Is it bad to get to big of Equalizer hitch

[mfoster711]

Is there anything wrong with getting an Equalizer hitch that is a size too big? I am following the instructions on their website and it recommends a 10k but if I add a lot of extra cargo weight then it starts to recommend a 12k. The amount of extra cargo weight I put into their formula is probably more than I would ever have so a 10k hitch would probably be fine but I am wondering what is the harm in just getting the 12k hitch "just to be safe".

To put it another way, if somebody asks me what size truck do they need to tow a popup then I would say any half ton should be fine but there is no harm in getting a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck. Is this true for the Equalizer hitch also?

[Huntindog]

Deep Trax wrote:

Huntindog wrote:
I have owned both. (for a short while both at the same time) The 12K bars will NOT fit into the 14K head, and the 14K bars will NOT fit into the 12K head.

The 1/2 round slots at the end of the 14K bars are offset. On the 12K bars they are centered.

On the 12K bars you can flip them over and insert them into the same "reciever" since it's slot is centered. If you flip over a 14K bar, it will not fit in the same 'reciever". You would need to swap sides with it.

I think that customer service strikes again.

You are mistaken. Here is cut and paste from the manual:

Insert spring arms into the sockets in the hitch head. Arms for the 12K
and 14K models are side specific. They are notched slightly off-center, and
should be inserted into the socket with the notch on the inside, and with the
label facing outward.

I have run bars with 14K sticker in a 12K head.

It must have changed at some point. I bought my 12K around 2002, and the 14k in 2009.

Here is what EQ said in 2005:

Check out the following response from Eq Tech Support to the posting on the AirStream forum and then do yourself a favor and get the 1400# bars:From: Josh Jones
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 12:42 PM
To: TomW
Subject: RE: Different spring bars for heavier suspensions?

Hello Tom,

An interesting discussion that you have found. First of all it may be useful for me to clarify that for an Equal-i-zer brand 4-Point Sway Control Hitch, one should not talk about selecting Spring Arms (or bars) alone, as this may mislead one to believe that the Spring Arms are interchangeable on any hitch model. For some weight distribution hitches this is correct, but this is not the case for the original Equal-i-zer Hitch. Instead of saying "which spring bars should I select" or "I have the 10,000/1,000 lb. Spring Arms", it is more accurate to say "which hitch model should I select" and "I have the 10,000/1,000 lb. Hitch" . The Spring Arms are not interchangeable on the Equal-i-zer, so the 10,000/1,000 lb. Spring Arms are only found on the 10,000/1,000 lb. Hitch (they are the only Spring Arms that fit in a 10,000 lb. Equal-i-zer Hitch Head, etc. for each model). For information's sake, I should add that if a person did want to upgrade or downgrade the capacity of an Equal-i-zer Hitch, both the Hitch Head and the set of Spring Arms would need to be replaced, while all other components could be reused.

[LarryJM]

Deep Trax wrote:

Huntindog wrote:
I have owned both. (for a short while both at the same time) The 12K bars will NOT fit into the 14K head, and the 14K bars will NOT fit into the 12K head.

The 1/2 round slots at the end of the 14K bars are offset. On the 12K bars they are centered.

On the 12K bars you can flip them over and insert them into the same "reciever" since it's slot is centered. If you flip over a 14K bar, it will not fit in the same 'reciever". You would need to swap sides with it.

I think that customer service strikes again.

You are mistaken. Here is cut and paste from the manual:

Insert spring arms into the sockets in the hitch head. Arms for the 12K
and 14K models are side specific. They are notched slightly off-center, and
should be inserted into the socket with the notch on the inside, and with the
label facing outward.

I have run bars with 14K sticker in a 12K head.

On my 1.2/12K Equa-i-zer system purchased in Oct 2007 the bars are like Huntingdog's 1.2 bars from 2002 and are NOT SIDE SPECIFIC with the notch and hole centered on each bar so there has evidently been a change sometime after 2007. This just highlights why one must be careful when making rash statements of fact when those "FACTS" have changed and are no longer applicable.

Larry

[Deep_Trax]

Huntindog wrote:
I have owned both. (for a short while both at the same time) The 12K bars will NOT fit into the 14K head, and the 14K bars will NOT fit into the 12K head.

The 1/2 round slots at the end of the 14K bars are offset. On the 12K bars they are centered.

On the 12K bars you can flip them over and insert them into the same "reciever" since it's slot is centered. If you flip over a 14K bar, it will not fit in the same 'reciever". You would need to swap sides with it.

