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Old 01-20-2018, 08:30 PM   #1
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Equalizer Spring Arm Very Difficult to Move

I have a new Equalizer (Equal-i-zer) WDH. The dealership set it up and it seems to be done correctly. Level stance when loaded and it works great ... super stable in windy conditions. Really love the performance.

It's super noisy, even though I got the polymer pads, but this is a common issue that I've read about (and I haven't lubricated it at all, yet).

The problem I'm having is swinging the spring arm (as they are called) in and out. This has nothing to do with clearance. I have raised up the hitch assembly far enough. But, just swinging them out or pushing them in is a near impossible task. One side is stiff and the other side is stiff x10. As luck happens, I only played with one side at the dealership.

If I'm not describing this properly, please check 2:33 (pulling arm out) and 5:20 (pushing it into place) of the official instructional video:

He moves the arm back and forth with some resistance, but it's not so bad.

He even states that it shouldn't be that difficult. If it is, raise it up a bit. But, as stated, I'm already plenty high enough ... it's not catching on anything. The friction (at the head, not the L-bracket) is simply way too much. The one side, in particular, takes 2 men and a boy to move it into position.

I read the manual, but found nothing in it that would suggest a means to make this easier (or harder).

Is there anything I can do, or do I just have to man-up, live with it, and hope it loosens up a bit with use?

Thanks.
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Old 01-20-2018, 09:03 PM   #2
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I used my Equal-I-zer hitch for over 8 years on 2 different tow vehicles/2 different trailers. Had to re-adjust everything when I bought the 2nd tv/tt.
Never had an issue after everything was torqued to specifications for either setups. Could it be the one side is over-torqued? Is there any rust between the bar end and head at the pivot point?
As far as noise, I kept everything tight and painted. If the bars or L-brackets started showing signs of wear and/or rust, I would re-coat with black paint. And if a pivot point called for lube, it was lubed.
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Old 01-20-2018, 09:19 PM   #3
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I had the exact same problem. Got my dealer to replace the hitch.
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Old 01-20-2018, 09:26 PM   #4
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Grease the hitch head at the arm pivot points every trip. Also a light coat on the ball. If the old grease get cruddy, clean it off and reapply.
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Old 01-20-2018, 09:37 PM   #5
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I had very tight bar sockets when I got my first equalizer. Their tech support said the nut could be loosened some to make it easier to move them. The main thing I was told is that the lock washer stays compressed and that they are torqued evenly. All it took for me was less than an eighth of a turn to get them to where I could move them readily (but still be tight).
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Old 01-20-2018, 10:15 PM   #6
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The vertical bolts that the arms pivot on set the anti sway tension. Try loosening them and see if it frees up.
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Old 01-20-2018, 10:38 PM   #7
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Our spring bars were very hard to move when new. They loosened up with time. Did not have to do anything to them.
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Old 01-21-2018, 01:20 AM   #8
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Dealer may have over torqued the bolts.
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Old 01-21-2018, 08:13 AM   #9
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Loosen the socket bolt nut. The resistance from the sockets provide the sway control so keep that in mind. I torque mine to 55 ft lbs. Every 500 miles I also loosen the nuts so the sockets turn freely, wipe down and then lube the top and bottom of the sockets, then retorque.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:03 PM   #10
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There should be a sticker on the head showing the proper torque for the socket bolts. Make sure they are torqued the proper amount. The sticker on my current 1000/10000 hitch says 65 ft-lbs. On my prior 600/6000 hitch, the sticker said 45 ft-lbs. Equal-i-zer also recommends in the owner's manual to lubricate the friction surfaces in the hitch head and sockets. There is a diagram in the manual showing where to lubricate.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:07 PM   #11
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Thanks for the responses. From what I can tell, those vertical "socket" bolts are not part of the setup and installation. There is no reference to them that I saw in the manual and there shouldn't be a point at which the dealer or anyone else touched those things. They don't even show up in the parts diagram on pg 4 of the manual -- they're physically represented in the diagram, but they're not given a call-out number, part number, or name.

However, I will be taking a hard look at them when I next play with the trailer.

Again, I appreciate everyone taking the time to offer ideas on how to adjust this.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:14 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 67L48 View Post
Thanks for the responses. From what I can tell, those vertical "socket" bolts are not part of the setup and installation. There is no reference to them that I saw in the manual and there shouldn't be a point at which the dealer or anyone else touched those things.

However, I will be taking a hard look at them when I next play with the trailer.

Again, I appreciate everyone taking the time to offer ideas on how to adjust this.
Yes. I was told not to touch those bolts when I asked about it when I had this same issue. Was told the brackets holding the spring bars will start moving easier as they get used and they have.
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Old 01-21-2018, 05:44 PM   #13
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If you have the E4 hitch the pivot bolts are a maintenance item. That should be oiled lightly and torqued. On my 12k hitch the spec is 50 to 60 ft pounds. This is covered in the manual.
The excessive noise is most likely the tension bars not being pararell to the frame members. Adjust this by raising or lowering the L brackets. If not pararell the bar slides on one edge of the L bracket and screeches when it moves, like a bow on a violin string. Very loud! Once this is adjusted then adjust the pressure by adding or removing washers.
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Old 01-21-2018, 05:48 PM   #14
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The older equalizer hitches had a torque spec for the bar pivot bolts. The current ones do not. I have the 12,000 version and have absolutely no noise and the arms pivot easily. I grease the head where the arms pivot every trip,that is the key. I used to have a 10,000 lb version that was very noisy; I never greased that one. That one also had a torque spec for the pivot bolts. I used that same spec to torque the pivot bolts on my new one. I’d say to do two things- grease the head and see if the noise subsides and the movement of the bars gets easier. If not, then loosen, then retorque the pivot bolts, but keep greasing.

Good Luck

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Old 01-22-2018, 04:39 PM   #15
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If you are not sure you want to take advice here, call Equal-I-zer tech support. They are fantastic.


If you want to take advise here, loosen the bolts, grease, and re-torque. I betting the are over-tightened, and it seems unevenly as well. You are correct that whoever setup probably did not touch those bolts, but were like that from the factory. Then again, maybe the dealer did touch them.


Personally, I loosen them as part of annual maintenance. I completely remove them, wipe off any grimy grease, apply new grease, and reinstall. Is this required? No. It is required to grease them periodically, and if you have not, that's probably where the noise is coming from.


This being a new unit, they will free up some. But you absolutely should not need 2½ men to move them. That's too tight, and you should adjust.
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:49 PM   #16
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When I had my Equalizer on our former Work & Play, I switched trucks so I had to make some adjustments to the hitch set-up. I got pretty good at it. Had it set up much better than the dealership did.

If you want to, swing by the house and we'll get it right. Its only about 1700 miles.
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Old 01-23-2018, 07:12 PM   #17
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The 'sockets' are on the hitch head, not the L brackets. The socket is what the bar goes into and these are the bolts being discussed that you need to adjust.
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