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Old 04-23-2016, 11:35 PM   #1
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Newbie Help

So this is my first towing experience, and I know next to nothing about WDH setup. I had my dealer install and set it up. I have 2014 Ram 2500 and a Jayco 27BHS which is 6065 dry. I have the Equalizer 10K WDH. When I took it home on the freeway while towing it seems to tow fine and I barley even noticed it's there. I parked it at the storage lot and all was well.

I hooked up the next day and everything seemed the same as my initial hookup. However now while towing I noticed some slight "bucking" back and forth during slow speeds. Is there anything specifically I can check or measure with the bars to ensure everything is set up right? What about the adjustment with the arms? The WDH is VERY noisey when making turns, but I hear that is normal. Can I use any type of lubricant, if so what should I use and where?

Also my dealer told me to set my trailer gain at +5. I have no idea if this is good or not. I have a drop shank that has three holes and it is set on the second hole down. I initially told my dealer that I wanted a bigger drop because that's what I heard on this site with the new Ram 2500 because of how high they sit up. Dealer told me it's not necessary because the size of the ball on the WDH is so large? Wish I knew more about towing.
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Old 04-24-2016, 06:26 AM   #2
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The trailer should be very close to level when on the ball.. maybe just a touch nose down. Do you have the same number of chain links used as when the dealer set up your rig.. I always marked the chain link to use with paint.. Braking you do not want to feel the trailer "push" you.. or leave black marks on the pavement..
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Old 04-24-2016, 09:34 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by borninblue View Post
So this is my first towing experience, and I know next to nothing about WDH setup. I had my dealer install and set it up. I have 2014 Ram 2500 and a Jayco 27BHS which is 6065 dry. I have the Equalizer 10K WDH Is it an Equal-i-zer Brand? Is it the 4-point version?. When I took it home on the freeway while towing it seems to tow fine and I barley even noticed it's there. I parked it at the storage lot and all was well.

I hooked up the next day and everything seemed the same as my initial hookup. However now while towing I noticed some slight "bucking" back and forth during slow speeds Towing will feel different. Some bucking etc. is to be expected. It will vary depending on the road, speed, and vehicle loading.. Is there anything specifically I can check or measure with the bars to ensure everything is set up right? What about the adjustment with the arms? Yes. Check your owners manual and check online for installing and adjusting your hitch. Some dealers get it right, but not all of them.The WDH is VERY noisey when making turns, but I hear that is normal.There is some normal noise when turning at slow speeds for Equal-i-zer Brand hitches. Check to be sure the frame brackets are tight. Can I use any type of lubricant, if so what should I use and where? For the Equal-i-zer Brand, the top and bottom of the weight bar SOCKETS should be lubricated. The ends of the weight bars that slide on the frame bracket can be lubricated and optional friction pads are available that can be used.

Also my dealer told me to set my trailer gain at +5. Brake controllers differ. Try higher and lower settings. Your trailer brakes will change, too, over time.I have no idea if this is good or not. I have a drop shank that has three holes and it is set on the second hole down. I initially told my dealer that I wanted a bigger drop because that's what I heard on this site with the new Ram 2500 because of how high they sit up. As Seann45 said, it is best for your trailer to be level or slightly nose down. But, if your hitch is an Equal-i-zer Brand, you don't have chains.Dealer told me it's not necessary because the size of the ball on the WDH is so large? Wish I knew more about towing.Hang in there. You'll learn. We were all newbies at one time or another. If you can, post a couple of photos of your rig and the hitch.
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Old 04-24-2016, 09:34 AM   #4
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Lots of questions but you came to the right place! [emoji3]

Re: noisy WDH... Use Vaseline where the bars meet the cams or where the touch points are.

Re: trailer brake gain. This something you can experiment with. Basically, you want it at the highest setting that won't lock up the trailer brakes under normal braking conditions.

This is a good how to:

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/.../278645?page=1
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Old 04-24-2016, 09:48 AM   #5
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Not sure exactly what you meen by bucking. But if you mean a funny stiff bounce like behavior. That can be normal, a lot of that depends on the road.

