Equal-iz-er 1k/10k Washers

CLT · 05-21-2014, 08:21 AM

I just purchased a new Coachmen Apex 28 footer from a dealer this past weekend. Got them to include a Equal-iz-er as part of the deal as an upgrade vs the E2 hitch. Upon install, the tech mentioned that he never installed one of the Equal-iz-er hitches before which got me a bit nervous, but he said that he did do many other hitches.

Here is where I stand: It towed well. I had about a 100 mile trip back home on the highway and it worked out OK. No major sway from what I could tell, no minor either. The front end of my vehicle did feel a little light to me.

I have my pre and post weigh scale numbers (with full tank of gas)

PRE

Steer Axle: 2980
Drive Axle: 3140

Gross Weight: 6120

POST

Steer Axle: 2800
Drive Axle: 4020
Trailer Axle: 4880
Gross Weight: 11700 (fresh water tank was 3/4 full - about 350 lbs)

The problem is that I am approaching my max rear axle. Max is 4250. So I want to get some more of this weight on the front axle of my vehicle. Front axle max is 3700.

The dealer tech only installed 4 of the spacer washers on the hitch head and gave me the other two. The problem is that they are about 100 miles away. So it looks like I get the fun job of disassembling everything and reassembling.

Has anyone been through this process and can tell me what exactly I can expect. I'm thinking put both washers on, because there was something in the manual about being closer to your max hitch weight. Hitch weight in the brochure was 680. I assume that's without the full propane and one battery they have installed. My vehicles max hitch weight is 890.

I can keep the cargo load light if I have to. Not a problem there. But the bigger problem is that I have to be able to get 500 lbs of passengers in also.

I'm a little lost on what to do here, but safety first and go camping later.

Road-King · 05-21-2014, 08:35 AM

CLT welcome to the forum

You can skin that cat two ways. Adding more washers will put more weight on the front axle. Or you could rase your "L" bracket up a notch. Look in your manual for a limit on the number of washers you can use on the head angle adjustment. I seem to remember there was a limit.

CLT · 05-21-2014, 09:17 AM

Thanks! According to the manual (p.19) the max on the spacer washers is 8. Minimum is 4.

The problem is the dealer tech didn't want to take his time to do everything right. He was just going from what applies most to many of his setups which I assume are for wheelbases longer than mine (131".) He even wanted to put the brackets at 28", when the manual states 32" is optimal and should be used if possible. I argued with him some and then he did end up putting them at 30". Also had no torque wrench for anything. So that added to my confidence in him. I could change this to 32" if needed also, but I assume that it more so has to do with sway control vs weight distribution. I did have good sway control in my opinion. It was a little windy that day also so it was a good test.

At any rate, yes thanks for the options Road-King. Upon futher inspection of the manual, it seems like I should go with the spacer washers first and then to the L bracket adjustments. It has a clause of something like "If you have reached the max number of spacer washers or are making a temporary change due to vehicle loading then you can raise the L brackets one hole." So I had better try the spacers first.

Can you take a look at my numbers and tell me if I should go with 5 or 6 washers? I'm thinking 6 so this has a higher chance of being a one-time adjustment. But I could be wrong.

CLT · 05-21-2014, 09:49 AM

Here are a few pics to give you an idea how it looked. I know measurements are crucial, but you can also probably derive something from a few pics.

avolnek · 05-21-2014, 10:18 AM

It really isn't that difficult to do.

Leave the hitch in the the receiver of the truck to secure the hitch. There is a set screw at the bottom of the ball side assembly that needs to be loosened I believe. Then take the top bolt holding the head assembly onto the shank out. I then only loosen the lower one as this should allow the head to pivot away from the shank far enough to get more washers onto the stud. If not you may need to remove the lower bolt as well.

As mentioned above you can move the L brackets up a notch. I am personally not a fan of this unless your bars are not level with the trailer. The idea for that adjustment to me is more or less to get the bars parallel with the frame of the trailer to aid in more surface mating from the bars to the L brackets giving you more sway control. So to me you can use them more as a bandaid but the correct way would be to add more washers to the head assembly.

youroo · 05-21-2014, 10:32 AM

The Teck got you in the (Ballpark) the fine tune is up to you after the unit is loaded and passengers in TV. The whole game can change. A closeup Pic. of the Hitch set up would help also.

Youroo!!

indybp57 · 05-21-2014, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avolnek

It really isn't that difficult to do.

As mentioned above you can move the L brackets up a notch.

I consider the L brackets to be a course adjustment. You want the bars parallel to the tongue. The washers are the fine adjustment, IMO. I can change the angle on mine by just loosening the two main head bolts as the upper bolt hole is slotted to allow for adjustment. You will also need to back out the lone bolt in the underneath center of the head that forces the head against the shim washers. Then you should be able to pull the head downward and have enough clearance to fish out the rivet and washers. You can probably download the manual on-line.

