Equalizer setup & nose down trailer

CowboyCoffee · 03-29-2018, 01:11 PM

My dealer installed the Equalizer hitch (1000 lb bars) when we bought our 224BHW. I tow with a '17 F150 145" wheelbase.

They put only two spacer washers in the hitch head, which I thought was odd because the manual says the minimum is four, and I've never read about anybody using as few as two. I decided to take some measurements of the setup.

I parked my setup on a flat parking lot and measured the trailer frame at the front and back and found that it is nose-down by nearly 2 1/2". I unhitched and got the trailer parallel to the ground, then measured to the top of the coupler and my hitch ball. I found that the hitch ball is a little over 1/2" lower.

Something seems off about this setup, yet the bars look pretty darn close to parallel with the trailer and it is bringing the front fender measurement 50% back to the unhitched height. Any thoughts on this?

SkyBound · 03-29-2018, 01:18 PM

I have 7 washers in my 10K Equalizer head, with 8 being the max. I am returning 100% of the front axle weight in this config. 2 washers seems very minimal, but it also depends on the height of your L brackets. You could run zero washers with the brackets way up high and still be distributing weight. The trade off is that the bars will not sit flat on the brackets and make full contact for sway reduction.

A little bit nose down is good. I would start by looking at the contact made by the bars on the L brackets and go from there.

Also, I know the vehicle manuals sometimes state return fender height to within 50% of original but by my own experience it will drive, handle, and look better if it's back to where it started or a half inch high.

Quantum · 03-29-2018, 01:43 PM

I have 7 washers on my 10K Equalizer and it is returning 100% of the weight to the front wheels (at least as measured by the wheel well).

Demiles · 03-29-2018, 02:11 PM

Four and a half washers returning 45%. 7 washers seems a bit much. Is the receiver flexing upward?

CowboyCoffee · 03-29-2018, 02:46 PM

Ford actually recommends returning only 25% of the front fender height. I wish they were in better agreement with the hitch manufacturer. Sure doesn't seem like enough.

hboy · 03-29-2018, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CowboyCoffee

Any thoughts on this?

My thoughts would be to take the instructions for the hitch install and begin with set one. Start all over. When I used an equlizer hitch (also 1,000lb bars) the instructions were pretty strait forward. There are online video instructions as well as a downloadable set of instructions. For me, videos are always helpful!

Then I would start over setting up your hitch. You will probably feel much more knowledgeable about it and the outcome will probably be more level too.

For me, 2 inches up or down is not going to hurt. Good luck!

Demiles · 03-29-2018, 03:42 PM

I understand why they lowered the amount of FALR but 25% is very little. I agree start over from the beginning but realize it may take time and some trial and error.

hboy · 03-29-2018, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demiles

it may take time and some trial and error.

YES! Trial and error is your friend.

CowboyCoffee · 03-29-2018, 04:45 PM

Tearing it down and starting over is what I had in mind when I started this thread. I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a monster torque wrench for the final tightening. I do know that the manual says if the trailer pitch is greater than 1 1/4" then you should adjust the hitch ball height.

Rustic Eagle · 03-29-2018, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CowboyCoffee

snip........ I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a monster torque wrench for the final tightening.......

All you need is a 150 ft.lb. torque wrench.

Check your Equal-i-zer WDH installation documents and look for a statement using a 150ft.lb torque wrench on torque requirements above 150 ft.lbs.. It may provide you with how much "further" to turn (1/4, 1/2 turn, etc.) the specific size nut to meet the higher requirement (250ft.lb., 300ft.lb., etc.) using a socket/breaker bar.

Reese provides this information for their WDH's (i.e.: .... "Torque the two nuts (K) to 300 ft/lbs. If proper torque wrench is not available, torque nuts to 150 ft/lbs then turn nuts an additional 1/4 turn. Do not lubricate the threads"). This is for a 3/4 bolt size.

Call the WDH manufacture if this information isn't provided.

Bob

Quantum · 03-29-2018, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demiles

Four and a half washers returning 45%. 7 washers seems a bit much. Is the receiver flexing upward?

I just double checked, I have 6 washers, not 7.

CowboyCoffee · 03-29-2018, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

All you need is a 150 ft.lb. torque wrench.

