I have a large bumper tow and currently use the Equal-i-zer WD hitch. Obviously in big wind (40-60mph) I can feel the push of the trailer and light speed adjustment is usually all that is needed to keep things in check. Curious on input or experience with these ProPride hitches https://www.propridehitch.com/ The video and pictures don't explain too much more than "it just eliminates sway". I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around what this is doing different than the Equal-i-zer since nothing is on the truck side and it just has this big yoke that attaches to the trailer. And with the price and so much focus on the resell value later it kind of starts to sound like a little bit of snake oil to me.

 

Ah. The Hensley (or a knock-off of it).

I'm not a fan. It is ridiculously over-complicated for what it is.

I have heard several people say they love this kind of design and that they totally eliminate sway, which is great - but the cost just doesn't justify it to me.

It works by SIMULATING moving the turning point forward in the vehicle, closer to your rear axle, like a fifth wheel (which tend to not sway as easily). The problem is there are other hitches out there that ACTUALLY move the turning point forward (can't recall the name of it right now, or if they are even still in business) that are (were) MUCH cheaper, though still more than a standard WDH with a separate sway bar (my personal favorite, and tried and true).

 

I have one and honestly would not want to tow without it anymore. The install takes about 4 hours by yourself. The extended hitch due to the stinger allows you to open your tailgate as well. Hook up takes a bit of a learning curve but now that I have had mine a couple years I can hook up quicker than a conventional WDH. They just changed their jacks on the WD bars and I am waiting to see some real work results before I update mine. Looking at it to me is a big improvement. I use to tow with a max tow 2016 F150 and now a 2020 250 diesel. The hitch saved us last year when we go hit my a 50-60 mph side gust and the trailer and truck moved as one and was still using the 1F50. It's the closest thing to towing like a 5th wheel. As long as I have a bumper pull it is what I will use. The hitch comes with a 2.0" shank so check to see if you need the 2.5" or 3" prior to ordering. When I purchased my new F250 I had to order the new shank. It's not snake oil at all. If you have never had one you won't understand.

 

Sounds like you're a bit confused about these hitches. I have one, and it's currently for sale (I'll explain why), but let me clear some things up.

It is a purported IMPROVEMENT on the original Jim Hensley design (orange arrow hitch). I looked at both, and the Propride had several improvements on the original design, like the stinger receiver, yolk, etc.

It is slightly more complicated than a traditional WDH, but depending on your campsite it's actually easier to hitch up and go.

It absolutely does great at mostly eliminating sway. This is accomplished with simple physics (pivot point projection), and the results are very real, not simulated. My 14k lb toyhauler and F250 felt completely connected much like a 5er while doing 80mph on the highway with moderate wind. I was white knuckled previously with my cheap e2 WDH doing only 70mph.

I'm not sure what you mean by other hitches "actually" moving the pivot point forward? That would be a 5th wheel or gooseneck. There's no other way to physically pivot in front of the hitch receiver that I know of.

So yes, all the claims about it are true. It will tow much better than anything else out there (besides 5er/gooseneck). Here are the downsides and why I'm selling mine:

• Heavy (not necessarily a downside as the heavy part stays attached to the trailer, and much of this weight is redistributed with the jacks). This is not a reason I'm selling, but something to consider.
• Requires a bit more maintenance, but get a cheap grease gun and stay lubed. Most people neglect this on normal WDH even though they shouldn't. Not a big deal for me.
• Expensive. Meh.
• Off-road articulation and hitching can be a PITA. If you only tow on highways/improved dirt roads and camp at relatively flat sites, ignore this. If you frequently boondock off rough roads on BLM land, then this can wear you down a bit. The hitch receiver and yolk setup don't like to articulate as much, and hitching can suck more for this than standard hitches. We camp where we have to sometimes dig the tongue jack down to achieve level, as well as one side of the trailer tires. I'd estimate that the Propride hitch adds about 30 minutes of extra hitch time in these ugly scenarios as you also have to dig out for the tow vehicle tires as well to hitch up parallel. This might be tolerable for some, but I have little patience.

Rough boondocking is essentially the ONLY type of camping I do, so for this reason alone I've decided to go back to a standard WDH. This means that I'll just have to slow down, and pay much more attention to how I load the toyhauler. Being tongue light (death wobble inducing in trailers) was easily overcome with the Propride. I also upgraded to a longbed F350 from my F250 shortbed to help with towing stability lost by moving away from the Propride.

OP - Shoot me a PM if you're interested or want any more info. I've posted a ton of honest reviews about it on IRV2 forum.

 

I have towed over 12,000 miles with a Hensley and would not want to use anything less. F250 with a 10,000 lb. camper
It can be a pain to connect if the setup is awkward, after several years of use I can connect it quicker than a traditional WDH.
It does reduce sway considerably, however if you get a big push from the side the camper and truck move together as a unit, I find that more comfortable than the trailer swaying.

