Travel Trailer WD Hitch

[Sherwolfe]

Just purchased a 2015 Keystone Cougar 28RLSWE 1/2 Ton Series. This was from a private party and it came with a EazLift Hitch and sway control. Overall the hitch seemed to work fine, other than the popping and screeching from the sway control bar.

Looking a purchasing a Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch as the information I have been able to obtain is these hitches are less messy and do a outstanding job.

Since I am new to this, thought I would seek some input from those of you who have more experience and knowledge about the Blue Ox WD Hitches.

As you can see from my signature, I am using a 2015 F150 Lariat with the 3.5 EcoBoost. Vehicle has plenty of power and did fine pulling the trailer with the EazLift hitch other than the noise it made, plus it was previously lubed and thus had plenty of grease.

I also see some discussions about the Equalizer and the Reese hitches, which of course each has their own Pro's and Con's. However, looking for the input for the Pro's or Con's of the Blue Ox. I am considering the Blue Ox 1500.

[bsmith0404]

I have an Eaz-Lift that I used for transporting, but have never used the sway control (can't install it on the trailers for transporting). My friend has the Blue OX for his Passport. Personal opinion, I love the Blue Ox and if I needed a hitch for my personal trailer that is what I would buy. They are very easy to use and work great, much better design for connecting the WD bars. However, since I already have a hitch that works well, a new hitch wouldn't be on my short list of things to buy just because of a little noise that you don't hear 98% of the time.

[BirchyBoy]

I have an Equalizer 10k and it can make quite a bit of noise at times as well. I'm with bsmith - I wouldn't buy a new hitch if it was adequately sized and it controlled the sway. The EQ has pads that sit under the bars and reduces the noise quite a bit. Not knowing how your hitch works, have you checked with the manufacturer to see if they have anything similar?

That said, my EQ hitch is too small for my new TT and I'm considering the SwayPro as well. I like the design and also the zerk fittings for the grease. Also, the bars can be upgraded to heavier or lighter and not require a full replacement like I'm facing right now :(

[Sherwolfe]

I have an Eaz-Lift that I used for transporting, but have never used the sway control (can't install it on the trailers for transporting). My friend has the Blue OX for his Passport. Personal opinion, I love the Blue Ox and if I needed a hitch for my personal trailer that is what I would buy. They are very easy to use and work great, much better design for connecting the WD bars. However, since I already have a hitch that works well, a new hitch wouldn't be on my short list of things to buy just because of a little noise that you don't hear 98% of the time.

You are likely right regarding the noise, yet I can tell you this, I jumped several times while pulling this trailer the first time with all the popping and groaning of the sway control device. Maybe I can get use to the noise, but I do believe I still need to do a little fine tuning of this hitch as I did have a little sway remaining even after I put the sway control bar on. On the trip home I started out not using the sway control bar and after about 15 miles decided to stop and add it, this made a difference, but of course then the noise.

So I'm going double check the hitch height and the adjustments on the spring bars. I see they are 800 lbs and maybe after checking the weights at the scale I might possibly need 1,000 lbs, if I keep the EazLift.

Thank you for sharing your information.

[Sherwolfe]

I have an Equalizer 10k and it can make quite a bit of noise at times as well. I'm with bsmith - I wouldn't buy a new hitch if it was adequately sized and it controlled the sway. The EQ has pads that sit under the bars and reduces the noise quite a bit. Not knowing how your hitch works, have you checked with the manufacturer to see if they have anything similar?

That said, my EQ hitch is too small for my new TT and I'm considering the SwayPro as well. I like the design and also the zerk fittings for the grease. Also, the bars can be upgraded to heavier or lighter and not require a full replacement like I'm facing right now :(

Appreciate the input, you are correct in that I'm not sure I have the right size spring bars and maybe now that I have this trailer home I can fine tune it more. What has caught my attention with the Blue Ox, although not completely sold yet, is the ease of hook-up, no greasy bars and the sway control is reportedly built into the hitch without the additional sway control device. Then the added bonus of being able to switch out the spring bars if you have a lighter or heaver load. ( Not that I would likely keep several pairs of these just laying around )

A friend of mine went from the EazLift to the EQ Hitch and said this made a huge difference for his towing, he really likes his EQ Hitch

Thank you for the input.

