There is an Ex here in Fort Wayne with the Pull-Rite on it...and it is actually what turned me off when I saw it...MY BAD actually...

The more I've learned about the Pull-Rite versus the VPPP (virtual pivot point projection) hitches like Hensley and Pro-Pride (BTW...Howdy Sean!)...has me continually second guessing my decision...although in the ~25K carefree and SAFE towing miles ALL OVER THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY...in some EXTREME winds and terrain...I guess I can't complain one bit.

What has me second guessing my decision is that the Pull-Rite has pure mechanical advantage with being mounted right up next to the rear axle and that is where the tongue weight is applied just like the pin weight of a fifth wheel. The VPPP essentially does the same thing thru geometry of the cams but the effective pivot point is reduced in curves when the trailer and TV are not in direct line...

Each hitch has their pluses and minuses...for me the Pull-Rite's minus is the mounting UNDER the factory receiver on the Excursion ONLY reducing ground clearance. Also backing to move the trailer over right or left "just a smidge" if you will takes a lot more runway with the Pull-Rite.

The Hensley and Pro-Pride each have their advantages and disadvantages too between each other...the yoke design that Sean has come up with over the strut design of the Hensley...Sean clearly wins on paint durability!!!...as far as towing performance...I'm not sure anyone could tell which VPPP was between them and their trailer going down the road though if it were a "blind hitch test" if you will.

In my towing experiences...the VPPP has performed flawlessly...Jim Hensley sure came up with a winner of a design functionally...I just feel that the Pull-Rite has a slight edge in overall performance. I even called Pulliam Industries up in Elkhart Indiana (the mfg of the Pull-Rite) to see if they could do a "custom" install for me by taking out my factory receiver...they would not although over on RV.net I think there was a guy that did that himself...it was a bigger job than I was willing to undertake.

In hindsight...I think the Pull-Rite gets a slight nod in actual towing performance and stability...but I've also got ~25K towing miles all over this country and we're heading out on a near 5000 mile trek this July that will take us clear to Spokane Washington with the VPPP between my Ex and TT and I have all the confidence in the world that my hitch will perform as flawlessly as it has thus far.

Joe.

 

My Pullrite Hitch is 10,000 lb. rated with 1000 lb. tongue wt. I would guess the total hitch weighs about 150 lbs. with all the brackets, bars, head, etc.

I installed everything myself with no drilling of the Excursion frame. It should take about 4 hours to do a normal installation. I should tell you that I had this hitch on a 1996 Bronco before the Excursion so the Excursion installation took longer because I had to fabricate some new brackets.

I will post some pictures later today.

 

I am a long time Trailer user with a variety of Standard hitches then switched to Pullrite in 1996. I have used it ever since over 14 years (about 35000 miles) including a 9 month trip to Alaska via the Alcan Highway. It has never failed me.

I would like to hear from you the measurable advantages of the ProPride hitch over the Hensley and Pullrite. Please compare basic design concept, weight, ease of use, cost, ease of installation, ability to transfer to a new tow vehicle or trailer and how the ProPride stabilizes a tow vehicle/Trailer combination.

 

Basic Design Concept:
Pull-Rite has a mechanical forward pivot point while the Hensley and ProPride operate through a virtual pivot point.

Weight:
I cannot find the weight listed anywhere for the Pull-Rite. The Hensley and the ProPride both weigh about 195lbs.

Ease of Use:
I don't know how to answer this because ease of use is a subjective point. I think they are all easy to use. I can tell you that I have sold almost 3000 ProPride hitches and have had less than 10 phone calls about hitching and unhitching. While I was running Hensley Mfg I had a guy answering these calls every day. This is a fact and I don't mean it to bash for anyone reading it as that.

Cost:
Pull-Rite and Hensley do not list pricing on their web sites. I don't know why in today's world that a customer has to call to get a price. However, I do know the retail price, as of January 26, 2011 for the Hensley. Hensley is $3270 (1400#, 14,000#). ProPride is $2495 (1400#, 14,000#) and I couldn't find the Pull-Rite anywhere.

Ease of Installation:
Again, ease is subjective. The ProPride does not require any drilling and is measure and bolt on. It has been my experience over the last 14 years that the Pull-Rite cannot be installed by the average RVer. The Hensley and ProPride is installed by the end user in, what I would guess, 98% of the time.

