Our travel trailer is 7500# dry. It's a jayco 31bhds. The ras and hellwig really stabilized the rig and the diesel pulling power makes the whole experience very comfortable. The improvements the redhead made were positive but minor compared to the other two I mentioned.

 

While I may no longer have an Ex...I sure have done my fair share of towing with it over the years.

The Ex "can be" an incredible TV...but it does take some mods to get her there...

Before you do ANY mods though you need to make sure of a few things:

1) Your Ex's front end is in good working order - i.e. ball joints, steering box, etc
2) You have E rated tires
3) Your receiver is rated for the tongue weight you intend to tow...some earlier Ex's came with lower rated receivers of only 1000#'s tongue with WD hitch...
4) Tires properly inflated...I've found too high of pressure can adversely affect overall Ex handling (informal data collection on wander and high tire pressures that I conducted and evaluated over the years on this forum)...I liked 60 front 70 rear as max's...but with your heavier PSD...65 front may be a good option...you need to "play" with the pressures in 5psi increments to find your sweet spot...keep in mind that the door sticker pressures would be more than sufficient for full GAWR's on the Ex...anything more than the door jamb sticker is not needed for load capacity but could be used for handling tuning...tire pressure is a **** to turn to tune both good and bad...

Once you know your Ex is in good mechanical order then you can think about suspension mods...because the way Ford let these things out of the factory is a crime (IMO) with those soft springs...

While air bags are an option...I don't like that option for one reason...the air bags only attack one aspect of the overall issues that plague the Ex suspension...and that is the added stiffness for load carrying...the Ex suffers or can suffer from axle wrap/rear steer which is common on leaf sprung vehicles...especially on leaf springs that have spacer blocks and leaf springs ABOVE the axle and on softly sprung top heavy vehicles like the Ex when you throw 1000+#'s of tongue weight PUSHING on the rear of the vehicle...it is worse.

The air bags really do NOTHING to resist that pushing force as it acts on the springs as they will simply "roll" under that load and can allow the leaf springs to flex and the axle to "wrap".

I prefer the V/B codes or RAS upgrade to help resist that phenom. I went RAS on my Ex since I felt that was an easier/less expensive installation and given today that you don't even have to unbolt the rear axle to install the RAS...it is truly a DIY project for more folks!...

The point is that the V/B codes or RAS will shore up the rear of the Ex better to resist that axle wrap/rear steer IMO.

You will also need a rear sway bar...the Hellwig is an easy bolt on option that many on here have gone to.

Lastly...shocks...make sure you have decent shocks...I noticed heavy porpoising when I had my stock somewhat worn shocks...a set of Bilsteins changed the overall handling to a much more improved ride...many like the Rancho adjustables...and I believe those are a fine choice...my Ex was mostly snow and tow use...so the Bilsteins without adjustment capability didn't bother me and gave a very nice ride IMO.

Okay...now on hitches...I will politely disagree with the assertion that the Hensley or Pro-Pride is "just as good" as any WDH...I towed with the Reese Dual Cam (as an aside...I used the DC hitch with our 7500# 30' tip to tail TT and it did excellent)...I spent hours at the CAT scale with our 9000# and 35' tip to tail TT and simply could not get the balance to my liking...now keep in mind I towed with the Ex 12-14 hour days...under all weather and terrain conditions...on a day when there is no wind or a gentle tail breeze...I agree that ANY WDH is sufficient...but throw in 35mph cross winds in Oklahoma and Texas...and your opinion may change.

We typically don't set up our rigs for those wind free sunny days...we can hope that we always get those types of days...but if you tow long enough you will encounter very challenging days or moments. Let's face facts...a properly balanced rig does not need sway control under "optimal" conditions...but we don't live in an optimal world. Towing on I70 in Utah...some of the vast ravines you come upon with winds whipping through there at significant speeds as you are tooling along can really upset the balance of your system/rig. Entering downhill curves with cross winds still give me a tight pucker...those are the situations I set my rig up for...not the sunny wind free days I prefer!

So...after spending hours at the CAT scale and still having a very slight handling issue with semi's passing me on the highway during test drives...I bit the bullet and bought a Hensley...my wife was like are YOU NUTS?!?!?!?...no words would convince her I wasn't looney...until we were in Oklahoma heading to the Grand Canyon in 2008...we encountered 600 straight miles on I-40 from Oklahoma to Albuquerque New Mexico of 35mph CROSS WINDS...had we not had the Hensley...we would have been waiting out the winds that were blowing...it got interesting when semi's would pass us and UNLOAD the wind temporarily and then reload the wind as they passed...the Hensley kept everything in complete check and comfort. Other than having to drive with 2 hands the overall handling and stability was maintained...even my wife said "I AM GLAD WE HAVE THE HENSLEY!"...I can't make this stuff up...

So...my advice...from someone that has towed 10's of thousands of miles around this beautiful country with an Ex and 9000# 35' tip to tail TT and since you are looking at a very long trailer that will enjoy significant leverage effects advantage over your Ex:

1) evaluate the overall mechanical condition of your Ex and fix what needs fixing
2) upgrade your suspension with RAS or V/B springs
3) insure you have a rear stabalizer
4) invest in a used Hensley or Pro-Pride
5) Enjoy a good towing experience with the trailer you want and spend quality and safe time with your family!

Good luck and sorry for such a long winded response.

Joe.

 

My Ex is in very good condition, I've already installed the helwig, I plan on getting the RAS.

I've been looking for a Used Hensely for months and have yet to see a single one. It's like seeing Sasquatch.

 

Equalizer makes a very good WD hitch also. You might to look for one of those. They run about $1000 new. Thats what I have to tow my 30' TT and works great. No sway or nothing.

