I am in the market for a new WD hitch setup.

My present one is a Equalizer that basically the head is worn out.

It is for 1000 TW and 10000 pull.

I had read some comments on various sites that seem to recommend going with the next size up just in case you ever need it.

I hope to keep this trailer for a long time and definitely don't need the larger capacity ones (usually 1200 TW and 12000 pull).

MY question concerns going with a larger one when not needed.

These type WD hitches use the head as one point of sway control and the sliding bars as additional sway control.

It would seem to me that if you get larger capacity bars, that it would not take as much lift to attain TV/trailer height, so there would be less friction generated by the sliding bars and you would then lose some of your anti sway friction, thus degrading slightly your anti sway safety.

Would this be true or not?

Thanks in advance, Tom

 

I doubt you would ever tell it, and do not see it as an issue, but would note the heavy bar will give you a less forgiving ride as it is like riding on too stiff a springs. Do you know your actual tongue weight?

Steve

 

Hi Steve and thanks for responding.

I have about 900lbs. TW. and surely would not want a rougher ride.

Should I pay more for the 1200 lb. one? Would it make me safer?

Tom

 

Hi Tom,

Sometimes I believe it is possible to overthink this stuff. How safe you are is going to depend on how your rig handles. It is not something that is predictable based on numbers. If the bar you have is ample of your TW, I do not think you will gain anything by going bigger in terms of safety or anything else. You could have the heaviest bar available and still have crap handling with a rig that is set up incorrectly. As you know the role of the WD bar is to distribute weight back onto the front axle so your rig is not being steered by its hind quarters.

Steve

 

Good advice.

I think I'll just stay with the 1000 lb one.

It seems to have worked fine.

I would also agree that correct setup is the key. I know I spent hours getting this set up correctly when I first got it.

I have liked the Equalizer, but setup is not as easy as some of the newer players.

I am looking at the 1000 lb. Trekker for this time. I like a couple things about it better than the Equalizer.

Thanks again, I very much appreciate your comments.

Tom

 

If you are the original buyer of the Equalizer I believe they may have a lifetime warranty. Be worth checking into anyway.

I just purchased a 1200 series used and was told by them about the warranty.

 

Hi Petrokiller,

I did check with them, and they said "normal wear" is not covered, which seems to be the case with mine.

The lift bar swivel surfaces on the head are worn to the point where there is very little friction when you move them. This is after I continually tightened the nuts over the years all the way to 80 lbs/ft (which is info I got from the company tech).

Manufacturing defects are covered for life.

I am seriously considering going with the Curt TruTrack after talking with them. It is another WD made in the USA. I found some of the others (the Camco Trekker for example) are made in China.

Thanks for responding, Tom

 

The amount of sway resistance between the different bars will be about the same. The vertical forces on that the WD bars produce on the friction support will be the same if you adjust the hitch the same. In other words to get the same Front Axle Load restoration the same amount of force from the WD bars will be required. The bars are about the same width and therefore the same force will get you the same sway resistance.

I know a lot of folks are now also going to the Blue Ox hitch which is about the same price point of an Equalizer and uses round bars instead of square. They give you a bit of a softer ride and more range of deflection vs. the square bars Equalizer uses.

 

Some good points, Airstreaming.

Never quite thought of it that way, but I guess what you say would be true.

Thanks much for responding,

Tom

 

f250mtnbiker... thank you for your Service.

Thank you also for focusing on products made in the USA. That is REALLY hard to do nowadays. Your effort is duly noted and admired.

I have a Reese High Performance Straight Line Dual Cam WD system, that WAS made in the USA fifteen years ago when I bought it, but now is made in China.

The advantage of the Dual cam design is in the cams. The spring bar has a divot at the end that the cam nests into while towing relatively straight. The nestling between the spring bar indentation and the cam contributes greatly to the "anti sway" effect, because the energy required to unseat the spring bar from the cam has to be much greater than the force of wind from a passing semi, for example.

However, when wanting to turn, the directed force of the truck turning unseats the bar from resting on the cam, enabling easier articulation between truck and trailer in any direction required. There are 5 different spring bar capacities with this system: 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and 1700 lbs. Reese was the only manufacturer that offered tongue weight capacity exceeding 1,500 lbs, and was also the only source of an equivalently rated cast steel adjustable drawbar, which was a 2.5" by 2.5" H-Beam casting. Very sturdy stuff.