You do not have chains, so ignore that comment made above.

As for noise. Only put grease, on the ball, and the pivot points where the bars rotate. As for the L brackets, never put lube there. That is what gives you your sway control.

Brake controller, I have to adjust mine from time to time, never have figured out why. Have it set do you can feel the trailer stopping the tv too.
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Old 04-24-2016, 10:07 AM   #6
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Thank you for all the comments. I probably won't be able to hook her back up for a few days to take a picture. As far as being level, should I place the level right on the frame of the trailer to check this? I do have the 4 point system. What mean by bucking is I feel a slight push pull between the trailer and the truck.

So vaseline us the best to lubricate the pivot points? OldmanAz thank you for the motivation!

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Old 04-24-2016, 10:55 AM   #7
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Thank you for all the comments. I probably won't be able to hook her back up for a few days to take a picture. As far as being level, should I place the level right on the frame of the trailer to check this? A photo of your rig was to help us see if your TV and TT are in alignment and if your ball height looks right. Leveling with a bubble isn't necessary, but a reasonably flat/level parking lot would help.I do have the 4 point system. What mean by bucking is I feel a slight push pull between the trailer and the truck. Lots of things will affect the ride - tires, shock absorber condition, loading of your TV and TT, etc.

So vaseline us the best to lubricate the pivot points? No. The hitch HEAD needs good grease. Read the hitch manual. I bought a 1lb 'can' of front wheel bearing grease YEARS ago. It doesn't take much. Any lube on the 'trailer end' of the bars isn't needed, unless the noise really bothers you (again, make sure the frame brackets are tight on the frame). If you do lube the trailer end of the bars, they will be messy to handle and the grease in that location will attract dirt/grit so will need to clean and re-lube them occasionally. OldmanAz thank you for the motivation!

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Old 04-24-2016, 12:41 PM   #8
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I purchased some grease and the equalizer "jackets." Unfortunately my great dealer installed the hitch and didn't t provide me manual. So grease the head and what else on the "truck" side? The bolts that control where the arms slide into? Inside the sleeves for the arms?

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Old 04-24-2016, 01:12 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by borninblue View Post
I purchased some grease and the equalizer "jackets." Unfortunately my great dealer installed the hitch and didn't t provide me manual. So grease the head and what else on the "truck" side? The bolts that control where the arms slide into? Inside the sleeves for the arms?

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Grease the flat surfaces just above and below where the square sockets contact. No need to lube inside the sockets, themselves. The bolts that you mention are torqued to a specific ft/lb to give the assembly the sway control. Check out Equalizer's web page for a bunch of good info. We have the same one as you, and love it!
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Old 04-24-2016, 04:00 PM   #10
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Newbie Help

Quote:
Originally Posted by borninblue View Post
Thank you for all the comments. I probably won't be able to hook her back up for a few days to take a picture. As far as being level, should I place the level right on the frame of the trailer to check this? I do have the 4 point system. What mean by bucking is I feel a slight push pull between the trailer and the truck.

So vaseline us the best to lubricate the pivot points? OldmanAz thank you for the motivation!

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The "bucking" you're describing is the trailer bumping the hitch as you slow and accelerate. This is caused by insufficient trailer braking. Ideally, your truck brakes will stop your truck and your trailer brakes will stop your trailer. Best advise I can give is take it to a large empty parking lot and play with the controller until you find a good setting where the trailer is not pushing when you stop. This is best done at low speeds. It's not uncommon to have to tweak your controller from time to time as your trailer brakes break in and wear. As far as level, I just eyeball it on a level surface. You don't want it nose high. A little nose low is ok. Look at what you have and decide if a larger drop or adjustment is warranted. Hope that helps.
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Old 04-24-2016, 05:04 PM   #11
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The "bucking" you're describing is the trailer bumping the hitch as you slow and accelerate. This is caused by insufficient trailer braking. Ideally, your truck brakes will stop your truck and your trailer brakes will stop your trailer. Best advise I can give is take it to a large empty parking lot and play with the controller until you find a good setting where the trailer is not pushing when you stop. This is best done at low speeds. It's not uncommon to have to tweak your controller from time to time as your trailer brakes break in and wear. As far as level, I just eyeball it on a level surface. You don't want it nose high. A little nose low is ok. Look at what you have and decide if a larger drop or adjustment is warranted. Hope that helps.
Thank you for this suggestion, I will be sure to try this with the break control. Since the trailer is new and my truck is only a year old, I wouldn't think the gain would need to be higher than 6 but who knows. Maybe I have it set too high?

