Quote:
Originally Posted by stevemcn
... we were told that if you get the equalizer hitch with the tow bar, it must be disconnected prior to backing up and/or for sharp corners?
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First, Escape doesn't sell the
Equal-i-zerŪ hitch; unfortunately they call any weight-distribution (WD) hitch an "equalizer".
"Equalizer hitch with the tow bar" doesn't really make any sense; my guess is that this was supposed to be "equalizer hitch with the sway bar", which should really be "WD hitch with the sway control device"
If that's what we're talking about, only the
bar-style add-on sway control device needs to be disconnected to back up... and even then only if you're not sure that it is properly installed. The potential problem is that the bar pulls apart or jams ("bottoms out" because the angle between truck and trailer is too extreme. This certainly shouldn't happen while going forward (because the angle is limited by how tightly the truck can turn), but in reverse you can jackknife the rig to a more extreme angle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevemcn
Is the only solution for this to upgrade to the E2? Is this overkill?
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To avoid this type of sway control device - which is the cheapest design of sway control device in existence - the options include:
- use a different WD hitch type which includes deliberate friction for sway control (such as the E2, but there are others)
- don't use a sway control device
The E2 is one of those alternate designs. It is not significantly heavier or more complicated than the most common WD type, so I don't know what would be "overkill" about it.