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?

[mfoster711]

drsolo wrote:
The question I would like answered is if one size fits all why DO they sell different hitches, or, are they all the same hitch just with different labels?

No one is saying one size fits all. The topic got off course for a bit.

[mfoster711]

dodge guy wrote:
If you are always going to be well over 1200lbs (near 1300) then get the 1400lb hitch. If your like me and your hitch weight fluctuates from 1175-1250 then get the 1200 lb unit.

You got me scratching my head dodge guy.

There is one rating that all the hitches clearly state and it is the "MAX Rating". You are saying that you are completely OK with disregarding the MAX rating of a hitch and it is OK to exceed this by 50 lbs at times. But, you are sticking to your guns and saying it is bad to buy the 14k hitch for a trailer setup in which the tongue weight varies from 1175-1250 at times?

Sorry, but we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

[drsolo]

The question I would like answered is if one size fits all why DO they sell different hitches, or, are they all the same hitch just with different labels?

[dodge_guy]

No arm chair expert here! I have actual facts from years of use and towing. I can tell you how a trailer with 500lbs of tongue weight will act with 800 lb bars! Not good! I can also tell you how well a properly thought out setup handles......extremely well. I can also tell you how a haphazard thrown together setup handles not good.

To all. Take all this for what it's worth. I'm just trying to give facts here, not biased information from a manufacture that wants you to buy a product. And I'm not going to cave in to any experts behind a computer screen that has no actual information based on years of use just to make hem feel good!

Bottom line, use actual weights to get the best and proper hitch for your setup. Don't worry about what you may get 5 years down the road.

I'm done trying to explain how physics work, my head hurts!

[dodge_guy]

mfoster711 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
Yes if you are on the high end of a 1200 lb hitch then going to a 1400lb hitch may be OK.

dodge guy wrote:
Now we know using a 1400lb hitch on a 1200 lb tongue weight trailer isn't going to break anything (at least it shouldn't) but it will not be sized appropriately and adverse handling could result because of it.

I think you are sorta agreeing with me but I feel these two comments contradict each other. Lets use a specific example to help clarify.

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.

By high end of a 1200lb hitch I meant near 1300lbs (ie1275lbs).

If you are always going to be well over 1200lbs (near 1300) then get the 1400lb hitch. If your like me and your hitch weight fluctuates from 1175-1250 then get the 1200 lb unit. I also take longer trips and the hitch weight will go over 1200 slightly (1250). I keep my hitch weight at 12.5% of the trailers loaded ready to travel weight. So I load the trailer accordingly!

[LarryJM]

mfoster711,

Good luck trying to convince the arm chair experts here since getting some folks to admit they just might not know it all is for the most part a lost cause. About all you can do is make your points and hopefully reasonable readers will be able to sort out all the chaff and chest beating from the meaninful information. As you have seen just from this simple discussion how folks try and twist your posts around to try and make something out of nothing in support of their beliefs.

I had no problem following the information you provided and unlike some of these arm chair experts appreciated the insight and especially the information about the trailer A frame damage rumor that is often quoted as the chicken litle sky is falling warning when WDH sizing often comes up.


Larry

[mfoster711]

dodge guy wrote:
Yes if you are on the high end of a 1200 lb hitch then going to a 1400lb hitch may be OK.

dodge guy wrote:
Now we know using a 1400lb hitch on a 1200 lb tongue weight trailer isn't going to break anything (at least it shouldn't) but it will not be sized appropriately and adverse handling could result because of it.

I think you are sorta agreeing with me but I feel these two comments contradict each other. Lets use a specific example to help clarify.

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.

[dodge_guy]

mfoster711 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
Here is what I got out of that. If you don't do any research and you are not sure what your tongue weight is then buy the hitch that will work for everything! sounds like a customer service rep answer to me, "anything to buy our product!"

I think that is a misinterpretation of what he said. Also, you need to remember that his response is a response to my question. I did not ask if the 14k hitch will work for everything.

dodge guy wrote:
Or you can go by the educated answers and get the hitch that matches your loaded tongue weight.

I still don`t understand why everyone goes through all the trouble of looking at truck weights, trailer weights, GVWR and axle weights, and research on the vehicles your looking at, then throw all that knowledge out the window when looking for a hitch?!

Again get the hitch that matches your trailer loaded tongue weight!

I am curious, are you suggesting that there is only one size hitch from each company that is proper for a particular tongue weight? For example, if you have 985 tongue weight then the 1000 lb hitch is the only hitch that is proper and will work and that getting the 1200 lb hitch would cause a horrible ride and might cause a bent frame?