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Old 04-24-2016, 06:05 PM   #12
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Bucking can be caused by too high or too low. Play with it until you found the "sweet spot." For me, I adjust up until I feel the trailer pulling on the truck when stopping, then backing off from there.


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Old 04-24-2016, 06:20 PM   #13
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I purchased some grease and the equalizer "jackets." Unfortunately my great dealer installed the hitch and didn't t provide me manual. You can view the manuals online.So grease the head and what else on the "truck" side? The bolts that control where the arms slide into? Inside the sleeves for the arms?

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Quote:
Originally Posted by borninblue View Post
Thank you for this suggestion, I will be sure to try this with the break control. Since the trailer is new and my truck is only a year old, I wouldn't think the gain would need to be higher than 6 but who knows. Maybe I have it set too high?With a new trailer, the brakes are a bit 'weak.' They need to 'wear in' a bit and that happens with normal driving and brake use. Others have reported that in this forum and it was true for my trailer. So don't worry if you believe the setting is high initially, you will probably need to adjust the gain lower over time.

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Old 04-24-2016, 07:40 PM   #14
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OP, your 3/4 ton truck should be strong enough to haul your rig thru a high wire act. With the advice of these seasoned RV'er's and practicing with your rig, you'll be in good shape. I love the first advice I got "Go Slow and Double your Distance".
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Old 04-25-2016, 05:36 PM   #15
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So I was outside today and I noticed there were black streaks where I pulled the trailer in the driveway leading out into the street for a littlw ways. I'm wondering now if the gain was too high and my trailer breaks were almost locked up causing the black streaks or could it just be that the tires were new and it was from my breaking backing in?

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Old 04-25-2016, 05:46 PM   #16
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depends if there was a slight turn in the drive, trailers will tend to skid to some degree with the tandem axles
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Old 04-25-2016, 05:57 PM   #17
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I've had black streaks coming out of my driveway too, especially with the WH and wide stance axles. Shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Not sure if you have the integrated brake controller on your truck, but if you do you may want to check the settings for the controller itself. Mine, and a lot of other Ram folks on here, have theirs set at Heavy Electric
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Old 04-25-2016, 06:19 PM   #18
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It was a wide turn into the driveway. I have a RAM as well, 2014 2500. When you say heavy electric do mean very high gain? I have mine at +5.5 right now. What is yours set at?

I also have a question regarding trailer connection. When I connect the trailer to the truck the tow/haul button does not light up. I have to manually press it to put it in tow/haul mode. Is that the same for you guys with the Ram?
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Old 04-26-2016, 12:35 PM   #19
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Looked into it and didn't realize there was a heavy electric setting in controls! I was towing on light before so when I hook up again I will see how much of a difference that makes.

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Old 04-26-2016, 12:51 PM   #20
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From Equal-I-zer's web site...


The steel-on-steel friction of the Equal-i-zer hitch will always generate some noise. This is not bad, or a sign that there is something wrong with the hitch or setup. In fact, it usually tells you that your hitch is working just like it's supposed to. Greasing the L brackets is not mandatory but greasing the sockets in the head are.
Bearing grease is the best to use if you want a quieter hitch.
Anything lighter (WD-40®, graphite, spray-on lubricants) just won't hold up against the intense pressures that are experienced in the hitch head.
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