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Old 12-23-2019, 04:11 PM   #81
ctbruce
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Thank you all for the support and love thrown Danny's way. The situation has been addressed. Be sure we are equally respectful with Tony. He is a member of our community with full privilege like the rest of us.

Part of what makes this a great group is that you all really do care and have each others backs.
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Old 01-07-2020, 11:30 AM   #82
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Follow Up

Well, here's an update to my original post. I picked up the trailer on 12/18. The trip home (about 3 hours) was uneventful. I could feel the trailer behind me, but it didn't feel bad at all. I'm certainly not going to be in the 'I never knew it was there' camp, but it felt like I was in control of it, not the other way around. I was passed many times by semis going 70+ on I 10 in Arizona and all felt stable and straight as they went by. The Equalizer hitch scared the hell out of us as it groaned and screeched loudly as soon as I made my first turn. The dealer failed to mention this characteristic of WD hitches.

I have been practicing towing, backing etc. around town since getting it home. The aforementioned hitch began to groan and screech constantly the more I drove. I had loaded the trailer for use so figured perhaps it needed adjustment. I found an Equalizer certified shop close by and they found that the steel on the underside of the head had galled significantly, likely due to not being adjusted properly. I obtained a new head, and have had only what I would describe as routine (an infrequent) moans and groans since.

After doing some tire research, I settled on a set of Cooper Discoverer AT3, E rated LT tires. As suggested here, the LT tires do offer a much better towing experience for me than the passenger tires that came with the truck. I'd like to add that the Coopers feel and drive great without the trailer as well. The noise level is no louder than the P rated tires and there is only a small difference in the feel of the ride. I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking to go to LT's. I also ordered a set of Bilstein 4600 shocks for the rear. I will have these on before I make my first actual trip next month.

I made it to the CAT scale and did three weigh-ins: Truck and trailer with WD engaged, truck and trailer with WD disengaged and truck only. I included passengers and the trailer loaded as if for a trip: personal gear, 1/4 tank of water, full propane tanks and full gas tank in the truck. I plugged the scale data and my truck and trailer numbers into a spreadsheet I located online and wanted to post the info here for your input and suggestions. I'm guessing the WDH should be tweaked further to move some weight and would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks to all that have responded to my original and subsequent posts. Hopefully this lengthy thread will be seen by and help somebody before they make the same mistakes I did!
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Old 01-07-2020, 12:03 PM   #83
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The Equalizer hitch should be greased, per the manual. After grease and a short break in period, the hitch should quiet down quite a bit. I don’t think you have a hitch adjustment issue, I think it’s a lubrication issue.


Edit- don’t use the weights to make hitch adjustments. You need to measure the distance from the ground to the truck body above the wheel with no trailer and with the trailer and no WD. With the WDH on, it should reduce the amount of squat by half of the distance between the first two measurements. Again, the manual has step by step instructions on how to do this.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/docum...al_2016-06.pdf

Congratulations on your new trailer!
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Old 01-07-2020, 12:05 PM   #84
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Thanks for the follow-up report...nice (and unusual) to have someone ask the questions, consider the feedback, then come back with the follow-up.

Enjoy your rig...maybe see you on the road some day.
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Old 01-07-2020, 12:26 PM   #85
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I actually did grease up the hitch, exactly where indicated in the manual and by the reference stickers on the hitch head. I did this before the constant noise began but I guess the damage was already done. There was a good 1/16"-1/8" of steel carved away on the underside of the head. I took the damaged head with me after I had it replaced with the new one and returned it to the original purchaser (Camping World - I had them install the hitch when I picked up the trailer). When the retail sales manager examined it, in a somewhat accusatory manner, he noted that it had been greased....like what I did voided the warranty or something....lol. I just don't get it.
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Old 01-07-2020, 12:56 PM   #86
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Originally Posted by markcee View Post
I actually did grease up the hitch, exactly where indicated in the manual and by the reference stickers on the hitch head. I did this before the constant noise began but I guess the damage was already done. There was a good 1/16"-1/8" of steel carved away on the underside of the head. I took the damaged head with me after I had it replaced with the new one and returned it to the original purchaser (Camping World - I had them install the hitch when I picked up the trailer). When the retail sales manager examined it, in a somewhat accusatory manner, he noted that it had been greased....like what I did voided the warranty or something....lol. I just don't get it.

Interesting. You may want to consider “sway bracket jackets”. They go on the L brackets to reduce noise. I grease my L brackets, which is a practice that is frowned upon here at the forum. Or you may just need a little more break in time with the grease before it quiets down. I think it took maybe three or four trips before my hitch stopped the extreme groaning.

I also agree with Brad, thanks for posting the follow up.
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Old 01-07-2020, 01:14 PM   #87
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markcee, thanks for the follow up post - it is appreciated. As far as the hitch noise; they do groan when new. Grease the head per instructions and I installed the plastic L bracket covers which helped as well. Mine makes very little noise now.

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...SABEgLj_vD_BwE
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Old 01-07-2020, 02:06 PM   #88
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I forgot about mentioning the jackets.....I did try them out. I added them when I greased up but still had the noise with the original head. All is fine now running with the new head and the jackets. Haven’t greased up the new one, but will do so.