Ok back to your original question. Yes if you are on the high end of a 1200 lb hitch then going to a 1400lb hitch may be OK. But I would not do it because if it is 1200lbs then all you need is a 1200 lb hitch. If your getting into the 1250-1300lb range then yes go to the 1400 lb hitch! It's all in the research.

As far as one hitch from each manuf for a particular tongue weight.....yes each one has a system from 600 on up to 1800 or maybe even 2000lbs tongue weight. I know Reese makes (or they used to) make a hitch for PuPs. It was a single bar WD hitch for 400lb tongue weight. Now we know using a 1400lb hitch on a 1200 lb tongue weight trailer isn't going to break anything (at least it shouldn't) but it will not be sized appropriately and adverse handling could result because of it.

If your tongue weight is 1200 lbs get the 1200 lb hitch. My first trailer had between 750 and 800 lbs tongue weight, so I had 800lb bars. When I bought my current trailer the dealer swapped my 800lb bars with a set of 1200 lb bars, no charge, even though I was willing to pay for the new bars.

So in the end, it's always better and safer to match the loaded tongue weight to the WD hitch bars. It will handle and ride better, and be safer.

P.S. Notice how much more in depth our responses are to your question than the customer service rep at EQ (or any manuf. for that matter).

[mfoster711]

dodge guy wrote:
Here is what I got out of that. If you don't do any research and you are not sure what your tongue weight is then buy the hitch that will work for everything! sounds like a customer service rep answer to me, "anything to buy our product!"

I think that is a misinterpretation of what he said. Also, you need to remember that his response is a response to my question. I did not ask if the 14k hitch will work for everything.

dodge guy wrote:
Or you can go by the educated answers and get the hitch that matches your loaded tongue weight.

I still don`t understand why everyone goes through all the trouble of looking at truck weights, trailer weights, GVWR and axle weights, and research on the vehicles your looking at, then throw all that knowledge out the window when looking for a hitch?!

Again get the hitch that matches your trailer loaded tongue weight!

I am curious, are you suggesting that there is only one size hitch from each company that is proper for a particular tongue weight? For example, if you have 985 tongue weight then the 1000 lb hitch is the only hitch that is proper and will work and that getting the 1200 lb hitch would cause a horrible ride and might cause a bent frame?

[mfoster711]

Huntindog wrote:

mfoster711 wrote:

Huntindog wrote:
The customer service person has spoken.. EVERYONE should just get the 14K hitch.

That is not what he said and I really think you are getting a little extreme. What he did say was:

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.

This advice is completely sound and is relevant to my initial question. This advice also matches up with the chart I found for Reese.

Does a 14k hitch work for any camper? I don't know. I'm not sure the 14k could be properly setup for a very light weight camper. Regardless, this is not what I was asking.

I pulled that sentence from what you posted as him saying... Perhaps you should read it again.

An engineer would NEVER say something like that.. They base what they say on their engineering knowledge, not what they have "heard".

A customer service person on OTOH will say whatever they think you want to hear.

Seriously Huntindog, he never said "EVERYONE should just get the 14K hitch". Reread it. Show me where he said that. Are you possibly misinterpreting something he said cause you want to keep arguing that point?

I think we all need to remember that his response is a response to my question and my question was about whether or not is is ok to get the next size up if you are on the high end of one size and not sure if you might ever load your vehicle enough to warrant the next size.

I did not ask Equalizer support "Is it OK to get the 14k hitch cause I figure it will work for everything"? If I would have asked that question then he may have replied very different and I am not going to assume what his response to that question is. If you want to know, you email them.

Let's get back to my original question and get off the debate of whether a 14k is OK for everything. I don't know the answer to that question. I did not ask support that question. I think most people don't really care about that question either. But, I do think there are people that are on the high end of one size hitch and are debating if it is OK to get the next size up just in case they have extra cargo at times.

[dodge_guy]

Here is what I got out of that. If you don't do any research and you are not sure what your tongue weight is then buy the hitch that will work for everything! sounds like a customer service rep answer to me, "anything to buy our product!"

Or you can go by the educated answers and get the hitch that matches your loaded tongue weight.

I still don`t understand why everyone goes through all the trouble of looking at truck weights, trailer weights, GVWR and axle weights, and research on the vehicles your looking at, then throw all that knowledge out the window when looking for a hitch?!

Again get the hitch that matches your trailer loaded tongue weight!

As far as the customer service rep stating no damage to a trailer frame........I do believe they haven't seen how some trailer frames are made or manufactured! If they did then they wouldn`t make that statement!

[Huntindog]

mfoster711 wrote:

Huntindog wrote:
The customer service person has spoken.. EVERYONE should just get the 14K hitch.

