Equal-i-zer Hitch Bars Too Tight

[blammo-JAY]

if you can't swong the bars out after jacking the trailer tongue up all the way they are proably set too tight. loys of criteria to ponder though before adjustong anytjing though. ride height desired, load capcity of the tow vehicle hitch, tongue weight of the trailer, etc.

first i would reccomend getting the anti-screech covers for the "L" bars. these will eliminatethegrindingwhengoingaroundcorners while still maintaining the friction sway charateristics. thetension is set up with asetof stacked thrust washers in between the spring bar mount on the hitch and the drawbar head that goes into the reciever. there is a pin thatthe washers fit onto to adjusthow much force is applied to the spring bars. you simy add or remove washers as needed to adjust the tension/ride height

We just picked up our 29RLDS and the dealer put on the Equal-i-zer Hitch.

When we got home, I couldn't swing out the spring bars. They were so tight that I had to pull them away from the hitched position using my Kabota tractor.

I would assume, this is not normal.

Any thoughts? Do I just lubricate?? If so, anything special?

I did raise the trailer up a lot to take weight off and the bars were not resting on the L bracket. The issue is really with pulling the bars away from the L bracket.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[Jwall62]

if you can't swong the bars out after jacking the trailer tongue up all the way they are proably set too tight. loys of criteria to ponder though before adjustong anytjing though. ride height desired, load capcity of the tow vehicle hitch, tongue weight of the trailer, etc.

first i would reccomend getting the anti-screech covers for the "L" bars. these will eliminatethegrindingwhengoingaroundcorners while still maintaining the friction sway charateristics. thetension is set up with asetof stacked thrust washers in between the spring bar mount on the hitch and the drawbar head that goes into the reciever. there is a pin thatthe washers fit onto to adjusthow much force is applied to the spring bars. you simy add or remove washers as needed to adjust the tension/ride height

"Anti Screech" covers are a must I think. They were cheap too.

PS. I also bought the xxtra pins and L bracket square pins just in case I lost something at night (which has happened before) 3 years and haven't needed the extras yet, but again very cheap insurance.

 

[Charolaisbreeder]

Hope this link works https://www.equalizerhitch.com/images/backgroundImages/EQ_Infographic_HitchLube_2.jpg

Instructions from Equalizer on lubrication.

 

[BlackCoyote]

I had trouble because my ball sits too high for the trailer to be level. Just ordered a new hitch with a 4" drop. I have an F-150. Also, the L brackets were mounted for a coupling that was aligned with the top of the frame. They should have been reversed as my coupling is more aligned with the bottom of the frame. See the directions. I have the e2 trunnion bars and a 2018 SLX 195RB.
In addition to raising the jack, I knock the bars off with a rubber mallet.

Hope this helps!

 

[blammo-JAY]

"Anti Screech" covers are a must I think. They were cheap too.

PS. I also bought the xxtra pins and L bracket square pins just in case I lost something at night (which has happened before) 3 years and haven't needed the extras yet, but again very cheap insurance.

I rebuilt the retainer system on mine with some vertical bars instead of the little "L" pin retainers. Mine kept bending on me.

 

[Jeepyj93]

OMG that was us last year. So tight we had to use pry bars and get a neighbour to help as well. Pitch black with TV out in the road and us frantically trying to move those things. Finally we got them off but we’re afraid to put them back. We called the dealer and Equal-iszer and they told us how much torque to put on them. We also had to grease the end so it would move. We bought a swim noodle and split it open and we store the bars in that to keep the grease off the store area.
We still have issues usually on one side if the truck isn’t perfectly square to the hitch.
We had also raised the TT up as high as it would go.
All I can say is they do get easier and now I can hitch and unhitch without the help of my husband.

 

[bap-JAY]

OMG that was us last year. So tight we had to use pry bars and get a neighbour to help as well. Pitch black with TV out in the road and us frantically trying to move those things. Finally we got them off but we’re afraid to put them back. We called the dealer and Equal-iszer and they told us how much torque to put on them. We also had to grease the end so it would move. We bought a swim noodle and split it open and we store the bars in that to keep the grease off the store area.
We still have issues usually on one side if the truck isn’t perfectly square to the hitch.
We had also raised the TT up as high as it would go.
All I can say is they do get easier and now I can hitch and unhitch without the help of my husband.

