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Old 08-13-2015, 06:51 PM   #1
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Husky Centerline

So, after spending hours researching on the internet, I made my decision and purchased a Husky Centerline hitch to replace the standard dealer installed round bar, friction anti-sway WD hitch. This weekend I will be installing it. Who else is using this hitch? Any hints, tips or advice?
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Old 08-13-2015, 08:13 PM   #2
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I have been using it for 4 years. It's has been a great hitch for 2 TT and 3 TV.

If you have a couple that is mounted on top of the frame you may need a riser ball. Without a riser, on my first TT I contacted the A-Frame a couple times causing minor but visible damage while backing into a site.

One thing I don't like is your TV/TT need to be lined up remarkably straight to get the torsion bars on and off. We always remove the bars while checking in at the CG and well before driving any loops.
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Old 08-13-2015, 08:16 PM   #3
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Curious though, why Centerline and not Equal-I-Zer?

Equal-I-Zer is much more popular and has many more users on this site and every other forum I have read.

I wanted the Equal-I-zer, included it in the TT deal, but after the fact learned the dealer didn't sell it and tried to give me a standard Husky round bar which I refused so I ended up with the Centerline.
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Old 08-13-2015, 08:21 PM   #4
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I had a centerline before I got a motor home. I loved it. Great hitch kept the trailer in line during wind traffic and lane changes.
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Old 08-13-2015, 08:29 PM   #5
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I don't really have a great answer for that. I just liked what the Youtube videos and the reviews I read about the Centerline were saying. I then contacted Husky via email with some questions I had on Sunday evening. I was getting phone calls from them Monday morning at work. They answered all my questions and the gentleman who called me even told me to call him directly if I ever had any more questions or needed anything. I liked the outstanding customer service and that definitely played into my decision.


He did recommend, as you did, removing the bars while the TT/TV are straight before pulling/backing into any camping spots that may not allow for straight parking. That isn't a deal killer for me as it has to come off anyway.
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Old 08-13-2015, 08:50 PM   #6
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Curious though, why Centerline and not Equal-I-Zer?

Equal-I-Zer is much more popular and has many more users on this site and every other forum I have read.

I wanted the Equal-I-zer, included it in the TT deal, but after the fact learned the dealer didn't sell it and tried to give me a standard Husky round bar which I refused so I ended up with the Centerline.
I have never used the Equal-I-zer, but after researching WDH I really do not see what the advantage of it is. It seems to just be metal-on-metal friction, but the design is strange in that the contact surfaces are not replaceable.

One of the most well-designed options I found is by Reese this, but not their Straitline system. It is a simple design that works exactly like the Equalizer, except the contact surface is metal-on-brake pad material, like a disc brake. You can replace the brake pad material and the cost of the whole package is <$500 in the US.

Unfortunately I could not source in time for my first trip, so I ended-up buying the Blue Ox system which my dealer had in stock. It is convenient and very well-built, but I have not used anything other WDH to compare it to.
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Old 08-13-2015, 09:28 PM   #7
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Curious though, why Centerline and not Equal-I-Zer?

Equal-I-Zer is much more popular and has many more users on this site and every other forum I have read.

I wanted the Equal-I-zer, included it in the TT deal, but after the fact learned the dealer didn't sell it and tried to give me a standard Husky round bar which I refused so I ended up with the Centerline.

I think I got screwed in the exact same way by the exact same dealer.
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Old 08-13-2015, 10:03 PM   #8
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I think I got screwed in the exact same way by the exact same dealer.
LOL - probably so. They saw me coming, a rookie, buying their first trailer. I negotiated a decent deal, not great but not bad, but they tried to tell me the same thing about WD and Equalizer being used interchangeably.

