Equalizer w/ sway

[Fireman02]

I know these topics are beaten to death, so I apologize in advance. On our trip this week, our 2nd time camping, we got some sway. But on the way home it was pretty windy and we had A LOT of sway pretty much the whole time we were on the highway. It was enough that my wife was nervous. My truck was getting thrown around in my lane quite a bit. My question is this something I have to live with due to the length of our trailer (35+ feet), or is this something that I can adjust the equalizer to minimize?
Thanks

[Ron3rd]

johndeerefarmer wrote:
All right, let's get this right. From the manual: Hitch ball should be at 430 ft lbs. 3/4" Shank bolts to 320 ft lbs, socket bolts 45 ft lbs minimum and L brackets 50-70 ft lbs.

If the OP's socket bolts have loosened he will lose some sway control. I check mine after every trip and they do loosen and tightening them makes a big difference. I crossed a long bridge over a large lake with 35mph winds from the side (and no wind breaks to slow the wind for miles). My 30' trailer was only swaying about 2" from side to side. The Equalizer hitch is worth the money. My truck is a half ton BTW.

Correct, the socket bolts DO LOOSEN reducing sway control and should be checked before every trip. This tends to lessen over time, but when new, the socket bolts get loose more quickly.

[drhuggybear]

The other thing to note, the OP said it was windy. Was it crosswind, headwind or tailwind? Head and tail should be fine but crosswind ... oh my :).

As others have stated the setup is obviously important but conditions also dictate alot of things. We were driving from Houston to San Antonio along I-10 and it was WINDY and raining. Bad crosswinds. There were times myself and other large vehicles didn't get above 25 because it was so bad. My knuckles were white when we finally cleared the storm.

I have a 10K Equilizer on a Crossroads Z-1 (about 5K lbs). Regardless of the setup you will have sway on crosswind - the hitch and sway bars just lessen it. I have several RV friends who all have the standard chain/sway systems and some have upgraded to the Equilizer after seeing how it works on mine. Well worth the investment.

[johndeerefarmer]

All right, let's get this right. From the manual: Hitch ball should be at 430 ft lbs. 3/4" Shank bolts to 320 ft lbs, socket bolts 45 ft lbs minimum and L brackets 50-70 ft lbs.

If the OP's socket bolts have loosened he will lose some sway control. I check mine after every trip and they do loosen and tightening them makes a big difference. I crossed a long bridge over a large lake with 35mph winds from the side (and no wind breaks to slow the wind for miles). My 30' trailer was only swaying about 2" from side to side. The Equalizer hitch is worth the money. My truck is a half ton BTW.

[Ron3rd]

Fireman02 wrote:
I'm still waiting to hear back from equal-i-zer, but i looked through their set up directions and went to take some measurements. My L-brackets were about 29 1/2"' back, and the driver side L-bracket wasn't completely vertical from the ground. I re-adjusted the brackets to the recommended 32". i'm not sure if this will make a difference. Our next trip i 6-7 hour drive, so i hope to have it dialed in by then.

The farther back you have the L-Brackets, the better the sway control. 32" is fine.

[Ron3rd]

GaryWT wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
The bolt he is referring to is the one under the hitch ball, that adjusts the angle of ball.

You know, just because a product advertises "sway control" does not mean all sway can be 100% eliminated under ever condition. Face it, a 35 foot trailer is a LOT of trailer and under windy conditions, it's going to push the tow vehicle around. Mine is also 35 feet, and that's a LOT of "sail" for the wind to catch and whip around. With enough wind, under the right conditions, even semi-trucks have blown over. You Tube is full of videos of trucks flipping over due to wind.

When you notice this condition happening in the future, you need to slow your speed down, and if that does not work, slow down more, and it that does not work, slow down more, and if that does not work ... pull over and STOP!

More than likely there is absolutely nothing wrong with your set-up, your rig, or anything else. You've just got to drive with common sense ... slow down or stop.

Maybe I need to reread the manual because I never do anything with that bolt. It was tightened when the hitch was installed and I have not touch it other than the day I made an adjustment on the hitch height/L bracket height. It has always been tight so the hitch does not move.

Still keep an eye on that bolt as they do tend to loosen over time. The bolts I think the other member was referring to are the SOCKET BOLTS, 1 on each side, which DO loosen due to wear. Make sure these are torqued to about 45-60 ft lbs before each trip. That could be the cause of the problem, or if not, the OP might not have enough force on the bars, requiring more tilt in the head by adding washer(s).