And you will need a socket and bar that you can provide a lot of torque. The washers that are on the two large bolts that secure the head are spring washers and need to be compressed flat. There is a spec on the torque but I just use a 1/2" drive breaker bar and a long pipe for leverage and get them as tight as I can.

chicagoslick · 05-21-2014, 12:03 PM

Hard to tell by the pictures, but it does appear as if the nose of your vehicle is high. with this in mind you do need to shift weight towards the front of the truck. Does not appear to be off by much though. My bars are set right at 31 1/2 inches and yes the main purpose is for sway, but correct setup is important regardless. I would bet you are only 1-2 washers off from where you should be.

A couple of quick questions:
1. Are your tanks filled? If not, fill them before setting.
2. Is the vehicle loaded as you intend to travel? If not, load before setting.

Once completed with setup reweigh and ensure you are at a safe traveling weight. My setup is pushing near the max load and that is not hard to do once you add everything.

Best of luck and refer to the equalizer and youtube for great guidance beyond this forrum.

CLT · 05-21-2014, 12:28 PM

Lots of great info here. Thanks everyone for your help. I plan on adding the two washers and going from there.

chicagoslick - I had a full tank of gas and the fresh water tank was almost full. I was thinking of ditching the fresh water and traveling with that empty. I could save on the weight and it would do better on fuel, however slightly. That is unless I should travel with fresh water almost full. I've heard people say that they do that. Possibly not just for weight and balance type purposes. I'd be interested in hearing an opinion on that. And to your 2nd question, no it wasn't loaded as I intended to travel, but I would just assume that the weights from there would just be worse than what they are now. Most of the cabinet space is up front. But there is some that is directly over the wheels in the kitchen area, and there is also that space under the dinette cushions. I could probably just make due with those two areas loaded. So anything loaded directly over the TT axles basically just adds to the trailer weight, not the hitch weight on the TV, right?

So far I am at 11700 with fresh water almost full, battery, two full tanks of LP and also full tank of gas (33.5 gal, give or take.) Add 500 lbs for driver and passengers and 500 lbs for gear and I will be at 12700. Max is 15000 according to Ford.

At any rate, for me to get back on my topic of the adjustment of the washers, I will put the two on and report back. The bad part is that I have to remove part of my fence to get it hooked up again and road test, so it is kind of inconvenient, but necessary before departing on a trip. Currently checking into split rail fence gates. Haha.

chicagoslick · 05-22-2014, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CLT

Lots of great info here. Thanks everyone for your help. I plan on adding the two washers and going from there.

chicagoslick - I had a full tank of gas and the fresh water tank was almost full. I was thinking of ditching the fresh water and traveling with that empty. I could save on the weight and it would do better on fuel, however slightly. That is unless I should travel with fresh water almost full. I've heard people say that they do that. Possibly not just for weight and balance type purposes. I'd be interested in hearing an opinion on that. And to your 2nd question, no it wasn't loaded as I intended to travel, but I would just assume that the weights from there would just be worse than what they are now. Most of the cabinet space is up front. But there is some that is directly over the wheels in the kitchen area, and there is also that space under the dinette cushions. I could probably just make due with those two areas loaded. So anything loaded directly over the TT axles basically just adds to the trailer weight, not the hitch weight on the TV, right?

So far I am at 11700 with fresh water almost full, battery, two full tanks of LP and also full tank of gas (33.5 gal, give or take.) Add 500 lbs for driver and passengers and 500 lbs for gear and I will be at 12700. Max is 15000 according to Ford.

At any rate, for me to get back on my topic of the adjustment of the washers, I will put the two on and report back. The bad part is that I have to remove part of my fence to get it hooked up again and road test, so it is kind of inconvenient, but necessary before departing on a trip. Currently checking into split rail fence gates. Haha.

Sorry I meant your propane tanks. I would not travel with more than 1/2 my fresh water filled. I do not travel with water in my tanks at all, but can see some peoples points concerning no water availability at some sites. I only travel to full hook up sites and of course always expect to have the necessary utilities.

Only by loading the trailer the way it will be on trips will you achieve the best setup. You would be amazed how much all the small stuff adds up and ultimately can affect loading, balance, and sway. I made a lot of practice runs driving loaded to get a good feel for the best setup. I am still trying to achieve the best setup but am much closer than when I started. As best I can tell ~15% tongue weight will achieve best results for my tandem axle trailer. You will find like I did that power will probably not be a problem, but visibility and sway. Best of luck and keep working on your setup and please do take some practice driving sessions to get the best feel. The time to find a problem is long before that big trip you want to take with the family...