[GaryWT]

I have an Equil I zer E2 which I love. Works great and is so easy to hook up. It does make noise but as long as it works, I do not care what it sounds like. So it turns a few heads... Good luck with whatever you use.

[SamI]

I have the blue ox sway pro. It work very well and have no complaints. I pull a outback terrain 299bh and it controls it very well. I would recommend it to anyone interested. Just make sure you get the right bars or it won't work properly. Too big of bars and you won't get the spring to CO trol the sway.

[hankaye]

Sherwolfe, Howdy;

What you have is one of the best WD hitches out there. I used one for
the TT I used to own. Hated the noise but a few drops of dish detergent
on the "L" brackets will take all the screech out of them. go through a
puddle and all nice and clean, and a lot cheaper then the Lube that is
sold for them.

hankaye

[Mike484]

I'm not familiar with the hitch your talking about but I'm assuming that it must be a cam type sway control. That is what I use, but it is by Reese, and yes, there is some popping and squeezing going on back there but generally it is only when I make sharp turns and at that time I'm not traveling fast anyway so even though sometimes it sounds scary, I'm not really concerned about it.

The way the sway controls were explained to me is that the friction type will stop the sway once it begins, the cam style will prevent it from ever stating in the first place. When I bought this, many years ago, the cam type was considered the best. I have never had any issues with it and I actually like it very much.

I am interested in hearing other people's opinions on what they use and if you feel as though the friction type is indeed as good as the cam or if the cam style really is better.

Sorry if it seems I'm hijacking the thread, but the question about the popping and squeezing made me wonder.

[Sherwolfe]

I have an Equil I zer E2 which I love. Works great and is so easy to hook up. It does make noise but as long as it works, I do not care what it sounds like. So it turns a few heads... Good luck with whatever you use.

Thanks GaryWT for the info, never hurts to turn heads....

[Sherwolfe]

I have the blue ox sway pro. It work very well and have no complaints. I pull a outback terrain 299bh and it controls it very well. I would recommend it to anyone interested. Just make sure you get the right bars or it won't work properly. Too big of bars and you won't get the spring to CO trol the sway.

Thank you, if I go with the Blue Ox, looks like right now I have about 900 lbs being applied to the tongue so I figure the 1,000 lbs bars would work fine.

[Sherwolfe]

Sherwolfe, Howdy;

What you have is one of the best WD hitches out there. I used one for
the TT I used to own. Hated the noise but a few drops of dish detergent
on the "L" brackets will take all the screech out of them. go through a
puddle and all nice and clean, and a lot cheaper then the Lube that is
sold for them.

hankaye

Well I have heard these are one of the best, just dealing with the noise. However I have not heard about the dish detergent, something to try for the next haul.

[Sherwolfe]

I'm not familiar with the hitch your talking about but I'm assuming that it must be a cam type sway control. That is what I use, but it is by Reese, and yes, there is some popping and squeezing going on back there but generally it is only when I make sharp turns and at that time I'm not traveling fast anyway so even though sometimes it sounds scary, I'm not really concerned about it.

The way the sway controls were explained to me is that the friction type will stop the sway once it begins, the cam style will prevent it from ever stating in the first place. When I bought this, many years ago, the cam type was considered the best. I have never had any issues with it and I actually like it very much.

I am interested in hearing other people's opinions on what they use and if you feel as though the friction type is indeed as good as the cam or if the cam style really is better.

Sorry if it seems I'm hijacking the thread, but the question about the popping and squeezing made me wonder.

Mike484, I don't believe your are hijacking the thread, the more info we can share to help everyone then the better. Let's see who else chimes in for further considerations regarding this issue. Been some terrific input so far.

