# Equalizer "popping"



## daveo (Mar 23, 2008)

Happy with my tahoe / 21rs. When towing, I've got the wd hitch setup good. I've taken all measurements as specified in manual. I've tried monkeying higher and lower and always come back to my present pin placements. About 7 washers.

When i turn, rather than the turn being smooth, or even squeeky, I feel as though tension builds up on the bar, then it "pops" loose and slides. Makes for a jerk sounding / feeling turn. Happens nearly every turn soeasy to replicate.

Any thoughts on cause / resolution?

Dave


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## john7349 (Jan 13, 2008)

Turn your radio up....







Actually, the sound you hear is quite normal for the Equal-i-zer hitch. I thought something was wrong myself at first. What you hear are the bars sliding (under pressure). Mfr says you can grease the bars if you really want to, but not necessary. If you hear the popping, you know your hitch is working.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

john7349 said:


> Actually, the sound you hear is quite normal for the Equal-i-zer hitch.


Ditto.

Couple of extra thoughts to check. If your L brackets are "TOO" greased, then I'd suspect you'd get more of pop than normal. I use the 'bracket jackets' from equalizer and they seem just the right type of material to lessen the squeak and groan yet still have good friction to do the job it's suppose to do ... sway control.

My bars fit on the L bracket, then I put the little upside down "L" over the bar and pin it in. There is a little wiggle room, but not much. I could see if you had mismatched "L" brackets...like from larger equalizer setup, and smaller bars..there could be more wiggle room...that could result in more of pop when turning too.


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## GarethsDad (Apr 4, 2007)

Sounds like my Equalizer bars. I use white lithium grease to help keep the noise down. James


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

The popping and groaning sounds are normal. They are caused by the friction created from the pressure of the bars against the L-brackets. I, too, use the Sway Bracket Jackets from the Equal-i-zer website. I also put a dab of their lube on top of the Sway Bracket Jackets and on the inside surface of the L-brackets. After a few turns, the lube gets spead evenly over the surfaces and provides enough lubrication to stop the noise. And then there are the bar socket pivot points on the hitch head, which I also grease (per their instructions).

The lube makes the hitch quiet, and surprisingly, it doesn't seem to degrade the hitch's sway performance. Mine works great and most of the time I don't even know the trailer is back there. (Yeah, it works that well.)

Mike


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## roo camper (Sep 17, 2008)

I used grease on my old equilizer set up and it did the trick but was messy, I now use the "jacket" on the brackets and it works and no mess.


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## Sean Woodruff (Dec 20, 2007)

You can also get a loud "pop" from your hitch bar releasing, even slightly, inside the receiver.

If you have any slop between the two, and you pass over uneven ground changing the load on the bar, the hitch bar can shift slightly causing a pretty loud "pop."


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