# Installed Fastway E2 Equalizer Hitch....



## TimU (Aug 26, 2014)

Well,

Got my E2 Equalizer hitch installed over the weekend. I'm not sure if it's entirely "correct" - but had little choice in the installation.

First thing - had to move the breakaway switch (and as there's no battery on the tongue yet - it doesn't work). The only location I could come up with right now is just on the outside of the frame/hitch. I know it isn't the best - and this is a bit temporary, as I'm going to have to remove the propane bottles to more easily get to a place I can drill a new hole to mount it. Anyway, as I said, no battery - no workee anyway right now.

I followed the instructions, but there really aren't all that many level places to do an installation. I don't have enough concrete poured to get both truck and trailer on a level surface - so I opted to get the truck in the garage (still a bit of slope for runoff, but not as bad as driveway), and used a level on the frame, and the level on the trailer to level the trailer to take measurements of ball, etc. Used a line level along floor of garage, and out of garage to measure the height of the ball at the receiver, etc.

Basically, everything went pretty well. Problem was, when it came to getting "everything right" getting the bars set - there was only one option. Set them as best I could so I could actually leverage them onto the "L" brackets to hold them. With that, as best I can tell (again, not having a level playing surface, and doing as best I can to accommodate), I did get the truck back where it was, within 1/2" at the rear axle. Before, the front fender was 35.5" above the ground, and the rear fender was 36.5" off the ground. When I was done - 35.5" front, 36.0" rear. Trying to move the "L" bracket up another setting raised the "L" bracket another 1.5", and I ain't man enough to lever that bar into place. And I ain't no little guy. Even where it is, if the angles aren't right for the truck/hitch/trailer, you ain't gonna lever it into place. I could take a washer or two out of the receiver pin (makes the receiver/ball angled down slightly), to get the receiver/ball more upright, which will make the bars at less of an angle, but I'm not sure I see the difference there between lowering the "L" bracket, or angling the receiver/ball to a more upright position (both put less angle on the sway bars so they don't have too much to go to lever up onto the "L" bracket).

This setup is different than what my dad had 44 years ago. It was still a bar setup, but there were chains to hang the end off the "L" bracket, with a piece sticking out that you could put a bar over, and lever up. So - you had everything "in place" and connected, and just had to lever it up (chains took the place of the "L" bracket). The E2 - you have to lever it up and over the "L" bracket, and the lever isn't long enough (or angled if the ground is low - which it constantly was), and I kept having it slide back to my hand and popping my hand. Nearly broke a bone once, have a nice bruise to remind me of that.

I did get it out for a test drive, and it drives COMPLETELY different. Before, I didn't want to get much over 55 - just felt too squirrelly, now - it tracks nice, and I feel good at 65.

I do need to go retighten the bolts, etc. I might even get someplace to do that. I've got a 300 ft. lb. beam type torque wrench (and a 150 ft. lb. too), but just can't seem to get enough room to get those nuts on much over about 220 indicated (for the receiver - supposed to be 250). And really not enough room to get the frame brackets up to much more than about 55-60 ft. lbs (supposed to be 50-70, so I guess I'm ok there, but would rather be at 65 or so).


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## TimU (Aug 26, 2014)

Oh, I might mention - their "needed tool list" in the installation manual was a joke.

Needed several more wrenches of varying sizes than stated, and where it seemed that they thought the bolt head and nut were same size in a few instances - they weren't.


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## matty1 (Mar 7, 2005)

Even after using the tongue jack to lift up the back end of truck while attached it is still hard to get the bars into place? I know with my Reese and my last truck, I really had to raise the truck up before attaching the chains, especially if the ground was sloped.


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## TimU (Aug 26, 2014)

matty1 said:


> Even after using the tongue jack to lift up the back end of truck while attached it is still hard to get the bars into place? I know with my Reese and my last truck, I really had to raise the truck up before attaching the chains, especially if the ground was sloped.


Yeah - had to do that to get it a bit more level before getting the bars snapped in. I probably need to increase the air pressure in the rear tires (been running about 35psi). And that's got me concerned about certain RV sites - if the ground is sloped the wrong way, I may not get those bars back on.


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## Stumpy75 (Feb 26, 2014)

TimU said:


> Well,
> 
> Got my E2 Equalizer hitch installed over the weekend. I'm not sure if it's entirely "correct" - but had little choice in the installation.
> 
> ...


You shouldn't have to lever it into place...

Hitch the trailer ball up, and then using the tongue lift, lift BOTH the truck and the trailer until the bars go on top of the L bracket. I don't use any force at all with mine. One finger could put them on! Then lower the truck and trailer, and the bars will be set. They give you a tool to get the bars up on the bracket, but I've never used it...


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## TimU (Aug 26, 2014)

Stumpy75 said:


> You shouldn't have to lever it into place...
> 
> Hitch the trailer ball up, and then using the tongue lift, lift BOTH the truck and the trailer until the bars go on top of the L bracket. I don't use any force at all with mine. One finger could put them on! Then lower the truck and trailer, and the bars will be set. They give you a tool to get the bars up on the bracket, but I've never used it...


I'd thought of that, and done a bit of that - but that has to put tremendous stress on the tongue lift (mine is mechanical/electric). I'm not wild about putting that much stress on it - lifting both the trailer and the rear end of the truck. A lot of weight on something intended to only pick up the trailer tongue. And depending on ground and terrain, I'm not sure you can always get the proper angle to lift things high enough to do what you're doing - at least many of the places I have frequented in the past. In fact, the place I stayed at a week before would simply not have worked.


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## Stumpy75 (Feb 26, 2014)

Google around, but that's the way you hook up the Equalizer and E2 hitches... I have a 4500lb electric lift. It's made to lift both....

Manual See page 17.


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## W5CI (Apr 21, 2009)

I have 5 washers in the Head of the hitch and use my elect jack to lift the TT and TV high enough that the Bars slide on the L brackets. You must be on a Level surface to adjust everything, if you dont have that at home go to WalMart or somewhere else that has a Level parking lot. Good Luck


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## TimU (Aug 26, 2014)

W5CI said:


> I have 5 washers in the Head of the hitch and use my elect jack to lift the TT and TV high enough that the Bars slide on the L brackets. You must be on a Level surface to adjust everything, if you dont have that at home go to WalMart or somewhere else that has a Level parking lot. Good Luck


Yeah, I'd thought of the Wally World parking lot approach too - and might well do that in the next day or two to see if everything is up-to-snuff.

I'm just not used to the idea of the tongue jack being used for that - manual or electric. Just seems like it's going to break the tongue jack at some point, and then I'd be in a real pickle picking up the front end of the trailer off the ground.


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