I think that customer service strikes again.

You are mistaken. Here is cut and paste from the manual:

Insert spring arms into the sockets in the hitch head. Arms for the 12K
and 14K models are side specific. They are notched slightly off-center, and
should be inserted into the socket with the notch on the inside, and with the
label facing outward.

I have run bars with 14K sticker in a 12K head.

[Huntindog]

mfoster711 wrote:

Huntindog wrote:
I have owned both. (for a short while both at the same time) The 12K bars will NOT fit into the 14K head, and the 14K bars will NOT fit into the 12K head.

The 1/2 round slots at the end of the 14K bars are offset. On the 12K bars they are centered.

On the 12K bars you can flip them over and insert them into the same "reciever" since it's slot is centered. If you flip over a 14K bar, it will not fit in the same 'reciever". You would need to swap sides with it.

I think that customer service strikes again.

You are half right and half wrong. If you read the current installation instructions, it says:

Insert spring arms into the sockets in the hitch head. Arms for the 12K and 14K models are side specific. They are notched slightly off-center, and should be inserted into the socket with the notch on the inside, and with the label facing outward

The 14k and 12k are both notched (offset) but the smaller models are centered. So, it is very possible Deep Trax and the customer service rep are correct.

Maybe something has changed since you owned them?

My 12K was purchased around 2002. My 14K in 2009.

Here is a link to what a rep said in 2005.. Read the first paragraph.

EQUALIZER BAR SIZES

[mfoster711]

Huntindog wrote:
I have owned both. (for a short while both at the same time) The 12K bars will NOT fit into the 14K head, and the 14K bars will NOT fit into the 12K head.

The 1/2 round slots at the end of the 14K bars are offset. On the 12K bars they are centered.

On the 12K bars you can flip them over and insert them into the same "reciever" since it's slot is centered. If you flip over a 14K bar, it will not fit in the same 'reciever". You would need to swap sides with it.

I think that customer service strikes again.

You are half right and half wrong. If you read the current installation instructions, it says:

Insert spring arms into the sockets in the hitch head. Arms for the 12K and 14K models are side specific. They are notched slightly off-center, and should be inserted into the socket with the notch on the inside, and with the label facing outward

The 14k and 12k are both notched (offset) but the smaller models are centered. So, it is very possible Deep Trax and the customer service rep are correct.

Maybe something has changed since you owned them?

[Ron_Gratz]

Deep Trax wrote:
The main (possibly only) difference between the 12,000 & 14,000 lb Equalizer hitches is the thickness of side plates on the hitch head. The side plates on the 12,000 lb hitch are 3/8" thick while the side plates on the 14,000 lb hitch head are 1/2" thick.

Because of this, I see absolutely no harm in using a 14,000 lb Equalizer hitch when a 12,000 lb Equalizer hitch is adequate. Am I missing something?

As far as I can tell, your information is accurate.

However, the opening post refers to 10K bars versus 12K bars.

The stiffness of a 10K bar would be on the order of 1000 lb/inch.
The stiffness of a 12K bar would be on the order of 1400 lb/inch.

For a given amount of incremental bar deflection that difference in stiffness translates to an incremental A-frame bar-force increase of 40%.

Ron

[Huntindog]

Deep Trax wrote:
As I mentioned in my first post to this thread, the spring bars on the Equalizer 12,000 & 14,000 lb hitches are identical. This information came direct from Progress customer service, so check with them if you have any doubts.

The rep told me they assign different part numbers and apply different stickers to the 12,000 & 14,000 lb bars, but this is just to avoid confusion. The bars are the same, but depending upon which hitch head the bars are sold with, some with have 14,000 lb stickers and others will have 12,000 lb stickers.

The main (possibly only) difference between the 12,000 & 14,000 lb Equalizer hitches is the thickness of side plates on the hitch head. The side plates on the 12,000 lb hitch are 3/8" thick while the side plates on the 14,000 lb hitch head are 1/2" thick.

Because of this, I see absolutely no harm in using a 14,000 lb Equalizer hitch when a 12,000 lb Equalizer hitch is adequate. Am I missing something?

I have owned both. (for a short while both at the same time) The 12K bars will NOT fit into the 14K head, and the 14K bars will NOT fit into the 12K head.

The 1/2 round slots at the end of the 14K bars are offset. On the 12K bars they are centered.

