kdkrause
Redcliff AB Canada
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Joined: 06/06/2006
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On Friday I hitched up our Trail-Lite TL30BH to our 2008 Sierra 2500HD and went to a nearby parking lot to adjust my equal-i-zer. I have the 1200lb version.
Here are the measurements I came up with.
TV alone: Rear Fender 40 3/16" Front Fender 39"
TV with trailer on ball no WD: Rear Fender 39" Front Fender 39 1/2"
TV with trailer and WD: Rear Fender 39 3/16" Front Fender 39 1/8"
I thought I had it adjusted quite well, as on my GM truck the original plan is to return the front fender to its original starting point. I am currently using six washers.
When I measure the trailer at the front and the back I came up with the same measurements. However when I look at it it appears I am a bit nose up, see the picture below.
We set out for out first trip using this configuration. It was very windy and I was surprised that the trailer was wanting to move around on me. I wouldn't say it was white knuckle but I could feel it wiggling. Is this a normal occurence for a trailer this length? I am just not sure what a good towing experience is supposed to feel like.
Do I need to do further adjustments? I am wondering if I should drop the height of the ball down one hole on the shank. This trip I did not have my TopPopRails bike rack installed so I will be adding another 150 lbs of tongue weight once I have that installed and the bikes loaded.
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havedreamwilltravel
Southern California
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Joined: 08/15/2006
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Is your trailer loaded up yet or is it empty? What does the trailer weigh? What does the tongue weigh?
It "looks" nose up - but looks are deceiving. Put a contractors level and see if it's level or not.
2007 GMC Yukon Denali - 6.2L 380hp/417ft-lbs,0-60 in 6.2 seconds
2007 Jayco Jayflight 27BH
Equalizer Hitch, Prodigy Brake Control
Our Truck and Trailer
Easy Trailer Mods-NEW pics added 4/10/08
Visited a lot of states, haven't camped in many...yet. 
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NebraskaNative
Nebraska
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Joined: 06/21/2007
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KD -
You should check out my post regarding my experience with our 2005 2500HD:
Link
In the end I found out I was taking too much weight off the back, as the truck rides much better when there is more weight in the rear.
I've since dropped down to 3 washers to keep a little sway reduction ability on the bars and to keep the front at original height, but have found the truck handles MUCH better with the extra weight on the TV rear. Also, think about how the rear springs will allow side-to-side motion when they are not compressed that much, so when more weight is allowed to rest on them they are compressed and should not allow much side-to-side action.
Check the tire pressures too. The higher the pressure the less side-to-side they can move as the sidewall is much tighter, you'll sacrifice ride quality though, so it's a trade-off.
Also, I think the general consensus is that the TT should be at a slight nose-down attitude.
Hope this helps.
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kdkrause
Redcliff AB Canada
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havedreamwilltravel wrote:Is your trailer loaded up yet or is it empty? What does the trailer weigh? What does the tongue weigh?
It "looks" nose up - but looks are deceiving. Put a contractors level and see if it's level or not.
I had my truck and trailer fully loaded and ready to camp including the water tank. I wasn't able to take it to the scale to get the real weights. I did place a level on the floor inside the trailer and it showed it as being level.
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mooreadventures
North Carolina
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Joined: 03/22/2004
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I think you need to readjust your ball height (just from looking). Equalizer has some great instructions on thier website -> Installation Instructions.
Also, you may want to check the torque on the arm brackets - they should be at 45 ft-lbs.
Mark & Tammy
'01 Excursion Limited, 4x4, V10, RoadMaster Active Suspension
'01 Prowler 31G
Equal-i-zer Hitch - Prodigy Brake Controller
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havedreamwilltravel
Southern California
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kdkrause wrote:havedreamwilltravel wrote:Is your trailer loaded up yet or is it empty? What does the trailer weigh? What does the tongue weigh?
It "looks" nose up - but looks are deceiving. Put a contractors level and see if it's level or not.
I had my truck and trailer fully loaded and ready to camp including the water tank. I wasn't able to take it to the scale to get the real weights. I did place a level on the floor inside the trailer and it showed it as being level.
You need to make sure that you have the proper amount of tongue weight. Use the level on the trailer tongue/truck bumper. If it's level, then it just "looks" nose high and your fine. If the water tank is in the rear it could bring the nose up a bit/lighten the tongue weight. If it's over the axles - it won't effect tongue weight as much and if it's forward of the axles it will make the tongue heavier. So...locate where your fresh water tank is at.
