Is an Equalizer Hitch worth the extra cost?

[pkanalyst]

I use a friction bar for sway control when pulling my TT.  I don't travel more than 1 hour away to camp, but this summer I will be taking a 7-8 hour drive from Ohio to Tennessee, and have been pondering whether or not upgrading to an Equalizer style of sway control hitch would be a noticeable improvement for this trip.  Does anyone here have experience with Equalizers that can speak as to whether the upgrade would be worthwhile?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[John From Detroit]

To answer this you need to observe how your hitch reacts to being hitched

Ideally you want the frame of both the trailer and the tow vehicle to be flat with respect to the ground

Now, the trailer can be at a higher, or lower, level  Like this

_______----------

Or this

------_______

or they can be "in line" like this ---------

But the key is they are "FLAT with respect to the ground

IF you have this (Well this is highly exgaratted but it's the best I can do with ASCII)    \/    You need the equalizer


Or, alternative, a good set of air shocks on the tow vehicle 

 

[pkanalyst]

Thanks for the reply.  I use a weight distributing hitch with torsion bars that works very well (would be the equivalent of this:  __________-------------------), but for sway control I use a friction bar.

I see that the Equalizer brand hitch is a weight distribution system that doubles as sway control, eliminating the friction bar.  Some of the benefits that I've seen for this method are that it will work better in slick conditions where they normally recommend removal of a friction bar. 

My biggest concern is wind and was wondering if this method is considered better, about the same, or worse than the setup that I have now using torsion bars and a friction bar for managing the drive when it is windy.

It will be around $400 - $600 to do this upgrade, and don't want to spend the money if there will not be any advantage to towing this way vs. the way I do now.

 

[rbell]

I've had both and my opinion is the Equalizer is better. I worked a trade with the dealer when I got the Equalizer. He installed it and let me test drive it with the new trailer. If I didn't like it I could put the old one back on.

 

[Carl L]

I see that the Equalizer brand hitch is a weight distribution system that doubles as sway control, eliminating the friction bar.  Some of the benefits that I've seen for this method are that it will work better in slick conditions where they normally recommend removal of a friction bar. 

My biggest concern is wind and was wondering if this method is considered better, about the same, or worse than the setup that I have now using torsion bars and a friction bar for managing the drive when it is windy.

It will be around $400 - $600 to do this upgrade, and don't want to spend the money if there will not be any advantage to towing this way vs. the way I do now.

Either the Equalizer or the Reese Dual Cam system will be a material improvement over a friction bar system.  For one thing, proper adjustment is inherent in the hitching up and need no enroute tinkering. Once properly installed at the dealer's installation, the proper adjustment point is set from that point on.  Both systems resist the onset of yaw (sway) as opposed to resisting it as it ensues and in all weather conditions.

Go for it. 

 

[pkanalyst]

Thanks everyone for the input.  I was inclined to go with this but wanted to consult the experience of this forum.  I think this sounds like a good investment.  Again, thanks for the help!

 

[Lowell]

Steve,
I noticed that you have the same trailer I have.  Have you experienced any sway problems towing it? 

I don't use any sway contol on mine.  The equalizer hitch has been enough for me and I have towed it in some high wind conditions.  Last week we did 300 miles with 45 MPH winds including cross winds.  I'm not saying that having sway control is a bad idea, just wondered why you felt the need to upgrade hitches? 

 

[pkanalyst]

Lowell, the trailer dry weight is 5500 lbs.  In my state, anything over 5000 is required to have weight distribution and some type of sway control. 

When I first bought this camper in summer of 2006, I towed it with a GMC Envoy and decided to buy a new T.V. in order to not put the wear and tear on the Envoy.  Even though I normally only tow short distances on flat land, the Envoy is only rated for 5000 lbs and I suspect that my trailer weighs at least 1000 lbs more than the dry weight even when it is not fully loaded.

In the plains of northwest Ohio, crosswinds can be fierce on some days.  In the Envoy on some days the wind has been a handful with this rig.  Switching to the Silverado has helped with this a great deal, but high wind does become a factor at 60+ MPH.  Since I'm taking a longer trip this summer and will be on the highway a lot, I'm wondering if I will see improvement in this area by upgrading from the friction bar to a 4 point sway control system.

Do you have a slideout?  I've seen 28A's with and without a slideout.  I'm told that a slideout can easily add 500+ lbs to a trailer and also alter the way that its weight is distributed.  Perhaps that is contributing to the difference in our experiences.  If our trailers are identical, than I am puzzled as to what the difference may be.  Perhaps your Dodge is a better tow vehichle than my 1/2 ton Chevy.

