Picked Up 2012 SS Last Week

[rnath]

We picked up our 2012 SS last Thursday. We upgraded from a 2000 Coleman Niagara pop-up that we had for the last 10+ years and our whole family was sad to see it go. The pop-up was in excellent condition with some nice mods and it sold within 12 hours of posting it on CL (to the first buyer that came to see it).

We went on a shakedown trip last weekend. While at the campground, I did some minor mods (added screen door handle, shower splash guard, added stained to match wooden bars in the medicine cabinet so things don't fall off, installed black water tank Quickie Flush) . Next on the list to do are Hunter Thermostat (picked up one at Walmart today), DC and AC monitor panels, Maxxair II, shelving in the wardrobe closet. All mod ideas are from posts that I found on this great BB.

I also installed an Equalizer WD hitch yesterday before leaving the campground. The dealer was pushing the Husky WD/Friction sway for $425 or the Husky Centerline for $795. I decided after taking delivery of the trailer that a Equalizer Hitch was a much better option. Installation took me about 45 minutes plus the time I spent last Friday evening going to my friend's truck repair shop to get the hitch ball installed and torqued to 400+ ft lbs. Everything seems to be level with the proper amount of front wheel WD. Did not feel any sway when on the highway and semis were passing me in the next lane.

So far no major issues with the 23SS. All items, including the Genesis 2.0, seems to be operating OK except for a few minor annoyances (bad factory workmanship items) that I have been fixing as I find them.

I would like to thank everyone on this BB for the great ideas for mods and also for the discussions on towing.

I am adding a photo of the Equalizer hitch install. Any comments on hitch adjustment are most welcome. BTW, TV is an 06 Durango 5.7L Hemi V8.

[grhodes50]

Congrats on your new trailer.
From reading your post I believe you'll be able to contribute and help alot of us on this forum.
From what I see in the pic, the Equal-i-zer seems to be installed correctly. They are great hitches, aren't they. I really like mine. I've been using it for a little over 2½ years now without any problems.

[Triguy]

Congrats on your new trailer and a sucessful maiden voyage. Sounds like you had fun - projects are always fun.

We have the same hitch. I'm convinced that setting it up yourself helps in the long run. It might be a hassle to torque the hitch ball, but it'll pay dividends down the line as you tweak it. If this is your first time with this hitch, remember to check and re-torque all nuts and bolts periodically.

By the way, I've noticed that the current instructions are to bring the front (coupled with WD engaged) at least half-way back to the TV loaded-but-uncoupled height. But, I swear that an older Equal-i-zer I had said in the instructions to bring the front back to the same height (or as close to it as possible without going under in the front).

Maybe my memory is faulty. Anyway, I just tweaked mine to this measurement and like the ride even more now.