# Equalizer Hitch Bites The Dust



## wicandthing (Jul 11, 2005)

Hello and happy holidays!

Just thought I would share our experience from Friday of last week. We were headed to Nocollula Falls in Gadsden, AL for the weekend. I wanted to top of the diesel so I wouldn't have to leave the campground all weekend, so I decided to pull into the gas station just down the road from the campground. About the time I got into the lot, I heard a loud kapow!. I was thinking, "#$% I just dragged the camper and that dip wasn't that deep". I decided to check everything out while I was pumping fuel.... While I was waiting for the diesel pump, a car pulled up beside me and the driver said "you know you had bolts and washers flying off your camper back there?". Needless to say, I got out to check it out. The pictures say it all.

http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view.sf...7e45aad1e0cdff4

Luckily, I wasn't blocking traffic and I was close to the campground. So I called a buddy of mine already there and he came and towed the camper the rest of the way. (To add insult to injury, the clerk put a bag over the diesel pump handle before I could fuel up...)

The local RV place was didn't have anything that would work (he overnights everything), so he gave me the 800 number for Progress Mfg. I called them and within an hour they had a dealership 30 minutes away waiting on me with a replacement hitch. I got to the dealership, they called Progress, explained the damage and within 30 minutes I was on the road with a brand new, installed hitch. I have to really give it to Progress for their awesome customer service as well as Hall RV in Albertville, AL for their help as well.

Fortunately noone was hurt and it didn't happen going 60 MPH down the highway!


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Your pictures are password protected.


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Wic,

Sorry to hear about the hitch, but kudos to the Equal-i-zer folks get getting on your problem so quick.








Can't see the photo(s) though, your link to shutterfly is password protected.

Happy Trails,
Doug


----------



## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

Wish I could see that picture since I have a Equal-I-zer and want to know what broke. Glad you got such good service, that is something that is hard to find these days.


----------



## puffer (Aug 28, 2008)

Wow that 1st and 3rd picture is amazing! Im glad no one was hurt. JUST KIDDING... Cant see the pics either.


----------



## wicandthing (Jul 11, 2005)

Sorry about the pictures. I've never used Shutterfly and the DW isn't around...

Try this link: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9AatnDVw0auXg

You can't really see it in the pictures, but on the side-view the 3/8" plate is flared out away from the draw bar from the bolt hole down.


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Holy cow!









That's a big bolt to shear off! How big a dip did you drive through?

Happy Trails,
Doug


----------



## wicandthing (Jul 11, 2005)

You could barely tell it was a dip. It was a concrete transition from the road to the lot of the station. It was a good 15-20 feet wide and maybe 4" deep in the middle. That is why it suprised me so much. All I can figure is something got into a bind and the hitch is what gave.

Best I can tell, there was no damage to the trailer, the sway bars, L-Brackets, etc,. I am taking the truck into the dealership tomorrow so they can check out the receiver for damage. Amazingly, everything stayed attached.

My buddy and I went back to the lot and looked around. We were both just shaking our heads trying to figure out what happened???


----------



## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

I would never believed it without pictures. The hitches seem so solid when you look at them. I am glad everything worked well for you and no one was hurt.

Thor


----------



## Dub (Dec 8, 2008)

Wow, that's pretty amazing. Looks like a lateral sheering force of some sort caused it to snap. I wonder if the sway control arms froze and when you turned left the hitch couldn't move so it bent around the shank?

I'm glad to hear of the good customer service, that's the hitch I use and I love it. Glad it wasn't a bad story.


----------



## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

Wow thats crazy!! It definately speaks well for there customer service though. I just cant imagine how that could happen like that







It had to be some serious force to do that. Glad it happened when it did and no other casulties besides the hitch.


----------



## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

How well did you keep it lubricated??


----------



## wicandthing (Jul 11, 2005)

jozway said:


> How well did you keep it lubricated??


I check all the torques before every trip. I also use silicone lubricant on the arms and brackets on every trip. I lubricate the "sockets" on the hitch head periodically.

I had that hitch 3+ years. My bars barely show any wear from friction on the L-brackets. Even the tech at the RV place agreed it wasn't a maintenance issue.


----------



## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

I guess i better lubricate mine then







When I researched equalizer before i bought i could not find anything like this that happened before. Did equalizer say they have encounterd this before?


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

If you did that much damage to your hitch...what in the world did the driveway look like?


----------



## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

PDX_Doug said:


> Holy cow!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ditto!

What was the GRADE of that bolt?

MaeJae


----------



## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

WOW, really glad you all were at a slow speed. Kudos to Progress Mfg for taking care of you!!