Another funny thing, we went to the same CG as you for our shakedown trip, rancheria. Upon check-in they gave us a bunch of BOGO coupons for their restaurant and kids under ~6 are free -- so the family and I ate all our meals and I felt a little guilty because I was only there for the CG. That was 4 years ago and we have never been back, but it was a perfect shake down spot.
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Old 08-13-2015, 10:07 PM   #9
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I had towed my 2004 Jay Flight 24FB since it was brand new until now using just a standard round bar WD hitch with 1 friction sway control. I assumed that the same thing would be fine when we bought the new trailer, so all I asked the dealer for was a new version of the same old hitch. We towed the new trailer home two weekends ago and it seemed to be "nervous" behind my truck (sensitive to wind and cars passing from the opposite direction). This made my wife very nervous and led her to ask me "Is everything OK?" multiple times on the way home. Last weekend, I checked all the measurements and discovered that the dealer had set the ball too low. I readjusted it and did a test pull. It was better but still demanded my full attention while pulling it. At that point, I decided that a new hitch was in order and here I am. I will be installing the Centerline hitch on Saturday. I did call the dealer and ask if they would take the other hitch back and give me credit towards the Centerline....they never returned my call. Oh well...I have a friend who wants to buy the round bar set-up for his race car trailer.
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Old 08-13-2015, 11:13 PM   #10
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LOL - probably so. They saw me coming, a rookie, buying their first trailer. I negotiated a decent deal, not great but not bad, but they tried to tell me the same thing about WD and Equalizer being used interchangeably.



Another funny thing, we went to the same CG as you for our shakedown trip, rancheria. Upon check-in they gave us a bunch of BOGO coupons for their restaurant and kids under ~6 are free -- so the family and I ate all our meals and I felt a little guilty because I was only there for the CG. That was 4 years ago and we have never been back, but it was a perfect shake down spot.

We are headed back there tomorrow. My wife's dad and my parents both live in Pioneer, so it's a nice convenient place to go with little risk. Next trip we will branch out.
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Old 08-14-2015, 02:55 AM   #11
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I have the Centerline hitch and love it!! Towed 14,000 km's over the past year with it and it has kept my TT straight as an arrow in cross winds and when transports pass. The only thing I would recommend is that you make sure you have spare spacer washers (fill the space between the piston and WD bars). I was without on my last 8,000 km trip and could not find a dealer anywhere that had them in stock. I now have 6 spares in my tool kit.
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Old 08-14-2015, 05:48 AM   #12
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I have the Centerline hitch and love it!! Towed 14,000 km's over the past year with it and it has kept my TT straight as an arrow in cross winds and when transports pass. The only thing I would recommend is that you make sure you have spare spacer washers (fill the space between the piston and WD bars). I was without on my last 8,000 km trip and could not find a dealer anywhere that had them in stock. I now have 6 spares in my tool kit.
Thanks for the tip. I will look into ordering some spacer washers. How often are you having to take up space between the bars and the pistons?
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Old 08-14-2015, 05:59 AM   #13
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Thanks for the tip. I will look into ordering some spacer washers. How often are you having to take up space between the bars and the pistons?
I had about 4,000 miles by the time I noticed a little sway developing. Also noticed the WD bars were feeling a little sloppy and were much easier to put on and take off. Unfortunately, by the time all of this was noticed, I was well into my West Coast trip. I was unable to get the necessary spacers so I made one with a large aluminum washer that I had hammered down to the right thickness. This made a huge improvement and got me home safely.
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Old 08-15-2015, 04:50 PM   #14
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I installed my new hitch today. Although my installation area wasn't as smooth and level as I would have liked, which made the measurements a little questionable, I got it all bolted together and adjusted. I took the trailer on a test drive and am very happy with the performance of this hitch. I am going to take it to a parking lot tonight (after the business closes and it cools back down) to double check all of my angles and measurements and make some minor tweaks if necessary. I would tow it anywhere now though. Money well spent, wife should be happy now! I can't wait for our maiden voyage next weekend.
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Old 08-15-2015, 05:54 PM   #15
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I can't wait for our maiden voyage next weekend.
Have a great trip!
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Old 08-16-2015, 07:39 AM   #16
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So last night, I took the TV and TT to a level parking lot and double checked everything. I soon discovered that my initial set-up was just a "little" off. The spring bars were insanely hard to get off. After re-measuring and re-adjusting the hitch, the bars go on and come off much easier now. I was also able to reduce the air pressure in my air bags. My measurements came out perfect with no air in the bags. I added 20psi just to lift the back of the truck a bit. The test pull was again, very pleasant with zero sway. Lesson learned here is to do your WD hitch set-up on level pavement as opposed to a flat "looking" dirt lot. My opinion of this hitch is still very high, but I can see what people are saying about removing/installing the spring bars only when the TT/TV are in a straight line. This is a minor inconvenience that I can live with as the hitch does an extremely good job of keeping the trailer in line.
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Old 08-23-2015, 09:07 AM   #17
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Glad you're happy with it. I only towed our 28BHBE about 200 miles with it, but found it to be quite susceptible to sway behind our '06 GMC Sierra 1500HD. I weighed everything, so I know I was loaded properly, the sway control of the hitch just didn't work very well for us. You have a 3/4 ton truck, so no doubt that will help your setup.

