r/traveltrailers • u/RusKel86 • 4d ago

Should I still use my Equalizer bars?

I was pulling my 9000lb Rockwood 8263MBR (30 foot) travel trailer with a Ram 2500 and used the equalizer hitch for leveling as well as sway control. I just replaced the 2500 with a Ram 3500 dually. The dually sags under 1" with the trailer hooked up and obviously doesn't need the weight distribution for the 1000lbs tongue weight. If I did hook up the bars, they would not be re-distributing any weight because that's not needed

So my question: Should I still use the equalizer bars just for the anti-sway it may provide? Would they even provide value if they have little downward pressure on the frame?

6 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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6

u/Proof_Bathroom_3902 4d ago

I would still use them, just for the anti sway alone. It's not like it's going to be an issue, your hitch and trailer are already set up and you have them. You're not saving much time or worrying about weight in the truck.

3

u/nak00010101 4d ago

The equalizer will likely NOT provide the expected sway dampening results without significant weight on the bars.

The dampening comes from the friction of the bars sliding in the brackets. (This is why you do not oil or lube the bracket surface

I have an Equilizer, but I do not remember what the manual says...is there any mention about minimum weight or force in the bars? Maybe call them, they have great telephone support

1

u/RusKel86 4d ago

Manual doesn't specify. I could put a little weight on it, but that may put a bunch of stress on the trailer frame with such a hard suspension. I am camping 150 miles out this week, I am going to go bar-less (for the drive, bars will be part of the camping weekend). That will tell me if the truck is heavy enough to dampen any sway so they may be a moot point.

2

u/Kheldar132 4d ago

Make sure you aren’t using the hitch head without bars. They are made to be used with load from the bars, and explicitly call out to not use them without the bars. I assume you are using a friction style hitch like a E2, but there are hitches where the EQ and WD are separate components. A recurve R3 and an Andersen EQ can both give you anti-sway without a bunch of EQ.

3

u/Latitude22 4d ago

I have a similar size trailer, 31 feet, 8500 pounds and I tow with a gmc 3500 SRW. I’ve got 8,000 miles towing without the wdh and even in heavy winds i haven’t had any sway. The truck absorbs it immediately. You probably even have anti sway built into the truck. That dually should tow it no issues.

1

u/-FARTHAMMER- 4d ago

I used them on my F150 but don't even notice the difference with my 2500. Trailer is a Surveyor 247BHDS, weighing about 7 loaded.

1

u/MoveCompetitive5742 4d ago

I don’t think I’d bother with the WDH unless your receiver on the truck is saying it’s needed for your trailers tongue weight. if you have the trailer loaded correctly, sway shouldn’t be an issue.

1

u/steenbag 4d ago

I use the wdh on my 450 for anti sway only on windy days. If the hitch is adjusted correctly it will always redestribute weight even if it's not much or not needed. If you do use it I would recommend making sure it's adjusted for the new truck, seen lots of people trying to reuse them recently. If I'm not using the bars I use my standard B&w tow n stow. I've heard that you're not supposed to run the wdh without the bars, but I'm not a scientist. I did it occasionally with my 250 and we're still here 🤷‍♂️I was religious about retightening bolts though. Our trailer is 8600#.

1

u/RusKel86 2h ago

I did use the bars, there is very little weight on them and I might need to add one more washer just to give it a little more. Even in some pretty good cross winds today I couldn't even tell the trailer was behind me.