Check your Equal-i-zer WDH installation documents and look for a statement using a 150ft.lb torque wrench on torque requirements above 150 ft.lbs.. It may provide you with how much "further" to turn (1/4, 1/2 turn, etc.) the specific size nut to meet the higher requirement (250ft.lb., 300ft.lb., etc.) using a socket/breaker bar.

Reese provides this information for their WDH's (i.e.: .... "Torque the two nuts (K) to 300 ft/lbs. If proper torque wrench is not available, torque nuts to 150 ft/lbs then turn nuts an additional 1/4 turn. Do not lubricate the threads"). This is for a 3/4 bolt size.

Call the WDH manufacture if this information isn't provided.

Bob

Thanks! I'll look into this. I already have a 150 ft.lb. wrench so that would be great.

K9Nardu · 03-29-2018, 08:20 PM

Post what you learn regarding how much further to turn the nut when using 150 ft/lbs torque wrench. I too am fine tuning my 12k Equalizer hitch and would like to know. Thanks.

NYMarty · 03-30-2018, 01:07 PM

When the dealer installed my equalizer hitch they attached the L bracket mounting plate on the trailer upside down.
Apparently they must have thought they knew better than the manufacturer of the WDH.
I downloaded the instructions and fixed it myself

CowboyCoffee · 04-03-2018, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K9Nardu

Post what you learn regarding how much further to turn the nut when using 150 ft/lbs torque wrench. I too am fine tuning my 12k Equalizer hitch and would like to know. Thanks.

I googled until my eyes and fingers were bleeding to find more information about this but I came up empty. The Reese manual quoted by Rustic Eagle is the only thing I could find that suggests you can torque to a known value and then apply an additional rotation to arrive at an approximate desired torque value. I'm not saying that's wrong, I'm just saying it's all I could find. Nothing in the Equalizer manual, and customer support unsurprisingly said to take it to a dealer to have it properly torqued.

jasum · 04-09-2018, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CowboyCoffee

I googled until my eyes and fingers were bleeding to find more information about this but I came up empty. The Reese manual quoted by Rustic Eagle is the only thing I could find that suggests you can torque to a known value and then apply an additional rotation to arrive at an approximate desired torque value. I'm not saying that's wrong, I'm just saying it's all I could find. Nothing in the Equalizer manual, and customer support unsurprisingly said to take it to a dealer to have it properly torqued.

Call Cequent Towing Products 800-632-3290 That's who makes them

Rustic Eagle · 04-10-2018, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasum

Call Cequent Towing Products 800-632-3290 That's who makes them

Must be something new, I didn't realize that the "Equal-i-zer" Brand WDH product fell under the Cequent Group of products.

http://www.cequentgroup.com/Brand/All/

Bob

jimp · 04-11-2018, 05:53 AM

I would imagine the company legal beagles prevented them from putting the "alternate method" of torquing the nuts/bolts. Never heard of that method so I won't comment. The dealer installed my Equalizer hitch and they "guessed" at setting it up, but so far, it's been real close, all my measurements return the front end of the TV back to w/in ~1/4-1/2" of the unhitched measurements.

jasum · 04-11-2018, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CowboyCoffee

I googled until my eyes and fingers were bleeding to find more information about this but I came up empty. The Reese manual quoted by Rustic Eagle is the only thing I could find that suggests you can torque to a known value and then apply an additional rotation to arrive at an approximate desired torque value. I'm not saying that's wrong, I'm just saying it's all I could find. Nothing in the Equalizer manual, and customer support unsurprisingly said to take it to a dealer to have it properly torqued.

It says Reese right here Rustic Eagle............

Rustic Eagle · 04-11-2018, 09:09 AM

jasum,

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasum

It says Reese right here Rustic Eagle............

Thanks for the follow-up......,

I think where the confusion is that two different brand WDH's are being discussed, Reese and Equal-i-zer.

The Reese reference in the post is referring to "my" Reese WDH product and the torque process Reese stated in my installation instructions.....

.... the OP was searching to find if his "Equal-i-zer" brand WDH also provided a similar torque process with a 150lb torque wrench. The OP couldn't find any for his Equal-i-zer brand WDH.

Bob

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