Transfer of Hitch New Tow Vehicle/Trailer:
Pull-Rite is vehicle specific so may not always transfer to the next tow vehicle. Both the Hensley and ProPride may require a different offset on the hitch bar to accommodate a different height. If so, the Hensley requires the owner to send the hitch bar back to the company and get a new hitch bar shipped to the owner. The shipping cost is the responsibility of the owner. The ProPride would require removing 3 bolts and adjusting the hitch bar to the required offset. Jim Hensley was awarded a patent on this adjustable hitch bar at the end of December 2010.

All can be used with new trailer. Same hitch bar offset issue with Hensley and ProPride.

How ProPride stabilizes:
The ProPride locks out pivoting of the trailer on the hitch ball. When the trailer attempts to pivot, the forces are transferred through the hitch head linkage. If you could actually see the forces, through a force vector diagram, you would see those forces intersecting at 52" forward of the hitch ball. By not allowing the trailer to pivot on the hitch ball the trailer no longer has the leverage on the tow vehicle that a conventional hitch allows at the rear overhang.

 

shadows4,

I have added several pictures of my Pullrite Hitch on my 2003 Excursion. They are in my Album. Heres one: Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Richard2212's Album: Pullrite Installation on 2003 Excursion 4x4 - Picture

 

Sean,

Thank you for your quick response. (MY UPDATE ADDED)

Basic Design Concept:
Pull-Rite has a mechanical forward pivot point while the Hensley and ProPride operate through a virtual pivot point.

Weight:
I cannot find the weight listed anywhere for the Pull-Rite. The Hensley and the ProPride both weigh about 195lbs.
(PULLRITE IS 10K HITCH 275#, 20K HITCH 350#)

Ease of Use:
I don't know how to answer this because ease of use is a subjective point. I think they are all easy to use. I can tell you that I have sold almost 3000 ProPride hitches and have had less than 10 phone calls about hitching and unhitching. While I was running Hensley Mfg I had a guy answering these calls every day. This is a fact and I don't mean it to bash for anyone reading it as that.
(PULLRITE USE IS SIMILAR TO ANY WD HITCH. ONE ADDITIONAL NICE THING ABOUT PULLRITE IS THAT YOU CAN RE-HITCH WITHOUT REMOVING THE BALL MOUNT PIECE FROM THE TRAILER. THE JACK ON THE TONGUE OF THE TRAILER GIVES YOU UP/DOWN MOVEMENT AND THE SWIVEL OF THE HITCH BAR GIVES YOU SIDE TO SIDE MOVEMENT. JUST LEAVE THE BALL MOUNT ON THE TRAILER - BACK UP TO THE TRAILER - ADJUST AT THE TRAILER AND HITCH BAR -BACK IN TO IT -PUT THE PIN IN RESET WD BARS, ETC AND YOU ARE DONE - CLEAN AND EASY.)

Cost:
Pull-Rite and Hensley do not list pricing on their web sites. I don't know why in today's world that a customer has to call to get a price. However, I do know the retail price, as of January 26, 2011 for the Hensley. Hensley is $3270 (1400#, 14,000#). ProPride is $2495 (1400#, 14,000#) and I couldn't find the Pull-Rite anywhere.
(PULLRITE 10K $2245,20K $2865 LIST PRICES)


Ease of Installation:
Again, ease is subjective. The ProPride does not require any drilling and is measure and bolt on. It has been my experience over the last 14 years that the Pull-Rite cannot be installed by the average RVer. The Hensley and ProPride is installed by the end user in, what I would guess, 98% of the time.
(I INSTALLED MINE MYSELF - NOT DIFFICULT)

Transfer of Hitch New Tow Vehicle/Trailer:
Pull-Rite is vehicle specific so may not always transfer to the next tow vehicle. Both the Hensley and ProPride may require a different offset on the hitch bar to accommodate a different height. If so, the Hensley requires the owner to send the hitch bar back to the company and get a new hitch bar shipped to the owner. The shipping cost is the responsibility of the owner. The ProPride would require removing 3 bolts and adjusting the hitch bar to the required offset. Jim Hensley was awarded a patent on this adjustable hitch bar at the end of December 2010.
All can be used with new trailer. Same hitch bar offset issue with Hensley and ProPride.
(I AM NOW USING MY PULLRITE FROM MY 1996 BRONCO ON MY EXCURSION- MADE NEW BRACKETS -STRAIGHT/FLAT STEEL - DRILLED SOME HOLES IN THE BRACKETS - NO WELDING)

