User Tag List

Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 33
  1. #11
    Site Sponsor
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    690
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    I have always set up my hitches my self and have been happy with the results. It is not hard to do, you just have to carefully follow the directions and measure twice.

    For a 7200lb trailer the MINIMUM tongue weight should be 720lbs (10%). I would try to load for 800lbs tongue weight and I would opt for the 1200lb hitch, having a little extra capacity on the hitch will allow you more adjustment options if you need them.
    2022 Reflection150 226RK
    2022 F150 Powerboost hybrid with 3.5L Ecoboost


  2. #12
    Long Hauler
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Posts
    2,356
    Mentioned
    16 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    @f100owner
    To try and give some advice I will add this.
    I would set up hitch to the manufactures instruction. After that there will be some trial and error. With our previous TT I could tell when the kids packed a lot of stuff in the back of the camper. Also I could tell when I filled the fresh water tank in the front of the camper. Each of us towing our own trailers will have different ways we set up our weight hitches. I camp with a group and all of ours are different, we all have different campers but some are close but the settings are way different. What I was taught was the top of the ball should be about 18" of the ground when the truck is parked on a level surface, not sure if this applies today on the taller sitting trailers. I also used an older reese t-bar style hitch, and after several trips I got it figured out how to set the weight bars to what we had in the camper as well as what was in the bed of the truck.
    Figure out a starting point and go for a short ride and you will know where you are at, then stop and make a change and notice the difference.
    There is not a tried and true method for saying this is what you should do.
    Hope this might help.

    Brian

  3. #13
    Fireside Member Bill Davey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    FL in winter, CNY in summer
    Posts
    60
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by f100owner View Post
    Admittedly, their documentation appears pretty good. I am inclined to go ahead and order the second hitch and work my way through it with my f150. Kind of like to get it done before my next trip (abeit a short 110 mile roundtrip one) middle January to South Llano SP.
    You're right, the instructions are pretty good and will get you very close by measuring front and rear fender heights. To get it adjusted perfectly, you'll need to visit a CAT scale after the initial setup. The goal is to transfer weight forward until the front axle has nearly the same weight with the bars engaged as it was with the truck alone (no trailer connected). On a previous camper the Equil-I-Zer book got me to within 200 pounds of front axle weight, but the truck and trailer was not as stable as I would have liked. Adjusted the hitch at the truck stop and got to within 60 pounds and it was a dramatic improvement in handling with no measurable difference in fender height.
    2017 Grand Design Reflection 313RLTS, purchased April 2018. 2014 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel (I need a bigger truck!). Oswego NY in the summer, Ft. Myers Beach, Fl in the winter. GD is my summer home. Previously owned: 2015 Rockwood 2604WS; 2012 KZ Stoneridge 43' toy hauler; 2005 Titanium 39' toy hauler.

  4. #14
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Central Texas
    Posts
    200
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    The tweaking will be some of my bigger challenges.
    Your insights are much appreciated.
    I went by storage and got coupler height for my trailer which will let me verify correct shank.


    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
    2022 Imagine 3250
    2021 f250 fx4 7.3
    2016 Harley Ultra Limited
    1971 F100 Flareside (project)

  5. #15
    Site Sponsor jw^2 family's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Northwest Georgia
    Posts
    341
    Blog Entries
    6
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by f100owner View Post
    . . . Do most of you leave it to the "pros" to setup your hitches or do you take on that task yourself?
    I took my truck and trailer back to the RV dealer several times to get it adjusted until I was satisfied. The initial setup was close, but was based on the weight / ride height / etc. of an empty trailer. After loading our gear into the trailer I took it back to get the hitch setup adjusted, and some of the junior service technicians really screwed it up, proving that they were clueless about how weight distributing hitches function and even admitting that they don't read the manufacturer's instructions. The results drastically improved after escalating to the head of the service department.

    The Equal-i-zer manual says that the shank bolts need to be torqued to 320 ft-lbs. I don't have the right tool to do that at home, so I had to go to the dealer for adjustments. If you've got the right tools at home, I would stay away from the dealer and do it yourself.

    If you don't have the right tools at home and have to go to the dealer, then study the manufacturer's instructions yourself, check the dealer's work, and make them keep adjusting it until you're satisfied.