As always best of luck...

CLT · 05-22-2014, 12:52 PM

Yes the propane tanks were both full. I would think that because I'm not going to be camping off the grid anytime soon that I might be able to get away with them empty and then refill at campsite if needed.

You are right about the loading for the trip and that being the only way of knowing exactly what you are dealing with. Thanks for the tips.

Noneyerbusiness · 05-22-2014, 07:52 PM

I have a Windjammer 3008W, and the one thing I learned with the hitch .... have it serviced by a QUALIFIED tech. And it seems that may not be at your dealer.

My hitch was installed with ZERO washers, and was not adjusted even then. Had to install the washers, drop the hitch ball and adjust the "L" brackets. At the end of the ordeal, I have pretty good weight distribution.

This all occurred at the same dealer, different tech, (who I see is no longer employed there.) That Equalizer, though sounding simple, is complicated. I also upgraded to the 12,000# setup. One other thing .....

Check under the hitch to see the bars are not physically striking the bolt and nut for the ball mount. It takes a shorter ball bolt than most. I broke one hitch head that way. (Luckily the dealer warranted it, since they installed it.) Oh ... same tech again, btw.

21C1 · 05-22-2014, 08:32 PM

It's really fairly easy. Remove the large upper horizontal bolt and loosen the bottom one. Underneath the hitch is a small bolt you have to back out. My guess is put as many washers in as will fit. You'll know when you have too many, you won't be able to get the upper bolt back in. I have a 14,000 hitch with as many washers installed as possible. As someone else mentioned, your bars should be parallel to the trailer tongue.

CLT · 05-22-2014, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noneyerbusiness

I have a Windjammer 3008W, and the one thing I learned with the hitch .... have it serviced by a QUALIFIED tech. And it seems that may not be at your dealer.

My hitch was installed with ZERO washers, and was not adjusted even then. Had to install the washers, drop the hitch ball and adjust the "L" brackets. At the end of the ordeal, I have pretty good weight distribution.

This all occurred at the same dealer, different tech, (who I see is no longer employed there.) That Equalizer, though sounding simple, is complicated. I also upgraded to the 12,000# setup. One other thing .....

Check under the hitch to see the bars are not physically striking the bolt and nut for the ball mount. It takes a shorter ball bolt than most. I broke one hitch head that way. (Luckily the dealer warranted it, since they installed it.) Oh ... same tech again, btw.

It sure is strange how some of the dealer installers seemingly don't know 100% what they are doing, but let the customers leave on the interstate. You would figure that liability would be on them if something went horribly wrong on the trip home.

I will check as you said about striking the bolt. Good info there.

chicagoslick · 05-23-2014, 06:15 AM

CLT,

I forgot to mention you have a nice rig...She should provide many years of enjoyment...

CLT · 05-23-2014, 09:41 AM

Thanks. You also. Tell your wife if she is ever in the area, we could use her decorating skills. Saw your thread here. Looks all "hotely" as my kids would say.

Noneyerbusiness · 05-23-2014, 11:51 AM

At a dealer, (or buy one yourself), is a tongue scale, you would know exactly how much weight is on the ball. My Windjammer 3008W is at, or slightly above, 1000#, because of the front kitchen with the appliances and food stuffs stored up in the nose.

GOTTOYS · 05-23-2014, 12:06 PM

You can get extra washers at any hardware store. They should be Grade 8 Hardened washers.

B.O.

CLT · 05-23-2014, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noneyerbusiness

At a dealer, (or buy one yourself), is a tongue scale, you would know exactly how much weight is on the ball. My Windjammer 3008W is at, or slightly above, 1000#, because of the front kitchen with the appliances and food stuffs stored up in the nose.

So can you tell the hitch weight is from the numbers I had in my first post? I know things vary over time as you load it differently but having a baseline is good. Possibly I will check out the Sherline scale. That way I'll know for sure.

CLT · 05-27-2014, 11:53 AM

Got the 6 washers total on now. Have yet to hook it up and see how it feels. Process was rather easy, as many stated above. I wish I would have had a large open ended wrench for one of the sides of the two nuts/bolts on the hitch, but I made it work with some channel locks and I had a socket for the other side.

Just wondering for those who have adjusted theirs, the manual says 320 ft/lb. Has everyone truly gone to spec on that via torque wrench? I only have a 150 ft/lb wrench and it was getting tight then, but I took it off after reaching the 150 and used my 3/4" ratchet until I couldn't tighten any more, which I think was only a full turn. That is without a breaker bar. I could use a breaker bar if needed. Let me know if this is necessary. Thanks.

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