Community Forums

BigTow · 12-08-2014, 04:18 PM

I'm in the market for a new wd hitch with sway control. my tt is around 10k lbs. whats the best one? equalizer?

PushedAround · 12-08-2014, 04:28 PM

The best WD hitch on the market - Hensley Propride, but you really don't need to spend THAT much. The Reese straightline dual cam WD hitch is the best one for a reasonable price. Used to tow a 10K enclosed race trailer with one and it ran dead straight at 80 mph. I was younger then though.

2500HD · 12-08-2014, 05:18 PM

With that much trailer and an f-150 you definitely want a good hitch. I would atleast consider the Hensley or propride.

I use a basic eaz-lift with a friction bar because I have more than enough truck. I have thought about getting a nicer integrated hitch but if it ain't broke im not gonna fix it.

lanerd · 12-08-2014, 05:20 PM

As Larry said, the Hensley Arrow and Pro Pride are the absolute best....by far. Weight distribution units are pretty much the same, regardless of brand. However for anti-sway conditions these two units work on a mechanical design that is head and shoulders above all the others that their design is based on friction....including the Dual Cam and Equil-i-zer. Do they cost more? Absolutely. But, you should be asking yourself....what $$ amount do you place on your safety and possibly your life? How about your family?

Once a TT gets into a bad sway condition, it is very difficult (and possibly almost impossible) to stop it. The friction type devices help to control sway, but the Hensley Arrow and Pro Pride...eliminate sway from even starting.

When I had our TT, I started off with the cheapest and then went upwards. After several iterations, I got the Reese Dual Cam. My TT was weighed several times and I even had a special tongue weight scale to insure my tongue weight was right at 12.5% and no matter how I adjusted the unit, I still would encounter sway during certain conditions (just as I did with the cheaper units). Typically, the Dual Cam would keep the minor sway under control, but I knew that if I ever encountered a serious sway condition, we would be toast.

I finally decided that if I was going to keep the TT, I had better find a solution as my DW was threatening to curtail her involvement with the TT altogether...plus the noise from the thing was driving us batty.

I did a lot of research and checking ebay, craigslist, etc and finally found a used Hensley for about 1/2 the cost of a new one. Upon receiving it, I found it to be in almost perfect condition (needed paint) and installed and adjusted it in accordance with the instructions provided by Hensley web site.

Guess what? Absolutely NO sway at all, under any condition, including 40mph side winds coming down Owens Valley on CA 395. That thing was rock solid and we put well over 20,000 miles on it before we decided to go the motor home route. I removed the Hensley prior to selling the TT and got $300 more than what I paid 4 years earlier.

Of course I'm wasting my breath here as almost always people will look at the price of these things and say that's too much and will buy the cheaper units and go on their merry way....until they have a serious sway condition. They will spend 20, 30, 40K on a new trailer then skimp on safety and put on a sway device than only marginally protects them. Go figure.

Ron

timetogo · 12-08-2014, 05:52 PM

I have towed several thousand miles with my Blue Ox Sway Pro. Check into them before you buy.

chaps2018 · 12-08-2014, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2500HD

With that much trailer and an f-150 you definitely want a good hitch. I would atleast consider the Hensley or propride.

I use a basic eaz-lift with a friction bar because I have more than enough truck. I have thought about getting a nicer integrated hitch but if it ain't broke im not gonna fix it.

X2 on that, my trailer is 10k

SmokeyWren · 12-09-2014, 06:27 AM

I have a ProPride for my small TT. Love it! But $2,350 for a new one was a bit over my comfort zone, so I found a used on on Craig's list, and negotiated a final price of $1,000 plus I had to drive 500 one way miles to get it.

I have a Reese Strait-Line dual cam I use on my 7,000-pound cargo trailer. And I towed the TT with that hitch before I upgraded to the ProPride. Works great as long as you don't get into one of the conditions that can result in uncontrollable sway.

It's a lot of bother and trouble to move the ProPride from one trailer to another, so that's why I leave it on the TT. I towed the cargo trailer from Texas to the West coast and back using the Strait-Line last fall, and right now I'm in South Carolina towing the TT with the ProPride. I'm glad I have the ProPride, but I probably wouldn't pay $2,350 for a new one when I can get a new Strait-Line trunnion bar dual cam for less than $700 from Amazon.com or ETrailer.com.

