Equalizer hitch problems

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Usand2boys

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Joined
Jan 5, 2014
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25
Hey all - Im towing a 27' primetime avenger ati and i have a dealer installed equalizer hitch on my jeep cherokee. Im having some crazy difficulty getting the sway bars on and off.  I try and try to find the sweetspot of tension to move them on and off by raising and lowering the tongue, but they are so stiff that at times it takes my entire body weight to get them on and off. Having watched videos on their website as well as miscellaneous others on youtube about them they appear to be pretty easy on and off and moving them in and out to put them on. Mine certainly is not. Anyone have experience with these hitches to say whether or not ive got a problem child or not? Ive not called equilizer yet, but thats next.

Thanks
 
Do you know who the manufacturer is? Is it REESE? If it's a Reese, typically they are very easy to connect and disconnect. Did the dealer show you how to adjust them?  They may be adjusted wrong putting too much tension on the spring bars.
 
Do you have the helper bar? If so then Maybe you could lower your L brackets on the tongue one hole but if it tows good then I wouldn't want to adjust them. Your method is how I set up mine, I raise the tongue jack as high as needed to help with the attaching of the lift bars but if that's not enough then I'd move the L brackets down one hole and see how it tows.

Pic of the helper bar

 

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Rene - They didnt show me much and honestly, the way they installed it, wasnt by the book. I figured they had a lot of experience installing them and knew what they were doing.

Glock - Yes i HAVE to use the cheater bar otherwise id stand no chance in getting it on the brackets. By lowering the bracket what does that do to the weight distribution? I towed it this weekend with some water in the fresh water tank and it seemed to tow a little better, but i didnt have it at highway speeds. It made me wonder if it needs more tongue weight.

Gary - Its the Equalizer brand.

 
I have the same hitch and it was set up incorrectly by the dealer.  My trailer before this one had a Reese Dual Cam hitch and that one was also set up incorrectly by a different dealer.  Don't trust the dealer set up!!  Get your manual out and start from scratch.  Start by removing the "L" brackets and make sure that installation is set up correctly.  Note that there is an "A" and "B" set up for the "L" brackets.  Mine was set up for the wrong installation and the lowest adjustment for the "L" bracket was way too high!  Only one set up ("A" or "B") is correct for your trailer.

The bars on my trailer were stiff at first but after the first tow they moved easily.  The fittings that the bars slip into on the hitch are supposed to be lubed and torqued to 45 ft lbs, no more.  I suggest that you remove the bolts and nuts and clean and lube those receptacles, reinstall and apply the proper torque.  Use a grease that meets the requirements stated in the owner's manual.  If you don't have the owner's manual download one.  Use the proper torque for all the hardware as listed in the manual.

The Hitch and/or "L" brackets should not be raised or lowered, and the hitch angle washers should not be removed for the purpose of making the hitch-up easier, UNLESS the weight distribution measurements remain in the measurement ranges stated in the manual.

I really like this hitch and find it easy to hitch up when properly set up.  If the camp site is level and I have the truck lined up straight with the trailer I do not have to use the snap up tool.  If the site is not level and/or if I have the truck slightly out of line with the trailer then I sometimes need to use the tool to get one or both of the bars onto the "L" brackets.

You can play around with the hitch adjustments but unless you use the manual, and start from the very beginning of the set up, you will never know if it the set up is correct.

Hope this helps.
 
I have the Reese hitch so I'm not familiar with yours but I went on line and found the owners manual. Setting it up is basically the same as a Reese hitch. Here it is:    http://www.equalizerhitch.com/pdf/eqownersmanual_0111.pdf
Follow it step by step and you'll find it's very easy. Let us know how you make out. We'll be waiting. 
 
I had this same hitch on my last camper. Very good for sway once it is set up correctly. Mine was also installed incorrect. Work with the factory to get it set up correct. They were very helpfull and due to the bad installation the brackets were damage. They replaced them at no charge. When you connect this you should be using the jack on your trailer to assist you or you are going to have a hard time getting it on even using the bar. You should lower the camper and connect the ball. Then you raise it up using the trailer jack till the bars go over the brackets easy. Install you L brackets then lower. If you do this it will be very easy to connect. 
 
I tried to go back through the manual and the setup if its wrong i don't think is terribly off if it is. I think maybe the bolts on the sway sockets might be too tight or something. I was afraid to mess with them until i know how tight they should be.  Its kind of a crucial junction point to be too loose!  I know that sway cant be eliminated entirely but my confidence is a little rattled with this setup currently. I definitely know the trailers back there in the wind and at highway speeds. If i were to describe it, it feels like the jeep is "loose" to put it in nascar terms. :)

