Why Are the Spring Bars on My Equal-i-zer Hitch Too Tight to Lift Onto the L-Brackets?

Updated 05/19/2026 | Published 05/15/2026

Question:

The sway bars on the hitch assembly are very tight and do not swing out open. Both of the sway bars are under the L-Brackets and I cannot swing them out and up onto the L-Brackets. How can I correct this situation? Do I loosen the bolts in order to allow the sway bar holders to pivot?

asked by: George O

Expert Reply:

Hello George,

Thanks for writing in.

It sounds like the spring bars on your Equal-i-zer system # EQ37120ET are loaded with too much tension, which is why they are staying trapped under the L-brackets and won’t swing outward or lift up easily. This is actually pretty common during setup, especially if the trailer and tow vehicle are not positioned correctly when hitching up.

The good news is that you do not want to loosen the bolts on the sway control sockets or the L-brackets themselves. Those bolts are set to specific torque values from the factory and loosening them will not solve the tension issue. The sockets where the bars insert are designed to be stiff and snug, but the bars should still move normally once the weight is relieved properly.

What you’ll want to do is use the tongue jack to take pressure off the spring bars before trying to move them. After coupling the trailer to the hitch ball, raise both the trailer tongue and the rear of the tow vehicle together using the tongue jack. Lifting them as a unit reduces the load on the bars and makes it much easier to swing the bars onto or off of the L-brackets. In many cases, customers simply are not raising the setup high enough before attempting to install the bars.

If the bars still feel unusually tight even with the trailer lifted, check that the spring bars are fully seated inside the sockets and verify that the L-brackets are mounted at the correct height according to the Equal-i-zer setup instructions. A bracket mounted too high can create excessive tension and make the bars difficult to maneuver. It’s also worth checking that the trailer and tow vehicle are parked on reasonably level ground, since uneven surfaces can twist the system and add pressure to one or both bars.

Once everything is adjusted correctly, the bars should still feel firm, but you should be able to move them into place safely using the included lift handle after raising the tongue jack enough.

What kind of trailer are you towing with your Equal-i-zer setup, and are you getting ready for any camping trips or longer adventures soon?

expert reply by: Kate F

Equalizer Weight Distribution in Use
(click to enlarge)

George O.

5/18/2026

Hi Kate, The sway bars were not on the L brackets. I couldn't get to that point because the sway bars were so stiff they would not pivot at all. The sway bars were fully seated in the sockets with the pins in place. The only way I was able to move the sway bars was to loosen the bolts on the sway control sockets. Once I did that I was able to swing the sway bars out of the way of the L brackets. What is the proper torque for the bolts on the sway bar sockets? Best regards, George...

Kate F.

5/19/2026

@GeorgeO If you have a 5K jack, it is easiest to use the jack to help to get the bars attached to the L-brackets. It is cheating yes, but we have found it to work well! As for the toques specs, I am not allowed to put them on my answer pages as the companies do change them from time to time, and we would hate for someone to find old information on an answer page. The torque specs can be found on page 10 for the brackets, and page 15/16 for all the others.