[MackinawMan]

opnspaces wrote:
STOP, WAIT!!!! Don't go 350lbs on the socket bolts, that figure is more like the torque setting for the ball. The sockets are torqued 45 - 60 ft lbs. There should be a sticker on each socket with that information.

Yeah, listen to this guy. Do NOT torque those socket bolts that high!

I run mine at 60 ft. lbs. and they have always been fine. I carry a torque wrench with me everywhere we go camping.

[Fireman02]

I'm still waiting to hear back from equal-i-zer, but i looked through their set up directions and went to take some measurements. My L-brackets were about 29 1/2"' back, and the driver side L-bracket wasn't completely vertical from the ground. I re-adjusted the brackets to the recommended 32". i'm not sure if this will make a difference. Our next trip i 6-7 hour drive, so i hope to have it dialed in by then.

[Fireman02]

APT wrote:
Spend $15 at a CAT scale. Take 3 passes to understand exactly how much TW you have and how well the WDH is adjusted.

Truck only
Truck with TT tongue on ball
truck with TT with WDH

I plan on doing this before our next trip. i'm getting the trailer out of storage a day early so i can hit the scales.

[opnspaces]

STOP, WAIT!!!! Don't go 350lbs on the socket bolts, that figure is more like the torque setting for the ball. The sockets are torqued 45 - 60 ft lbs. There should be a sticker on each socket with that information.

[johndeerefarmer]

GaryWT wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
The bolt he is referring to is the one under the hitch ball, that adjusts the angle of ball.

You know, just because a product advertises "sway control" does not mean all sway can be 100% eliminated under ever condition. Face it, a 35 foot trailer is a LOT of trailer and under windy conditions, it's going to push the tow vehicle around. Mine is also 35 feet, and that's a LOT of "sail" for the wind to catch and whip around. With enough wind, under the right conditions, even semi-trucks have blown over. You Tube is full of videos of trucks flipping over due to wind.

When you notice this condition happening in the future, you need to slow your speed down, and if that does not work, slow down more, and it that does not work, slow down more, and if that does not work ... pull over and STOP!

More than likely there is absolutely nothing wrong with your set-up, your rig, or anything else. You've just got to drive with common sense ... slow down or stop.

Maybe I need to reread the manual because I never do anything with that bolt. It was tightened when the hitch was installed and I have not touch it other than the day I made an adjustment on the hitch height/L bracket height. It has always been tight so the hitch does not move.

Once the hitch is set up you don't re-torque that bolt, all it does it to hold the washers that set the angle of the hitch. The bolts that need re-torqued periodically are the ones below the head where the arms attach and swivel. As they get loose from use you lose some of your sway control. Best I remember they call for something like 350 ft lbs of torque. Most don't have a torque wrench to read that so just put a breaker bar on it and about a 3' cheater pipe and go to town.
You also need to re-torque the bolts on the sway brackets themselves periodically.

[_tiredTeacher]

Fireman02 wrote:
But on the way home it was pretty windy and we had A LOT of sway pretty much the whole time we were on the highway.

Allow me to focus on this aspect of your post. What is "pretty windy"?
As Dutchman said, you have a lot of surface area exposed to the wind. A gusting cross wind will defeat any sway control if it is high enough in velocity. You may not have a problem with your rig, just your luck.

[GaryWT]

DutchmenSport wrote:
The bolt he is referring to is the one under the hitch ball, that adjusts the angle of ball.

You know, just because a product advertises "sway control" does not mean all sway can be 100% eliminated under ever condition. Face it, a 35 foot trailer is a LOT of trailer and under windy conditions, it's going to push the tow vehicle around. Mine is also 35 feet, and that's a LOT of "sail" for the wind to catch and whip around. With enough wind, under the right conditions, even semi-trucks have blown over. You Tube is full of videos of trucks flipping over due to wind.

When you notice this condition happening in the future, you need to slow your speed down, and if that does not work, slow down more, and it that does not work, slow down more, and if that does not work ... pull over and STOP!

More than likely there is absolutely nothing wrong with your set-up, your rig, or anything else. You've just got to drive with common sense ... slow down or stop.

Maybe I need to reread the manual because I never do anything with that bolt. It was tightened when the hitch was installed and I have not touch it other than the day I made an adjustment on the hitch height/L bracket height. It has always been tight so the hitch does not move.

[APT]

Spend $15 at a CAT scale. Take 3 passes to understand exactly how much TW you have and how well the WDH is adjusted.

Truck only
Truck with TT tongue on ball
truck with TT with WDH

[Fireman02]

I appreciate the reply's. I'll contact equal-i-zer and see what they recommend.