It helps stiffen up the space between the frame of the car and the trailer. Have you ever been towing on a highway lets say about 60 mph and the road has those weather strip joints every 50 feet or so and in your car you hear those "bump-bump-bump" with each bump the car bounces up and down and then bounces again from the trailer. It is the space between the two vehicles moving upward and then downward. It will drive you crazy on a long road. The equalizer bars almost completely eliminates this. This gives you better handling and stability. Not sure if that answers your question. Only can say it works and is worth the money getting it. It is very easy to install and the brackets that go on the trailer can be either welded or bolted on. When you get an adjustable hitch let them know you will be installing the equalizer bars, and a sway bar, this way the hitch will already have the ball sockets and brackets already welded onto the adjustable hitch. Otherwise the mounting brackets on the other end of the equalizer bars where it attaches to the hitch along with the sway bar bracket will have to be welded onto the hitch. Extra work, extra money = pain in the ass Ok I went into the garage and pulled out the adjustable hitch and took shots of it and the nose of the trailer. Sorry the Centurion won't open until next month:sleep: First shot is the sway bar control bracket without the bar attached. You can see how I bolted to the trailer. The second shot is the equalizer bar bracket which are attached to the trailer. They are bolted and also welded to the trailer, I just did the welding as extra safety. What you do is you hook up your trailer to the tow car and attach the sway bar and equalizer bars to the hitch. Then just measure out with the sway bar and equalizer bars where the trailer brackets should go on the trailer. The third and fourth shots are of the hitch I use. You can see the sockets on both side of the ball, this is where the equalizer bars attach to. When you buy this stuff save yourself some time and grief and buy a hitch that already has these mounting brackets attached this would eliminate any welding. Also make sure that the hitch already has the mounting ball bracket for the sway bar. Like the equalizer bars the sway bar will come with a bracket like that that needs to be welded to the hitch. I would advise buying an adjustable hitch with these bracket already on. The fifth shot is the entire nose on the trailer. These pieces I have been using since 1986 when I bought the trailer. Each year a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint and I have yet to have any problems. The last shot I did a close up of the total hook up. Its blurred but you can get the idea. You basically have the same style car so it will work for sure.
Ken I am not sure on the weight factor between hitch classes. Good chance a Class two may be good for what he's pulling. I am though a firm believer of over kill, its the OCD in me:grin: . That is something he should also look into. Strength on a good set up can be worth all the world. I remember seeing Mike Pesarchick towing his 65 back from BG with an Electra he borrowed from Eric Cyprus. A lady merged on the highway not giving a damn. Mike doing about 65 had to make an emergency swerve to the left lane to avoid her. She went on her merry retarded way (she should have been beaten like a dead dog) mean while Mike literally went lock to lock jackknifing the Electra and trailer. Friggen traffic in the on coming lane stopped to watch!!! We were pulling and driving right behind him and saw the whole thing! Mike an expert driver knew to pull it straight and not touching the brakes, he had to hammer the gas which he did and then once straightened we pulled off the road to check damage and to change pants:grin: . There was GRASS stuck in between the trailer tire beads and the rims!!! He dented his 65 as it swayed into the trailer fenders. But have to say he had a good set of hold down straps and a good trailer setup he was using, which save this from a real disaster. I think his poor wife left fingernail marks in the dashboard while holding on. Anyway getting back to the topic, I agree,, U-Haul may be a good place to search.
Sounds like the type of thing that can happen when you're trailering- you never know what other people are going to do! UHAUL may very well have a class III, I just didn't ask. The guy that bought my Wildcat plans to pull a small UHAUL trailer with a bunch of fairly lightweight spare parts. You've given some great advice, Rick. Weight distribution and sway control are great things to have, especially when towing with a car. I towed my 'Cat out on a borrowed 16' trailer and instantly had sway problems until I got the tongue weight more optimized. Even after that I got the occasional "simple harmonic motion" that slowly damped out when a big rig would push a lot of air at me when passing- and I was driving a truck with a decent wheelbase.
Great info. and advice Rick!!!:TU: One question: What's that white stuff under the trailer????:laugh:
awesome information and advice, thanks to all. I'm going to check with Uhaul soon...I've had lousy work weeks since I took the trip out east to get my LeSabre but things are gonna come around
Not a class three. Would use that for a small pop up camper or small utility trailer that carries ATV's or snow mobiles etc, but not for a larger tag along trailer or towing another car on an open trailer. But don't trash it because it is still hard to come by.
George - if, in your wanderings, you ever come across a hitch for a '63 Grand Prix: I want it. Thanks, K
Hi Jerry in Hugo, Steve in Golden Valley here. We've talked before, last time about rocker moldings (I found one). E-mail your telephone number, we can talk about the hitch: sbrmd@aol.com Best regards, Steve.
I will be at the yards tomorrow/Friday.....I will let you know what I find. As for hitch requests, email me direct so I can let you know when I find something. GStage1@buickperformance.com
I finally took my Centurion out of winter storage. I snapped a shot of the hitch. This is exactly what you need for heavy pulling. This is a series class 3 receiver.
Thanks for the pic...that thing's a beast. I might have to go look at my frame again but for some reason my frame looks different...on yours I'm not seeing the big oval holes on the bottom near the rear. I'm still looking for one BUT I picked up a super universal truck/van/suv reese class III and I've gotta add in some of my own brackets but I think it'll work ok
My hitch is actually a draw tite hitch made for the full size Buick. It is a heavy piece. You may find a trailer company that can make one up for you and without breaking the bank. Each class is designed for a specific trailer weight range. When selecting the appropriate trailer hitch, make sure the weight rating of the hitch is greater than the loaded weight of the trailer that will be towed. The tow vehicle capacity for weight carrying and hitch attachment will vary and will sometimes dictate the class of hitch that is needed. If you are are using your hitch for attaching accessories such as bike racks, wheelchair lifts, basket carriers, etc., make sure the tongue weight of the hitch you select is greater than the loaded weight of the hitch mounted accessory. Always consult your Buick owner's manual for your vehicle tow rating. Class 1 style hitches have a 2000 lbs. gross trailer towing weight and 200 lbs. tongue weight unless noted otherwise. Class 2 style hitches have a 3500 lbs. gross trailer towing weight and 350 lbs. tongue weight unless noted otherwise. Class 3 style hitches have a 3500 to 5000 lbs. gross trailer towing weight and 500 lbs. tongue weight unless noted otherwise.