Any thoughts on the weight distribution numbers shown on the attachment? Curious if the hitch could be adjusted er.
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Old 01-07-2020, 02:16 PM   #89
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Originally Posted by markcee View Post
I forgot about mentioning the jackets.....I did try them out. I added them when I greased up but still had the noise with the original head. All is fine now running with the new head and the jackets. Haven’t greased up the new one, but will do so.

Any thoughts on the weight distribution numbers shown on the attachment? Curious if the hitch could be adjusted er.
I don’t know if you saw, I added some thoughts on the hitch adjustment in post #83.

Basically, you don’t use the weights to adjust the hitch, you use truck height measurement. It’s outlined in the manual.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/docum...al_2016-06.pdf

Page 18 talks about adjustments.
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Old 01-07-2020, 02:43 PM   #90
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Sorry Logan...I did miss that info. I am aware that there is an entire process to go through when adjusting that involves measuring the height of where the truck sits. I guess what I'm asking is do my posted numbers indicate that going through that adjustment process is in order? Basically I don't know if the current ratio between front/rear axle is good as is, or not.

Of course, it's entirely possible I'm overthinking this and what you're saying is you simply adjust until you hit the sweet spots the manual suggests and you're good to go.

Thanks!
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Old 01-07-2020, 02:50 PM   #91
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Originally Posted by markcee View Post
Sorry Logan...I did miss that info. I am aware that there is an entire process to go through when adjusting that involves measuring the height of where the truck sits. I guess what I'm asking is do my posted numbers indicate that going through that adjustment process is in order? Basically I don't know if the current ratio between front/rear axle is good as is, or not. Thanks!
No worries! I think my point is this- the way to know if you need to adjust the hitch is to measure the front of the truck without the trailer, measure the front of the truck with the trailer attached and no WD. Then add the WD and measure again. With the WD, that measurement should be half of the difference in the first two measurements.

For example, without a trailer your measurement is 40 inches. With a trailer and no WD your measurement is 36 inches. With the trailer and WD, you want the measurement to be 38 inches. That shows proper WDH adjustment.
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Old 01-07-2020, 03:17 PM   #92
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I have always used the front fender well for reference. With the different TVs I have had the rear sometimes has been difficult to bring back up.
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Old 01-07-2020, 03:43 PM   #93
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I don't know about this particular hitch, but for the Fastway E2 hitch, they have you measure both the rear and front fenders, but the main measurement used to determine if it is adjusted properly is the front.
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Old 01-07-2020, 03:48 PM   #94
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I think I misspoke when I said rear. Use the front. Sorry, it’s been a while since I adjusted the hitch.

Better yet, follow the steps in the manual. It gives step by step instructions.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/docum...al_2016-06.pdf
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Old 01-07-2020, 04:03 PM   #95
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I don't know about this particular hitch, but for the Fastway E2 hitch, they have you measure both the rear and front fenders, but the main measurement used to determine if it is adjusted properly is the front.

Not to be smug but measuring is a thing of the past for me. Saw the optometrist in October before we left and he advised that I was a lucky one; my cataracts have now reshaped my cornea to give me 20 20 vision in one eye!! I no longer need to "measure"; when something comes up DW just tells me to go put that "20 20" on it! Haven't tried it on the wdh yet but thinking it's going to be a piece of cake. (Just a bit of levity here on a January evening).
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Old 01-07-2020, 04:13 PM   #96
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Not to be smug but measuring is a thing of the past for me. Saw the optometrist in October before we left and he advised that I was a lucky one; my cataracts have now reshaped my cornea to give me 20 20 vision in one eye!! I no longer need to "measure"; when something comes up DW just tells me to go put that "20 20" on it! Haven't tried it on the wdh yet but thinking it's going to be a piece of cake. (Just a bit of levity here on a January evening).
Just don't forget which eye to close when you're "sighting it in"!
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Old 01-07-2020, 04:17 PM   #97
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Originally Posted by markcee View Post
Sorry Logan...I did miss that info. I am aware that there is an entire process to go through when adjusting that involves measuring the height of where the truck sits. I guess what I'm asking is do my posted numbers indicate that going through that adjustment process is in order? Basically I don't know if the current ratio between front/rear axle is good as is, or not.

Of course, it's entirely possible I'm overthinking this and what you're saying is you simply adjust until you hit the sweet spots the manual suggests and you're good to go.

Thanks!
Don't worry about the weights. Just trust the directions from the manufacturer, my guess is they've done it a time or two with a couple of engineers before publishing the procedure.
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Old 06-19-2020, 08:56 AM   #98
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The Saga Comes to an End

Well, as of last night, I can now say "I was in your shoes once..... when replying to posts like my original.

After 6 months of various upgrades to the F150, we ended up trading it in yesterday. While it did not perform badly on our short jaunts, we just did not feel comfortable heading cross-country next month. I think we are in much better shape now

Thanks again to all that offered their input!
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Old 06-19-2020, 09:46 AM   #99
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Yeah, it's a tough pill to swallow - I know from personal experience. Nice looking truck!
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Old 06-19-2020, 09:48 AM   #100
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Yeah, it's a tough pill to swallow - I know from personal experience. Nice looking truck!
Me too, but the good news is I now have a suitable truck for my Toy Hauler...AND I've learned a ton about towing dynamics
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