Something interesting to try with your Equal-i-zer

[opnspaces]

Since I bought my Jayco I have always run an Equal-i-zer hitch. I've now run this hitch for ten years and never experienced any sway. But I always wondered if the hitch was doing anything for sway or if my trailer was just properly setup to not sway.

Long story short I wound up last year pulling my trailer for a few miles down a deserted desert road at 55 mph with no weight distribution. Yes I was hitched up to my Equal-i-zer, but the weight distribution bars were not engaged and were instead swung forward to ride parallel to my rear bumper. No I did not have an accident, and yes this was done on purpose.

The interesting thing and the reason for this post was the feel I got in the Suburban while pulling the trailer this way. The trailer felt looser for lack of a better term. It did not sway, but it did react to imperfections more than I was used to. It felt so strange that I only made it about 2 miles before I pulled over and engaged the weight distribution bars.

So to other Equal-i-zer owners if you want to try something weird, try pulling your trailer with the weight bars disconnected and swung up against the trucks rear bumper. See if you get sway or if the trailer pulls differently. It definitely felt foreign enough to me that I'll probably not try that experiment again anytime soon. 🙂

[Downwindtracke1]

I brought our trailer home without the Equalizer. But TV is 1ton LWB Dodge and the TT was 4600 empty. Did not notice any sway.

I'm finished my morning coffee, it's time to re-adjust the hitch after a 7" lift I got with axel and tire change.

[Bank_of_Dad]

I can feel a big difference when I tow my stock horse trailer with horses without sway or WD. Can't go over 50 mph. Then with the 23ft TT, with Equal-i-zer, much more stable. All with Suburban.


You want to try something not fun, try towing a car with a Suburban using the Blue Ox tow bars.....that car was all over the road. DH thought it would be an easy way to get it to the repair shop.

[Doug33]

Yes, the equalizer bars serve as WD and anti-sway, so you lose both if the bars are not clamped down with the L-brackets. I've detached during maneuvering but not for high speed towing. I figure with a 5500 lb load and $25K investment behind me, why take a chance.

[opnspaces]

In reading the replies I wonder if it was light steering that I was feeling. It never felt like it was going to sway or anything it just felt different and transmitted more motion to the Suburban. At any rate I have no real reason to do it again, just thought I'd share it with you guys.

[rexlion]

I'm not surprised. I towed a 23' TT home with just a ball on my Mountaineer's receiver, and it felt very loose and unstable. Bought the Equalizer for it, and it towed steady and secure.

[TurnThePage]

Been there done that a few times, for instance when de-winterizing and taking it to air up the tires, etc. This was how I learned just how unstable my truck can be when running P metric tires, especially if they're not aired up to max. With LT tires I could probably get away without sway control at all. When I bought the trailer new, I didn't have any kind of wd hitch. It towed fine except when being passed by semis. Even then it was just mild.

[Community Alumni]

BillB800si wrote:

Golden_HVAC wrote:

Towing with the 2010 Dodge and GM trucks looked downright dangerous! Towing with the Ford and it's new integrated braking system looked like it was not a white knuckle ride at all. Have fun camping!
Fred.

=======================

I don't know about the GMC but Dodge Ram has "Trailer Brake Control" and "Electronic Stabilizer Control" built right in the truck.
Happy trails,

Yup got it on mine.

[BillB800si]

Golden_HVAC wrote:

Towing with the 2010 Dodge and GM trucks looked downright dangerous! Towing with the Ford and it's new integrated braking system looked like it was not a white knuckle ride at all. Have fun camping!
Fred.

=======================

I don't know about the GMC but Dodge Ram has "Trailer Brake Control" and "Electronic Stabilizer Control" built right in the truck.
Happy trails,

[jmtandem]

So to other Equal-i-zer owners if you want to try something weird, try pulling your trailer with the weight bars disconnected and swung up against the trucks rear bumper. See if you get sway or if the trailer pulls differently. It definitely felt foreign enough to me that I'll probably not try that experiment again anytime soon.

I have towed the same 30 foot TT both on the ball and with using an Equalizer hitch. I can't tell any sway difference. My suspicion is that the hitch does a decent job at weight distribution and not much for sway mitigation. For those that think the hitch works because they never experience sway and have towed 50,000 miles over the last ten years, it is probably more due to a well set up trailer and tow vehicle.

Tow with a PullRite, HA, or PP and then compare that to your Equalizer. There IS a difference!

[brulaz]

O.P was not only removing sway control, but also weight distribution.

Really need a different hitch to separate the two.

I occasionally leave off the friction bar of the cheapo WDH. But would never go any distance without weight distribution because of the heavy tongue weight making the steering all squirrely, and the way over-weight load on the rear axle.

[BarneyS]

The Equal-i-zer bars do NOT swing freely due to the clamping pressure of the hitch head on retaining sockets. They are very hard to swing back and forth and will therefor stay where put if swung alongside the bumper.

They are also very easily removed by removing a clip and pin that holds each bar in the hitch head socket, so that would be a possibility also but would take a bit more time.
Barney

[2012Coleman]

op wrote:
So to other Equal-i-zer owners if you want to try something weird, try pulling your trailer with the weight bars disconnected and swung up against the trucks rear bumper.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to try this. and even if I did, why not just don't attach the bars instead of swung up against the bumper where they can swing freely?

I'll take your word on it.

[Golden_HVAC]

Your hitch, while rated at 10,000 pounds and 1,000 pounds of deadweight on the drawbar, it is only rated that way when using a weight distribution system.

When not using a weight distribution system, most hitches are limited to about 5,000 pounds total weight and about 500 pounds on the hitch itself.

I think that many people will find that the weight distribution system is not working well, then tighten it up another notch, and find performance degrades even more, but keep thinking that 'tighter must be better' and finally give up on towing a travel trailer.

With a proper heavy duty truck or 2500 series Suburban, you can tow without the weight distribution bars (except for the above mentioned limits with most hitches) and it will work OK. Windy situations, or a truck going 70 MPH the other direction on a 2 lane highway will cause you to wish you had a better hitch system sometimes. Running the bars fairly loose is OK and acceptable, as you are not trying to get weight off the rear axle of the truck, just create some friction that will cause the trailer to follow the truck better, and act like a shock absorber between the two vehicles that can turn independently.

Some trucks now come with a sway sensor on the rear axle, and when side to side sway is detected, it will apply the trailer brakes with a light pressure, say 6 or 8 volts, and bring the trailer back in line with the truck automatically. Ford made a dramatic video of this in action, pulling a trailer loaded with steel corrugated pipe in the front and 2,000 pounds of bricks behind the trailer axle, with a -400 pound hitch weight.

Towing with the 2010 Dodge and GM trucks looked downright dangerous! Towing with the Ford and it's new integrated braking system looked like it was not a white knuckle ride at all. They where going down a long grade, and that is when the trailer is most likely to try and pass the truck, especially in a curve. High hitch weight is a plus while towing!

Have fun camping!

Fred.