I purchased used for $500

 

I have used Blue Ox, Anderson and Propride conventional tow WD hitches. The Propride was purchased to see if it would fix the sway and control "feel" i was experiencing towing with the F150. It absolutely solved the issues it was purchased to address. Towing became much less stressful and comfortable for my main passenger too. I left it in place with the F350 two years ago and now the F250. I considered swapping out the towers for the soft strap actuated weight distribution, but the rigid towers can help with hitching on uneven ground while boondocking - with a little help from a bungee cord to hold the metal straps in place. Not cheap. Heavy. Effective. Fabulous customer support.

 

The Original Pullrite Hitch mounts under the truck and places the pivot point just behind the rear axle eliminating the pivot at the ball. I had one on a F150. It worked well but required extra/constant maintenance to keep the pivot and track bearings lubricated. Not a good setup for infrequent use in the road salt friendly northeast.

 

Oh, weird. Yeah that looks like more of a PITA than a hensley. Looks like it would interfere with the spare tire mounting maybe?

 

It did not interfere with mounting the spare tire. I never had to use the spare but there was enough clearance to drop the spare down although it might have required a little fiddling.

 

@riverratrusty , my toy hauler is 1K less than yours and a tad bit shorter. I used the Blue Ox that came with the trailer and then moved up to an Andersen WDH (with 3" shank). Both worked well for my toy hauler. The Andersen is easier to hookup. With the correct configuration, there is no sway. I feel no need to spend extra money for the Pro Pride hitch.

Like Chingon, my trailer sees a lot of Forest Service, BLM and other poorly maintained roads. When I get to that point, off come the chains and I continue on without any issues, albeit at low speeds.

All I can tell you is that getting the hitch configuration dialed in is critical. If you have the wrong spring bars or just the wrong configuration, you'll never get enough weight transferred to the front axle. A trip to the CAT scale will help you know if you have it setup right.

 

Thanks! I have my bar setup pretty good (had to adjust it with the new truck). I could probably give the bars a little more adjustment but I have a good balance for towing the TH empty and loaded. I do need a trip to the scales though....

 

When we had our bumper pull travel trailer and a Suburban, I tried and had all kinds of issues towing with various types of WD hitches as GM didn't do anyone any favors by putting the damn receiver 14" off the ground. I first tried the cheap bent bars, which was worse than awful. Then I tried Blue Ox, it was better but didn't eliminate the sway and white knuckle death grip on the steering wheel. Then came the Equalizer and that was remarkably better but still didn't make me 100% comfortable when towing in the wind and when big rigs would go by. I finally broke down and called Sean at ProPride after researching the crap out of every WD hitch out there and took the plunge and bought the PP. he even threw in the longer shank due to 14" drop from where GM puts the receiver. It was and is very different than any other hitch I had ever used in that you back into the "stinger" and have over latch brackets that lock the hitch to the trailer. The WD adjustment jacks on the PP are super easy to adjust too. The only thing I recommend if you do get the PP is once you have the WD jacks on the tongue where you need them, you may want to tack weld them in place as they tend to slide and bow inward when you crank down on them. Otherwise, they "U Bolt" onto the tongue. There is a learning curve on hitching and unhitching with the PP but once you get it down, it's a cinch. The other upside to a PP is if you ever need any technical support, Sean doesn't forget you after he sells you a $3300 hitch. In the beginning, I had some questions and called him a few times and if he couldn't answer immediately, he always called me back. We now have a 5th wheel and I sold that trailer along with the PP to a buddy who still has and uses it. Overall, the $3k+ I spent on it was well worth the safety and peace of mind when I towed that trailer. Good luck!

 

In my opinion, totally worth the money. A friend keeps their toy hauler at our house. We've pulled it with my truck utilizing a curt WD hitch with "sway control" friction bar, then a 14k equal-i-zer hitch, and now a pro-pride. The pro-pride makes a world of difference. I see a lot of posts on people having a hard time hitching up and truthfully - I just don't get it. It's really not that complicated. I really feel almost easier than a ball especially if you have a backup camera. The hitch is an uneven 4 link system that allows the truck to pivot the hitch, but does not allow the trailer to reverse pivot the hitch. So as long as the truck / TV is controlling the turn, the hitch will break free and pivot. If the hitch gets input of a turn from the trailer, it doesn't break free - keeping the trailer and truck inline. I once saw a video of a guy demonstrating the principle using legos. At the time, I could not grasp the concept - so I stole some legos from my kids and made the model - at that point - it all clicked in my head and made total sense.

Yes - the hitch is expensive. But if you think about it, your utilizing a $50K plus truck to pull a $30K plus trailer - what's another $3K for peace of mind and safety?

Now, I will say that on our own personal travel trailer, I followed in line from our friends toy hauler and have gotten their old hitches each time. I've move from the curt WD w/ friction sway, to the Equal-I-Zer. I am now in the process of saving $ for my own pro-pride hitch and will be getting it as soon as I have a decent chunk saved.

 

FYI Propride is doing 0%APR for 12 months.

 

One huge advantage of a Hensley or ProPride, you don't have to disconnect the WD bars before backing up.
@WE3ZS and @ExxWhy