I have only slightly more mechanical aptitude than I do spare time and motivation. I am generally content to pay someone else to do stuff for me. When the decision was made to get the Equalizer, I priced it at my dealer...$650 and change for the hitch and $150 for install..... OUCH!!!
Off to the interwebz and got one for $469 and then off to a buddies house today for an extra set of hands.
Read the manual, watched the video on youtube, and off we went to start.
The driveway we were using was about an 1/8 bubble off level, so we leveled the trailer using a tape measure to level it in relation to the surface. Went to install my ball...ooops,need a 1 1/4" shank and my ball has a 1"...off to NAPA. The directions said you may use a bushing, but for peace of mind I spent the extra $14 bucks over the price of a cheesy peace of metal and bought a new ball.
Once we started rolling, total time spent was about an hour.We used the base recommended 4 washers and 2 holes up, 2 holes down on the brackets. my frame allowed us to place the brackets at precisely the recommended 32".
To shorten this,my base TV measurements w/o trailer/ wheelwell measurements rear 32.5, front 32.
With trailer but no weight distribution, 30.5 rear, 32.5 front.
With everything hooked up, 32 rear, 32 front..trailer level :-)
yloshrk wrote: ......dealer...$650 and change for the hitch and $150 for install..... OUCH!!!
Off to the interwebz and got one for $469 and then off to a buddies house today for an extra set of hands.
1) Read the manual
2) watched the video on youtube
3) and off we went to start.
The driveway we were using was about an 1/8 bubble off level, so we leveled the trailer using a tape measure to level it in relation to the surface.
.....need a 1 1/4" shank and my ball has a 1"...off to NAPA. The directions said you may use a bushing, but for peace of mind I spent the extra $14 bucks ,,,,,,
Manuals? We don't need no stinking manuals!!!!!
Just kidding. You did very well to read up and do this yourself. Also, kudos for spending the few extra bucks to get the 1 1/4 shank. It is definitely worth the peace of mind.
"Leveling" a trailer is almost always a bad idea. You will find very few lots, roads, driveways, etc. that are truly level. You did the right thing by making the trailer frame parallel to the driveway and taking measurements from that point.
Make SURE that the shank of the ball that you purchased does not stick down too far in the hitch head. The Equal-i-zer hitch is very picky about shank length on the ball. If it is too long, and many are, the WD bar sockets will hit the ball shank during a turn. If you can see more than a very tiny bit of the shank sticking down out of the hitch head check it very carefully so you don't break the hitch. If you purchase the Equal-i-zer ball the shank will be fine. It has a shank length of 2-3/8in.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch
2002 Ford F250 Super Duty, 7.3L PSD Visit our website here
BarneyS wrote: Make SURE that the shank of the ball that you purchased does not stick down too far in the hitch head. The Equal-i-zer hitch is very picky about shank length on the ball. If it is too long, and many are, the WD bar sockets will hit the ball shank during a turn. If you can see more than a very tiny bit of the shank sticking down out of the hitch head check it very carefully so you don't break the hitch. If you purchase the Equal-i-zer ball the shank will be fine. It has a shank length of 2-3/8in.
Barney
Thanks,that was page 9 of the manual and measured that too! :-)
yloshrk wrote: I have only slightly more mechanical aptitude than I do spare time and motivation. I am generally content to pay someone else to do stuff for me. When the decision was made to get the Equalizer, I priced it at my dealer...$650 and change for the hitch and $150 for install..... OUCH!!!
Off to the interwebz and got one for $469 and then off to a buddies house today for an extra set of hands.
Read the manual, watched the video on youtube, and off we went to start.
The driveway we were using was about an 1/8 bubble off level, so we leveled the trailer using a tape measure to level it in relation to the surface. Went to install my ball...ooops,need a 1 1/4" shank and my ball has a 1"...off to NAPA. The directions said you may use a bushing, but for peace of mind I spent the extra $14 bucks over the price of a cheesy peace of metal and bought a new ball.
Once we started rolling, total time spent was about an hour.We used the base recommended 4 washers and 2 holes up, 2 holes down on the brackets. my frame allowed us to place the brackets at precisely the recommended 32".
To shorten this,my base TV measurements w/o trailer/ wheelwell measurements rear 32.5, front 32.
With trailer but no weight distribution, 30.5 rear, 32.5 front.
With everything hooked up, 32 rear, 32 front..trailer level :-)
Did you have (or where did you get) the large thin walled socket?
Erroll, Mary, Duffy the Badger Dog plus "Ollie"
2009 HiLo Towlite 2209T
2005 F150 Supercab 4x4, w/ 5.4L
yloshrk wrote: I have only slightly more mechanical aptitude than I do spare time and motivation. I am generally content to pay someone else to do stuff for me. When the decision was made to get the Equalizer, I priced it at my dealer...$650 and change for the hitch and $150 for install..... OUCH!!!
Off to the interwebz and got one for $469 and then off to a buddies house today for an extra set of hands.
Read the manual, watched the video on youtube, and off we went to start.
The driveway we were using was about an 1/8 bubble off level, so we leveled the trailer using a tape measure to level it in relation to the surface. Went to install my ball...ooops,need a 1 1/4" shank and my ball has a 1"...off to NAPA. The directions said you may use a bushing, but for peace of mind I spent the extra $14 bucks over the price of a cheesy peace of metal and bought a new ball.
Once we started rolling, total time spent was about an hour.We used the base recommended 4 washers and 2 holes up, 2 holes down on the brackets. my frame allowed us to place the brackets at precisely the recommended 32".
To shorten this,my base TV measurements w/o trailer/ wheelwell measurements rear 32.5, front 32.
With trailer but no weight distribution, 30.5 rear, 32.5 front.
With everything hooked up, 32 rear, 32 front..trailer level :-)
Did you have (or where did you get) the large thin walled socket?
Well done! I've had to set up an Equalizer Hitch about 4-5 times now due to purchasing a new tow vehicle, a new travel trailer, wanting a better tow experience, or getting the heavier duty 14,000 lb hitch.
I've never considered it work.
2000 Ford F350 XLT 7.3L PSD CC 4x4 OffRoad SRW Long Bed
2008 Jayco Eagle 314BHDS (Momma Eagle)
Equalizer Hitch System (1400/14000lbs)
Prodigy Brake Controller
Curt XD Class V Receiver Hitch (1500/15000 lb)
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