It is hard to imagine a discussion of WD hitches without at least a mention of the Reese HP Straight Line Dual Cam Trunion head system, but time marches on, and new products and manufacturers have emerged more prominently in the marketplace, all while Reese, Drawtite, HiddenHitch, Bulldog, and other age old American brands were swallowed whole by Cequent Towing Group, who promptly moved all manufacturing overseas, and even moved North American distribution south of the border.

I'm curious how you arrive at your tongue weight figure?

When I've used percentages of trailer weight (such as rules of thumb between 10 and 15%) or when I've relied on the manufacturer's specs, I've always found a significant disparity between those estimations and reality. So much so that I finally broke down and bought a Sherline (made in USA) Tongue Weight scale.

What a revelation! In instances where I thought my tongue weight was 1,000 lbs, it turned out to be 1,250 lbs. That 25% error is significant when setting up correct hitch balance. The Sherline scale is a very simple, but brilliant device. It has a plunger that is exactly 1 square inch in area. It a small reservoir of hydraulic fluid captured inside, and has a gauge that measures pressure in pounds per square inch. HIGHLY recommended. Built in San Diego. At least 10 years ago they were.

The one advantage that the Equalizer has is that one can store the spring bars in the head while it is on the truck, even when not towing, by merely swinging the bars under the trucks bumper and pinning them in place. The design of the Dual cam trunnion bars doesn't permit self storage like that, which makes me a little bit envious those with the Equalizer. I still prefer the function of the Dual cam, but one does need to store the bars somewhere, and then keep them from being stolen too.

Good luck with your search and selection, and do consider getting a tongue weight scale, or finding another way to actually measure your wet and loaded tongue weight as towed, making sure the trailer is positioned at the angle (attitude) you plan to tow it in. With my tongue weight scale, I've been able to precisely measure the difference in tongue weight that a change in the trailer's towing angle imparts. That difference is not trivial. It can amount to as much as 150 lbs, depending on the severity of the angle and the amount of weight aft of axle.

 

Y2KW57,

Thank you for a very informative write-up.

I have become deeply concerned that many companies have switched to overseas manufacturing.

I have no real data that would indicate these WD parts are inferior to USA made. I just have a real problem with taking away american jobs just to supposedly stay competitive.

I think quality always speaks for itself, but keeping those jobs here speaks reams about the integrity of the company and loyalty to the american worker.

That aside, I still have not decided on which one I am going to get.

Your point about the actual tongue weight is well taken. I do not have that scale, but did weigh the tongue with the old beam method. Obviously not as accurate but did me a ball park. However your findings lead me to getting a scale.

With what you say, my actual tongue weight could be over 1000 pounds depending on the situation.

I very much appreciate your input.

Thanks again,

Tom

 

The scale is not all that expensive and I have used mine several times over the years. Sure makes things more convenient.

 

So not to add to your confusion. I want to throw another hat into the ring for consideration.

Adersen Manufacturing.
Weight Distribution Kits

Personally, I have never uesd their WD setup, but I can tell you from using several of their other products (And no, I do not work for them in any way shape or form. Just truly do appreciate a certain level of service) They hold up as well, or better than most other products and they stand behind their stuff 10 fold.

Simple example. recently I had to rent a UHaul Motorcycle trailer to bring a bike to a shop. In my haste, I did not get the couple secured to the ball as well as I should have. Then driving too fast (Since I was running late) I hit a pavement lift on the highway (About 4") and literally launched the trailer off of the ball. The safety chain held, but in the process it came up so hard that it sheared the pin that adjusts the trailer ball heght (Since been re-designed, and way not it's fault) I called Andersen simply to order a new pin since I was a bonehead and all. They apologized for the problem shipped out a replacement so fast that I had it before my weekend camping trip.

I tow a 10k trailer with the regular adjustable aluminum hitch, and it holds up like a champ (I towed it every weekend 150 mile round trip for the past 2 years)

So they are way worth looking into and Yes, I just called to verify they ARE made in the US.

So again, I cannot attest to them personally in the WD space, but I certainly can attest to them being top in their class for 5th wheel covnersions and adjustables


G

 

ops repeat

 

I know this is an older thread, so I apologize for reviving it. My Equalizer manual says to torque the head bolts to 45 ft/lbs. I towed my 26' Wildwood with an F150 without any issues at this torque setting. It is a 6k trailer with 810 lbs on the tongue. I had about 300 lbs of room on the front axle and about 150 on the rear (with the max tow package). I can't wait to see what the f250 does with the same setup, I assume I may need to make some adjustments to the ball angle?