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01-20-2018, 08:30 PM
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#1
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Grammar Pedant
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Frederick, CO
Posts: 1,580
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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.
__________________
Every time you use an apostrophe to make a word plural, a puppy dies.
TV: 2019 F-350 Lariat 4WD CCSB 6.7 PSD 3.55, 3,591 lb payload
Former RV: 2018 Rockwood Mini Lite 2504S
Former RV: 2007 Fleetwood/Coleman Utah
Former TV: 2005 F-150 King Ranch 4WD SCrew 5.4L Tow Package
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01-20-2018, 09:03 PM
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#2
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DW's 401(k) Plan
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Western MD
Posts: 2,372
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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.
__________________
"Sunny" the 2017 Sunseeker 3010DS
2006 Jeep Liberty Toad
.... and lovin' life........MOST of the time.
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01-20-2018, 09:19 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Lexington Ky.
Posts: 106
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I had the exact same problem. Got my dealer to replace the hitch.
__________________
cliffy49
2018 Catalina Trail Blazer 26TH
2021 Chevy Silverado Custom 2500HD
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01-20-2018, 09:26 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Posts: 3,225
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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.
__________________
2017 Salem Villa Estate 395RET-
2011 Coachmen Freedom Express 295RLDS- Sold
2015 F-250 FX4
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01-20-2018, 09:37 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 643
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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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01-20-2018, 10:15 PM
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#6
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Failure is my business
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Slaughter, LA
Posts: 561
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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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Current vehicle list: 17 RAM 3500 4x4 Cummins Aisin 4.10, 16 Flagstaff 832IKBS, 14 RAM 1500 4x4 Hemi 3.92 Bilstein 5100's Derale oil cooler, 97 F150 4x4 5.4L 278,000 miles, 80 Firebird Esprit Aussie Burnout Car https://youtu.be/v06VjII7HmE, 78 Harley Davidson FX 79,000 miles dad bought new, 71 El Camino ZZ3 TH400 12-Bolt, 37 Ford 3 window 502 Chevy dad built
Days Camped: 2016: 43, 2017: 83, 2018: 44, 2019: 78
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01-20-2018, 10:38 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Catonsville Maryland
Posts: 1,961
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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.
__________________
HTT: "EscapeII" 2016 Shamrock 23WS (current)
PUP: "Escape" 2010 Rockwood HW 277 (gone)
TV: "Gill" 2022 RAM 2500
Just us gals (me, Sis and our daughters)
We spend alot of money to go sit in the woods
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01-21-2018, 01:20 AM
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#8
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,556
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Dealer may have over torqued the bolts.
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Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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01-21-2018, 08:13 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,219
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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.
__________________
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
2010 F250 4X4 5.4L 3.73 LS
EQUALIZER E4 1200/12000
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01-21-2018, 04:03 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Northfield MN
Posts: 161
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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.
__________________
2018 Grand Design Imagine 2600RB
2019 Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 LT Crew Cab, Vortec 6L V8, 4.10 Rear Axle
Equal-i-zer 1,200/12,000# Hitch
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01-21-2018, 04:07 PM
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#11
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Grammar Pedant
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Frederick, CO
Posts: 1,580
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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.
__________________
Every time you use an apostrophe to make a word plural, a puppy dies.
TV: 2019 F-350 Lariat 4WD CCSB 6.7 PSD 3.55, 3,591 lb payload
Former RV: 2018 Rockwood Mini Lite 2504S
Former RV: 2007 Fleetwood/Coleman Utah
Former TV: 2005 F-150 King Ranch 4WD SCrew 5.4L Tow Package
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01-21-2018, 04:14 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Catonsville Maryland
Posts: 1,961
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 67L48
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.
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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.
__________________
HTT: "EscapeII" 2016 Shamrock 23WS (current)
PUP: "Escape" 2010 Rockwood HW 277 (gone)
TV: "Gill" 2022 RAM 2500
Just us gals (me, Sis and our daughters)
We spend alot of money to go sit in the woods
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01-21-2018, 05:44 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cedar Creek Lake, TX
Posts: 3,477
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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.
__________________
Cedar Creek Lake, Texas
2019 Keystone Loredo 290SRL
2019 Ram 2500 4x4 Cummins crew cab
Andersen hitch
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01-21-2018, 05:48 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Deerfield, WI
Posts: 114
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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
Rick
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01-22-2018, 04:39 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canton, Michigan
Posts: 1,348
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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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thebrakeman ('70), DW ('71), DD ('99), DD ('01), DD ('05)
2004 Surveyor SV261T (UltraLite Bunkhouse Hybrid)
2006 Mercury Mountaineer V8 AWD Premier
Equal-i-zer WDH (10k), Prodigy Brake Controller
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01-22-2018, 04:49 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 820
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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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01-23-2018, 07:12 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,219
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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.
__________________
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
2010 F250 4X4 5.4L 3.73 LS
EQUALIZER E4 1200/12000
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