I only add this post just as another perspective in case another 1/2 ton user is looking at it. Again, I didn't tow a lot with our Centerline, so I may just have not given it time to show it's strength. On that note...PM me if you're interested in a barely used Centerline hitch setup!
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Old 08-23-2015, 05:20 PM   #18
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"Glad you're happy with it. I only towed our 28BHBE about 200 miles with it, but found it to be quite susceptible to sway behind our '06 GMC Sierra 1500HD. I weighed everything, so I know I was loaded properly, the sway control of the hitch just didn't work very well for us. You have a 3/4 ton truck, so no doubt that will help your setup."

luv2drum, that sucks that your Centerline isn't working for you. I just got home from our maiden voyage with our new trailer/hitch. The Centerline worked great. My wife, who notices even the slightest trailer motion was even commenting at how well the trailer felt behind the truck. Did you set up your Centerline yourself? I had to do mine twice to get it right as I explained earlier in this thread. Even with the first set-up it was a vast improvement over the standard round bar/friction sway control hitch. I hope you find something to solve your sway issues.
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Old 08-23-2015, 06:22 PM   #19
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"Glad you're happy with it. I only towed our 28BHBE about 200 miles with it, but found it to be quite susceptible to sway behind our '06 GMC Sierra 1500HD. I weighed everything, so I know I was loaded properly, the sway control of the hitch just didn't work very well for us. You have a 3/4 ton truck, so no doubt that will help your setup."

luv2drum, that sucks that your Centerline isn't working for you. I just got home from our maiden voyage with our new trailer/hitch. The Centerline worked great. My wife, who notices even the slightest trailer motion was even commenting at how well the trailer felt behind the truck. Did you set up your Centerline yourself? I had to do mine twice to get it right as I explained earlier in this thread. Even with the first set-up it was a vast improvement over the standard round bar/friction sway control hitch. I hope you find something to solve your sway issues.

I have the round bar/friction sway unit. What noticeable improvements are there?
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Old 08-23-2015, 07:24 PM   #20
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luv2drum, that sucks that your Centerline isn't working for you. I just got home from our maiden voyage with our new trailer/hitch. The Centerline worked great. My wife, who notices even the slightest trailer motion was even commenting at how well the trailer felt behind the truck. Did you set up your Centerline yourself? I had to do mine twice to get it right as I explained earlier in this thread. Even with the first set-up it was a vast improvement over the standard round bar/friction sway control hitch. I hope you find something to solve your sway issues.
Yes, I tried multiple settings and couldn't get the pull to be comfortable. Now, as I mentioned, I didn't tow with it for more than about 200 miles, so maybe more time and more trial and error would have resulted in a good setup. I am not bashing it at all, just stating my limited experience. I came from a Reese Pro setup with the standard chain/round bar setup, along with 2 friction sway control bars. I went with the Centerline because I wanted to try and eliminate the separate sway control bars, and be able to backup without having to unhook anything.

Anyway, after my poor experience, I decided to go all in and purchase a ProPride hitch setup. It was pretty costly, but it has worked and removed ALL of the sway and created a great towing experience for me.

Bottom line is, due to the multitude of options out there, no doubt there is something that will work for everyone. Like I said, I'm glad the Centerline works great for you. I liked the design and ease of use for sure.
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