BigTow · 12-09-2014, 05:54 PM

thanks for the input, everyone. the Hensley is way out of my budget, but looks nice. I'm leaning towards the reese straightline , from reviews and the price. I'm just trying to figure who has the best deal because etrailer sells with the shank, and amazon and ebay do not. ebay has one for 420 shipped. I'm guessing a shank is another 100. that might be the way to go. etrailer is a few bucks more with plenty of reliable help. that always helps when you're stuck on a diy install.

SmokeyWren · 12-09-2014, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigTow

I'm leaning towards the reese straightline , from reviews and the price. I'm just trying to figure who has the best deal because etrailer sells with the shank, and amazon and ebay do not.

Etrailer.com sells the Strait-Line dual cam WD hitch either with or without the adjustable shank. With your trailer's GVWR of around 10,000 pounds, your max hitch weight could be as much as 1,500 pounds. So you want the one with 1500 or 1700-pound tongue weight capacity.

Here is the one rated up to 1,500 pounds tongue weight without the shank included:
Strait-Line Weight Distribution w Sway Control - Trunnion Bar - 1,500 lbs TW, RP66130

Add another $90 or so to get the correct adjustable shank with it.

wandering1 · 12-10-2014, 07:36 AM

You need an adequate tow vehicle to control the trailer. Without that you can use 10 wdh and sway controls that wont control the TT.

BigTow · 12-10-2014, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wandering1

You need an adequate tow vehicle to control the trailer. Without that you can use 10 wdh and sway controls that wont control the TT.

for the "by the numbers" guys, my camper weighed 8100 without any cargo on the day I took it home. our first trip out I weighed everything again and I got an extra 2000lbs with 2 adults, 4 kids, 6 bikes, and camper cargo (gear, food, drink). I'm guessing around 1000-1300lbs extra on the camper makes it around 9500, on the high side. my truck is rated for 11,300 and pulls it easily. stops easily too. the camper , truck and gear with people weighed 16000. my gvwr is 17000 and change. close, yes, but not over.

btw, I spoke to etrailer and all I have to do is add the cam bars to my hitch and I'm good to go. its my option to upgrade the weight bars to 1500lbs. I have the 1200. i'll probably do that. new bars and the cams will be $275, shipped. better than $600 for everything.

BigTow · 12-10-2014, 04:24 PM

edit: make that $368 for the bars and cams. thought the bars were for 2.
2nd edit- my gcwr is 17000 and change

lanerd · 12-10-2014, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigTow

thanks for the input, everyone. the Hensley is way out of my budget, but looks nice. I'm leaning towards the reese straightline , from reviews and the price. I'm just trying to figure who has the best deal because etrailer sells with the shank, and amazon and ebay do not. ebay has one for 420 shipped. I'm guessing a shank is another 100. that might be the way to go. etrailer is a few bucks more with plenty of reliable help. that always helps when you're stuck on a diy install.

See, this is exactly what I was talking about above. A person will spend thousands on the trailer, but will go cheap on the most important safety device he can get for his TT. I just don't understand this mindset.

Ron

SmokeyWren · 12-12-2014, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigTow

... my truck is rated for 11,300 and pulls it easily. stops easily too. the camper , truck and gear with people weighed 16000. my gvwr is 17000 and change. close, yes, but not over.

Your GCWR is 17,000. Your GVWR is much less, either 7,200 or maybe about 7,700 if you have the max tow pkg, or 8,200 only if you have the 7-lug wheels that are part of the HD Payload pkg.

The GCWR limits the max weight you can pull - without overheating anything in the drivetrain - engine, tranny, rear differential, u-joints. etc. You are below the GCWR, and your EcoBoost engine is a powerhouse, so you should be able to pull a 9,500-pound tandem-axle trailer with no problem. But without those 7-lug wheels and load range E tires, you'll probably exceed the GVWR of your tow vehicle.

The GVWR limits the weight you can haul on the 4 truck tires. A 9,500 pound TT with the average of 13% tongue weight will have about 900 pounds of hitch weight. That hitch weight plus your family and gear in the truck will overload almost all F-150s. So check your weight on a CAT scale before you gain too much confidence. Add the weight on the front and rear axles and compare to the GVWR of your F-150. I don't worry about being a hundred pounds or so overloaded over the GVWR, but more than that is a safety factor.