How ProPride stabilizes:
The ProPride locks out pivoting of the trailer on the hitch ball. When the trailer attempts to pivot, the forces are transferred through the hitch head linkage. If you could actually see the forces, through a force vector diagram, you would see those forces intersecting at 52" forward of the hitch ball. By not allowing the trailer to pivot on the hitch ball the trailer no longer has the leverage on the tow vehicle that a conventional hitch allows at the rear overhang.
(PULLRITE HITCH BAR PIVOT IS JUST BEHIND THE REAR AXLE OF THE TOW VEHICLE. WHEN YOU TURN THE TOW VEHICLE RIGHT THE FRONT OF THE TRAILER TURNS TO THE RIGHT - NO VECTOR FORCES - JUST EASY MOVEMENTS.)

PULLRITE CAN BE CONTACTED AT 574 259-1520

PULLRITE ADVERTISES FOR JUST 4WD - IF YOUR 2WD HAS BEEN ADJUSTED WITH BLOCKS OR WHEELS AND TIRES TO HAVE THE GROUND CLEARANCE OF A 4WD - YOU CAN USE THE PULLRITE HITCH.

 

I purchased a ProPride in February and installed it a few weeks ago. The boxes were well packaged but very heavy. I found the instructions and read through them thoroughly before starting out. I am not a math person, in fact 1+1=2 gets me confused so I had to really think about the adjustable hitch and in the end it was the only piece that i got wrong.

I have a V-nose car hauler trailer so I had to move the weight jacks farther forward than the instruction say however Sean Woodruff said it will be fine. Except for the weight of the hitch I was able to easily get it together. There is a couple of bolts that have to be cut down, ProPride includes a tapping nut to retheread the bolt I don't remember if the instructions tell you how to cut the rod after running the nut up the threads but if you have worked on cars you know to do it.

I was also impressed that the breaker bar/socket and ratchet wrench were included in the kit. All of the pieces were there, no missing nuts or washers.

I have yet to tow with it but I have hooked it up a couple of times to secure the trailer while getting a car in and out of it. It makes sense how to set it up once you do it. With the car in the trailer and completely hooked up my Ex has very little sag.

As for my adjustible hitch, I needed to turn it opposite of the way i had it, it was too low to the ground.

I will let you know how it goes when I pull with it, from everything I have heard and been told this unit will be the cure all for my sway issues.

 

We just returned from a 1,000 mile trip using the Pro Pride. Last year over the same route we swayed and it was a white knuckle trip. This time the trailer tracked perfectly behind and at times I forgot it was back there, even between trucks at 75 MPH it was stable and a joy to drive. On the twisty I-40 in Haywood County, NC I passed trucks without any hesitation because of the stability.

My Ex handled the 9,000 lb load perfectly to the point I don't see any need for modifications to the springs or other suspension parts, the ProPride was an awesome purchase.

 

Great news! Glad the ProPride is working well for you.

I think any one of these three (3) hitches work well. There may be more used Hensleys out there for folks trying to save money.

I like that the HA or ProPride stay with the trailer. But..the Pullrite can be used with more than one trailer and is very straightforward in function.

All of these are superior to conventional WD hitches.

 

Does the install require any modifications to the factory hitch or exhaust?

 

It's apparent that there is bad blood between the two companies. Your last line is very revealing of deep feelings regarding how you were let go. But, arguing incessantly in public forums is a bad business tactic for both of you. It tarnishes your reputations and damages your brand.

I am retired now, but have moved on from senior leadership of two different companies over the years. Let me give you a piece of advice. The decision to continue or terminate your employment is strictly business. Treat it as such. Stop all the damned petty arguing on these forums and boards.

Let your product stand on its merits and performance. As a customer that's what I'm looking for.

 

This thread is from 2011.

 

Yeah, and I’m pretty sure Sean is selling more high end hitches than the other guys.