Equalizer vs Dual Cam
I am currently pulling a roughly 9,000 lb 34' camper with a Reese Round bar WDH and friction sway control. My bars are rated at 1,000 lbs, I am sure tongue weight is substantially more but they seem ...
Forum Discussion
The first thing to do is to agree on what the definition of "is" is.
Or in this case, what is the definition of "sway"
Having fortunantly survived to tell about experiencing it, Here is my definition.
An uncontrollable swinging from side to side of the TT in relation to the TV. Often increasing in severity with each "swing"
This experience will make an atheist turn religious.
Sway is NOT a TT being blown off center by a wind gust and then returning to center.
Now if your definition of sway is substantially different....Read no further as you will not agree with anything else I say.
Ron Gratz has calculated the anti sway force (friction) that both the DC and the EQUALIZER are capable of.
IIRC, the EQUALIZER can produce about 2200#s and the DC about 2000#s.
What this means is that two identical TV/TT combos with properly setup hitches, one a DC and the other a EQ,
When towing down the road in normal conditions there is no difference, until something such as a side wind gust occurs.
Since the EQ has slightly more friction (anti sway force), it will take a slightly stronger wind gust to overcome and force the TT off center. But if the wind is strong enough, both hitches will allow the TT to leave center.
(So both of the hitches are reactive, not proactive.)
What happens next is where the hitches differ.
The DC requires about 2000#s of force to overcome its friction holding the TT centered, and less to return to center. I can't remember any calculations on how much "less" for this discussion I will assume that its a lot, say 75%. This will mean that there is only about 500#s resisting the TTs return to center.
But the TT is like a pendalum, and will try to swing past center, where it will encounter the increased force leaving center in the opposite direction. This no longer 2000#s, as once the parts start sliding the friction goes down.
Since it has 75% less force when returning to center, it will do so faster/easier than the EQ will allow.
As for the EQ. Ron and I are in disagreement over the next part. Ron thinks that the EQ has the same amount of friction when moving away from center and towards center. I think it is somewhat less, though not as big a percentage as the DC likely allows.
But since Ron is the engineer, I will leave that debate for another day, and go with his theory (it won't make a lot of difference anyways)
So the EQ having slightly more friction than the DC when moving away from center also has much MORE friction when trying to return to center. This means that the sway is resisted in BOTH directions and it will be slowed down faster to the point where it may not be able to pass center.
So the net result is pretty much the same.
No perceptible sway.
I think that the reason users of both types are satisfied is that both of these hitches force the user to properly set them up. As they are both pretty ineffective when set up wrong.
The standard friction control OTH will make a noticeable difference to a poorly setup hitch.
Or in this case, what is the definition of "sway"
Having fortunantly survived to tell about experiencing it, Here is my definition.
An uncontrollable swinging from side to side of the TT in relation to the TV. Often increasing in severity with each "swing"
This experience will make an atheist turn religious.
Sway is NOT a TT being blown off center by a wind gust and then returning to center.
Now if your definition of sway is substantially different....Read no further as you will not agree with anything else I say.
Ron Gratz has calculated the anti sway force (friction) that both the DC and the EQUALIZER are capable of.
IIRC, the EQUALIZER can produce about 2200#s and the DC about 2000#s.
What this means is that two identical TV/TT combos with properly setup hitches, one a DC and the other a EQ,
When towing down the road in normal conditions there is no difference, until something such as a side wind gust occurs.
Since the EQ has slightly more friction (anti sway force), it will take a slightly stronger wind gust to overcome and force the TT off center. But if the wind is strong enough, both hitches will allow the TT to leave center.
(So both of the hitches are reactive, not proactive.)
What happens next is where the hitches differ.
The DC requires about 2000#s of force to overcome its friction holding the TT centered, and less to return to center. I can't remember any calculations on how much "less" for this discussion I will assume that its a lot, say 75%. This will mean that there is only about 500#s resisting the TTs return to center.
But the TT is like a pendalum, and will try to swing past center, where it will encounter the increased force leaving center in the opposite direction. This no longer 2000#s, as once the parts start sliding the friction goes down.
Since it has 75% less force when returning to center, it will do so faster/easier than the EQ will allow.
As for the EQ. Ron and I are in disagreement over the next part. Ron thinks that the EQ has the same amount of friction when moving away from center and towards center. I think it is somewhat less, though not as big a percentage as the DC likely allows.
But since Ron is the engineer, I will leave that debate for another day, and go with his theory (it won't make a lot of difference anyways)
So the EQ having slightly more friction than the DC when moving away from center also has much MORE friction when trying to return to center. This means that the sway is resisted in BOTH directions and it will be slowed down faster to the point where it may not be able to pass center.
So the net result is pretty much the same.
No perceptible sway.
I think that the reason users of both types are satisfied is that both of these hitches force the user to properly set them up. As they are both pretty ineffective when set up wrong.
The standard friction control OTH will make a noticeable difference to a poorly setup hitch.
