How To Check And Maintain Your Angle Set Bolt 

Thank you!

+Joe Craft, Awesome! Thanks for letting us know.

Happy to help!!

Glad you love your hitch! Our customer support crew is the best; just one of the things that makes owning an Equal-i-zer hitch great.

Thanks for sharing!

+73Excursion, Thanks for the comment, we're glad you are happy with the hitches! We have seen this with the angle set bolt occasionally, but it is quite a rare occurrence. As you mentioned, if you do encounter this, it can be replaced with a grade 8 bolt.

No problem 👍

Interesting idea Gary. Glad it's working for you. Thanks for chiming in!

There is no proper angle, it is whatever angle you need to use to get good weight distribution for your tow vehicle and trailer combination. If you need more weight distribution, you add washers, and if you need less, you remove washers. This should be done as part of the initial setup, or when you are making an adjustment to the setup that will be a long term/permanent position. The procedure for setting up and evaluating whether you have good weight distribution can be found in the hitch’s owner’s manual. For the e2 hitches, this can be located here: eqhit.ch/home

Jonathan Brazzell, Sorry, we do not manufacture the Husky brand hitches. You would have to contact them about maintenance. There phone number is: 877-544-4449 We do have a lot of information about maintaining the Equal-i-zer hitch in other videos and on our website. Here is a link to a blog post about lubricating the Equal-i-zer hitch: www.equalizerhitch.com/blog/how-to-lube-your-equal-i-zer-hitch/

Thanks Silky Strangeroo, and, you're welcome! We think they're awesome too. We recommend any good quality multi-purpose or bearing grease. You can always get a tube of the Equal-i-zer High Performance Lubricant, which comes in an easy to store tube with a screw on cap that lets you easily place a small drop on your hitch surfaces, and keeps the grease from getting all over everything else you own. You can find it at your local Equal-i-zer dealership, or here on our website: www.equalizerhitch.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=75&product_id=101 Here is a link to the owner's manual, which has a "Regular Maintenance" section with detailed (but simple) instructions on how and where to lube the hitch. www.equalizerhitch.com/Equal-i-zer%20Support/installinstructions.php Safe towing!

Equal-i-zer Hitch aaaaa

Thanks for watching!

You're welcome! Thanks for watching.

This much wear on an Equal-i-zer hitch is very unusual. There could be a number of factors that might cause excessive wear on the L-brackets, including your hitch setup, defective materials, etc. Please get in touch with our Customer Support team directly so that they can work with you to identify the cause of the problem and help you get it corrected. You can reach them M-F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mountain Time at 800-478-5578, or anytime via email at support@equalizerhitch.com. Thanks for getting in touch with us, and thanks for towing with an Equal-i-zer hitch!

Glad it was helpful!

+Carie Voss, Driving through city traffic is no problem for the Equal-i-zer hitch. You do not need to undo the sway arms. You don't have to undo them for tight turns, or to back up, which is one of the things that makes the Equal-i-zer hitch so easy to use. Thanks for the question!

Thanks for the feedback. We'll put it on our list!

I would check our dealership locator on our website, or call our customer service team, who can run you through a few measurements to make sure everything is set and ready to go!

If you are towing with any Equal-i-zer model from 6K to 14K you will need a 3/4" wrench to adjust your L-brackets. If you are towing with a 4K Equal-i-zer hitch, you will need a 5/8” wrench for the L-brackets. You can find a list of all of the tools needed to install or make adjustments to your hitch in the Equal-i-zer owner’s manual here: www.equalizerhitch.com/manuals-guides/manuals/6k-14k-model-owners-manual

@@EqualizerHitch Excellent thanks for the info

+Rick Torbet, Thanks for the comment! You are correct, if your shank bolts are correctly tightened, it is unlikely that you will have any need to tighten the angle set bolt. However, there is a lot of force being directed from the trailer through the hitch to the tow vehicle as you travel. There is also vibration. Over time, these forces can have an effect on the angle set bolt or the spacer rivet/washers. You may never find that it is loose. It is preventative maintenance. Keeping it tight makes sure that all of the forces are transferred directly through the shank as they should be for best performance and hitch life.

how do you put the proper 300lbs torque?

