Fastway E2 hitch

Oilfield trash · 09-23-2015, 09:38 AM

I am typing this for the 3rd time do to the poopy internet we have offshore.

I have a Fastway E2 hitch Currently pulling a 338rets with a 7.3 Excursion.
My hitch bar is currently to short for the camper to sit level to start the WD setup. I have searched the Fastway website not finding what I need. Will other manufactures rising hitch bar work? I am hoping to order it from the World Wide Web so I can start the setup when I get home.

Also I have 1000# bars on the WD does this mean 100# per bar or 500 # per bar?

Thanks' for the help

Kelly

mike837go · 09-23-2015, 09:45 AM

I have no first-hand knowledge of the E2 hitch. Just enough to know I needed one have set mine up very well.

So, you're at the edge of my knowledge of such things, but here goes...

The bars are sold as a set, so I would presume that the pair of them carry the rated load.

On the height issue, the "shank" (the part the fits into the truck's receiver) can often be flipped over to give a completely different set of drop/rise combinations.

There are many more knowledgeable folk around here. They are sure to chime in. (Now where did I put my asbestos undies?)

tjpolsin · 09-23-2015, 09:54 AM

Do you need more rise or more drop? The hitch looks like it takes a standard 2" drop bar bolted to the hitch head. Most name-brand and off-brand companies will make an extended length drop bar.

Some (ie reese forged bar that I have) will only work in a dropped configuration, others will work in either direction.

This shouldn't be too hard to solve. Good luck.

Tim.
(I had the same issue when I upgraded from a 3/4T suburban to a Ram 2500. I had to purchase an extended drop bar to get the trailer level. The receiver on the Ram is tighter up against the bumper, AND the bumper is higher than on the old Suburban. I needed two more inches of drop to get the trailer level.)

tjpolsin · 09-23-2015, 10:01 AM

BTW, the 1000# bars mean that the bars are designed for a max tongue load of 1000#. My rated and calculated tongue load is about 930#. the Reese 800# bars were too light, therefore I have 1000# bars.

Make sense? If your trailer doesn't list a max tongue load on the spec sheet, then calculate you max tongue weight as 12% of max gross trailer weight. If that number is between 800# and 1000#, then you have the right WD bars.

jasoncw · 09-23-2015, 10:07 AM

This is the down-scaled version of the Equal-i-zer hitch (made by the same company). As others have said, flipping it over may be what you need. But what I can tell you is the hitch you have is significantly underrated for your trailer. I would highly recommend getting at least a 1,400# system, most large manufacturers make them.

The TT I have on order is almost identical in weight to yours, and I also have an Excursion. With an Excursion (as opposed to an F-series truck), you run out of payload capacity pretty quickly, so the more weight you can transfer, the better. As mentioned, the bars are rated for ~1,000# tongue weight as a set. I just opted to order a Blue Ox SwayPro with 1,500# bars, and I plan to retire my Equal-i-zer with 1,200# bars. I would have upgraded to their 1,400# bars, but I would have had to upgrade the hitch head as well. On their 800-1,200 models, the bars are interchangeable.

Oilfield trash · 09-23-2015, 10:10 AM

Thanks for the replys. I should have stated that I need more rise. I have already flipped the shank over for the most rise I can get about 5 inches. Now what has me concerned is that my tounge weight calculates to be around 1200#. Crap I need to hurry and save for another hitch

need-a-vacation · 09-23-2015, 10:28 AM

Just how much more rise do you need? Would a hi rise 2-5/16" ball work? Either 1" or 2" rise? Cheaper than a new shank for the hitch???

Oilfield trash · 09-23-2015, 10:36 AM

Need about 4 more inches to get where I need to be for everything to be level before resetting the WDH up. The first time I set it up I used the Airbags to get the hitch up to the height I needed but since then I found out that this was a bad idea. So now I have to start over. I don't have any of the pictures of the setup only one of the TV and TT hooked from a distance.

jasoncw · 09-23-2015, 10:41 AM

Did you read through the Fastway owner manual that came with the hitch? It is very precise on how to set it up. It is very important to set it up properly. What determines how much rise/drop you need is the height of the top of the trailer tongue (while unhitched and level) compared to the height of the top of the ball (again unhitched). If after hitching, the trailer is not level (front is low), you need more weight distribution.

Oilfield trash · 09-23-2015, 10:51 AM

Yep I read thru the Manual at least 100 times. The instructions were very clear. I read that the ball should be close to the hitch height of the TT. SO I tried this and discovered that my hitch was to low. I went to the googly machine and researched this and found that people raise the TV height with airbags. So I did and set it up. The measurements matched well. Did a few pulls with it on the interstate and back roads it pulled great. BUT I sit at a desk offshore for 12 hours a day and am on many forums reading. I read several places that you should not set the hitch up with the Airbags like this. so I am now on my quest to find an 8 in rise Shank. I am looking at an Equalizer Shank but am unsure if it will match the hitch head.

jasoncw · 09-23-2015, 11:14 AM

Good deal, sounds like you are doing it correctly. Shoot them an email or give them a call. They are pretty good at replying (better at phone than email). Tell them of your current situation with the E2, and ask what their solution is. They have high rise shanks for the Equal-i-zer, in addition to their standard shank.

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tjpolsin · 09-23-2015, 12:12 PM

I just reviewed the trailer specs on the 338RETS.
- unloaded tongue weight is 13% of the unloaded TT weight.
- Therefore at max gross trailer weight of 10,950#, your max tongue weight will be 1433#.
- You should be using 1500# WD bars on whatever hitch you decide to use.

Others on this thread are right. With this trailer, your excursion is going to run out payload capacity before it runs out of towing capacity.

good luck and have fun.

Oilfield trash · 09-23-2015, 01:01 PM

I really appreciate everyone's reply. Once I read the 4th post I relized I might be overloading the hitch didn't relize it was by that much. Looks like I need to be putting money away for the hensly or the other one just have to decide which one now. Thanks again for the help

jasoncw · 09-23-2015, 02:28 PM

If you can't stomach the $2,500+ for the Hensley/ProPride (which I can't), then the Equal-i-zer goes for $550, and the Blue Ox goes for $600. Both are great solutions.

tjpolsin · 09-23-2015, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasoncw

If you can't stomach the $2,500+ for the Hensley/ProPride (which I can't), then the Equal-i-zer goes for $550, and the Blue Ox goes for $600. Both are great solutions.

Or a Reese Straightline with 1500# bars goes for $502 on Amazon.

mjlaupp · 09-23-2015, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oilfield trash

I really appreciate everyone's reply. Once I read the 4th post I relized I might be overloading the hitch didn't relize it was by that much. Looks like I need to be putting money away for the hensly or the other one just have to decide which one now. Thanks again for the help

The existing class 3/4 receiver hitch on your TV is most likely rated @ 1,250# tongue weight, 12,500# tow weight with a WD hitch. If your tongue weight is 1,400# then you also need to replace the existing receiver with a class 5 2.5" receiver.

need-a-vacation · 09-23-2015, 08:22 PM

From what I understand, most of the manufactures shanks bolt spacing is the same for the hitch head, 1-1/4".

The Reese Titan shank is very stout if you end up replacing your receiver with a 2.5" model.

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