wow....thats a pretty big difference it price. why such a big jump? is a high end hitch really 4 times better than just a good one? i would think $2k would be a much better idea to add to a down payment than to a hitch
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2000,cc DRW, PSD, 4x4 manual trans
wow....thats a pretty big difference it price. why such a big jump? is a high end hitch really 4 times better than just a good one? i would think $2k would be a much better idea to add to a down payment than to a hitch
miller,
This debate has been around for quite some time.
All I can say is that the mechanical DIS-advantage of a ball pulled trailer (i.e. having the pivot point some place BEHIND the rear axle) cannot be ignored. That leverage (force) applied to the TV at a point not at the axle can and very often does gain the upper hand resulting both controllable and uncontrollable sway.
The Pull-Rite IMO actually has the advantage over my Hensley...I say that because the place that the Pull-Rite mounts and puts the REAL pivot point is just at the rear axle. It mounts BELOW the TV and there is a long swinging arm with the pivot actually well under the truck by the rear axle...this simple mechanical method greatly REDUCES the leverage advantage the ball pulled trailer has. It has some disadvantages IMO...for my Excursion...it mounted BELOW the factory receiver thus reducing ground clearance...I didn't like that for MY application...not every vehicle is like that...in fact the Excursion may be the only one...but I didn't like it. Second is that while it helps the ball pulled trailer to tow like a fifth wheel...it also REACTS like a 5'r in backing...meaning turns must be started sooner and more sweeping due to the pivot point.
The Hensley (and ProPride) use a convergent linkage approach to create a 'virtual' pivot point. This is kind of hard to explain. But the hitch head is rigidly fixed to the ball and there are cams that thru geometry...project...the pivot point FORWARD ~48" (i.e. your rear axle from the hitch point)...this 'virtual' pivot point is VERY EFFECTIVE in controlling sway...when I get blasted by passing semi's or stiff cross-winds...I get no out of sync motion...my WHOLE rig (TV and TT) gets shoved as ONE... There are some disadvantages to this style hitch as well...there is a phenom called the 'bump'...which is a remote phenom that can happen if your brake controller does not provide sufficient LEAD braking to the TT...if the TV slows FASTER than the TT...the linkage is free-floating...and can rotate around until it slams. This can be controlled thru proper brake controller setup and smart towing habits...this type of hitch also tracks slightly tighter inside turns (like a 5'r but not as bad)
Are these style hitches worth the $$$? Well I can say that for me my Hensley has been. It provides me with rock solid and care free towing. I don't really care what is overtaking me or how strong the cross winds are (well within reason)...I know I can tool down the road solidly and in-sync as one unit...so for me that is worth the price. Others simply focus on the $$$ alone...
Can you achieve the level of sway free towing that a Hensley or Pull-Rite gives you with a Dual Cam or Equal-i-zer?...many say they have and I have no reason to doubt that...for me...I struggled on the scales balancing this setup and could not find a good balance...I tow way to long of days and too many miles traveling to vacations to have to fight an ill handling setup...the Hensley allows me solid towing...even though my tongue weight as verified by the scale was 13% and actually tried 16%...with the DC I simply couldn't get a consistently stable rig...I now have a stable rig whereas the DC would break into wiggles with each and every semi passing...tongue weight balance is the SAME between these two conditions but the Hensley is rock solid whereas the DC was not...With my Hensley I can once again tow my 12-14 hours going to vacations and arrive no more tired than had I driven 12-14 hours...so for me...again...it has been worth it.
If i didn't own a Excursion...to be honest...I WOULD have purchased a Pull-Rite...I feel that it does have mechanical advantage...TRUE MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE...and no bump possibility...
Good luck with your decisions...
To be totally fair...check out how much a HIGH quality air ride 5'r hitch goes for...you may be surprised...
joe.
__________________ 2005 Ex V10 4.30's
- Hensley Arrow
- Rear Hellwig
- Prodigy
- RoadMaster Active Rear Suspension
- Bilsteins
- K&N drop in
5er......about $300.00 for the 15K hitch - bolts right into the f250-350 box, (the body-frame bolts match the Reese & other rail bolt holes). But then I have the Mor/Ryde suspension system on the 5er - and that in itself makes a big difference.
__________________ TRITON V10 - THE BEST KEPT SECRET - (But word is getting out). '08 F350 Scab 4X4 V10
07 Gulfstream Prarie Schooner
'05 Escape
'04 Focus
Passed the exam today! I am now a licensed instigator!
Scroll to the bottom of that link and you will find this text:
"We felt that since everything we own would be riding on this hitch, the Air Ride Hitch would be the better choice. The Air Ride Hitch costs a little more than the TrailerSaver, but as a value proposition we felt the 4-way motion over 2-way was worth it."