Level to slightly nose down is best with around 13% tongue weight.
On edit - I just re-read your post. That wiggling feeling - need more tongue weight or you need more tension on your sway bars. Again - fresh water tank behind the axles could lighten the tongue weight and give you that wiggling feeling as well as looser sway arms - another poster suggested checking the torque on the sockets and torque to recommended ft-lbs in manual.
Edit #2: first off I need to read and re-read before I post  The wiggling in high winds is fairly normal - what you should have felt with the wiggling was the whole unit as one wiggling and not necessarily just the trailer alone. We've driven through some gusty winds ourselves and the whole unit will get a bit wiggly, not bad but when it's windy your in effect pulling a huge box against it and the forces the wind puts on the TT whilst pulling through it are enormous and. You can't pull through gusty winds without feeling something to some degree. I found the wiggling stops when you drop your speed a bit.
Regular towing - without inclement weather - does it feel solid or still wiggling?
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kdkrause
Redcliff AB Canada
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havedreamwilltravel wrote:
Edit #2: first off I need to read and re-read before I post The wiggling in high winds is fairly normal - what you should have felt with the wiggling was the whole unit as one wiggling and not necessarily just the trailer alone. We've driven through some gusty winds ourselves and the whole unit will get a bit wiggly, not bad but when it's windy your in effect pulling a huge box against it and the forces the wind puts on the TT whilst pulling through it are enormous and. You can't pull through gusty winds without feeling something to some degree. I found the wiggling stops when you drop your speed a bit.
Regular towing - without inclement weather - does it feel solid or still wiggling?
On the way back the tanks were all empty and the wind was minimal and it felt pretty good. It is hard to describe the wiggling, I would feel the trailer wiggle and then found myself correcting with the steering wheel. A drop in speed would probably help things also.
The steering does feel a bit light to me so maybe I do need to put more tension on the bars.
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1mtnman
Colorado
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I have had similar issues with my equal-i-zer with the OEM hitch. Had tried everything and still couldn't transfer weight to the front axle. I think this is the a problem because of the way the OEM hitch is attached to the TV. I have since replaced the OEM hitch on my 2005 Silverado 2500HD with a Putnam XDR and the issue is resolved. End of story!
MTNMAN
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havedreamwilltravel
Southern California
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kdkrause wrote:havedreamwilltravel wrote:
Edit #2: first off I need to read and re-read before I post The wiggling in high winds is fairly normal - what you should have felt with the wiggling was the whole unit as one wiggling and not necessarily just the trailer alone. We've driven through some gusty winds ourselves and the whole unit will get a bit wiggly, not bad but when it's windy your in effect pulling a huge box against it and the forces the wind puts on the TT whilst pulling through it are enormous and. You can't pull through gusty winds without feeling something to some degree. I found the wiggling stops when you drop your speed a bit.
Regular towing - without inclement weather - does it feel solid or still wiggling?
On the way back the tanks were all empty and the wind was minimal and it felt pretty good. It is hard to describe the wiggling, I would feel the trailer wiggle and then found myself correcting with the steering wheel. A drop in speed would probably help things also.
The steering does feel a bit light to me so maybe I do need to put more tension on the bars.
If the sockets arms where the sway bars go into swing VERY freely they might need to be re-torqued. this is a maintenance thing and we check ours every 2-3 trips depending on mileage (as well as the rest of the hitch and bolts and tighten as needed).
What you felt could have just been the wind gusts and if the whole set-up - truck and trailer moved together - i.e. being pushed by the wind and one unit - then slow your speed in these conditions. However, if you noticed the back end of the just the trailer moving left and right i.e. - slight sway - then some adjustments might need to be made.
Important though to get a tongue weight and trailer weight beforehand. You might need more tongue weight and it would be a simple fix. I'd start there.
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cmack
Massachusetts
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Joined: 08/04/2007
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If it is nose high then you need to lower the hitch head on the shank.
2003 Ford Explorer XLT (4.6L V8, 3.73LS rear)
2007 Freedom Spirit FS180
Equal-i-zer 1000# hitch
Voyager brake controller
Tow-N-See mirrors
SAF-TTE TPMS
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