On the 12K bars you can flip them over and insert them into the same "reciever" since it's slot is centered. If you flip over a 14K bar, it will not fit in the same 'reciever". You would need to swap sides with it.

I think that customer service strikes again.

[Deep_Trax]

As I mentioned in my first post to this thread, the spring bars on the Equalizer 12,000 & 14,000 lb hitches are identical. This information came direct from Progress customer service, so check with them if you have any doubts.

The rep told me they assign different part numbers and apply different stickers to the 12,000 & 14,000 lb bars, but this is just to avoid confusion. The bars are the same, but depending upon which hitch head the bars are sold with, some with have 14,000 lb stickers and others will have 12,000 lb stickers.

The main (possibly only) difference between the 12,000 & 14,000 lb Equalizer hitches is the thickness of side plates on the hitch head. The side plates on the 12,000 lb hitch are 3/8" thick while the side plates on the 14,000 lb hitch head are 1/2" thick.

Because of this, I see absolutely no harm in using a 14,000 lb Equalizer hitch when a 12,000 lb Equalizer hitch is adequate. Am I missing something?

[Ron_Gratz]

WHAT SIZE EQUALIZER HITCH DO YOU USE?

Conflict – Passion – Suspense – Myths Explored – Mysteries Solved

117 Posts --7 Years In The Making – Something For Every Opinion


Today, I rediscovered a Thread on Airforums.com which might be of interest to some of you.
Although this AIR Forums thread began as a poll, it quickly developed a major sidetrack into the realm of pros and cons of being “under hitched” or “over hitched”.
Somewhere among the 117 posts, I believe you could find some anecdotal evidence to support any opinion you might have about hitch selection and trailer damage.
I have cited 9 posts which were of interest to me.

Twenty six Airstream owners responded to this poll. Based on WD bar rating, the results were 6@600#, 17@1000#, 2@1200#, 1@1400#.
The large peak at 1000# partly is due to there not being an EQ hitch with 800# bars. I was surprised at the small number of 1200 & 1400# hitches.
Unfortunately, very few loaded tongue weights were provided. The lone pair of 1400# bars were selected for a 30’ Classic with 1250# tongue weight and towed by a 3/4T van.

Input from Progress Mfg.

A highlight of this thread (for me) was the posting of a detailed Email (attached to Post #48) from Josh Jones of Progress Mfg.
It will be easier for you to view the Email from Josh via this ORF Post.
IIRC, Josh is the EQ “engineering staff” person to whom I referred in this Post.

As regards “over hitching” – Josh stated, “

Andy does bring up a valid question about over hitching, but it may serve well if I add that possible damage is not likely caused from purely using a heavier-rated hitch, but rather from over-adjusting the heavier-rated hitch.---

This certainly is more open-minded than the recent “---

a bigger sized hitch will NOT damage or bend your trailer tongue.

---“
IMO, using a heavier-rated hitch would make it easier to over-adjust and overload the A-frame.

As regards “Weight of cargo loaded behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle” – I found no mention of this parameter in the Email from Josh, although I believe it was in the EQ hitch selection process in 2006.

For me, the Email answered the question of what was recommended for WDH-adjustment before EQ switched to the 50-100% FALR specification in 2010. Josh made it very clear that EQ advocated the “equal squat” approach in 2006. That means if EQ’s WDH adjustment specs were and are followed, their WD bars are being subjected to significantly less load today than they were prior to the change in adjustment specs.

Some Specific AIR Forums posts which might be of interest

Post #14: Andy, who has operated an Airstream dealership and repair shop for many years, offers his steadfast belief that “over hitching” can cause damage to Airstream trailers. This belief will be challenged by some of the Airstream owners in subsequent posts.

Post #20: Tom, who switched to 550# bars, mentions a bent A-frame and believes the damage was caused by years of pounding from 1000# bars.

Post #22: 3DogNight relates a phone conversation with Josh Jones.

Post #33: 3DogNight relates conversation about using too small a hitch resulting in voided warranty.

Post #38: Tom refers to damaged A-frame.

Post #44: Silvergate posts Email reply from Josh Jones pertaining to best hitch for 6000# GVWR trailer. In a scenario where the tongue weight would reach 1020#, Josh stated, “---

In all likelihood you will only need our 10,000 lb. Hitch, as people rarely load enough cargo to reach the GVWR. It is optional to select the 12,000 lb. Hitch instead, although this would not provide any increase performance or added safety. The only benefit you would gain is the ability to handle more weight in the future.

---“

Post #48: Tom attaches copy of Email response from Josh Jones.