 

A little far away from you but, here's Sasquatch........
Hensley Arrow trailer hitch assembly
I found mine on Craigslist for $600 and it was only about 30 minutes away from home. Hensley also buys up used hitches and refurbishes them, I think they quoted me about $1200 for a refurb and that comes with a lifetime warranty. An old user from the EX forum who is still active here over in the SD truck side now is "jdadamsjr" out of Texas has a slightly used Pro-Pride for sale, I don't know how much but it may be worth a PM to him.
X_Hemi_Guy's post above is very good, always plan for the worst day on the road. We got caught up in North Carolina's worst weather day ever back in April 2011 April 14 where we found ourselves in up to 70 MPH crosswinds and had funnel clouds touching down within sight while towing South on I-95, where we eventually sat for 3 hours while debris was cleared from the roadway. It was a very exciting travel day! Everyone in our party made it through fine, our friend's pop-up was getting pushed around more on the highway than our high profile ToyHauler was, that day I became a true believer in the Hensley Arrow.

 

You can find some on eBay as well. Some of these clowns are funny though, THIS ONE alleges that you can see a 2 MPG improvement with the Arrow.

There's THIS ONE for a much more reasonable price, but it's local pickup only. Perhaps it's worth a road trip?

 

Good price but I don't think its worth 18 hours of driving. Funny because one showed up today, asking $1800

 

This one is about 30 miles from me, I could do the pick-up for you but I'm not sure how the international shipping would work.......
Unfortunately, I don't have any Northward travels planned for this year.

 

Yeah shipping across the border is very expensive. I would normally have items shipped to my aunts place in buffalo, but I think this is too heavy for her to handle.

I find it surprising that you can't find a price for the hensley arrow online. For a product that people talk about a lot, very little information is available. All I've found is it works buy it. No indication if they have different models with different load ratings, and no pricing.

I've actually avoided calling them simply due to the lack of real information out there. Usually companies that hide prices rely on high pressure sales once they see you're interested, and I have no desire to deal with that.

 

You are actually closer to reality than you think.

What Hensley does will be to respond to all of your questions, specing out the hitch that would fit your needs and the final question/discussion will be that if you "BUY RIGHT NOW" they can make you a one time special deal...sort of like those time share places on the islands...once you hang up or leave the office the deal is off the table...which is crazy...but that's how they used to do it...not sure if they still do but I have to suspect it is the same.

Check out Pro-Pride too...Sean is a member on this forum and doesn't subscribe to those tactics...his pricing used to be lower than Hensley...Sean used to be over at Hensley and now has his own company building essentially a Hensley with some changes...the physics, geometry and mechanics of how the hitch resists sway from starting
are essentially the same but the way the hitch looks and how the jacks attach to the trailer and the like are different than Hensley...oh and the Pro-Pride is NOT orange...LOL...

Sean used to give some good discounts if you ask for them...if you are ex military or anything he used to have military discounts and don't forget about shipping costs...sometimes both places would throw that in or discount that too depending on the situation...so don't be shy to ask for that either...now being you are north of the border...I'm not sure about how that would work but shipping to Buffalo may be a good option as long as the delivery person puts it in the garage or something (mine did for me as I was on a business trip and there was no way my wife would have been able to move the boxes).

Good luck.

Joe.

 

I tow a 34' triple axle Airstream fully loaded it is around 10000 pounds.
I have a 2001 xlt with the V10 and 4.30 gearing.
Sway control and weight distribution are essential for a nice towing experience. I use a Reese dual can HD/WD/sway control. I stop all this with disc brakes powered with a Carlisle hydrastar 1600 psi pump, and the Prodigy p3 brake controller. My suspension is bone stock, however I have uprated my tires to 12 ply e load range Fire stones.
Overall, I am thrilled with my set up.... No sway, no wag, no sag. I sit totally level, and wouldn't add anything but a sway bar under the rear axle (forthcoming).

In the defense of this vehicle.... I read where it is a terrible tow vehicle, is dangerous, etc, etc.... I don't see how or why! I fulltime, and do lots of miles each year. I find my towing to be very comfortable, and downright pleasant! I feel those with poor experiences have something wrong, either the trailer is loaded wrong, the hitch is wrong, the tires are either wrong or under inflated, driving way too fast, etc, etc, etc.... These trucks were designed to work, tow, and haul. I personally feel there is not a better vehicle to live with. At 12 years old, I would be hard pressed to replace with something as functional.... There simply isn't anything on the market!
I wish these were still built.

Best of luck to you!

 

Yeah, I don't care for that type of sales pressure, it seems counter-productive to me, but that is pretty much how they operate. When I bought my used unit and called them to get a few bits I needed they pushed real hard on the idea of their factory refurbished units. The deal they had wasn't bad but I already had my hitch. You should give them a call and see what they have available in a refurb, that way you will also get the correct sizes bars and stinger (can save you from having to buy new ones ($$$$) if a used ones are not correctly sized for your rig) and they do come with that lifetime warranty which is nice to have. I would also give Sean from Pro-Pride a call, I spoke with him when I was looking and he is much easier to talk to, but at that time there was really no market for used PP hitches,they were still pretty new, maybe now there is....?

 

Ditto.

I towed a 36' TT, 8000# dry. I upgraded to the V/B springs and new Rancho shocks. Search V/B swaps as there is lots of info. RAS is good, but as someone put it, it is only a bandaid to to inherent suspension issues with a stock X. Good luck!!

 

I found a hensley about 4 hours away for $1000.

 

I agree with everyone's opinions of the HA, but I stand by my original assessment: