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Thanks for the review and suggestions, I actually read your review earlier in the week.
I have a fair amount of money into the hitch I have and really feel like I need the sway prevention of the Hensley. I had/have a Equalizer hitch that I ran before and with this long/tall trailer and it's no comparison from a pivot point hitch to anything else.
While my toyhauler is only 25', nose to tail, it is almost as tall as a fifth wheel. 11k GVWR. No sway with the Andersen.
This trailer is 35' and tall... 13,000 gvw.
I will say I have never had "sway" (the tail wagging the dog) what I have is wind loading pushing the rear of the truck.
With the equalizer it was very bad requiring constant steering input from passing cars and trucks. With the Hensley the push is still there but doesn't really require effort to correct, it's more momentary.
I had passing cars affecting my steering also. Then I cranked up the force on the WDH and that resolved the problem. It was very unnerving to feel the front end of the truck wandering.
I had passing cars affecting my steering also. Then I cranked up the force on the WDH and that resolved the problem. It was very unnerving to feel the front end of the truck wandering.
Yes, camping trips with white knuckle drives is not fun.
Yes that's the way it seems...
The slop in the three pieces causes an issue. I somewhat expected it to be a problem but wasn't sure how long it would take.
I ordered a 2.5" Curt shank off Amazon this morning because it was "used" at $40 off regular price.
I will likely thicken that hitch with strips of cold rolled steel welded to it so I don't have to use a sleeve at all.
I am not really interested in swapping hitch styles again as the Hensley (pivot point projection) hitch is the only way I feel comfortable pulling this giant wind sock... I guess I could always sell it and buy a ProPride who does offer a 3" shank.
My reducer was bent and ran into the same problems. I ended up with a Gen-Y hitch. I have the 6" drop with 3" shank and haul about 8-10K with my bumper pull. Sway is not an issue for me, so the setup is great with a solid 3" shank and no play. In your case, I would look into this hitch if you are going to reinvest in the future - they also carry hitch tighteners...
I have received the CURT 17128 Weight Distribution Shank and will bill attaching a "permanent" 2.5-3" sleeve to it.
I will update this thread with the results.
Here is the finished product (untested as of yet).
I added some stainless shims to the 2.5" stinger before hammering the 2.5"-3" adapter on the 2.5" stinger. I then welded the 2.5"-3" adapter to the end of the Curt 2.5" stinger only. It would be easier to just weld the adapter to the stinger at the back and the front of the stinger making it one piece but that weld around the stinger would be a perfect spot to crack and snap the shaft.
I also made a shim top/side for the 2.5"-3" adpater in the trucks reciever hitch. The approx 16ga shim made the fit perfect with no up/down or side/side slop. The 3" reciever fits pretty loose to the adapter and my 3" weigh safe 180 hitch for my taste.
Stainless shims added to stinger.
Stinger/adapter effective length.
Welds on the pin sides only. Not really worried about the adpater slipping on the stinger I just wanted something to retain the adapter.
from Amazon. I ordered it and got it the next day. If you choose to go this route, I would advise to purchase a receiver lock. I am still waiting on mine to get here but got the https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Locks/Bulldog/BD580412.html from etrailer.com. That setup should be all you need and with that I'll never have to buy another hitch again. Hope this helps.
I am bending hitch pins as well. I have a 2" was hitch in a 2.5 with the reducer sleeve and have bent a couple pins as well as torn up the locks as slide back and forth and then grind away on the locking side. My hitch is ovalized and flared where the metal is deforming on the receiver hitch where the pin goes through as well. This is all with only a 6500 pound load. I believe this is all due to the play that you get with the reducers.
The B&W is nice but doesn't have the sway control needed for my TT. I went with the Weigh Safe 180 hitch because it's about half price and I'm a tight *** .
The 3" hitch is a great bragging point but in reality it sort of sucks to deal with.
03-31-2018, 05:26 PM
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