    In either case, find a CAT scale close by that you can make multiple trips to in order to understand how the weight is being distributed. I feel that's a more accurate method than measuring fender heights.
    Joe & Joy + children
    2018 Imagine 2800BH
    2022 F250 Crew Cab 4x4 Tremor, 7.3L V8
    Equal-i-zer 1,200/12,000 lb. hitch


  6. #16
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Central Texas
    Posts
    200
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    My dealer is about 40 miles away and has no Saturday drop off hours and so taking it there is not that convenient, plus I am dubious as to their knowledge in setting up these hitches. For a $300 or so I can get a 3/4 inch torque wrench rated to 600 pounds at Northern Tool (we are not dealing with the accuracy needed for say engine bolts and such). Plus, as it appears we are going to be towing more, such a tool would probably be a good addition. I am pretty sure I already have the sockets - been acquiring a few working on an old truck and left overs from when my father had a drilling company.
    the tweaking would, for the equal-i-zer hitch would focus on 1) angle of head and 2) position on the shank, correct?
    Our nearest truck stop, a Lowe's is about 15 miles away. I will see if they have scales.
    2022 Imagine 3250
    2021 f250 fx4 7.3
    2016 Harley Ultra Limited
    1971 F100 Flareside (project)

  7. #17
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Central Texas
    Posts
    200
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Well, I went ahead and put in an order with etrailer for the components needed to setup a second hitch and went ahead with going one step up to the 1200/12000 pound hitch configuration. Could have saved some money with, what was probably adequate, the 1000/10000 pound setup as I would not have needed another set of bars.
    Also, went ahead and had my local quicklane order me some upgraded tires - cooper discoverer HT Plus with a load index of 114. Not LT tires, but a bump up from the load range of the stock tires on the truck.
    2022 Imagine 3250
    2021 f250 fx4 7.3
    2016 Harley Ultra Limited
    1971 F100 Flareside (project)

  8. #18
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Texas Fulltimers
    Posts
    2,551
    Mentioned
    32 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by f100owner View Post
    Well, I went ahead and put in an order with etrailer for the components needed to setup a second hitch and went ahead with going one step up to the 1200/12000 pound hitch configuration. Could have saved some money with, what was probably adequate, the 1000/10000 pound setup as I would not have needed another set of bars.
    Also, went ahead and had my local quicklane order me some upgraded tires - cooper discoverer HT Plus with a load index of 114. Not LT tires, but a bump up from the load range of the stock tires on the truck.
    I have the Equalizer 1400 but I have a 2950RL. I let the dealer initially install the hitch but they didn't torque the bolts to the proper setting and ball nut not properly torqued either. Towed lousy. Found out they installed a 1000# hitch which was too light for the 2950RL. The 2950RL tongue weight runs right around 1000# with nothing else loaded in the RV.

    Loaded for camping I run around 1200# tongue weight with no fresh water loaded. Full fresh water tank adds 300# to the tongue weight. The fresh water tank is right up front so that weight is right on the hitch.

    The Equalizer manual is very good at leading you through the adjustments. I reinstalled mine following the directions and now the RV tows great! I had to upgrade my Equalizer to the 1400# unit. Using the 1400# bars requires a 1400# rated head. The Equalizer hitch has a max of 1400# set up. If you have more tongue weight than that you'll have to go to a different hitch. Also check your truck receiver it maybe only rated to 1000# tongue weight with distributed hitch. Most 1/2 ton truck hitch receivers are limited to 1000# max distributed and a 2 inch receiver, known as a Class IV. I had to upgrade to a Class V truck hitch receiver with a 2 inch shank hole. That was with my old 3/4 ton truck.

    Our new 1 ton truck, the hitch receiver is a Class V and has a 2.5 inch shank hole and sets lower than our old truck so I bought a new Equalizer 2.5 inch shank 1400# rated and readjusted the head height on the vertical shank to tow the RV level and re-torque the bolts. All other adjustments were the same.

    One change I made from standard was the number of washers on the pin rivet. The standard use is 4, I went to 6 to put more tilt on the head adding more down force on the bars and more weight transferred to the front axle. Its important to grease the hitch in the correct spots and the manual shows you where.

    You should have a torgue wrench anyway to periodically check the bolts to make sure they are still tight at the right spec. One thing you may not be able to torque properly is the 2 5/16 ball nut, its something like 400ft lbs. You may get a torque wrench on it but getting enough leverage to pull to 400ft lbs is something else. I would also check to make sure the ball is rated high enough for the max tongue weight you might have.
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  9. #19
    Site Sponsor
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    690
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Manufacturers give some pretty high torque specs on these hitches, well, they are under a lot of stress. Most of us don't have access to a torque wrench that will read 300 or more pounds. Just put a big Ol' wrench on it and pull until boogers come out of your ears and it should be good. Another way is to set it so you can stand on the wrench. A 2 foot long wrench with a 200 pound person standing on it should give 400 Ft Lb.
    2022 Reflection150 226RK
    2022 F150 Powerboost hybrid with 3.5L Ecoboost


  10. #20
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Central Texas
    Posts
    200
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Oh, even without the big torque wrench, I have a 4 foot breakover wrench in 3/4 or inch drive plus some pretty hefty end wrenches from working on the front end on my old f100. Not sure of a thin-walled socket for the getting to the nut on the ball.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
    2022 Imagine 3250
    2021 f250 fx4 7.3
    2016 Harley Ultra Limited
    1971 F100 Flareside (project)

Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

DISCLAIMER:This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Grand Design RV, LLC or any of its affiliates. This is an independent site.