+Julie Poirier, To torque the shank bolts correctly (320 ft-lbs), you need a very large torque wrench for the nut, and a second wrench to hold the bolt. You can see it here in our installation video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-l5TtNUxeFWc.htmlm11s The angle set bolt just needs to be snugged using a wrench or socket. We recommend tightening until it comes into contact with the shank, then going an additional 1/4 to 1/2 turn.

Thank you for your answer, I will view the installation video (was looking for it thank you) My equalizer has been installed eyeballing style by a rv facility. My airstream st about one inch too high and back wheels is dropping 1 1/8 inch,, and I am hitting the asphalt or curb material as I come out of a driveway,, trying to figure out solution,,,

Julie Poirier, You can download a copy of the Equal-i-zer owner's manual / installation instructions here: www.equalizerhitch.com/manuals There you can find detailed sections on getting the hitch head at the correct height, adjusting weight distribution, and adjusting the attitude (pitch) of your trailer if needed. Also remember that you can contact our customer support staff anytime with questions about your Equal-i-zer hitch at 800-478-5578 or Support@EqualizerHitch.com Good luck, and let us know if we can do anything else for you!

+Richard Ray, You bring up a great point! Anytime there is a change to your setup - either a new truck/tow vehicle or a new trailer, you should go back through the process of setting up the hitch for the best weight distribution. This is a critical and very important step, because there are many factors that effect how your combined vehicle (tow vehicle and trailer together) reacts to weight distribution. It is much more than just receiver height differences, although that is a major item to pay attention to. Suspension stiffness, wheelbase, and distance between the rear axle and hitch, or trailer coupler and axles can all have a major impact on how the hitch setup applies weight distribution as well. If you are doing it yourself, start from scratch and follow the step-by-step instructions found in the Equal-i-zer hitch owner's manual. You can download it here: www.equalizerhitch.com/Equal-i-zer%20Support/installinstructions.php If you need a bit of coaching, you can always get in touch with our awesome Customer Support team at 800-478-5578, or at Support@EqualizerHitch.com . Another option of course is to go back to the dealer and have them make the adjustments for you. Remember, you may need a specialty shank to extend the rise or drop, depending on how different your new truck's receiver height is from your old one. Getting the hitch ball at the correct height makes it much easier to dial in your weight distribution. We have a video about this too: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x3I3FsKM5WQ.html Good luck, and safe towing!

Are you sure you have the correct ball size for your trailer?

Randall Witt, It is unlikely that your difficulty with unhitching is related to your hitch setup, nor the play in your receiver. Here are a few things to check/try: - Check to see if your trailer coupler is damaged. If it is bent, or if the latch has been bent or damaged, this might make it so that it does not release the ball completely, or give it enough room to release easily. - Try hitching and unhitching a different trailer to see if you have the same issue. If not, it's likely your trailer coupler. - Try using a heavier weight grease on your hitch ball and coupler, like a good bearing grease, or the Equal-i-zer brand lubricant: www.equalizerhitch.com/store/hitch-accessories/high-performance-lubricant - Make sure you are chocking both sides of your trailer to minimize movement when you're unhitching. If the trailer is rolling forward or back, it may be putting pressure on the hitch ball which will keep it from releasing easily. Here are some great chocks we recommend: www.fastwaytrailer.com/onestep-chock - Setting the parking brake on your tow vehicle may also help, as you can experience the same problem if your vehicle is rolling slightly and putting pressure on the coupler. Let us know what you find. Good luck, and safe towing!

Randall Witt

I have the same problem. Drives me crazy. I put white lithium grease on the ball, then with the clasp open raise the electric jack until it lets go. Jumping on the bar didn't work, cursing worked as well as most things. Once I even removed the hitch pin and tried to drive forward to pull the shank out and almost pulled the trailer off the block.

Have you tried pulling the pin on the receiver? My neighbor showed me that trick, and what happens is as you raise the trailer the insert (Ball mount) will slide slightly out of the receiver and naturally comes off. I was shocked how well it comes off the ball when you do that.

