Pikkup

Question for those who know the Equal-i-zer WDH...

Going to tow a 20 foot single axle hard side travel trailer, 10 foot high, not too aerodynamic in the front, with my 2016 F150 with factory tow pkg.

I do not want to drill holes or weld anything on the frame of the trailer, so the friction sway bar option for me is a no go.

I have been studying the WDH's and have decided to go with an Equal-i-zer 4pt. for weight distribution , but mostly for the anti sway benefit.

We will be doing a lot of long distance interstate travel, so high speed, out there with the big trucks and wind.

The trailer max weight is 3800lbs, 400 lb dry tongue weight, we will probably have a good bit of weight in the pickup, and supplies in the trailer so the tongue weight will go up.

When I enter the numbers on the Equal-i-zer website it shows I should use the 1,000/10,000 hitch.

I was surprised because they have a 600/6,000 lb model.

I guess my question is, if I go with the 1,000/10,000, can the hitch be adjusted down to be effective with my relatively "light" trailer?

I mean, that is the number the website suggested, I thought it would say to use the 600/6,000, but I guess we would be closing in on the tongue weight limit.

Thanks for any input as far as using the heavier rated model!

Dang things, too many choices with numbers all over the place on these WDH's.

Gotta pick one of 'em, so I like the USA made Equal-i-zer, and also their style of no chains... I know about the noise they make, I can do a couple things there to make it quiet, I just need some help with the weight rating.

Thanks!

uzikaduzi

the anti-sway properties of an equalizer won't be enough to compensate for an improperly loaded trailer which is the major cause of sway.


I ran the 1000 bars on a 6500 pd 29 ft long TT... the difference in the bars from what I understand is how much they flex. I wouldn't be too worried about them being too stiff honestly, because you can adjust the tension with the extra washers to tilt the ball angle or move the L brackets up and down. and like you mentioned at 400 pds dry tongue weight, that's only ~10% of your 3800 pds... it's only going to go up from there.


they are not that noisy but I guess its subjective... if you put any thing on those bars or L brackets like soap or oil, you are greatly decreasing any anti-sway you get out of this hitch... I would just put up with it honestly.


there is nothing wrong with this hitch at all and it will work great for your needs, but personally I liked the Reese dual cam better which is a chain design.

mass-hole

I think the 1000 lb bars may ride stiffer. They will not want to allow as much flex when going over a bump.

I am running the 1000/10000 lb bars on my 4250 lb dry trailer that is 5500 lb loaded only because I expect the tongue weight is probably a bit over 600. I will say that the setup rides a bit stiffer with the equalizer engaged. I originally towed the trailer home without the WDH since i figured it was probably at about the 500 lb cutoff empty. All I did was inflate my airbags to level to truck out and it drove fantastic.

I also wonder if equalizer includes the weight of the hitch itself when calculating the expected tongue weight. They want you to include the trailer weight as well as the weight of any cargo in the truck that is behind the rear axle. This makes me think they are adding ~100 lbs for the hitch itself since it sits behind the axle which may be putting you above the 600 lbs.

Its not clear without knowing the exact numbers you put in.

Norotso

Two things to consider:

1. GVWR of trailer, if it is less then 6k, then you'll be good with the 6/6k system
2. Going to a 10/10k system can actually damage your front A-frame if too much tension is added d/t the stiffer bars.

I love the system and have close to 50k kms of towing with it...

Pikkup

Well, thats what I thought but like I pozted, when I put my numbers into the Equal i zer site, their "hitch finder" says I need the 1k/10k model...

As Im learning, between the tilt available on the hitch head and if needed changing position of L brkts on frame, I guess the strain of the 10k aspect can be lessened, but the higher than 600lb tongue wt will be covered.

Im gonna find out...

Norotso

You also need to understand that for the bars to work optimally, they need to run parallel with the A-frame to ensure max contact for friction. Lowering the L bracket will reduce that. I would phone them to clarify why they suggest a 10/10k system on a single axle trailer, that doesn't seem feasible for any reason to me.

clarkbre

This is the statement that I find confusing. The weight in the truck + the tongue weight of the trailer will only effect the payload of the truck. The tongue weight is the tongue weight and does not change what's in the cab or the bed.

Some things to consider:

1. As you load the truck with occupants and cargo, load it between the axles. Put the least amount of weight possible behind the rear axle of the truck.

2. If the max weight of the trailer is less than 600/6000 pounds, get the hitch rated for that. The 4 point sway/weight distribution system on the equalizer does rely on some tension provide proper sway control. The 1000/10000 hitch would need much less tension on the bars so the sway control would be lessened.

Lastly, find a local scale. Get your truck and trailer weighed so you know what axle is carrying what weight. This is absolutely helpful in knowing that you've got your truck and trailer set up properly.

etrailerTeam

To choose the correctly rated Equal-i-zer system, you'll need to know the fully loaded and ready to tow tongue weight of your trailer (full propane tanks, water tanks, all gear). To that figure, you'll also need to include the weight of anything stored in the rear of the TV, behind the back axle.

The Equal-i-zer system with the 1K bars has an effective tongue weight (TW) range of 600-1000 lbs. Your ready to tow tongue weight IDEALLY would fall as close as possible to the middle of that range, that way you'll have some wiggle room at the top and bottom if your weights fluctuate a bit.

For more information, or specific recommendations use the link below:

https://www.etrailer.com/expert-115.html

mass-hole

Because Equalizer wants you to include any weight you add behind the axle of the truck as part of the tongue weight when figuring out the capacity of the hitch. Even if the hitch is 500lbs, adding 100 lbs behind the axle of the truck will bump that to 600.

etrailerTeam

It's not just Equal-i-zer that wants you to add the weight loaded behind the rear axle of the TV. That weight should be included regardless of which system is used. Many folks wonder if the weight of the system itself should be considered. For the sake of clarity, and to make things less confusing, we usually don't include that weight when choosing a system, that's why we recommend choosing a system that allows some wiggle room between your as towed tongue weight and the actual capacity of the system.