That is not what he said and I really think you are getting a little extreme. What he did say was:

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.

This advice is completely sound and is relevant to my initial question. This advice also matches up with the chart I found for Reese.

Does a 14k hitch work for any camper? I don't know. I'm not sure the 14k could be properly setup for a very light weight camper. Regardless, this is not what I was asking.

I pulled that sentence from what you posted as him saying... Perhaps you should read it again.

An engineer would NEVER say something like that.. They base what they say on their engineering knowledge, not what they have "heard".

A customer service person on OTOH will say whatever they think you want to hear.

[LarryJM]

mfoster711 wrote:
I think a lot of the replies have got a little off course from what my original question was (and I may have contributed to that).

To reword my question: The recommended hitch for my setup is the 10k hitch but if I slightly overestimate the amount of tongue or cargo weight then it starts to suggest the 12k hitch. I was wanting to know if there was any harm in getting the next size up "just to be safe" in case I do happen to load my truck and camper with this much additional weight.

The reply I got from Equalizer says this is 100% OK and they actually recommend getting the next size up if their is any possibility you might need it.

Realizing a lot of you are not talking specifically about the Equalizer hitch, I did some looking around and I also found this chart for Reese hitches.


This chart shows which hitch Reese recommends depending on your hitch weight. Based on this chart, there are two hitches you could choose for all hitch weight between 400-1500 pounds. From 1000-1200 you could actually choose between 3 hitches.

So in summary, when I take into account the reply I got from Equalizer and when I review this information from Reese, I would have to say it is completely safe to get the next size up if you have any doubt whatsoever that you might need it.

Is it OK to pull a popup with a 14k hitch? That is probably a different debate and is not what I really was asking.

Hopefully, but I doubt it, that chart from another MEGA hitch designer/manufacturer/player which is similiar to what Equal-i-zer is telling you about the myth that a WDH must be fine tuned to the actual current TW is just that mostly rumor and myth. In the past I have always thought going one size up was fine, but now would change that prior recommendation to include say a 1.4K/14K Equal-i-zer for tongue wts close to 1K with the only downside being it will be heavier and cost more. For me I still would not use or recommend something like a 1.4/14K hitch for a 600 or even 800lb TW. That is still just too far outside my personal comfort zone as to what to recommend to others as a NON EXPERT.

Larry

[LarryJM]

Huntindog wrote:

EQUALIZER wrote:
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.

This pretty much proves what I said earlier.

"I think that it's a pretty safe bet that EQUALIZER employed some engineers when designing their products.... And they designed it with different sizes.

I also think that it's a pretty safe bet that those calling EQUALIZER for advice are not speaking with any engineers... But just someone with a customer service title paid to answer the phones and stroke the callers egos. (that is what customer service is about, making the customer feel good.) I believe that EQUALIZER employs some who are very good at their customer service job.
I also believe that they employed some who were very good at their engineering job.."

The customer service person has spoken.. EVERYONE should just get the 14K hitch.

Now that the egos have been sufficiently stroked, they can save a bunch of money by firing all their engineers and making /stocking only the 14K hitch.

I love some of the terminology.

"The only negative report I’ve HEARD about going bigger"

That is not something an engineer would say... It is something that should be called heresay.... Which is not necessairily fact.

Again I will as you have now REPEAT that you have a right to your "NON EXPERT" personal opinion, which as it pertains to this subject I do not agree with your assessment that all that Equal-i-zer is providing is mostly marketing and non engineering based. I believe Equal-i-zer CS is head and shoulders above most other Customer Services out there and are not as you suggest a bunch of rogue representatives.

I hope folks like Ron and Dodge guy are reading and taking aboard the clear explanations on this damage rumor that Equal-i-zer tried to put to rest.

For the OP thank you for clearing up this 14K hitch for a 600lb tongue wt. aspect that I never believed you meant to be a substantive idea for debate/discussion.

Finally, I do appreciate Equal-i-zers comments concerning this "harsh/stiff" ride which was basically the only big concern I had expressed with their caveat that even with a non over sized system you can still get this with improper set up which I would assume to be based on something like too much wt. redistribution, but exactly the source is at least for me still somewhat unclear.

Larry

[mfoster711]

Huntindog wrote:
The customer service person has spoken.. EVERYONE should just get the 14K hitch.

That is not what he said and I really think you are getting a little extreme. What he did say was:

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.

This advice is completely sound and is relevant to my initial question. This advice also matches up with the chart I found for Reese.

Does a 14k hitch work for any camper? I don't know. I'm not sure the 14k could be properly setup for a very light weight camper. Regardless, this is not what I was asking.