Peter and All,

I have some installation instructions from an old EAZLift hitch I still have
for sale. (changed to a Hensley)
They read:

Hooking up: Hook tow vehicle to traier in normal manner. Place Socket of
Slide Bar, on Ball. Secure in place with Spring Clip. Turn on/off Handle,
about 3 turns counter clockwise to release tension on brakes. Now place
Socket of Brake Assembly on Ball. Secure with spring clip. Lubricate each
ball with grease. Place drop of oil on threads on on/off handle to keep it
working freely.

Checking: Turn On/Off handle clockwise and tighten firmly until handle
comes to a complete stop which is generally in a level position(hit bottom
of threads). Unit is shipped with preset tension suitable for most small
trailers. Installed Sway Control may restrict extreme sharp turning 2
degrees to 4 degrees on some installations. Chick this out; back up and
jackknife vehicle and trailer SLOWLY-Both Direction- while second person
watches. Caution: do not let sway control hit bumper or trailer coupler in
extreme position. Do not let slide bar become fully compressed. If you can
jackknife without hitting the sway control, then it is not necessary to
remove the unit when backing.

Adjusting: Trailer design and loading, road and weather conditions, power
steering and wheel alignment as well as oscillation point in tow vehickle
and trailer all affect towing. To get maximum benefits from you EAZLift
sway control it is suggested a series of road tests be taken. Start with
the factory preset tension and increase pressure by turning Brake Tension
Screw, clockwise about 1/4 turn, until the disired control is achieved.
After approximately 1,000 miles break-in period remove slide bar from brake
assembly and clean brake surface thoroughly withsteel wool or wirebrush.
Repeat about every 10,000 miles. Caution: Never lubricate or repaint brake
surface on slide bar.

To Unhook: Telease tension by turnig On/off handle, counter clockwise about
3 turns. Remove both spring clips. and then remove unit.

Note: When traveling under slippery conditons such as ice, oil or wet
grass, remove sway control.

Note On Front Page: Cannot be used on trailers equipped with hydraulic
surge brakes.
Two sway controls are recommended for trailers over 25 feet in length,
Second sway control is installed on left hand side of trailer couupler.
Slide bar must be taken out and inverted then put back into unit. This
makes the sway control upside down but the operation and adjustments are the
same.

I think all the friction sway controls are pretty much physically alike. I
had both an EAZLift and a Draw-tite and it is pretty much safe to say they
are copies.

I recall reading instructions from the Draw-tite (which I can't find), that
tells you to take the trailer to a parking lot where you can make long right
hand circles, etc. They suggested to tighted the screw until the tow
vehicle doesn't come back on it own after making a circle to the right. I
did this operation, which is how I originally set mine up.]

I never backed up with mine tight, I always loosened the friction to
nothing.

I used a one bar system for two years and experienced white knuckling with a
lot of sway. My trailer was abit forward too. Then, I bought another sway
bar and used it for 5 years and still wasn't satisfied. I then bought a
Reese Dual Cam system and installed a friction bar as well. It was like
driving a different trailer! Another variable: I changed from a 1/2 ton
Suburban 350/3:73 to a 3/4 ton Suburban 454/4:10. This handled very good.
We did 8400 miles to SWUSA without nary a blip.

Since I retired last summer and anticipate lots of travelling and a longer
trailer, I purchased a Hensley which isn't installed yet, but will be when
winter goes away.

Hope this long winded explanation helps.

Rich Walbridge
WBCCI#3371
'73 Excella 500
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter K. Kaiser <pkaiser@home.com>
To: vintage@airstream.net <vintage@airstream.net>
Date: Thursday, March 04, 1999 1:40 PM
Subject: Re: [VAC] anti-sway device
 

>I don't know what to say. I get it alright and others, apparently do also.
>Wish I knew how to help.
>
>Pete
>
>
>>I don't seem to be able to view the Can-Am-RV website. I just get a page
>>with the Can-Am logo on one side, and nothing else. Is there another
>>address (a second page or something) that I could go to? I don't have
>>anti-sway bars, and am interested in reading about them.
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>
>(http://www.can-am-rv.com)
>
>
>