Your Equalizer Bars should not have any grease on them.

 

[Joy-JAY]

I have to ask what may seem like a dumb question....were you sold the right type equilizer hitch for that Jayco? While I am not familiar with Equilizer, I had the same issue with my Blue Ox Sway Pro which took nearly a year to resolve. Bottom line, I was sold and dealer installed a “standard” hitch when I actually had an “Underslung” hitch on the trailer. What a world of difference the right part made!

 

[Mustang65]

Did you raise the coupler of the TT up with the tongue jack up while still attached to the tow vehicle? This releives the pressure of the spring bars and is how I remove mine.

2x

Don
My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

 

[Jeepyj93]

We do have the right one but we’re told it was overkill for the size of our trailer. The manufacturer told us they come factory set at a much higher torque than needed and usually the dealer will set them according to size of trailer. Ours wasn’t adjusted it was still at factory setting. Once we set it right it is much easier to handle.

 

[Ruggybuggy]

That seams a bit tight. There is a torque spec in the online manual. Loosen them and retighten to spec. I have had to tighren mine up every few yeats, as they loosen up. I also lube the pivot with rear axle grease. Seems good for a few hundred miles.

Do you recall what the torque spec is? I've looked online and in the manual that came with the Equilizer and can't find it anywhere.

 

[ledoylefcco]

When I had this setup on a tt and my suv I found that a lot of dealers don't either know or care how to set them up properly. Seems like you have too much weight on the bars. Hopefully you have the ELZR instructions with your hitch. If not, you can print them from the internet.

There is an adjustment on the hitch end of the EQ head which changes the angle of the head. Might need to pitch it up a notch. Also, so that you are sure that you are getting the proper force on both the front and back of your TV measure the height from the top of both the front and rear wheel wells to the ground unloaded on level ground. Then connect the TT with the hitch fully engaged. Remeasure from the top of the wheel wells again. If they don't go down equally front and rear adjust the EQ until it is as close to the same as you can make it. I did this 3 times on mine until it was very close to the same. Once I did that it worked like a dream. You'll be glad that you did it.

When I first started I had to use the bar that comes with the hitch to lever the bars on and off. After I finished leveling it, I could do it easily with one hand. Larry

 

[jlechmanik]

Do you recall what the torque spec is? I've looked online and in the manual that came with the Equilizer and can't find it anywhere.

I believe between 60 and 70 ft/lbs, but I would go to their webpage and ask them....

 

[D&J2]

Raising the trailer with the trailer jack is how I remove mine as well - reduce the tension on the WD bar.

 

[Ruggybuggy]

I believe between 60 and 70 ft/lbs, but I would go to their webpage and ask them....

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll email them and hopefully get a quick response.

 

[Ruggybuggy]

Raising the trailer with the trailer jack is how I remove mine as well - reduce the tension on the WD bar.

I think everyone is a little confused. The OP isn't having an issue with getting the bars off the L brackets. His problem is that once the tension is off the bars after he jacks it up, he can't pull the bar out to clear the L brackets.

I suspect the bolts for the spring bars in the hitch head are way to tight.

 

[Jeepyj93]

That’s exactly what we had. It would lift off the L brackets but we couldn’t swing them. It was the torque on the hitch itself that we had to loosen.

 

[Ruggybuggy]

That’s exactly what we had. It would lift off the L brackets but we couldn’t swing them. It was the torque on the hitch itself that we had to loosen.

What did you torque the bolts too? There is a spec but I can't find it.

 

[Jeepyj93]

DH thinks 70 but not sure. I emailed Equal-izer and they were very quick to respond. Not sure if it makes a difference on hitch size and trailer size I would contact them directly.

 

[bap-JAY]

If you don’t have the manual for your hitch, go onto the Equalizer website and under Support, you can download it. The manuals contain everything you need to know about setting the hitch up and what the torque values are. I my copy in my truck so that I have it if I need to check anything out.