Equalizer hitch, sway adjustment

[john5646]

Just a short reminder, for set up of theses hitches. Follow the manual..... But torque the bolts that receive bars, and check them as maintenance.
I’m in third season with my set up, and must say I feel like I just upgraded the system by tightening these to or above spec.
So a called a Teck at equalizer they say 60 to 90 ft lb.. more important they say they choose this number to allow most users easy hookup of bars, and higher torque number is ok. So I started at 90, bars still easy to push into L bracket. Went to 110, love love and notice a great improvement in system.
I’m convinced that this is as important of a set up that confirmed as any other step.

[thebrakeman]

Good tip. This maintenance step is mentioned in the manual. Mine tend to loosen up, and they need to be tightened more than once per season. I had been using nominal torque, but now I think I'll try the max and see if they stay put.


If you notice a lot of grime building up (or gouging on the head above those rotating sockets), remove the bolts/nuts, allowing you to pull out those square sockets and clean everything. Just wipe out the excess grease and direct, then hit all surfaces with brake cleaner. Apply a thin coat of fresh grease on sliding surfaces, and reassemble.

[Lins]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

Good tip. This maintenance step is mentioned in the manual. Mine tend to loosen up, and they need to be tightened more than once per season. I had been using nominal torque, but now I think I'll try the max and see if they stay put.


If you notice a lot of grime building up (or gouging on the head above those rotating sockets), remove the bolts/nuts, allowing you to pull out those square sockets and clean everything. Just wipe out the excess grease and direct, then hit all surfaces with brake cleaner. Apply a thin coat of fresh grease on sliding surfaces, and reassemble.

Yes I torque mine a couple times a season. Completely cleaning and greasing as mentioned above helps reduce almost all the noise. I then torque to 80. I'll torque to 60 until I service it again. I've never had an issue with sway on this trailer (even with a WDH without sway control) so I have no need to go higher.

[aceinspp]

For some reason mine tends to tighten the swing of the bars so I end up readjusting so I can get them to slide on the the L bracket. Later RJD

[thebrakeman]

Yes, tightening those nuts on the bottom, makes it harder for the bars to swing. That is precisely how sway is controlled at the head of the Equil-I-zer system (2 of the 4 points of sway control). If those little square sockets are able to be moved by hand, they are doing nothing for controlling sway, and need to be tightened. They should be tight, and only able to be moved by pulling at the bar (at the end by the L-brackets).

[thebrakeman]

aceinspp,
Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post. (?)

[Lins]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

aceinspp,
Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post. (?)

Some people may not realize that torqueing that bolt pinches the sway bar socket to provide the sway control.

[kittlecat]

I just learned several new things about my hitch from this thread. Thanks to everyone for their posts. I have an Equalizer hitch I've been using for the past year (just 2-3 so far) and the last time coming home from our trip I noticed more sway than usual. I'll definitely have to check the various points and see if anything needs tightening. I don't know that much about the whole system, just that it worked great until on the way home last month. Again, thanks for the tips everyone!

[Mark M]

Excellent reminder for those to perform regular maintenance on their E4 setups.

I use a 2014 Grand Cherokee and pull a Coachmen 230BH. For local camping I typically torque those sockets about 60 ft/lb. When I am doing long haul interstate travels, I will torque them up to 90 ft/lb for added sway resistance.

The only drawback to the higher torque is more groans and clunks from the hitch gear which I don't mind for highway safety but can minimize with lower torques on local trips.