# Equalizer Hitch Adjustments????? Please Check My Work



## TexasHunts (Jul 31, 2005)

Ok, I took the plunge and took apart my Eqalizer hitch this weekend and totaly re-set it using their instructions and insight from everyone here. I'm still not sure if I got it right. Here are my measurements....

For the rear, I used the bottom of the receiver tube as a reference point and on the front I used the bottom of the spoiler. When I started, there were 5 washers and showing 5 holes on the top side of "L" bracket. The hitch ball height was almost 2" too high. Moved it to about 23.5" based on the leveled height of the hitch coupler. I assumed 600# tongue weight for height adjustments.

........Front .........Rear

Initial ----9.5" ......... 15"
#1------10.75" ........10.75"
#2------10.50" ........11.50" Moved "L" bracket up 1 hole
#3------10.25" ........12" Moved "L" bracket up 1 Hole
#4------10" ..............12.25" Moved "L" bracket up 1 hole (highest I could go)
#5------10.25" .........12.5" "L" bracket back to initial and adding 2 washers (7 total)
#6-------9.75" ..........13.25" moved "L" bracket up one with 7 washers.

I stopped there as it was getting real difficult to leverage the bars onto the "L" brackets. BTW, I have 1,000# bars.

A few questions or comments: 1) It seemed very odd that I couldn't get the Front back to the original height. 2) Would 1,200# bars help? 3) I now have so much moaning a groaning back there, I could swear my twin was riding on the hitch. 4) I've heard that the bars s/b generally parallel with the frame. Mine aren't. They're angled up front to back.

I towed it back to the storage place last night with the #6 setup and it was remarkably different. notice I didn't say better. Not sure it's better really as I'm not sure what it's supposed to be like at this point. I did notice that the steering was much much tighter, not soft as it was before.

I have pics of the setup but can't post them until tonight. Any thoughts???

Thanks


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I stopped there as it was getting real difficult to leverage the bars onto the "L" brackets. BTW, I have 1,000# bars.

Try jacking up the truck and trailer after they are hooked up, then you will be able to slide the bars onto their brackets with no effort. I do ours this way all the time, I never have to use the cheater bar.

Mike


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## gregjoyal (Jan 25, 2005)

The bars on the equalizer should be pretty level. It's the downward friction of the bar on the L bracket that gives you sway control. If the bars aren't sitting in the L-bracket properly you:

1. won't be benefitting from the equalizer's sway control
2. will likely have a much noisier ride since you're using them in way they weren't designed
3. could experience premature wear on the L brackets

You don't necessarily have to pop a blood vessel in your foreheard to get the bars on the brackets. It sounds like you need to drop your L brackets one hole.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

TexasHunts,

It sounds like you are still not there. The first thing you need to do is get the bars more parallel to the trailer frame. To do this, you may have to add additional washers into the hitch head to tip it further back. It will look strange, but that's the way it works. However, if you have 7 washers already, there is something else in play here.

One common mistake is to level the trailer on unlevel ground, and then take the ground to hitch measurement. Whats more important than the trailer being level, is that the frame is parallel to the ground. If you level the trailer on a sloping surface, the measurement will be wrong. So I would start by verifing that is correct.

Next, 600# tongue load is too light on the 28RS-DS. You will be closer to 850-900# (sometimes 1,000 depending on how you are loaded).

As far as the front and rear measurements, a basic rule is that if they go down, you are adding weight at that end. If they go up you are reducing weight at that axle. Now, the reality is that you may not be able to get the front end to drop as much as the rear, but you do want it to drop some. Even if it ends up in the normal position, you have done a good job of stopping the transfer of weight off of the front axle (which is what leads to loss of control). You are doing nothing to reduce the load the rear axle is being asked to carry, but you are safer. At this point, your feel for the rig during test drives is going to tell you whether you have it working or not. You should be having no sway, and good solid steering control.

As far as hooking everything up, as Mike suggested, use the tongue jack to lift the trailer and the 'Burb together. It will look really scary, but it really makes hooking up the bars easier (If you don't have one already, buy a power jack!). The sound issue is solved by greasing up all the friction surfaces. That Equal-i-zer will really groan if you don't!

Hope this helps.









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

Hopefully, your goal is to get near the same amount of compression on the front and back of the tow vehicle, within 1 inch (I think that's right, but check the instructions). If you get the back to compress say, two inches, you should get at least one inch compression on the front.

I am a bit challenged on getting any front compression out of mine. I was at least able to get to zero compression (and not negative) with my current set up and 3/4" compression on the back. I think part of my problem is the stiff Z71 suspension on my truck, plus the fact that the diameter of the Equalizer' s shank is quite a bit smaller than the receiver's opening, thus I lose some of the "pitch" on the hitch head.

My next exercise, should the mood strike, would be to add some washers. But, the set up is towing great, so there is no real reason to mess with it.


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

I admire all your efforts. Seems like you still have a way to go though. I took a tip from PDX Doug to "level" the trailer. I measured the frame at the front and rear to make sure it was level to the ground. However, your hitch ball seems at the proper height.

I wouldn't think you would need that many washers plus have to raise the L brackets to those points. I was surprised to see your #1 test lower the rear over 4" using the initial set up.

Could something else be in play here? Could the 1/2 ton Burb's suspension be too soft for that size trailer?


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## TexasHunts (Jul 31, 2005)

Thanks everyone...you can sure tell it's lunch time. I'll try to answer or comment on the many suggestions.

Leveling the trailer...I did measure ground to frame on the front and back of the trailer to level it.

Tongue weight.....I'll adjust to 850#'s. that should raise the ball another .75" I think. Or move it up one hole.

Washers.....These aren't the original washers I added. They're grade 8 washers from Lowes that are a little thinner than the ones the came with the hitch. so maybe there's 6.5 washers using the supplied ones as a referrence. May add another when I move the ball up.

Bars.....When i do the above, I'll drop the "L" bracket down one hole to get more level with the frame. I didn't think it looked right.

Lifting TV and trailer w/tongue jack.....I do this now. It's not blood vessel popping hard, but much harder than before. Perhaps before I was way off and my point of referrence is flawed.

Question, what would getting 1,200# bars do for me in this case?

Thanks again for your help everyone.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

TexasHunts said:


> Question, what would getting 1,200# bars do for me in this case?


The bigger bars will give you more load transfer for the same adjustment settings. It sounds like they would help you, but...

The bars are of a different dimension, and will not fit in the sockets your 1,000# bars use. I don't know if you can just replace those sockets with the bars, or if that means replacing the entire hitch head.









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

Readin stuff.

Clicky

I vote that getting rid of the factory GM receiver and replacing it will help with weight transfer to the front of the burb.


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## gregjoyal (Jan 25, 2005)

TexasHunts said:


> Thanks everyone...you can sure Question, what would getting 1,200# bars do for me in this case?


They'll provide a stiffer ride as well... It wouldn't have hurt to have the 1,200# bars, but I think the 1,000# bars should be plenty.


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