# Hitch Equipment



## bulldogfamily6 (May 28, 2004)

Well, we are getting closer to making a deal on our new 23RS. Just wondering, did any of the rest of you take this long in making a decision??

We had decided on the Equalizer and the Prodigy until we read Kevin's account of his accident. We are having second thoughts about this equipment and the dealer is really pushing his brand. I'm sure he'll make more money by selling us what he has, but he also says they have never had any trouble with what they sell. Here's what they have:

Reese (didn't think it was the Dual) Easy Lift 1000# or 750# weight distribution hitch

two separate sway control bars w/ neoprene rubber to control the sway

Voyager brake control system.

All of this is at a cost of over $800.00 - installed

We had priced the Equalizer and Prodigy for $497.00 - plus installation - we think hubby can do installation

When it gets right down to it, the most important aspect is safety. We realize there are many factors that play into the picture, but we want to put the right hitch equipment on our rig. For those of you who have not read our previous posts, we are looking at pulling the 23RS w/ '98 Suburban w/ 5.7L, 3.42. We feel the wheel base of the Burb is plenty long to handle the trailer - know we won't win any races - but Mama will have to have a nerve pill to go very fast!!

Thanks in advance for your return posts.


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

You won't be happy with the voyager brake controller. Thats what I have out in my garage, could never get it adjusted correctly and alway had it in the back of my mind, is this thing working right. I don't know about the bars but if they are reese equippment you can always add the dual cam later if you are not happy but like others have said the dual cam may be overkill. Kirk


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Skip the Voyager, the Prodigy is just a better controller and easier to adjust.

As for Kevin's hitch, I think he had a Reese straight line, not an Equalizer. I just think the Equalizer is a better hitch, but thats my own personal belief. If you really want a top notch hitch get the Hensley or Pullright.

"w/ neoprene rubber to control the sway" I have no idea how neoprene rubber would control sway, I've yet to see any sway control use anything but steel. You've got heavy moving parts, rubber just doesn't give me a good sense of safety when towing.

Equalizer isn't difficult to install, nor is the Prodigy, how much would the dealer charge to install these if you bought them on your own?


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## bulldogfamily6 (May 28, 2004)

Thanks for posts.

Y-Guy, if the dealer is not familiar w/ the Prodigy or Equalizer, would it be a good idea for them to install?? My husband is retired (disabled) electronic tech - knows about lots of mechanical stuff - we thought it would be better to trust him installing himself instead of dealer. What do you think?? We've been reading about folks having to re-do their installations that dealer messed up.

We have found second dealer another hour and a half down the road - in Slidell, LA. They always use the Equalizer and charge an extra $65.00 for the Prodigy - but at least they are familiar with them. The price on the trailer is just a little better. We hated to drive the extra mileage for less than $500.00.

Thanks in advance for your advise.


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Brake contoller is very easy to install, especially if you buy the wiring harness for your vehicle. I just followed the directions and spent more time making the installation look good than actually installing it. I soldered the connections and shrink tubed, made a nice wire bundle and cabled tied everything up and out of sight.
I had a pendulum type on my pop-up, piece of crud and unreliable, when I used this Prodigy, what a world of difference, it is easy to use and reliable. The few dollars you will save on a cheaper version will have you more frustrated in the long run. Sometimes you actually get what you pay for. I highly recommend the Prodigy.

As far as hitch equipment, I have the Reese strait-line with HP dual cam sway and 1200lb trunnion bars. I bought it online and installed it myself at the dealer when I picked up my new rig. It took about 1.5 hours to install and a few stops on the way home to adjust. I did save about $250 the dealer would charge to install. Again, I followed the directions. The Equal-i-zer is probably just as high quality as the Reese.

The hitch being so important, I didn't want to rely on the dealer telling me everything was ready to go, that is why I did it myself, now I understand how it is installed and how it is supposed to operate. In fact my dealer said to me when I got out my hitch parts and set them down, "I have never seen a hitch like that before". Exactly why I'll do it myself.

If you feel more comfortable having your dealer do it all, just make sure they thoroughly explain it all as well. It is not that hard to understand.

Good Luck

Kevin


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## bulldogfamily6 (May 28, 2004)

Kevin,

You sound alot like my husband - and that is good! The way you described finishing the installation is just what I would picture him doing. The more we find out, the more we will probably buy and install ourselves. (Ourselves meaning Tony doing the installation and I'm there as the gofer!) Hands-on gives more insight as to the workings of anything. I'm a teacher, and my students learn so much more when I plan hands-on activities for them.

Thanks again for your input.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Sounds to me like he wants to install a basic weight distributing system and two friction type sway bars. If so this guy is really old school and needs to join the 21st century.

Although some might say that a basic friction bar (or even 2) would be OK for a 23' trailer, Kevin's recent crash has made me and I'm sure many of us rethink this.
You will be just fine with the Equalizer system as dozens here and at RV.net will 
testify. This is surely better than dual friction bars. Also, Kevin was using the Reese dual cam system and not the Equalizer.

Also, the Voyager brake controller is made by the same company as the Prodigy (Tekonsha), is a very old design, and it's just their cheapest bottom of the line model. The fact that your dealer would reccomend this just reinforces my suspicion that he has fallen behind the times in technology.

The retail difference in price between the Voyager and Prodigy is about $100. However you can buy the Prodigy from online sites for that same amount, $100 This is such a small amount of money for the best controller available.

I know Kevin's crash has got alot of us shaken up, myself included. But the equipment many here are reccomending combined with proper installation and adjustment will be just fine for your situation. The difference of a few hundred dollars more compared to swaying down the highway seems to be an easy choice to me.


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## fixjet (Jan 19, 2004)

You can get the Prodigy and the Equalizer from RVwholesalers.com http://rvwholesalers.com/index.php
For $500.00 delivered. This combination is one of the best you can get and a good price to boot.


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## jallen58 (Oct 27, 2003)

I tow my 28bhs with a 99 burb with Reese wd Hitch and Dual-Cam sway and prodigy and does just fine the hole deal with any hitch is proper setup. As fixjet said really old school have your hubby do it him self you will be better off (JMHO)

Jim


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