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Old 02-20-2018, 05:34 PM   #1
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Choosing the correct Equal-i-zer equipment

Hello all, I know there are many threads on weight distributing hitches but I've not found an answer to my specific questions searching. Apologies ahead of time if I missed it.

I have a 2014 Sunset Trail 32BH that I recently purchased used and pulled home on a regular Class V hitch with my 2015 Ram 2500 6.4L. It's time to buy a weight distributing hitch and I've zeroed in on the Equal-i-zer brand. I estimate the trailer weighs about 9000 pounds loaded so believe this 12k hitch here on etrailer.com will work:

https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...EQ37120ET.html

My plan was to order the hitch from etrailer, which is around $300 less than the local RV dealer, and pay them to install it since I don't have a flat surface and don't trust myself to get everything torqued and adjusted properly.

The problem is, the shank with the hitch in the link above is for a 2 inch receiver, and I'd think it would be better to have a 2.5 inch for my Class V receiver rather than using a reducer. Etrailer sells this 2.5 shank:

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/find-your-shank-size

But I think I may need more than a 3 inch drop for my truck since it sits up very high, although the truck is stock.

So I'm looking for advice. My options seem to be the following:

1) Order the correct parts and have the dealer do the install (should cost about $100 labor). But which parts from etrailer would you suggest I buy exactly? I'd hate to make a mistake on the order and confuse the dealer.

2) Just suck it up and pay the extra money for the dealer to pick the right parts and put it all on the rig.

Either way I'm going to watch the installation like a hawk and hopefully ensure they do it properly after reading manuals and watching youtube videos on how to do it.

Advice is MUCH appreciated, thanks.
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Old 02-20-2018, 06:10 PM   #2
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The link to that shank doesn't seem to work properly so here is a screen shot:



It seems odd to me that it would have a 7 inch rise or a 3 inch drop. Maybe I'm just ignorant. Anyway, I'm wondering if I bought the 12k equalizer with "no shank" option then ordered this 2.5 inch shank if that would work with my truck/trailer. Someone in the reviews said the shank didn't allow the trailer to drop enough and it rode tongue high, which caused stability problems.

I'll feel so much better when all of this is installed and I can focus on preparing for camping trips! The white knuckle tow home bumper pulling that trailer was no fun, even though the truck did ok.

Edit: I found this 2.5 inch shank with an 8 inch rise 4 inch drop. Is there someone familiar with Ram 2500 trucks that could confirm that this shank would work better?

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...0-02-4800.html
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Old 02-20-2018, 06:56 PM   #3
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After checking around the web, I found that my truck, due to sitting up so high in the back, requires a 6 inch drop shank.

So if there are any other 2015 Ram 2500 or newer truck owners with a big heavy trailer, this is the Class V shank you'll need with an equal-i-zer.

https://www.etrailer.com/p-EQ90-02-4900.html

I should have researched more before starting a thread. Mods feel free to delete it or keep it around for information purposes.

Cheers!
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Old 02-21-2018, 08:40 AM   #4
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Shanks can go either way ,up or down . But personally I would ,and do, have the regular 2" and use the factory reducer. Mainly so I can use any truck to pull trailer. You may want to go with 1400# bars depending on your tongue weight. Order the bracket jackets also.
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Old 02-21-2018, 09:01 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harley View Post
Shanks can go either way ,up or down . But personally I would ,and do, have the regular 2" and use the factory reducer. Mainly so I can use any truck to pull trailer. You may want to go with 1400# bars depending on your tongue weight. Order the bracket jackets also.
Those are good suggestions, thank you. Just ordered the bracket jackets!

I'm not planning on towing with a full water tank so I believe my tongue weight should be within the range of the 1200# bars so I went with that. Hopefully I made the right decision.
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Old 02-21-2018, 09:32 AM   #6
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Aaaaaand after doing some more math I got spooked about tongue weight. Returned the 1200# hitch and have the 1400# on the way. Etrailer was very helpful on the phone and suggested I err on the side of the heavier duty hitch. I appreciate the advice here, you probably saved me a ton of hassle down the road!
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Old 02-28-2018, 10:19 AM   #7
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Hope the 1400# hitch works well for you.

I looked up your trailer. About same weight as my Zinger. I have the 1200# Equalizer and it works GREAT.

I'd have to measure to check drop - the 3"/7" one posted looks about the same, and I got my hitch used from a Ram owner.

Follow EQ's directions for setup. It's a great hitch and worked well with my 1500. I've moved the ball height and will probably need to make some more adjustments for my 2500.

FWIW, I have a 2.5" receiver. I'm just using the 2" shank with a reducer.
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Old 03-01-2018, 01:29 PM   #8
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I had the reducer welded to the shank so it took some of the play out of it.
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Old 03-04-2018, 07:43 PM   #9
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Reporting back, I got the hitch installed Saturday at an RV dealer I trust and could not be happier with it.

Fortunately the dealer wasn't very far away and bumper pulling the trailer wasn't bad; stayed between 50 and 55 mph. The service guy explained everything as he installed it. I brought extra weight for the truck and trailer to simulate a real camping trip. After an hour of labor, the truck and trailer were perfectly level with almost no squatting of the rear end, the hitch appears to be doing it's job.

The drive home was very smooth despite it being a moderately gusty day, even had a semi pass me which was a good test. Driving at 65 was noticeably smoother than the regular hitch at 50. Much less porpoising and zero sway. The rig felt great and my towing confidence is much much better now.

For my purposes, I'm glad I went with the Class V shank with the extra drop, although I didn't need to use the bottom two holes it's good to have room to adjust down the road if need be. The bracket jackets are also a neat touch. The service guy had not seen those before.

I also got a full set of Goodyear Endurance tires put on this weekend as well. Ready to do some camping now! Thanks again for the advice in this thread.
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