normal.

I appreciate the audible notification that it is doing its job.

[GrandpaKip]

They make all kinds of racket. Another reason I got the Andersen hitch, besides the grease.