Andersen No-Sway vs Equal-i-zer: Your Loaded Tongue Weight Decides

Weigh your loaded tongue before you pick between these two, because that number decides it. When it takes a big share of what your truck can carry and the front end needs weight pushed back onto it, buy the Equal-i-zer 4-Point. When it sits well inside your truck's limits and you'd rather lift a hitch under 60 lb with no grease and no campground clanking, buy the Andersen No-Sway. Both fight sway with friction that never switches off, and neither one raises your truck's tow, payload or tongue-weight ratings.

Scored side by side, the Equal-i-zer comes out a little ahead, and the gap is weight transfer. Equal-i-zer's setup target takes back 50 to 100% of the front-end lift that coupling causes, and Andersen's own example has its hitch moving roughly 30% of tongue weight forward. Those percentages measure different things, but owners who have run both mostly describe the Equal-i-zer as moving more. The Andersen claws some of that back on durability, since its wear parts are simple to inspect and swap and its friction cone is covered for life, while the Equal-i-zer's worst failures are cracked sockets and welds. If you can't tell which side of the line your rig sits on, weigh it, and lean Equal-i-zer.

Start with your loaded tongue weight

Loaded means the tongue as you'll tow it, with full propane tanks, batteries on the A-frame and gear in the front of the trailer. Equal-i-zer's installation tips show how far that can drift from the brochure: a travel trailer with a 920 lb dry tongue weight can pass the 1,000 lb rating of the 10K model once two propane tanks and two batteries go on. A tongue scale or a run across a CAT scale gives you the number. Set it against your truck's tongue-weight limit with weight distribution, its payload and its rear axle rating, all in the owner's manual and on the door-jamb label.

• Heavy for the truck: the loaded tongue is a big share of your truck's tongue-weight limit and payload, though inside both, and the front end rises noticeably when you couple. You need weight moved forward, and the Equal-i-zer moves more of it. No hitch gives you back payload.
• Well inside the limits: the truck has payload to spare, the front barely lifts, and what you want from a hitch is sway control and an easy hookup. The Andersen does that with less to lift and nothing to grease.

Sizing works differently on each. Equal-i-zer sizes the hitch by tongue weight and trailer weight, in models rated from 400 lb of tongue and 4,000 lb of trailer up to 1,600 and 16,000 lb, and its spring arms fit only a head of the same rating. Most trailers reach the tongue rating first, so you buy the size your loaded tongue needs. It also counts cargo you carry behind the truck's rear axle: if you expect the hitch to distribute it, that cargo plus the tongue weight has to stay under the hitch's tongue rating. Andersen doesn't size by tongue weight: its installation manual and support FAQ rate the hitch for 1,400 lb of tongue weight, and you choose only the shank, drop, ball and brackets. Its product page says up to 16,000 lb and 1,600 lb, and the Amazon titles call the 2-1/2 in versions 16,000 lb hitches, but the manual allows 1,600 lb of tongue weight only with the 2-5/16 in ball on a 3 in shank. Plan on 14,000 lb of trailer and 1,400 lb of tongue unless Andersen confirms the higher figure in writing for your exact shank, drop and ball.

Put one rig through both. A 900 lb loaded tongue with 150 lb of firewood and coolers in the bed behind the rear axle comes to 1,050 lb against the Equal-i-zer's tongue rating, past the 10K and into 12K territory. The same tongue sits inside the Andersen's 1,400 lb rating, and in Andersen's own 900 lb example the hitch moves roughly 270 lb forward and leaves about 630 lb on the truck's rear axle. Neither hitch changes the payload on your label: the full loaded tongue weight, the hitch itself, everyone in the cab and everything in the bed all count against it.

Two ways to fight sway

The Andersen hides its sway control under the coupler. A tapered ball sits in a friction cone, the trailer's tongue weight presses it down, and the trailer can only swing by turning the whole ball assembly against that friction. Two chains with red urethane springs run from a triangular sway plate to brackets on the A-frame, and tightening them is how it moves weight.

The Equal-i-zer spreads its friction across four points. Two steel spring arms plug into sockets on the hitch head and rest on L-brackets bolted to the trailer frame; friction at the sockets and the brackets resists sway, and the tension in the loaded arms spreads tongue weight from the truck's rear axle to its front axle and the trailer's axles.

Both work all the time and both get stronger as the tongue gets heavier, and owners rate the sway control of each highly. When a trailer does wander behind either, check the rig before you blame the hitch. Both makers send you to the same suspects: a tongue that's too light, chains or spring arms set too loose, and tire pressures. Both manuals also say no hitch setup can guarantee sway will be avoided altogether. Owners who moved from the Andersen to the Equal-i-zer cite sway in wind and traffic, too little weight moved forward, porpoising or chains that wouldn't stay even.

Side by side on paper

Here is what Andersen and Equal-i-zer publish, plus what the two Amazon listings we link include:

The two percentages in the weight-transfer row measure different things and don't compare head to head: Equal-i-zer counts how much of the front end's rise its hitch takes back out, Andersen how much tongue weight its hitch carries forward. Andersen draws the line itself: its support page says spring-bar systems generally excel at moving a large amount of weight forward, while its own hitch leaves more tongue weight on the truck for traction and sway control.

