Dexter EZ-Flex and the TrailAir Equa-Flex

by GustheUsher on 3/31/2011, 10:03 am

Dexter EZ-Flex and the TrailAir Equa-Flex seem to be the two I have narrowed my suspension upgrade down to, does anyone have any info on good, bad or ugly for either product, both seem to be in the same price range. Is one better for any reason they both do the same thing just look different.

by oldelmer1 on 3/31/2011, 11:38 am

You'll find that most of us had put the Equa-Flex on, and some have put the EZ-Flex on. I don't think there was a special reason for Equa-Flex over the EZ-Flex, either are good.

by Lograf on 3/31/2011, 12:27 pm

The dimensions are different on each one of them. I installed the EZ-Flex because it more closely matched the original pivot piece it was replacing so as to not change the ride height etc.

by Maxtor on 3/31/2011, 4:37 pm

EZ-Flex for us. Both are great, but as said before, dimensions could be different.

by Mopar_Earl on 3/31/2011, 5:36 pm

Doesn't the Equa-flex come with different lenght links to allow it to "plug and play" without changing current suspension?

Earl

by shooter on 4/1/2011, 12:20 am

I liked the Equa-Flex due to the rubber being encased between metal plates.

by GustheUsher on 4/1/2011, 3:29 am

I will do the suspension mods myself, how do I figure out which equaflex or ez flex product to order for my rig. From what I read I measure the tandems center to center to find out what size?

by Maxtor on 4/1/2011, 4:18 am

What was important to me was that I did not want the ride height to change. When you call them, they will ask you for some measurements, so you get the correct unit for your WC.

http://www.dexteraxle.com/e_z_flex_suspension

by moo2613 on 4/1/2011, 8:28 am

Also, have the numbers off of your axle when you call them.

by Sean on 4/1/2011, 9:59 am

My Cat came with the Trail air eqaua flex already fitted, so I would not know what the difference would be. But I have noticed the difference when I have had to jack up axles on the Cat and other trailers with a standard system. with the equa flex the axle appears to have a lot more free travel, that also seems smoother.
Sean

by GustheUsher on 4/17/2011, 2:39 am

I have done some measurements on my current steel equalizers, and they are the large triangle ones, about 4 1/2 inches top to bottom, I think putting the EZ Flex on will lower my ride height, compared to the Equa Flex. I am worried that I won't have enough wheel travel, the wheel flares are very close now to the 16 inch tires I put on. Seems like they both do the same job but the equa flex is much more expensive.

by Portagie1968 on 4/17/2011, 12:06 pm

Wet bolts are a must.

by Mopar_Earl on 4/17/2011, 12:21 pm

I had my trailer raised to the bottom hanger holes but the center hanger was only a one hole. I was going to have them cut the single hole center hangers off and weld two hole hangers in but they said using the correct Equa-Flex with the short links will do the same thing. So it saved me time and money as well as I got the correct rated Equa-Flex as the OEM ones were down sized and cheaper made. Now I have more tire clearance for the 16" wheels as well as tow more level. Also I could feel a differance in the two different Equa-Flex on the 550 mile trip back home. The correct one they installed rode better.

The top pic is the down sized and cheaper made OEM Equa-Flex.
The bottom pic is the correct size, rating and grade Equa-Flex and what the OEM should of used. As per Trailair as they did my wet bolt kit install as well as raised my trailer.

