Problem with Equalizer Hitch

Diane · 07-13-2007, 06:50 AM

We have the Equalizer hitch for our T-1950 pulled by a Ford Expedition. Last weekend we went from MD to southwestern PA for my niece's wedding. After a fuel stop and getting back on the interstate, we heard a loud crack from the left front side of the RV. After stopping at a nearby rest area, we could not find anything that looked out of place. So on we went and when pulling into my mother's huge, level back yard to position the coach, the left sway bracket sheared off and the sway bar swung out. No damage to coach or tow vehicle. Has anyone here ever experienced this? One dealer my husband spoke to told him that he had never heard of a failure with this hitch.

Our dealer in Annapolis was kind enough to overnight old brackets he had to us so we could get home and is ordering new brackets for us.

MACK C-85 · 07-13-2007, 08:18 AM

We had a stress crack in the area of the hitch where the ball attached. Our dealer in Annapolis found it while settting up the hitch for our new truck. Equilizer replaced the parts free of charge, but we did have to pay the labor for installation. We were fortunate that it was caught before it failed. Glad to here you didn't suffer an damage!!

tinybluetj · 07-13-2007, 12:06 PM

I just bought an equalizer, but I was told that there is a lifetime warranty. Did you install the hitch in the frst place, or did you have the dealer do it? I would have insisted that Equalizer pay for the labor.

Diane · 07-13-2007, 05:24 PM

We bought our Sunline new in November 2006 and the Equalizer was also new and installed by the dealer. We had a Ford Explorer and after one trip towing with the Explorer, we started shopping for a bigger tow vehicle. We found a Ford Expedtion and took both the Expediton and the Sunline back to the dealer to have the Equalizer hitch and Prodigy brake controller installed and matched to the Expedition. This occurred in March and we traveled to Virginia Beach with no problem later that month. We have also traveled to PA and NJ in April and June with no problems so this one was quite a surprise. Marshall plans to contact Equalizer and discuss the issue as well as working with our dealer who has been very helpful to us.

RPierce · 07-13-2007, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACK C-85

We had a stress crack in the area of the hitch where the ball attached. Our dealer in Annapolis found it while settting up the hitch for our new truck. Equilizer replaced the parts free of charge, but we did have to pay the labor for installation. We were fortunate that it was caught before it failed. Glad to here you didn't suffer an damage!!

A friend of mine had the same thing happen to his Reese. Totaled the TV and TT, luckily no one was seriously injured. The part the ball is mounted to snapped off. Lucky your dealer found the crack.

**JohnB** · 07-13-2007, 10:13 PM

[quote="RPierce
A friend of mine had the same thing happen to his Reese. Totaled the TV and TT, luckily no one was seriously injured. The part the ball is mounted to snapped off. Lucky your dealer found the crack.[/quote]

Bob, yes on a version of the not to so older Reese heads they had an issue with the cast head that wrapped around the hitch shank. Think this was like 4 to 5 years ago. Some required shims in the shank area so you would not over squeeze the head and accelerate the crack. Since this episode, they have discontinued that style head. The New Reese HP WD hitch head it made from a few pieces. A nice softer steel C shaped part to conform to the shank and forged trunnion sockets and ball mount on top welded together.

I have not heard of any of this large crack failures on the newer Reese HP heads. Those older all cast series in the middle, yup.

John

**JohnB** · 07-13-2007, 10:36 PM

Diane

Do you have a pic of what part exactly sheared off? The actual bottom of the L bracket or the bolted upper area that holds the L bracket on?

The only failure issues I have heard on Equalizer dealt with high tongue weights, 1200# areas and in some cases the grade 5 hitch head bolts sheared off. Do not know if it was a bad bolt situation or an over loading that caused it. The TT owner did not have a scaled tongue weight. He did replace them with grade 8 bolts though.

We all learn something for each other here on our successes and problems. Trying to figure out what exact part on yours broke. Those L brackets are like 1/2 in steel.

See here on page 4 under Sway Control Bracket Assembly http://www.equalizerhitch.com/pdf/eq...structions.pdf is it part:

Part no. 15 90-02-5100 L-Bracket that broke

Or

Part no. 14 90-04-9236 5/8” Set Screw that sheared off

Which weight rating hitch so you have? The 600 # hitch or the 1,000# tongue weight hitch?

Also on the bottom of page 4, it lists the limited lifetime warranty.

PS Glad it happened near home and not out on the road. Equal-I-zer is a good brand and has been reported many times to be very help full.

John

Diane · 07-14-2007, 07:10 AM

actually failed. It was the outside link plate where the set screw is. I'll have Marshall take a picture to post to the forum when he gets home from work.

MACK C-85 · 07-17-2007, 03:31 PM

Quote:

tinybluetj: I just bought an equalizer, but I was told that there is a lifetime warranty. Did you install the hitch in the frst place, or did you have the dealer do it? I would have insisted that Equalizer pay for the labor.

It was dealer installed originally, however it wasn't worth the effort to seperate out the labor for the repair and the labor for reinstalling the hitch. The whole job was less than $150, and most of that was for removing and reinstalling the hitch. The new head just went in in place of the old one when they reinstalled it.