Post #88: Phil relates phone conversation with Reese Tec who said weight behind rear axle must be counted. Phil said “---

I discussed what Andy's concerns are about being over sprung and causing damage to the trailer. Also about the difference in bar ratings for different tow vehicles. He {Reese Tec} agrees with the concept. In the end there is no simple answer and all the conditions and load weights need to be taken into consideration.

”

Post #117: Mefly2 gets the creativity award for grinding down the cross sectional area of his 1000# bars – giving them a bit more flex to make them "easier" on his trailer’s A-frame.

Ron

[LarryJM]

hawkeye-08 wrote:
I have 1,500lb bars for my TW 1250-1450lb, works great. IIRC, Reese says 1,500lb bars work for 800-1500lbs.

Based on my almost now 10 years of using my 1.2/12K Equal-i-zer which unlike some folks posting here are basing their information on other brands of WDHs for a tongue wt always and will always be under 1K your experiences mirror mine exactly. With my setup and TV I feel confident that even the 1.4/14K Equal-i-zer would work fine, but I chose not to pay the extra since my receiver is rated at 1K with WDH. So readers should balance these "counter" real world experienes with those cautioning one about using WDH systems that are over sized as just being "BAD". Ride quality as it relates to NVH has a lot more factors than simply the WDH engineering ratings weight wise.

Larry

[Ron_Gratz]

mfoster711 wrote:
Let's say the tongue weight of my camper is typically 1175 lbs so a 1200 lb hitch would be appropriate. But, we take some longer trips at times and bring a lot more stuff (especially bottled water/gatorade) and that stuff goes in the storage of my camper near the front. This extra stuff could easily increase my tongue weight to 1250-1275.

So, which hitch should I get? the 1200 or 1400 lb hitch?

Your second statement above would suggest that if I buy the 1400 lb hitch then when I am in my typical camping setup with 1175 lbs of tongue weight then "adverse handling could result". But, if I buy the 1200 lb hitch then I will be overload when going on longer trips.

If I may jump into the middle of this conversation --

Before you talk about bar "overload", you need to establish how you plan to set up the hitch.
In a previous post, you speculated, " the amount of weight being distributed from the trailer to the TV is determined by how the hitch is setup, not by the weight rating of the hitch."
It also is true that the amount of load being distributed is determined by how much load you want to restore to the TV's front axle. It's not determined directly by the tongue weight.

If you have bars rated for 1200# and a TW of 1275#, and if you opt to adjust the WDH to achieve "equal squat", then the bars might be at about 1275/1200 = 106% of rated capacity.
If you opt to adjust the WDH to give a Front Axle Load Restoration of 100%, the bars might be at about 66% of rated capacity.
If you opt to adjust the WDH for FALR = 50% (per Ford's specs), the bars might be at about 33% of rated capacity.

It's not about the tongue weight -- it's about how much load you want to transfer.
There's a high probability that the bars are designed on the assumption that they might be used to achieve "equal squat".
That requires much stronger bars than are necessary for the way WDHs typically are used today.

Ron

[Ron_Gratz]

mfoster711 wrote:
Thanks again for the replies. Since the responses still seemed varied, I decided to email Equalizer and ask their opinion.

Here is my email:

I currently have an equalizer hitch and my friend is considering a purchase. Both of our trucks and campers are almost the exact same size and we both have the same questions regarding exactly which size hitch to get. We used the form on your website and it typically recommends the 10k hitch but depending on how much tongue weight or cargo weight we estimate then it sometimes starts to recommend the 12k hitch. When I bought my hitch I just went with the idea that it is better to get the larger hitch and not worry about it so I bought a 12k hitch. My friend is having doubts if this is the best logic to use and if he should get the 10k to make sure it properly fits his camper.

I started an RV.net forum topic on this subject to get opinions and the answers I am getting inconsistent.

In my opinion, how the hitch is set up is what determines the amount of weight being transferred from the trailer to the tow vehicle and you could buy the 14k hitch to tow a pop-up and it would be fine as long as it is setup properly. Others seem to them that this would cause a horrible ride or possibly cause damage to the trailer because too much weight is being distributed.

What is Equalizer's professional opinion on this?

And their response

I’m glad you contacted us as there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about this topic! First let me go ahead and dispel the biggest myth about getting a larger size hitch: a bigger sized hitch will NOT damage or bend your trailer tongue. I’m not sure how this rumor was started, but these frames are constructed to carry these humongous trailers and it will take much more than a hundred pound hitch to damage one. Especially since the Equalizer attaches to brackets that are attached to the frame and not the frame itself. So that is not an issue at all.