Earl

by shooter on 4/18/2011, 1:20 am

The one I installed is like your bottom photo, the only thing I did different was to add the wet-bolts:
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2641274590056654887FymwXW

by Portagie1968 on 4/18/2011, 4:51 am

Mounted all grease zerts to the center of the trailer. Only the center one is hard to get to. It is the middle instead of the outside. Maybe going to apply a farm modification to it.

by GustheUsher on 4/20/2011, 11:18 am

I see that in all the pics people have taken with the Equa Flex equalizer it seems that the equalizer is never centered, it always looks like it isn't aligned straight up and down and the equalizer seems to be to one side or the other, I understand it has a wet bolt that aloows it to swing side to side. Does this mean the axles would also change position forward and rear while the equalizer swings on its wet bolt mount, if one equalizer is shifting forward and the other side of the cat has that equalizer shifting backward wouldn't that affect the alignment of the unit as it travels forward creating uneven wear on the tires? Clear as Mud?

by Mopar_Earl on 4/20/2011, 1:52 pm

GustheUsher wrote:I see that in all the pics people have taken with the Equa Flex equalizer it seems that the equalizer is never centered, it always looks like it isn't aligned straight up and down and the equalizer seems to be to one side or the other, I understand it has a wet bolt that aloows it to swing side to side. Does this mean the axles would also change position forward and rear while the equalizer swings on its wet bolt mount, if one equalizer is shifting forward and the other side of the cat has that equalizer shifting backward wouldn't that affect the alignment of the unit as it travels forward creating uneven wear on the tires? Clear as Mud?

The equalizer does just as its name says. It equalizes the axles. As the axles move up and down the leaf springs change in length which the shackles at the equalizer allow. If your trailer is level on a level pad the equalizer will be centered or close to. If you see my pics above in earlier posts, my equalizers are centered with the trailer level. If your trailer isn't level the equalizer will move one way or the other to allow the axles to carry the weight equally but it does have a limit.
Another note, as your axles move up on bumps the distance between the tires gets less due to the leaf springs getting longer.

Earl

by HookMeUp on 4/3/2012, 1:31 pm

Mopar_Earl wrote:I had my trailer raised to the bottom hanger holes but the center hanger was only a one hole. I was going to have them cut the single hole center hangers off and weld two hole hangers in but they said using the correct Equa-Flex with the short links will do the same thing. So it saved me time and money as well as I got the correct rated Equa-Flex as the OEM ones were down sized and cheaper made. Now I have more tire clearance for the 16" wheels as well as tow more level. Also I could feel a differance in the two different Equa-Flex on the 550 mile trip back home. The correct one they installed rode better.

The top pic is the down sized and cheaper made OEM Equa-Flex.
The bottom pic is the correct size, rating and grade Equa-Flex and what the OEM should of used. As per Trailair as they did my wet bolt kit install as well as raised my trailer.

Earl

Does anyone know what the part number is for the bottom picture?

by GustheUsher on 4/10/2012, 1:26 pm

I bought this exact same equalizer from these folks, just tell them your model and axles and they will help you out.

www.tweetys.com/trailairequa-flexequalizer.aspx

by HookMeUp on 4/10/2012, 3:00 pm

Tweety's no longer sells them. Stopped selling them 18 months ago, the salesman told me that is an inactive link. Found some on eBay for a lot cheaper.

by gkeager on 4/11/2012, 12:39 am

I went with Dexter, great service. Easy to install. Wet bolts a must. Haven't been sorry. Cool

by wildcat427 on 4/11/2012, 1:57 am

I also went with the Dexter EZ-Flex, works great! The only problem is, I had to replace the center hanger with a longer one so I didn't lose a one and a half inch drop in trailer height.

by shooter on 4/11/2012, 7:15 am

I looked at the dexter but didn't like the exposed rubber that much. The equa-flex has the rubber "sandwiched" between plates.

Wildcat Owners from around the world. 5th wheels and TT's. A place to share your Thoughts, Mod's and Idea's.

Dexter EZ-Flex and the TrailAir Equa-Flex

Dexter EZ-Flex and the TrailAir Equa-Flex

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Re: Dexter EZ-Flex and the TrailAir Equa-Flex

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Re: Dexter EZ-Flex and the TrailAir Equa-Flex

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Re: Dexter EZ-Flex and the TrailAir Equa-Flex

Re: Dexter EZ-Flex and the TrailAir Equa-Flex

Re: Dexter EZ-Flex and the TrailAir Equa-Flex