[bsmith0404]

Keep in mind that the bars you use is not determined by how much tongue weight you have (kind of). If you have 1,000 lbs of tongue weight doesn't mean you need 1,000 lb bars. The rating on the bars is how much weight they have the ability to transfer. For example, if you have 1,500 lbs of tongue weight with 1,000 lb bars, in theory you can transfer 1,000 lbs of weight off of the hitch. Here's a link that starts to explain it a little. A google search will give you more reading/understanding on it.

http://blog.hensleymfg.com/Safe-Towing/bid/26074/Weight-Distribution-Hitch-Selection

[CoreyC]

I have the blue ox sway pro and have no complaints about it. It's very easy to hook up, very well built, no noise, you can back up without unhitching, and no sway. I used it on a 1/2 ton Sierra and on my current truck. They have a good tech support team that could help you select the correct bars for your application. It's easy to do the install and set up if you have the proper tools. The torque on the head bolts around 250 ft lbs, plus the ball( not supplied) in my case was around 450 ft lbs. Amazon.com had the best price that I could find.

[BirchyBoy]

Keep in mind that the bars you use is not determined by how much tongue weight you have (kind of). If you have 1,000 lbs of tongue weight doesn't mean you need 1,000 lb bars. The rating on the bars is how much weight they have the ability to transfer. For example, if you have 1,500 lbs of tongue weight with 1,000 lb bars, in theory you can transfer 1,000 lbs of weight off of the hitch. Here's a link that starts to explain it a little. A google search will give you more reading/understanding on it.

http://blog.hensleymfg.com/Safe-Towing/bid/26074/Weight-Distribution-Hitch-Selection

Hold the phone....that contradicts what the EQ rep told me and puts me in a tough spot. My new TT will have a tongue weight of about 1100 lbs and a max trailer weight of 8,800. My EQ is rated for 1k & 10k. Based on that post by Hensley, I should be fine with my hitch because I'm guessing I'll transfer 300 lbs or so. That's a wild guess, by the way.

I thought the first number indicated how much weight the hitch itself could support. Here's the email from EQ support:

That 1,000lb tongue weight rating is before hooking up. If you're careful you may be able to keep that under 1,000lbs. Our recommendation would be to upgrade to a 12k or even 14k model though so you're not having to worry about it.

[Sherwolfe]

Keep in mind that the bars you use is not determined by how much tongue weight you have (kind of). If you have 1,000 lbs of tongue weight doesn't mean you need 1,000 lb bars. The rating on the bars is how much weight they have the ability to transfer. For example, if you have 1,500 lbs of tongue weight with 1,000 lb bars, in theory you can transfer 1,000 lbs of weight off of the hitch. Here's a link that starts to explain it a little. A google search will give you more reading/understanding on it.

http://blog.hensleymfg.com/Safe-Towing/bid/26074/Weight-Distribution-Hitch-Selection

Appreciate the link for info, will check it out.

[Sherwolfe]

I have the blue ox sway pro and have no complaints about it. It's very easy to hook up, very well built, no noise, you can back up without unhitching, and no sway. I used it on a 1/2 ton Sierra and on my current truck. They have a good tech support team that could help you select the correct bars for your application. It's easy to do the install and set up if you have the proper tools. The torque on the head bolts around 250 ft lbs, plus the ball( not supplied) in my case was around 450 ft lbs. Amazon.com had the best price that I could find.

CoreyC,

Thanks, seems like possibly the Blue Ox may just be where I will end up. The information shared on this topic has been helpful and I am glad I asked the questions.

[Mike484]

Is there a problem with useing bars that are an overkill for the weight? i.e.: bars that are rated for a lot more weight than what your trailer actually is

[JRTJH]

Is there a problem with useing bars that are an overkill for the weight? i.e.: bars that are rated for a lot more weight than what your trailer actually is

Here is a direct cut and paste from the link that bsmith0404 posted about 5 posts back. There is a load of good information and links to other information you may find valuable.