----------



## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Kudos to the Equalizer folks for stepping in. Things break, but customer service like that what makes the difference. Glad everyone was ok and undamaged.


----------



## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

You can't really analyze the failure from the photos, but the only time I've seen something like that is a loose joint. Bolts are normally designed to keep a joint compressed, and then let friction from the parts clamped together carry the acutal load. If things became loose either due to a loose nut, or yielding of the material, it could explain why this failed. Of course an improperly hardened (or grade) bolt will stretch extra and also allow the joint to loosen.

Glad this all worked out for you.


----------



## campfirenut (Aug 9, 2006)

Thank God no one was hurt.

Bob


----------



## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

N7OQ said:


> Wish I could see that picture since I have a Equal-I-zer and want to know what broke. Glad you got such good service, that is something that is hard to find these days.


X3. I have one too and would like to see the carnage.

Mike


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Here is the second link that was posted.

Carnage

The only way a bolt that size can shear is if it was allowing the head to pivot up or down but the one that really looks bad is the third one where the head is tweaked to the right, no idea how much side load is needed to bend that.


----------



## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

WOW! Glad to hear no one was hurt! Also, its great to hear that progress stood behind their product!


----------



## 2dayinc (Jul 2, 2008)

I'm glad to hear nobody was hurt and you got back up and going quickly. We would like to vist Nocollula Falls and do a little camping there ourselves.







We live in Cullman, AL. Would you happen to have any pics of the campground you could post/send?


----------



## wicandthing (Jul 11, 2005)

To answer some questions....

1) I didn't actually drag anything. There was no damage to the driveway. It was all binding problems.
2) I don't know the grade of the bolt as it was in the original packaging from the manufacturer. I do know it had three bars stamped on it, however. The new one they installed had upgraded bolts from what I understood.
3) Progress Mfg never said they had seen anything like that before. However, Hall RV said they had seen one other one do it.
4) I sent pictures to Progress via email. They seem to think the 5/8" bolt at the bottom of the hitch had backed out some and was allowing some play in the hitch head angle. I guess that is the one bolt I didn't check









Later!


----------



## wicandthing (Jul 11, 2005)

Nathan said:


> You can't really analyze the failure from the photos, but the only time I've seen something like that is a loose joint. Bolts are normally designed to keep a joint compressed, and then let friction from the parts clamped together carry the acutal load. If things became loose either due to a loose nut, or yielding of the material, it could explain why this failed. Of course an improperly hardened (or grade) bolt will stretch extra and also allow the joint to loosen.
> 
> Glad this all worked out for you.


I frequently check the torques on all the bolts. Progress Mfg. seems to think the angle set bolt hidden under the hitch may have backed out during travel. It doesn't actually lock down, so I guess that makes sense.


----------



## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

wicandthing said:


> You can't really analyze the failure from the photos, but the only time I've seen something like that is a loose joint. Bolts are normally designed to keep a joint compressed, and then let friction from the parts clamped together carry the acutal load. If things became loose either due to a loose nut, or yielding of the material, it could explain why this failed. Of course an improperly hardened (or grade) bolt will stretch extra and also allow the joint to loosen.
> 
> Glad this all worked out for you.


I frequently check the torques on all the bolts. Progress Mfg. seems to think the angle set bolt hidden under the hitch may have backed out during travel. It doesn't actually lock down, so I guess that makes sense.
[/quote]

Hmm, if there's a bolt that doesn't get torqued, you might try a mild loctite on it (use a version that can be broken loose). I never like to use loctite on things that need to be torqued because:
1. It's impossible to check torque after it hardens
2. The torque should be sufficient to hold the joint in place if it was designed correctly.


----------



## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Holy Smokes...glad you and everyone else are ok.

-CC


----------



## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

Ok, Here's what I found today.
I pulled out the manual for my hitch and a quick review there said the bolts should be grade 8.
A visual inspection of my hitch and the bolts on it are grade 5.
A call to Progress manufacturing is in order I think.
Talked to a very nice guy who's name I can't remember.
He said that all the hitches up to 12k shipped with grade 5 bolts until Nov 07 when they switched over to grade 8 bolts.
There was a short time frame where some of the newer instruction manuals that listed grade 8 bolts got put in with some of the hitches that still had Grade 5 hardware.
I figured they must have upgraded to the grade 8 hardware for a reason.
Those bolts cost more and they didn't go to them just because they felt like it.
I'm going to go ahead and replace my bolts, nuts, and washers with grade 8 stuff since that's what Progress is using now.

