Reese Dual Cam vs Equalizer WD/Sway - pros/cons? Is Reese worth the extra $150?

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austintx01

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Jun 5, 2009
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All, I see a lot of recommendations in the forum for both the Equalizer and Reese Dual Cam WD hitch/sway control solutions so I'm trying to decide between the two and get one shipped here before my trailer is delivered.  I can't figure out if one has a "usability" advantage over the other.  I'm not very "handy", so all I can really see is they are apparently both excellent, yet the Equalizer costs 20-25% less so it seems like a no-brainer?  Does Reese have some convenience factor or something else I'm not aware of?  Easier to hitch/unhitch?  More durable?  It certainly looks "cooler" with the cams, but I'm not that concerned with that.  I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks! 
 
The Equalizer has the advantage to be better than the Reese Dual-Cam when the tongue weight is low like on a 20 feet ultra-light.  Reason is that with the Reese, the more tension you have on the bars, the more effective they are.  So it's important to have the bars match the load, not too big as there may not be enough tension.

The Equalizer does not rely on the tension, so that's not a factor.

I have never used an Equalizer, just the Reese.  Some of the comments I have heard is that the Equalizer apparently prevents the sway before it starts and the Reese stops the sway once started.  However, given how the Reese is, the bar has to slide up on the cam increasing the tension, so I would say it prevents it too.

At any rate, in heavy crosswinds, you will get some sway regardless.

As far as easy of setup is concerned.  The initial setup of the Reese should be done by a pro if you are not handy, if you are handy, you can read the installation manual and do it yourself.  I did not install mine, but I had to adjust it.  The dealer set it up empty and it had to be setup differently once loaded.  Once setup, it's very easy to hook up the bars.

Somebody will chime-in and comment on the Equalizer installation and setup for sure.

Marc...
 
The Equalizer 4 Point Sway Control DOES rely on tongue weight, or more precisely the amount of tension on the arms, to generate it's sway control.  More arm tension = more friction against the trailer sway control brackets.

An external friction type sway control bar acts independent of the tongue weight, but has problems of it's own.

The main difference between the Equalizer 4 Point Sway Control and Reese Dual-Cam is the Equalizer is a friction type sway control.  A friction sway control stiffens the joint between the car and trailer, restricting movement away from center and movement back to center.   This can be a problem if the rear axle of the car loses traction on a slick surface during a turn as the friction can lock the car and trailer into a perpetual turn.

The Reese, by contrast, opposes movement away from a straight line and enhances the return to a straight line, so it can be used in all conditions.  When the car and trailer move away from center, the bars ride up on the cams, opposing the movement away from center and pushing the trailer back to the centerline.

I have the Reese, use it with a high tongue weight trailer, and am completely happy with it.
 
All, something one of the dealers told me is the Reese must be mounted by drilling into the frame of the trailer, which they said can void your warranty, whereas the equalizer does not require drilling. I don't know if this is true on the warranty, but thought I'd pass it along. I went with the equalizer since it was ~ $200 cheaper all things considered.  Thanks again for all the help.
 
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