+Tim List, If you are talking about tightening the angle set bolt, you do not need a large torque wrench. Use a standard wrench, and tighten the bolt until it comes into contact with the shank. Then, give it another 1/4 - 1/2 turn to snug it, and it's good. This is something you can do yourself. If you are talking about a gap between the spacer rivet and shank, or if you notice that the bolts holding the hitch head to the shank are loose, you will need a torque wrench capable of reaching 320 ft-lb to re-tighten the shank bolts. Review the steps for attaching the hitch head to the shank, and for final tightening in the Equal-i-zer hitch owner's manual here: eqhit.ch/manuals This may be something you need to have done at a shop if you don't have access to an adequate torque wrench. In either case, yes, an adjustment needs to be made. Keeping the angle set bolt and spacer rivet/washers tight between the hitch head and shank gives you the most solid connection and reduces the amount of sheer stress placed on the shank bolts. It will eliminate unnecessary wear on the hitch components and protect them from damage. Please contact our customer support team if you need more details or have further questions on this at 800-478-5578 or Support@EqualizerHitch.com .

We had to take our new camper in for service due to a power tongue jack issue. we are going to have them recheck the hitch setup when we pick it up. There are 8 spacer washers in there right now. Thanks.

+Tim List, Using 8 spacer washers is not unheard of, but it is a bit unusual. That indicates to us that you should double check the hitch setup. Make sure the hitch ball height is set at the same height as the trailer coupler (with the trailer parallel to the ground). Double check your weight distribution to make sure it is within the correct range. Follow the guidelines in the owner's manual. And give us a call if you need help with anything. Good luck!

A little bit of grease at the contact points will keep your hitch moving smoothly! Here is a link to a video for help: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FVKQgTh3Eew.html If you need a manual, we have them on our website! www.equalizerhitch.com/manuals-and-guides

+Brian Visele, The proper hitch angle is whatever it needs to be, in combination with the position of the L-brackets on the trailer frame, to get the best weight distribution setup for your rig. Follow the setup guidelines in the Equal-i-zer hitch owner's manual to go through this process: www.equalizerhitch.com/manuals-guides/manuals. For an average setup we recommend starting with 5 spacer washers and the L-brackets in the two center holes, then checking and adjusting as necessary to get good weight distribution.

Hi there! Go ahead and contact our customer service team at support@equalizerhitch.com or call them at (800) 478-5578! They should be able to help you and send you a new bolt if you need!

Scott, the hitch head is set at a downward angle slightly off-axis of the shank (draw bar) so that at the end of the spring arms (alongside the trailer frame) you have some distance to raise them to the L-brackets. The hitch ball is at an angle simply because it's sitting on top of the hitch head. Having the arms below the frame clears them from running into the coupler or frame as you turn, which would be a problem if you came straight back. The weight distribution is achieved by raising the spring arms this distance - kind of like picking up the handles of a wheelbarrow. The lift on the back end of the spring arms forces the front of the tow vehicle back down toward the ground.

We have a video about how to hitch and unhitch your Equal-i-zer hitch. [ ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FYFYcqxlJzc.html ] Is that what you’re looking for?

That is an unusual problem that could be caused by several things. The threads on the head that hold the bolt may be worn and loose. Your head may be loose on the shank, and may be moving while you’re towing. It may not have been tightened correctly so there is enough bind to keep it tight. The solution to the problem will probably take a little more investigation on your part, and some advice from our customer support people. You can reach them during normal business hours at 800-478-5578, or via email at support@equalizerhitch.com.

It sounds like you need a spacer if there isn't much tension on the bars. I would recommend going through the weight distribution setup table in the manual to help make sure you get it dialed in correctly!

sounds like a disaster to happen. with no tension

You need to redo your entire setup. Trailer brackets, spacers, angle set screw etc.... There's videos. 😊

Thanks James Russell! We'll turn it down a notch.

The shank bolts are 320 ft lbs for the 6k-14k Equal-i-zer hitch models. Check your hitch manual if you have a different model!

Yes! Railroad tracks are fine as well as small hills!

A Hemi in the Dakota? Sounds like a drag strip winner for sure! Sorry, using an Equal-i-zer hitch does not make all tow vehicles equal. In some cases the tow vehicle or receiver hitch manufacturer will increase the tow ratings for using a weight distribution hitch, but other than that, the Equal-i-zer hitch will not change the tow ratings of your tow vehicle.

@Jason Blaha hmmm…a Cummins in a Dakota, now that’s something we’d like to see, but can’t recommend. Thanks for watching!

We use a 1/2" inner diameter, grade 8 washer. Grade 5 would work as well. Thanks!

You want all your set angle bolts to be torqued between 60-100 lbs!

The angle will likely be different for each tow vehicle and trailer combination. Use your manual and its weight distribution setup table to determine what angle and how many washers you will need.