 
I used this hitch for about 5 years. I was very happy with as far as reducing sway. Nothing can correct this all the way when dealing with bumper hitch campers. I will tell you the issue I found and I hope it is not to much but then you will know what to look for. If you look at the manual on page 14 you will see common mistake made for installation. My dealer went as far as to bend the bracket. Also they had an old model with a racket no longer sold by the the company. The company replaced the brackets free of charge and were very helpful with providing correct torque values required. The manual shows a torgue for the bracket of 50-70 ft lbs. The lock nuts that hold the  bracket tend to come lose and are only good for 2 or 3 times. This information was from Equalizer. I got Locktight and used that on the nuts to help keep them in place but there is allot of torque on this and they can back out and the bracket moves. Also the L brackets tend to get bent and it is a god idea to keep an extra set on hand. You just have to check the nuts often and carry a torque wrench with you. If you contact Equalizer they will provide you with all the values to all the hardware.
The last very common mistake with installation is to not tighten the set screw. It is located under the ball on the bottom side. Reference page 16 figure 14. The ball is set at an angle by washers and then locked in place by the screw. Mine was not tight and it allowed the ball to move up and down no matter how tight I made the bolts and nuts. This should be check from time to time as well in case vibration backs it out.   
 
So I spoke with the manufacturer on the phone and they said many of the same things you guys have said. At this point on my hitch todo list is 1) check the set screw because im 90% sure its not tightened down 2) Loosen and retighten the socket screws to a minimum 45ftlbs 3) recheck everything especially how the L-brackets are setup and installed. 

Thanks all! I'll report back soon.
 
Ok i had some time tonight to investigate some of these things. First and foremost, the angle set screw wasnt even close to tight, so that was the first thing i did. Then i leveled up the trailer for comparison to the ball height of the hitch.  I think its WAY too high but thats me. Next i investigated the L brackets of which i noticed from measurements that they werent the same distance from the hitchball but within spec. Does it matter that they arent exactly in the same place on both sides? I also noticed that on page 15 of the manual the brackets are supposed to be installed with the pins at the top when the coupler is top mounted, which my coupler is. Its setup for a bottom mounted coupler. Ill try to attach pictures so you can see everything thats going on.

What to do?!?
 
 
I do not think they have to perfect just in spec but only my opinion. Figures the set screw was not tight by the issues you were having. Most folks do not not know it is even there. Make sure you check it form time to time.
 
I have the 12,000 lb model of thr Equalizer hitch and it was a bear to deal with untill I had the bar pivot bolts set to 55 lbs torque,  the final thing i have done that has made dealing with getting the bars on the "L" brackets was to get a power tongue jack,  it gives you enough power and lift to get the bar up over the bracket, get them locked in and then retract the jack foot and you are ready to go.  I also use the swing up jack foot from Fastway, it really works nice.

http://www.amazon.com/Fastway-88-00-6500-Flip-Automatic-Jack/dp/B003CE283I

Tom...
 
I have a powered jack so that at least has made hunting for that sweetspot a little more managable. The pictures i took are too big to upload without some massaging and i cant do that from my ipad. Ill get pictures posted soon.
 
OK! Well, I took it back to the dealer who quickly noticed the trailer was riding nose up and wasn't installed correctly. They dropped the ball, reinstalled the L brackets correctly and everything is much more level. I noticed right away it handling a bit better. On the freeway I noticed the back end of the jeep much more stable on the road.  The dealer refused to loosen the socket bolts saying that they're tight because of the paint on the factory and not to mess with them. Well, I still couldn't get the darn thing off tonight without a good 1/2 hr struggle. I took the trailer off and was moving just the sway bars back and forth and it was no easy feat. Im going to get a socket to fit (anyone know what size the socket bolts are?) and loosen them myself and torque them back to spec.

Ok one more question... My trailer on the way home seemed to what i would call "buck" at certain times. Not constantly but it would go on for a minute or so and then settle down again.

Thoughts? Thanks!!
 
If you call Equalizer,  they will tell you the correct torque for the bar pivot bolts is 45-65 lbs.  Mine were so tight from the factory,  you could not manually move the bars horizontally with out a big (5') pry bar.  The inventors aught to know.  Get a torque wrench and set them your self.

Tom...
 
Take photos and get with the factory. That is how I got mine right. They had me send the photos and gave me the correct info on the fix. I have to assume what you are referring to the WD bars that come out from the hitch that will not move. The bolts that connect these should not be removed. You can loosen them and then retorque. I was having issue with the metal tearing up at the pivot point. Was told to put a small amount of grease on it. This is the point at the hitch where you insert the bars only. If you are having issues pulling the bar away for the camper which is what I am assuming this would help. The bolts at the pivot point will come loose as the metal wears and need to be torqued from time to time. 
 
"Bucking" usually indicates insufficient tongue weight. A travel trailer should have 10-12% of its actual weight on the tongue (hitch ball) so that it tracks well behind the tow vehicle and keeps a steady level condition. Until you get the trailer loaded as you will usually have it, it may be light in the nose. Also, if the fresh or waste water tanks are either well behind the axles or ahead of them, the amount of water onboard (or not) can have a fairly dramatic effect on balance.

Did you ask the dealer about the problem with the spring bars? Getting them on or off should be no more than a two minute chore. If you raise the tongue via the jack to take the load off them, it should be easy as well. He ought to be able to demonstrate that to you, or should recognize a problem if he cannot.
 

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