Neither warranty is as simple as its headline. Andersen's 2026 policy lists lifetime coverage on the hitch, but the warranty table in its current installation manual still reads one year on the hitch and lifetime on the friction cone, and its support page gives the urethane springs one year. Equal-i-zer's limited lifetime warranty covers latent defects for the original purchaser, excepts ordinary wear and covers no labor. At our checks, Andersen Hitches sold the Andersen on Amazon and Amazon.com sold the Equal-i-zer. Register either one the day it arrives.

How much weight each one moves

The Equal-i-zer moves more, and its result depends on setup more than the Andersen's does. Equal-i-zer has you measure the front wheel well three ways (truck alone, coupled with the arms off, coupled with the arms on) and adjust until the hitch takes back 50 to 100% of the lift, never above 100%. Under 50, you add spacer washers or raise the L-brackets. A scale shows a setup that missed: a 2026 F-150 whose dealer had set the brackets a hole too low weighed in with its front axle 260 lb light, and moving them up one hole brought the front wheel well back to about its unhitched height.

The Andersen moves less on purpose. You turn the chain tension nuts in small steps until the red springs bulge slightly and the truck sits close to level; Andersen's manual says close is enough. One owner who weighed the rig measured about a quarter of a 680 lb tongue moved forward. If the front still feels light after that, Andersen's support page says some customers add airbags or other suspension upgrades. Those can level the truck, but they don't raise any of its ratings, and at that point a spring-bar hitch is the better fit for the job.

On the road, the Andersen's ride draws more praise than complaint. Its urethane springs soak up the hop over expansion joints, and owners coming from spring-bar hitches often call it smoother, though a few on rough highways found the up-and-down motion harsher than they wanted, and one who ran both found the Equal-i-zer better at controlling porpoising. The Equal-i-zer rides firm, an oversized hitch or an aggressive setting can make the truck porpoise over concrete seams, and the friction that resists sway can also resist the rig straightening out after a turn.

Hooking up, lifting it, hearing it

This is where the Andersen earns its fans, with one catch at hookup:

• Hookup: the Andersen's sway plate has to sit square to the trailer when you couple, and it stays wherever you left it. Park straight before you unhook, or follow Andersen's manual: attach one chain and drive forward to pull the plate square, and never hit it with a metal hammer. The Equal-i-zer doesn't care about the angle: couple, raise the tongue jack until the arms swing onto the L-brackets, pin them and lower the jack.
• Unhitching: Equal-i-zer's manual says never to loosen or remove any part of the hitch while it's under load, and to take the tension off with the tongue jack first. On a site where the truck and trailer sit twisted, one arm can stay loaded; move to level ground or call Equal-i-zer rather than forcing it.
• Lifting it: the Andersen weighs under 60 lb by Andersen's figure. Equal-i-zer publishes no weight, and owners describe the steel head as a heavy lift; some carry the arms separately. Owners who have used both agree the Andersen is lighter.
• Noise: the Andersen tows quietly, and a squeak usually means a dirty or worn cone that Andersen says to clean with rubbing alcohol first. The Equal-i-zer grinds and clanks in slow, tight turns, worst while it breaks in. Grease on the head and Equal-i-zer's nylon Sway Bracket Jackets quiet it; check that the jackets clear the newer one-piece L-pins.
• Grease: none on the Andersen. The Equal-i-zer wants its head friction surfaces and the ball greased before each trip, with the L-brackets and arms left dry.

What wears out and what breaks

The two fail differently, and that's why the Andersen scores a little higher on durability. Its weak points are parts you can inspect and swap. The friction cone is a wear item: check it before each tow and replace it if the ball sinks more than 1/8 in or sway control fades, and Andersen covers the cone for life. The urethane springs split if you leave out the washer. Chain tension is the recurring gripe, with one chain slack and the other tight after a drive; Andersen's first fix is equal bracket spacing from the center of the coupler, with the set screws in. A mark on the frame at each bracket shows you whether they've moved.

The Equal-i-zer's failures are structural. Owners report cracked arm sockets, cracked welds on the head and bowed or cracked L-brackets, and in the worst reports a head that cracked through near a weld while a socket bolt sheared. The cause owners name most often is a hitch ball whose threaded shank is longer than Equal-i-zer's 2-3/8 in limit, so the sockets hit the threads in a tight turn; dealers install those, along with brackets set too low and bolts run down with an impact driver. Measure your own setup against the manual, and look hard at the sockets and welds each time you grease the head, since the manual calls for a damage check at the start of every trip. In most reports that say how it ended, Equal-i-zer replaced the parts.

Both have long records. Andersen owners report seven years and tens of thousands of miles across several trailers; Equal-i-zer owners report 10 to 15 years on one hitch. Both sets describe older hitches, so treat them as each design's track record rather than a promise about the one in the box.