"Weight Distribution: bigger is not better

An important point to remember is this: your weight distribution hitch also acts as a shock absorber for your trailer tongue. If you decide to buy 1400# spring bars "just to be sure," you may find yourself in for a rough ride. About 80 percent of the trailers on the road are using 1000# spring bars. Smaller trailers (under 24') typically use 800# or even 500# spring bars.

Also remember that the weight distribution hitch puts a tremendous amount of torque into your tow vehicle receiver. The heavier the bar, the more stress on the receiver."

[Tbos]

I use a 10K Equalizer hitch for my 2810BH. It make noise only when going slow and making sharp turns. I've not bought the pads for the L brackets because I don't want to reduce my sway control. Good luck with your decision.

[JoePK]

Hello, we have a 2013 F150 Super Cab 4X4 with the 6 1/2' bed, and use the Blue Ox on our Cougar 28rls. It works great and is easier to use. My set up ending being 8 links of chain hanging behind the bracket. The only thing I've had to do is touch up the paint on the brackets where the chain attaches. It rubs off the paint and tends to get rusty in that spot. Easy to fix the paint though.

[Sherwolfe]

Hello, we have a 2013 F150 Super Cab 4X4 with the 6 1/2' bed, and use the Blue Ox on our Cougar 28rls. It works great and is easier to use. My set up ending being 8 links of chain hanging behind the bracket. The only thing I've had to do is touch up the paint on the brackets where the chain attaches. It rubs off the paint and tends to get rusty in that spot. Easy to fix the paint though.


JoePK,

Thank you for the info, this really helps since you have basically the same vehicle, although a 5 1/2' bed and trailer, although I may still need to fine tune it for my actual setup.

[Sherwolfe]

I use a 10K Equalizer hitch for my 2810BH. It make noise only when going slow and making sharp turns. I've not bought the pads for the L brackets because I don't want to reduce my sway control. Good luck with your decision.

As I've mentioned a friend of mine had the Equalizer and he likes it, said he did something to stop the noise, sounds like maybe the dish soap application, I need to check back with him on that.

Thanks for your input.

[bitten]

Sherwolfe, Howdy;



What you have is one of the best WD hitches out there. I used one for

the TT I used to own. Hated the noise but a few drops of dish detergent

on the "L" brackets will take all the screech out of them. go through a

puddle and all nice and clean, and a lot cheaper then the Lube that is

sold for them.



hankaye



Where are you putting the dish soap?
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160420/a9699c82406f047c9f9e0ae5e7fc4919.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160420/7afffcca218ec6f4e1e235b333afb897.jpg

On the contact areas?

[Tbos]

As I've mentioned a friend of mine had the Equalizer and he likes it, said he did something to stop the noise, sounds like maybe the dish soap application, I need to check back with him on that.



Thanks for your input.



I tried the dish soap on the L brackets and it worked like a champ. It's on my list for each trip now.

[mfifield01]

Does the dish soap affect sway?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[Tbos]

Does the dish soap affect sway?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk



It was very windy the last time I towed and used it. I didn't notice a difference. I only put a small squeeze of dish soap on the rub spots. Let me know what you think if you use it.

[mfifield01]

It was very windy the last time I towed and used it. I didn't notice a difference. I only put a small squeeze of dish soap on the rub spots. Let me know what you think if you use it.I was thinking about the sway bracket jackets, but was worried about reducing sway. I had an issue with sway initially, but it turned out to be an under torqued bolt on the pivot head. I keep a spray bottle with dawn and water in the garage. I'll probably just spray a little on next week.

[bitten]

My Eaz-Lift has bars that lay on brackets at the edge of the top side of the trailer frame. No chains. Don't know the model number and can't find it anywhere online. Bars rated at 1000

[Tbos]

My Eaz-Lift has bars that lay on brackets at the edge of the top side of the trailer frame. No chains. Don't know the model number and can't find it anywhere online. Bars rated at 1000



If you get noise from the rub points where the bars lay on the brackets, try a little dish soap. Helps quiet it down.