Equal-i-zer for X17z

[TundraTim]

Hello all, I found this forum has been extremely useful for finding information and mods for my StarCraft 176RB. Since I have bought this trailer, I have never been happy towing, so I found a 2010 Tundra for my TV. It has been great except for the occasional sway from passing trucks and wind while driving on the interstate.

I got the 6K Equal-i-zer to help with the sway. I need very little WD. With a 4" drop hitch, the trailer sits level; the rear of the truck drops less than 2"; the front of the truck raises less than .5". This trailer sits very low, so I have been trying to figure out which drop shank I need. The calculator on Equal-i-zer's site says with the hitch receiver being 20" off the ground, that I would need a 9" drop. This seems a bit much and I think a 6" drop would be better suited.

Does anybody have any experience with a WDH for a full size truck and the 176RB/X17Z?

TIA

[wmoses]

Have you ever had the camping-ready trailer weighed on scales? If not then that is what you need to do first; you may be very surprised at what you see. You may see that your hitch load is too light -- it has to be about 12 - 15% of the trailer load to minimize sway. That is before you use any anti-sway device. My 17Z has about 600# (15%) at the hitch.



For this RV you do not need a fancy WDH like an Equal-i-zer. I got my $300 round trunnion bar hitch setup including friction type anti sway bar thrown in as part of the deal when I got the RV and it works perfectly, levelling off the trailer (although on my truck there is very little drop to the back end) and with no sway.

The level attitude of the RV when hitched up is what is desired. Some tout a little nose down, while mine is a little nose up and I am happy with it. So don't mess with the hitch you have -- it is fine if you say it is level. Trailer attitude has nothing to do with sway -- tongue load and vehicle speed is what does it.

Figure out your hitch load and you will cure the sway.

[go wild]

Originally Posted by TundraTim

Hello all, I found this forum has been extremely useful for finding information and mods for my StarCraft 176RB. Since I have bought this trailer, I have never been happy towing, so I found a 2010 Tundra for my TV. It has been great except for the occasional sway from passing trucks and wind while driving on the interstate.

I got the 6K Equal-i-zer to help with the sway. I need very little WD. With a 4" drop hitch, the trailer sits level; the rear of the truck drops less than 2"; the front of the truck raises less than .5". This trailer sits very low, so I have been trying to figure out which drop shank I need. The calculator on Equal-i-zer's site says with the hitch receiver being 20" off the ground, that I would need a 9" drop. This seems a bit much and I think a 6" drop would be better suited.

Does anybody have any experience with a WDH for a full size truck and the 176RB/X17Z?

TIA

Last spring I upgraded to a Jeep Commander, which stands considerably higher in the rear than my older Grand Cherokee. I have the 6K EQ and had to buy the 9" drop shank to get the 17Z to sit level. Before purchasing, I spent weeks measuring and re-measuring, and running the #s on the EQ website calculator and found it to be accurate. The shank has 6 holes about an inch apart so you can do some tweeking to get the right height. I've been happy with the results this season, no problems with sway and trailer rides level with WDH in place. I bought the shank from RV wholesalers $165.

[OnTheGo]

I'm towing my x17z with a 2012 Ford F-150. My new truck has a 12" longer wheelbase (Supercab) than I previously had, so I had to adjust my Equalizer hitch.

First, make sure you are making your measurements and adjustments with the truck and trailer loaded like they are when you tow. If your TT is level, you don't need a different shank; you need to adjust the weight distribution. (More WD will bring the front end of your TV down, and (obviously) less WD will keep it from coming down.)

The front end of my new TV was a little high (measured at the wheel well) with the old settings. I was able to accomplish proper WD by raising the L Brackets one hole. That also achieved level on the 6K bars. If that wasn't enough, I would have added an adjustment washer.

[tbwill]

Tim

I went from a 2010 Toyota 4Runner to a 4WD Crew Cab F150 to tow my Starcraft 175RK (same as the Jayco X17C) and found I needed to go to the 9" drop shank. The difference in height was a little too much for the 6" drop. I don't have the bottom bolt of the hitch head in the bottom hole of the shank, I believe it's one up from the bottom of the shank. I purchased mine from HitchSource, I believe it was on sale at the time and they had free shipping.

[clossan1]

Can I use my 10,000lb equalizer on a 17z or is this overkill? I currently have a jayfeather 197 and it seems to work great!! Thanks!!

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by clossan1

Can I use my 10,000lb equalizer on a 17z or is this overkill? I currently have a jayfeather 197 and it seems to work great!! Thanks!!

IMO it's a little overkill on the 197, but definitely will be on the X17Z. I would check the X17Z for any WDH restrictions on the HTT's A-frame.

The X17Z has a GVWR of 3,500lbs which will in most cases be the loaded weight do to the limited CCC, so a worst case loaded tongue percentage of 15% (recommended 10% to 15%) would be only 525lbs..... a WDH rated 600lbs would be plenty.

The problem with oversizing a WDH is that proper adjustment becomes all the more important to reduce the potential for compromising the "lite" TT/HTT A-frames.

Bob

[clossan1]

Wow!! Thanks. I hope I haven't done any damage to my frame. I went with the 10,000 since it was pretty much the same price as the 6000lb. Thanks again Rustic Eagle!!

[Fishinggunny]

I tow my Z17 with a 2002 GMC 1500 with now sway control. Pulls great in all conditions. Never had an issue.