There guy on the phone also said that most of the failures could be traced back to the 5/8 angle adjusting bolt being loose.
I'm thinking I might throw a slightly longer bolt in there with some locking nuts on it to make sure it doesn't back out any.


----------



## wicandthing (Jul 11, 2005)

Katrina said:


> Ok, Here's what I found today.
> I pulled out the manual for my hitch and a quick review there said the bolts should be grade 8.
> A visual inspection of my hitch and the bolts on it are grade 5.
> A call to Progress manufacturing is in order I think.
> ...


I spoke with Daniel in Tech Support. He was really nice and did a great job.

Based on what I heard from the folks at Hall RV and my buddy who used to stretch 18 wheeler trailers for a living, the new bolts are a much better grade/quality than the original ones I had.

I'm planning on checking that 5/8" bolt before every trip now


----------



## swcolorado (Mar 16, 2008)

Glad you found the problem before it became a huge problem!

Our last trip out to Moab, UT I found our equalizer had loosened up on our way there. I think I'll follow the ideas in the post and also change to grade 8 and locking nuts. Thanks for the info and heads up everybody!


----------



## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

So, should this item get pinned as a topic so others will see?









Doug???


----------



## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Wow that was harsh. Looks like you turned but the trailer didn't







I'm not sure that better and properly tightened hitch head bolts would have changed the outcome. Looks like the arms may have been locked-up somehow.


----------



## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Those bolts should be torqued to around 250 feet.. If the bolt isnt torqued properly, it doesnt take much to shear it.

I would be willing to bet that 5% or less have those bolts torqued at 250..

A grade 5 bolt has a bit more spring in the bolt compared to a grade 8.. Thats why most all hitch makers use grade 5.. Safer.

Lucky you!

Carey


----------



## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Katrina said:


> Ok, Here's what I found today.
> I pulled out the manual for my hitch and a quick review there said the bolts should be grade 8.
> A visual inspection of my hitch and the bolts on it are grade 5.
> A call to Progress manufacturing is in order I think.
> ...


Be sure to buy there grade 8 bolts.. They prolly have a special rating for there needs.

Be careful using grade 8 bolts for a shear situation from just anyone.

Carey


----------



## bradnjess (Mar 25, 2007)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> A grade 5 bolt has a bit more spring in the bolt compared to a grade 8.. Thats why most all hitch makers use grade 5.. Safer.


My first instinct was to go out and replace my grade 5's w/ 8's as well. Are you saying that for the EQ set up grade 5's may be safer due to more "spring" so I would probably be better off keeping the 5's.

Brad


----------



## ranier1315 (Jan 4, 2008)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> Ok, Here's what I found today.
> I pulled out the manual for my hitch and a quick review there said the bolts should be grade 8.
> A visual inspection of my hitch and the bolts on it are grade 5.
> A call to Progress manufacturing is in order I think.
> ...


Be sure to buy there grade 8 bolts.. They prolly have a special rating for there needs.

Be careful using grade 8 bolts for a shear situation from just anyone.

Carey
[/quote]

A grade 8 bolt is a grade 8 bolt. There aren't different grades of 8 for different applications. If you are using the same thread ( fine or course) it doesn't matter where you get the bolts from.


----------



## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

ranier1315 said:


> Ok, Here's what I found today.
> I pulled out the manual for my hitch and a quick review there said the bolts should be grade 8.
> A visual inspection of my hitch and the bolts on it are grade 5.
> A call to Progress manufacturing is in order I think.
> ...


Be sure to buy there grade 8 bolts.. They prolly have a special rating for there needs.

Be careful using grade 8 bolts for a shear situation from just anyone.

Carey
[/quote]

A grade 8 bolt is a grade 8 bolt. There aren't different grades of 8 for different applications. If you are using the same thread ( fine or course) it doesn't matter where you get the bolts from.
[/quote]

Trust me, a chinease made grade 8 bolt is nothing like an american grade 8 bolt.. Most hardware stores sells chinease... Junk!

An american grade 8 bolt will cost ya double what a chinease made bolt will cost.

Carey


----------



## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

bradnjess said:


> A grade 5 bolt has a bit more spring in the bolt compared to a grade 8.. Thats why most all hitch makers use grade 5.. Safer.


My first instinct was to go out and replace my grade 5's w/ 8's as well. Are you saying that for the EQ set up grade 5's may be safer due to more "spring" so I would probably be better off keeping the 5's.

Brad
[/quote]

Thats why the hitch makers use grade 5.. But few have the capability to torque a bolt to 2-250 lbs. Then at that point, your worse off with a grade 5.. I bet very few hitch heads are properly torqued..

Carey


----------

