Eqaulizer hitch noise... New TT

[sleblanc63]

Left Houston early Saturday morning and drove to Ft Worth to pick up the new TT... Then made a detour on the way home to Sam Rayburn reservoir and spent Saturday night and Sunday there.. found the usual.. minor cabinet work... a water leak... trim piece blowing in the wind on the way home.... nothing that can't be fixed... and I didn't by a Prevost... so be it... BUT.... the equalizer hitch made such a racket every litle twist and turn you made it would wake the dead! Suggestions?

[donn]

Lube it!
My guess there is no grease on any of the swivel joints and the noise is actually grinding of metal on metal.

[grhodes50]

It's normal for the Equal-i-zer to make noise, especialy when new. Make sure you lube the tops and bottoms of the sockets located on the hitch where you insert your tension bars. You can also lightly coat the L brackets using a light weight oil. And these Sway Bracket Jackets may help as well;
Sway Bracket Jacket (pair) - RVWholesalers.com RV Parts

Hope this helps.

[RhoZeta]

LOL! Ahh yes, the noise that sounds like you are ripping large pieces of metal in half, the sound that thousands of people on the titanic surely heard that fateful night, of metal twisting and stretching and then finally breaking ....oh wait, we are talking about the Equal-I-Zer....
As mentioned above, lube the sockets where they swivel on the head, I use some spray dry lube there and where the spring bars rub on the L brackets, quiets it all down nicely. There is an admonition on the manufacturer web site aboot the bracket jackets and lubing and I quote,

"ATTENTION: Utilizing lubrication on the Equal-i-zer L-Bracket, in the form of the Sway Bracket Jacket or any grease type lubricant, will likely lessen or decrease your sway control by a small degree. Steel on steel is the highest level of friction, steel on lubricated steel second, and steel on plastic third (but also the cleanest). The hitch head can be lubricated, as per the instructions, with no detriment to sway control."

The above info will also be useful for those on the forum that were unsure of how the sway control on the Equal-I-Zer actually worked.

[camper_Lucy]

Yes a "little" lube helps, they also make a plastic insert that rests on the L bracket then the bar sits on top of that. It works very well in keeping the noise down and holds better that lube on that part, I got one a few years ago for the same noise reason.

[sleblanc63]

I'm guilty. I "briefly" browsed the equalizer instructions to make sure it looked right when the dealer installed it.... but I did not read them all! And something in my male genes did not refer me back to those instructions this weekend when I was pulling my hat down low and scooting down in the seat as everyone stared at this seemingly new truck and trailer making noises like something out of a scary movie.... wildlife was scattering, kids were running for their mothers... My bad. This forum is great. Thanks for the help.

[grhodes50]

Oh yeah, the looks and stares one gets when pulling into a crowded campground with the Equal-i-zer singing it's song.

I usually just smile and wave!

[MtnGuy]

FWIW, I don't think the Reese Dual Cam is any quieter. It sings & pops, but it doesn't sing pop songs.

[wrogers]

Yes, the Equalizer does make a racket, but usually not too terrible. One thing I have found though, is make sure all your torques are where they need to be. The first time I towed with my Equalizer, the side bars had loosened just a little, and by the time I pulled into the campground and was making tighter turns, it was really making an awfull racket that people in the next county were complaining about. When I finally got parked in the site (hard to do when you slump real low in the seat ), I checked and the left side "L" bracket that the tension bar sits on was wobbling all over the place. I re-aligned and tightened everything, and now check pre trip every time. No problems since, just the usual little "melody"

[frankm]

If you have the old style L bracket

then according to the manual http://www.equalizerhitch.com/public...ation_faqs.pdf
the set screw should only be tightened until it holds the L-bracket in place so it would (should?) wobble.

[M109Rrider]

I always kept a spray can of white lithium grease in the storage compartment and gave the L brackets a shot before each hook up.

[Offagain]

Originally Posted by grhodes50

It's normal for the Equal-i-zer to make noise, especialy when new. Make sure you lube the tops and bottoms of the sockets located on the hitch where you insert your tension bars. You can also lightly coat the L brackets using a light weight oil. And these Sway Bracket Jackets may help as well;
Sway Bracket Jacket (pair) - RVWholesalers.com RV Parts

Hope this helps.

This is exactly what I do. You have to especially get the bottom of the the square bracket that holds the tension bar with lube. I spray a little PB Blaster before we head out on all points where there is movement of metal on metal. I literally don't get any real noticeable squeaks anymore after doing this. I like to put the tension bars in their sockets and then spray the tops and bottoms of the square sockets. I then swivel them back and forth a couple of times to get the lube in there good. No more squeaks. You will still get the occasional "POP" , but that's normal.

I learned this the hard way though. It was about the third time that we took the camper out and the paint wore away good on the square tension bar sockets that it started doing this . We were driving through down town Getteysburg, PA. when it just let loose. I have to admit it kind of sounded like a freight train car with bad wheels. No exaggerating! It was crowded with people and they were all turning their heads at us. It was a little embarrassing.

I use PB Blaster( PB Blaster, 11 OZ, Penetrating Catalyst, Penetrates, Lubricates, Preve) because it will pull itself into crevices. You can read about it online.

I spray a little every time before we hook up. Problem solved.

[hunt4240dw]

I put synthetic brake lube on just the top of the square socket bar receiver once a year. This was where I was getting most of noise from when driving through camps. It does not seem to affect the sway control while on the road. Also, do not forget to lube the top of the hitch ball.

David

[wrogers]

Originally Posted by frankm

If you have the old style L bracket
Attachment 4296
then according to the manual http://www.equalizerhitch.com/public...ation_faqs.pdf
the set screw should only be tightened until it holds the L-bracket in place so it would (should?) wobble.

I have the new style bracket. It just wasn't tight enough and moved around. Once I made sure it was tightened properly, nary a problem since.