As far as getting a bigger hitch, if there is any possibility of going over the GVWR or tongue weight ratings of a certain hitch, I would get the next size up. It is much better to have a bigger hitch than be caught down the line towing more than the hitch can handle. The only negative report I’ve heard about going bigger is a stiffer ride, and even this is when the “proper sized” hitch is a 6K and they go with the 14K. That being said, all Equalizers will be a bit stiff when they are new. This is due to the new steel-on-steel friction surfaces and the sockets being torqued a bit higher than usual. However, as you start to tow with the hitch will begin to wear together and break in and any stiffness will vanish after a couple of trips.

Anyway, long story short, you and your friend should have no issue going with the 12K as long as it is set up correctly. I would try to have your tongue weight ~10% of the trailer weight for the best ride, but even that can be compensated for with hitch adjustments. I hope this helps shed some light on the situation, but feel free to ask any questions you might still have.

:

It seems to me that the EQ Rep's first paragraph was not responding to your scenario about using a "14k hitch to tow a pop-up". I do not believe the EQ Rep was endorsing that scenario. I'm guessing the EQ Rep's comment about "humongous trailers" was not referring to your pop-up.

I think it's more likely the EQ Rep's first paragraph was referring to your first-paragraph scenario of whether it would be okay to use a 12k hitch when the combination of tongue load plus TV rear cargo might exceed 1000#.
If that's the case, I agree that using the 12k hitch with your combination should not cause any damage.
I don't know if 12k versus 10k would affect the TV's ride because that depends on many things other than bar stiffness.
There is an interesting thread on Airforums.com which discusses 600 vs 800 vs 1200 lb trunnion bars.

Going back to your original post -- is it correct that your use of the "Correct Hitch Size" calculator is what precipitated this thread?
As I've stated in a previous post, I see no reason to size the hitch to compensate for bed load -- because if you do use it to compensate for bed load, you'll be violating Equal-i-zer's instructions for proper WDH adjustment.

As regards "stiff ride" --
The EQ Rep claims, "The only negative report I’ve heard about going bigger is a stiffer ride, and even this is when the “proper sized” hitch is a 6K and they go with the 14K."
In this thread alone, one person reported "3700lb trailer, dealer sold me and installed 10k bars (1,000 tongue, 10k total weight) 600/6,000 bars were MUCH better in my experience.", and there are more of such reports in the Airforums thread previously linked and also in Open Roads Forum if you want to search.
Just because the EQ Rep hasn't heard of something -- doesn't mean it can't happen.

As regards "bar stiffness" --
The EQ Rep is talking about the friction forces which give the EQ hitch its ability to resist sway. That is not "bar stiffness".
The stiffness of a WD bar is determined by its effective length, cross-sectional shape and dimensions, and modulus of elasticity.
There is no break-in period and the bar stiffness does not vanish after a couple of trips.

As regards the belief that we always get "EXPERT advice" from manufacturers' representatives --
Consider the statement, "I would try to have your tongue weight ~10% of the trailer weight for the best ride,---".
I assume the EQ Rep used the tilde symbol to denote "approximately".
IMO, better advice, given the OP's trailer, would be to have a TW% of 12-15%.
I note that the EQ Owner's Manual typically refers to "at least 10%", but values of 10-11% are not very good choices for the vast majority of TTs.

Finally -- For a tongue weight of 1000#, a pair of WD bars should be capable of transferring a load of approximately 400# to the TT's axles in order to achieve the antiquated goal of "equal squat".
The corresponding Front Axle Load Restoration would be about 160%.
For the OP's 2015 F-150, Ford implies a FALR of 50%.
If the OP uses WD bars matched to the loaded TW and follows Ford's WDH-adjustment specs, his WD bars would be loaded to approximately 50/160 = 31% of their rated capacity.
If he opts to load to 100% FALR, the bars would be loaded to approximately 62% of rated capacity.

Ron

[mfoster711]

hawkeye-08 wrote:
I have 1,500lb bars for my TW 1250-1450lb, works great. IIRC, Reese says 1,500lb bars work for 800-1500lbs.

Sounds right. That would match the chart from Reese that I posted a page back.

[hawkeye-08]

I have 1,500lb bars for my TW 1250-1450lb, works great. IIRC, Reese says 1,500lb bars work for 800-1500lbs.