Your input has got me thinking.....I haven't seen a noticeable difference in towing it packed vs. unpacked, but perhaps I need to get on the scale with it loaded and see if I need to rethink how things are distributed in the trailer. 

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Lowell]

Steve,

Our 28A has a slide out and it weighs 6120 lbs with the fresh water tank filled and all our gear in it except for food/clothes.  The tongue weight is 680 lbs. When we go camping, we ususally have some thing we are taking along in boxes such as extra water bottles, laptop, clothes , etc which I put on the floor around the bed while traveling.  That probably adds another 100 lbs or so to the front of the trailer ahead of the trailer axles.  I took the trailer to a gravel yard and got actual weights.  I have a weight distribution hitch but I don't know what brand.  It doesn't have any sway control.  I kept a sway brake from myour old trailer and was  going to install it but I haven't felt the need.  That's not to say it wouldn't be a good idea.  It's probably like insurance, you don't need it till you need it, and but your glad you have it when you do need it.

One thing I found that made a big difference on handling was the adjustment of the weight distributing chain. I've found that on mine, connecting to the third link from the free end of the chain give us the best ride.  If I go to the fourth link from the free end, the ride gets very choppy, using the second link from the free end doesn't shift enough weight to the front of the pick-up.  So for us, the third link is the "sweet spot".  They recommend that you have about 15% of the trailers total weight as tongue weight.  I am running a bit under that, probbly  in the 12% range. 

We have really enjoyed our trailer.  Good luck with yours.

 

[pkanalyst]

Lowell,

just weighed in at 5800 lbs with some gear (i.e. camp chairs, outdoor cooking apparatus etc), no water/food/clothes, and semi-full lp tanks.  This configuration had a 900 lb tongue weight (may be higher than your 680 partly due to empty fresh water tank).  I tried playing around with the weight distributing chains to see what the best arrangement was, and found that the 4th from the free end was a darn good combination at highway even without the sway bar on and a few oncoming semis. 

Thanks for the help!  I may still go with the Equalizer brand due to its advantages, but your input has been very helpful.

We love this trailer as well, and found it to be an incredible bargain for all of the enjoyment that we are getting out of it.

Steve

 

[Lowell]

Steve,

If you do go with the Equalizer brand, let us know what differences you have noticed. We all learn from each other. 

Lowell

 

[pkanalyst]

I'll let you know!

 

[pkanalyst]

I had an Equalizer installed yesterday......I have a ~45 minute drive on country roads from the dealer and the difference in the ride there and the ride home was night and day!  I'll post more after we take our trip to Tennessee, but so far I am very happy with this purchase.  Much better stability, significant reduction of chopping on roads with dips, holds a straight line very well, and little to no upset whatsoever from oncoming semis.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Great, Steve. Glad you found the Equalizer to be a superior product. Just about everybody who gets one seems to be pleased with it and based on reports like yours we continue to recommend it.

 

[randco]

The Hensley Arrow is the Cadillac and the Pro Pride is a close second in sway control hitches.  The Hensley costs about $3,000 and the Pro Pride is around $2,600.
The Pro Prides are custom to the Tow Vehicle.  If you change tow vehicles and are using the Pro Pride, you are SOL.
The Hensley fits a standard 2" receiver. 
I'm planning on using the Hensley.  The safety aspect outweighs the cost.

 

[Marc L]

The Hensley Arrow is the Cadillac and the Pro Pride is a close second in sway control hitches.  The Hensley costs about $3,000 and the Pro Pride is around $2,600.
The Pro Prides are custom to the Tow Vehicle.  If you change tow vehicles and are using the Pro Pride, you are SOL.
The Hensley fits a standard 2" receiver. 
I'm planning on using the Hensley.  The safety aspect outweighs the cost.

I could be wrong, but I thought the Hensley and the Propride were very similar in design and both worked off a 2" receiver.  And the Pullrite was the one that is vehicle specific?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Mark is correct - both the Hensley and the Pro Pride (Jim Hensley's newest design) connect to a standard 2" receiver.  It is the Pullrite that uses its own special mount that is vehicle specific. The Pullrite comes as three separate kits, vehicle, trailer and mount. If you change vehicles you almost surely need a new vehicle kit and probably a new mount kit. In most (but not all) cases the trailer kit remains the same.

 

[randco]

Yes, Marc is correct.  I meant the Pull Rite.
I had just read an article on the Pro Pride, I guess it was stuck in my brain as I was typing my reply.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[pkanalyst]

FYI: A full review of our recent trip to Gatlinburg TN can be found here which includes my comments on the performance of the Equalizer.