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Old 09-29-2017, 07:26 PM   #1
billsr
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Question pertaining to new Equalizer hitch

Had an Equalizer hitch installed on my truck to tow our new 2018 Bullet Premier. Stock # 90-00-1000. When the trailer was hooked up to the hitch, it was darn near impossible to get the right Equalizer bar to swing onto the "L" bracket as the bar receiver in the hitch is so stiff to pivot. I have applied grease to the surfaces I can reach. Will the bar receivers loosen up the more we tow? I even loosened the bolt/nut on the right bar receiver to see if that would help, but it didn't.
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Old 09-29-2017, 07:41 PM   #2
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It should loosen up with use. The bar "receivers" are extremely hard to move when they are new.
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Old 09-30-2017, 04:16 AM   #3
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As Chuckster said it will loosen with age and use. Make sure you keep the nuts torqued properly. I'm assuming you mean side to side movement after you have jacked the TV and TT so the bar is at the right height.


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Old 09-30-2017, 06:32 AM   #4
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I'm pretty sure the torque is 40 or 45 foot pounds. There should be a sticker on where the bars slide into the hitch. They are probably just a little tight. You should check them after every couple trips for a while until they settle in.
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Old 09-30-2017, 08:10 AM   #5
billsr
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tbos View Post
As Chuckster said it will loosen with age and use. Make sure you keep the nuts torqued properly. I'm assuming you mean side to side movement after you have jacked the TV and TT so the bar is at the right height.


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Yes, I'm talking about the swiveling movement to get the bars into position on the "L" brackets. Thanks.
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Old 09-30-2017, 10:04 AM   #6
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I will hitch up and then use my trailer tongue jack to lift the TV and trailer. You will get to a point that the bars will be higher then the L brackets and they will swing right on. I was also given a bar/lever that will hook into the square hole on the L brackets that I can then lever the bar into place without using the jack.
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Old 09-30-2017, 11:46 AM   #7
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When new the swing arms can be very hard to move out or in. They do get easier but when fully torqued they are still pretty hard. The manual says you should lubricate the contact areas. I also got me a 1 1/2' length of pipe to use as a pry bar to assist when closing them when they are really tight. As far as how tight the nuts need to be -

Step 5 - Spring Arm Setup

Never tow with loose socket bolts. Tighten socket bolts to a minimum of 60 ft-lbs torque before each towing session.

The above is from the Equalizer manual. Somewhere else I have read in one of their publications that the torque can be up to 95 ft. lbs. or so. I keep mine at 65 and it has worked well.
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Old 09-30-2017, 02:56 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ncgrl1 View Post
I'm pretty sure the torque is 40 or 45 foot pounds. There should be a sticker on where the bars slide into the hitch. They are probably just a little tight. You should check them after every couple trips for a while until they settle in.
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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
When new the swing arms can be very hard to move out or in. They do get easier but when fully torqued they are still pretty hard. The manual says you should lubricate the contact areas. I also got me a 1 1/2' length of pipe to use as a pry bar to assist when closing them when they are really tight. As far as how tight the nuts need to be -

Step 5 - Spring Arm Setup

Never tow with loose socket bolts. Tighten socket bolts to a minimum of 60 ft-lbs torque before each towing session.

The above is from the Equalizer manual. Somewhere else I have read in one of their publications that the torque can be up to 95 ft. lbs. or so. I keep mine at 65 and it has worked well.
Thanks for the correction Sourdough.
I thought I was right when I said 40 or 45 lbs. Then I thought you were right after reading the publication you had.
Then I went down in the basement and looked at mine, and it does indeed say torque to 45 lbs.
Now I'm really confused as to which one to go by. I bought mine new in February???
I think I will call Equalizer on Monday for some clarification.
This has been a good educational and worthwhile post...
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Old 09-30-2017, 09:50 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ncgrl1 View Post
Thanks for the correction Sourdough.
I thought I was right when I said 40 or 45 lbs. Then I thought you were right after reading the publication you had.
Then I went down in the basement and looked at mine, and it does indeed say torque to 45 lbs.
Now I'm really confused as to which one to go by. I bought mine new in February???
I think I will call Equalizer on Monday for some clarification.
This has been a good educational and worthwhile post...

I pulled up the manual for the 6-14k spring arms. Do you have the 4k?

Edit: I just pulled up the manual for the 4k and they same as what I posted. My manual says the same as what I posted. ??? Maybe Equalizer can shed some light.
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Old 10-01-2017, 04:54 AM   #10
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No...Mine is the 10,000. Hopefully they can help with an answer. Thank you.
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Old 10-02-2017, 07:37 AM   #11
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Just spoke with Jason at Equalizer and the correct torque is "60 - 95" foot pounds. They were very nice and are sending me the correct labels for my hitch. Thanks to Sourdough for catching this. It should help tremendously.
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Old 10-02-2017, 10:31 AM   #12
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I had some issues with one side of my Equalizer being looser than the other. I check the torque regularly now. By checking, I loosen and then re-torque the bolts. Typically, I set it around 55 ft lbs. They told me 45-100 when I contacted them 2 years ago.
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Old 10-24-2017, 07:24 AM   #13
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I was told the hitch leaves the factory at 100lbs. Sourdough is right for the min setting now at 60lbs. Also asked if torqueing higher for windy days would tighten tow and was told it would have very little effect. I too find about 65lbs to work just great. Was pulling with an e2 that came with camper did a fair job but can not compare to the e4; just a much tighter tow.
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