Limits neither hitch changes

The lowest rating in the chain decides what you can tow, and the hitch is rarely the lowest. Andersen's warranty policy says not to exceed the limits of the lowest rated component in your towing setup, and Equal-i-zer's manual says never to exceed the specified weight ratings for the trailer, the tow vehicle, the hitch, the hitch ball or any other towing equipment. That list includes your truck's tow rating for its exact configuration, its payload and rear axle ratings, its tongue-weight limit with and without weight distribution, the receiver's rating, the hitch, the ball, the trailer's coupler and the tires. We don't print any truck's ratings: they change with cab, bed, engine, axle ratio and package, and they live in your owner's manual, the towing guide for your model year and the label on the driver's door jamb.

• Weight distribution itself: your owner's manual says whether your truck maker allows a weight distribution hitch on your truck, whether it calls for one at your trailer and tongue weight, and what the receiver is rated for with and without it. Follow it, then the hitch maker's manual, then your state's rules.
• Trailer brakes: whether you need them, and which brake controller, follows your truck maker, your trailer maker and state law. Surge brakes split these two: Andersen says no weight distribution hitch works with them, because the hitch's forward pressure keeps them engaged, while Equal-i-zer calls its hitch compatible because the arms slide freely in the brackets. Andersen also lists four Atwood couplers (88007, 88010, 88555 and 88600) that can come unlatched with weight distribution.
• Electronic trailer sway control: Andersen's manual warns that some newer trucks' electronic sway systems, the kind that use the truck's brakes to control sway, can misread its hitch and work against it, most likely on 2011 and newer Ford, GMC, Dodge and Chevy trucks, and says to turn the truck's system off if you see the problem. We wouldn't switch off any safety system on a hitch maker's word alone: check your owner's manual and ask your truck maker first, and if the system can't be turned off for towing, or your truck maker says not to, pick a different hitch than the Andersen. Equal-i-zer's manual, FAQ and troubleshooting guide say nothing about it, so leave the truck's systems as your truck maker directs.
• Rough ground and steep grades: Equal-i-zer says not to tow with the hitch engaged on rough roads, through deep ditches and dips, or while launching a boat, and to disengage the weight distribution before towing or backing across a significant change in grade, such as a level street to a steep driveway.

Both makers publish torque values and the socket sizes to reach them. Use theirs, not a forum's or ours: Andersen's installation manual and Equal-i-zer's owner's manual.

Fitting either one to your truck

Neither hitch cares which pickup it's bolted to. Each fits your receiver, your ride height and your trailer's A-frame, so we haven't matched a version to any truck; every truck row in the picks' fitment tables is a search link with the same checklist.

• Receiver: Andersen sells 2, 2-1/2 and 3 in shank versions. Equal-i-zer makes 2 and 2-1/2 in shanks and says its hitch won't fit a receiver smaller than 2 in; a 3 in receiver takes the 2-1/2 in shank with an adapter sleeve, only if your truck maker allows it. The Equal-i-zer kit we link ships without a shank.
• Drop or rise: Andersen sells 4, 6 and 8 in drop or rise versions. Equal-i-zer's standard shank covers up to a 3 in drop or a 7 in rise; add 3 in to your receiver height (ground to the inside top of the receiver tube), subtract your level trailer's coupler height, and a positive answer is the drop you need, a negative one the rise.
• Ball: the Andersen at our link comes with a 2-5/16 in ball. Equal-i-zer says every model except the 4K comes with a 2-5/16 in ball pre-installed, but each Amazon title we checked says the ball is not included, so read the listing at checkout; any ball you add needs a threaded shank no longer than 2-3/8 in and a rating at or above your trailer's gross weight.
• Trailer frame: most Amazon Andersen listings ship 3/4/5/6 in brackets, with 4-3/8 in and 7/8 in sets available, and propane tanks or a battery box in the chains' path can block the install. Equal-i-zer's standard brackets fit frames up to 6 in tall on the 6K to 14K models, bolt on without drilling, and sit 27 to 32 in back from the center of the coupler.

Where each one belongs

• A heavy tongue near your truck's limits: the Equal-i-zer, sized from a scale ticket and checked with a tape measure, whoever installs it.
• A moderate trailer on a truck with room to spare: the Andersen, for sway control without bars, grease or noise.
• Surge brakes: the Equal-i-zer, which its maker calls compatible. Andersen says its hitch isn't.
• Hooking up where you can't get straight: the Equal-i-zer, with no sway plate to square.
• Lifting the hitch on your own: the Andersen.
• A truck whose sway control can't be switched off for towing: not the Andersen, given its manual's warning.

If we had to pick one hitch without knowing the rig, it would be the Equal-i-zer, because moving weight is what a weight distribution hitch is for, and the Andersen does less of it by design. Most switches between the two run from the Andersen to the Equal-i-zer; two owners went the other way, one on a 19 ft trailer and one after an Equal-i-zer broke at a weld, and both are happy on the Andersen. Small and moderate trailers on capable trucks suit the Andersen; heavy tongues suit the Equal-i-zer. No hitch raises your truck's tow, payload or tongue-weight ratings.