Hi Folks,

I am slowly in the process of getting my Lance travel trailer ready for the year.  Last year we took it out 6 or 7 times, but over the winter we moved and it has been a busy spring so we haven't had as much time to play.

Also, in that time I went from an F150 with a 2 in hitch to an F350 with a 3 in hitch.

Excited to tow with the new truck, but I have an Equalizer 10k wdh and I'd like to keep using it.  Of course it is sized for a 2 in hitch.

What options do I have to keep my hitch?  I need to adjust the height for the new truck, and I also need a hitch reducer.  Are there any that convert straight from a 3 in to a 2 in?  All I've found are multiple sleeves to go 3 - 2.5 - 2, and reviews online seem to indicate they can make a lot of noise.

I will probably pick up a Bulletproof 3 in hitch in the next week or so, and for towing around town from storage to our house it will he fine, but again I would like to use the Equalizer for longer trips if possible.

There is a sleeve to convert it up. No need to buy anything but the sleeve

The sleeves are terrible and induce more play. I’d look for a proper hitch to fit the truck.

Disagree, get the sleeve. My Ram 2500 came with one and it has been fine. With the bigger truck, sleeve or not, you will hardly know the TT is back there.

You can likely contact the company that made your wd hitch and purchase just the 3inch shank and reuse all the 9ther components.

Otherwise Andersen makes a 3inch shank wd hitch. Works well. I have the 2.5inch version that I used on my 3500hd to smooth the ride out.


Being a lance travel trailer and a heavy duty truck you could likely be just fine without the wd function, but the wd hitch helps with truck porpoising and depending on the design sway.

I don't think I need the wdh functon for my truck, but I do like the anti-sway capabilities.  For local in-town towing I think a regular hitch is totally fine, but for longer trips the anti-sway feature is helpful.

Andersen my be a good option, but I hate to ditch my Equalizer.  Maybe that's just what it is.  I guess I can sell the Equalizer locally.

The other option is to bump up to a Proride hitch, but I can think of some other things I could do with $3,600.  I am going to pick up some Lithium batteries this year as well.

They make sleeves to go directly from down from 3" to 2". I have bought a couple from companies that specialize in hitches for pickups. I never noticed any extra noise using them, but it was on an F350 that wasn't really quiet to begin with. It should be going from a class 5 hitch to a class 3 hitch.

I am not a fan of the sleeve either.  Most likely you will be using 2 sleeves, a 2- to 2.5 then a 2.5 to 3  

I found that even with a 2-2.5 I started to get peening of the hole in the hitch for the pin.

Equalizer makes just the shank for your hitch in 2.5 and 3.  My 3/4 has a 2.5 hitch.  The new shank worked like a charm.

FYI my F350 with a 3" receiver is rated at 21,000 bumper pull without a WDH.

Been running a sleeve for years, never an issue. We use the Reese Dual Cam, love it. We also don't "need" weight distribution, but honestly, the truck rides better with it.

Meh, I've had the sleeves on 3 trucks, and I tow quite a bit. Never had an issue.

OP,

Need a little more info. Length/weight of trailer.

If you load your trailer correctly, you probably don't need an equalizer. I've towed (bumper and gooseneck) thousands of miles without ever using one.

Oh, I've actually never seen a farmer or rancher with a WDH or an equalizer, YMMV.

Hook up, latch up, chain up, check tires, GO.

Good to know about the Equalizer shank.  I may give them a call and see if I can buy a few parts.

I bought a pair of reducing sleeves for $40 for now, I will give it a try and see how it feels.

Its a Lance 2445, roughly 7000lbs dry weight and 30 ft hitch to butt.

Don't need a WDH for this truck, but I have and Equalizer from when I was towing with an F150, so why not use it.  The anti-sway feature will still be nice.

Update on the hitch issue - I bought a sleeve for temporary uses, so far I've only used it for a bike rack.

I did find out that Bulletproof Hitches sells a WDH adaptor block.  It will allow me to take all the stuff from my Equalizer 10k and move it to a 3" shank with a 6" drop.  And then if I want to use the hitch normally, it's 4 pins to take out and switch it back to the normal ball mount.

That whole setup with the WDH and bigger shank/adaptor will probably weigh 150lbs on its own but should be very comfortable for towing.

I tow a 28' bunkhouse that just under 10k loaded with a Dodge 2500 with the CTD engine. I use the 10k equalizer brand hitch and it definitely makes a difference in how it rides.

Following the directions, the truck didn't need it because the front end doesn't raise at all with the trailer hooked on. It's set up just about as light as it can be, but it makes a big difference in how it rides.


I don't know what all the people saying "you can't even tell the trailer is back there" are doing differently than me, but I want some of what they're using. Lol. I don't know how big of a truck you'd have to have to not notice an 8-10k lb. trailer, but I doubt it's a pickup. Lol

Bulletproof Extreme Duty Hitch arrived today, I got it and the WDH hitch installed.  Whole thing is heavy as shit, but it basically comes apart into 2 pieces so that makes it a little easier.  Still probably a 2-person job.

I have 3 locking 5/8" pins that I will use when we actually go on trips with it.  

I will have to get the trailer to our house and then fine tune the hitch a bit but this will get us started.