Mark, you made an excellent choice with the Equal-i-zer. It is very effective for the design and the money. There are also things you can do, like keep your speed down, properly inflate the tires and watch your loading to help.

I understand about the price of the Pivot Point Projection hitches. I am working on reducing that daily. I don't I'll ever get the price of the ProPride hitch down to the Equal-i-zer but I can work on it.

 

Thanks Mark! Really appreciate the info...and glad to see another happy Equal-i-zer hitch customer.


biz

 

Not to hijack - but I am evaluating these type of hitches myself and this thread has been very helpful. I have a aluminum boat trailer so my question is do these bars hook up to an "I" beam type trailer as the rails of my trailer are not tubing?

Do I even need an equalizer? (I am pulling 9000lbs so I assume it is a must)

Thanks,

Mark

 

Mark,

It's easy enough to modify the area of the I beam where frame brackets attach. Your boat trailer does need to have an A frame tongue on it for any of these mentioned here to work.

 

Sean - What exactly has to be modified? drilling holes or notching the frame?

Thanks

Mark

 

The Equal-i-zer would clamp down on the top flange of the I beam and up on the bottom flange. They vertical straps would then be only touching the edge of that top flange and bottom flange.

It would be better, at least in my thinking, to weld a plate from the top flange to the bottom flange of the I beam, on both the inner and outer of frame, in the location of the weight distribution brackets. What you would be doing in this is creating a box frame in that location. I think a 10-12" long plate, the same thickness of the I beam frame, would work.

 

Thanks - BTW - this may be a stupid question but do these work with "Surge Brakes"???

 

Not a stupid question at all. In fact, a very SMART one.

The Equal-i-zer does work with surge brakes.

A pivot point projection hitch like I manufacture at www.ProPrideHitch.com or the old design manufactured by Hensley Mfg., Inc. do not work with surge brakes.

 

I have read about the pro rie hitch, seems like a very good hitch as is the Hensly. problem is still the price. While I do understand the cost of manufacturing, and also the you get what you pay for, I do believe you would sell more hitches if the price was more reasonable. most people are getting by, I love my TT and do not want to give it up. I am making modifications to the excursion and possibly the hitch itself. All of this is still less than the cost of a pro ride of hensly. I wish you all the best with your new company, I will be on the look out for someone selling one or the price dropping. Perhaps someday I will own one.But for right now, it is not in the budget.

Brian

 

I have a Equalizer and have a hint for other Equalizer users.
When you level the trailer, place the blocks under the trailer wheels and then place the same amonut of blocks under the rear wheel of the truck.
The Eqaulizer can be a real pain to hook up if the rear of the truck and front of the trailer are not parallel.

 

I certainly understand that Brian. I had the same problem as Vice President of Hensley Mfg. for 10 years that I have now even with my hitch being $500 less than the old design. My hitch costs about the same as the old design to manufacture so the extra $500 is coming out of the company's pocket rather than the customer's pocket. I recently took orders for $1997 and that seemed to spur some attention but the volumes for this type of system will never get to the point where it can be sold at the price of conventional hitches. Even if the volume did get to that level I just don't think it can be done with the number of parts involved. Still, I understand that it just isn't in the budget for some people. In fact, not being able to offer it at a price where it is on every RV is one of the things that eats at me the most in this business. The safety and stability is unmatched but the financial issue locks people out of having it.