What I don't understand is why people are comparing apples to oranges... compare a tagalong air hitch to a fifthwheel air hitch, don't compare a standard tagalong hitch to the price of a fifthwheel air hitch. You are talking $1000 vs 750 for standard equipment, with the fifthwheel being slightly more expensive. $2k for the top of the line tagalong equipment. $2k for a sliding fifthwheel hitch.They are pretty close to being the same.
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Nathan
2002 F150 SuperCab Short Bed FX4 5.4L V8 Firestone Load Level Air Suspension
2007 Featherlite 8413 20x7x7' Stock Trailer
What I don't understand is why people are comparing apples to oranges... compare a tagalong air hitch to a fifthwheel air hitch, don't compare a standard tagalong hitch to the price of a fifthwheel air hitch. You are talking $1000 vs 750 for standard equipment, with the fifthwheel being slightly more expensive. $2k for the top of the line tagalong equipment. $2k for a sliding fifthwheel hitch.They are pretty close to being the same.
Guess I'm a little confused too......$300 is what I paid for my Reese 5th wheel hitch, and its a standard hitch - not air ride. The suspension I referenced ( Mor/Ryde) is also not an air ride suspension. It comes standard on the high end Gulfstream 5er's. Thus far I have seen no need for an air ride hitch.............
__________________ TRITON V10 - THE BEST KEPT SECRET - (But word is getting out). '08 F350 Scab 4X4 V10
07 Gulfstream Prarie Schooner
'05 Escape
'04 Focus
Passed the exam today! I am now a licensed instigator!
If you all ready own a F350 dually go get your self a fifth wheel. basement storage is outrages. I have all ready lost things in there. You'll have a nice big bedroom up front too. I own a King of the Road 32 ft fiver and love it.
What I don't understand is why people are comparing apples to oranges... compare a tagalong air hitch to a fifthwheel air hitch, don't compare a standard tagalong hitch to the price of a fifthwheel air hitch. You are talking $1000 vs 750 for standard equipment, with the fifthwheel being slightly more expensive. $2k for the top of the line tagalong equipment. $2k for a sliding fifthwheel hitch.They are pretty close to being the same.
plus you need a high $$$ tagalong hitch just to get to the level of standard 5th wheel.
i went and looked at trailers at an RV show and found a toy box, fiver that i liked... 36 feet and weighing 13,000 pounds dry, i looked around online and found that my truck is only rated for 12,600 pounds.. 7.3 crew cab DRW 4x4 with a man. trans. can this be right? my 2007 f150 is rated for 10,000 pounds, this makes no sense to me.
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2000,cc DRW, PSD, 4x4 manual trans
i went and looked at trailers at an RV show and found a toy box, fiver that i liked... 36 feet and weighing 13,000 pounds dry, i looked around online and found that my truck is only rated for 12,600 pounds.. 7.3 crew cab DRW 4x4 with a man. trans. can this be right? my 2007 f150 is rated for 10,000 pounds, this makes no sense to me.
That is the same size and weight of my Cedar Creek and I tried to tow it with an F250, same weight rating as you have.
When you get up to the max rating like that, it is the brakes that you need to be worried about. I warped the front rotors on a long downhill stop. Prodegy brake controller turned all the way up.
.
At that point I decided that this setup is an accident waiting to happen and found my current F-550 hauler. Night and day difference. The brakes are nearly twice as big on this truck as the other one. No braking issues at all.
.
You most likely will be able to tow that trailer just fine with your truck, it has 4 wheel discs and it is a dually.
Mine was a 1995 460 SRW gasser, drum rear brakes, and it simply was not up to the task.
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Dan _ + † + 5" Exhaust
1999 F-550 4x4 ZF-6 Tow Rig
1999 VW Jetta TDI
1996 Audi A4 2.8 V6 Quattro
I've also towed a little (lot?) heavy with my F250, and stopping was the big issue as well. If your trailer weighs 13000 dry, it will be closer to 15000 with all the toys and stuff in it. That rating does seem a little low for a dually, I thought that was the point of having one (dually). As far as the style goes, I've been most happy with my 5er toyhauler. With the separate garage, you don't have to unload to use the trailer (good for arriving late of if the trip takes longer than expected), and loading/unloading is much simpler.
__________________ Reality is only an illusion that occurs due to a lack of alcohol.............
2000 F250 XLT Lariat 4x4 SC V10
6" lift, 35" tires, Powerdyne supercharger, K&N filter, Gibson headers & exhaust, Tugger shift kit, Billet lockup torque converter, on board compressor, Leer shell, various flame themed accessory doo-dads and TUNES!
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