Trailer Sway

[rgchak]

I tow my 2015 27DSRL with a 1991 Ford Bronco (very short wheelbase) using the ProPride hitch. The ProPride is the updated version of the Hensley Arrow. I've got over 6,000 miles on my setup and love it, no sway, ever. Obliviously the cost is what keeps more people from buying this unit. In my case this is the one and only hitch I will use and considering the stress free miles divided into the cost, it's worth the extra money.

[Donedroolin]

Oh man I have been reading allot. For those that have the BLu Ox, Does it really work. I mean really. I am wondering if I should cancel my order and if I can, buy a Hensley Arrow system. I am always thinking about my families safety. And everytime you talk about sway, family safety comes up and so does the Hensley Arrow. Close to $3000.00 for the Hensley vs $699.00 for the Blu Ox. You cannot put a price on people(family). I would probably buy a Hensley but my wife is really against it. She does the bills and knows where the other money could be spent. This is really tough. I am torn. We really don't have the extra to buy it, however I could with tax money. Again she is against that. So I really need to know if the BLu OX works, Really works. Thanks

[scottyt24]

We have the Blue Ox with our 23B and I love it. Super easy to set up and easy to hook up every time.

We are upgrading to a 27BHS which has a different coupler (underslung vs. standard) and the only problem is I can't use my existing set up and now need to get something new and am actually giving the equalizer a chance with the new trailer.

Something to keep in mind as the blue Ox states states that their advantage is that moving up trailers only requires you to buy new bars to account for heavier weight. Well, that isn't necessarily true as it doesn't take into account a different type of coupler.

Kind of a bummer in my opinion.

[sennister]

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

Hang on to all the installation/adjustment documentation that comes with the new WDH, it may come in handy for future reference.

Bob

Always a good idea to keep all documentation together. We have a 3 ring binder that we keep all the manuals in and it will go in there with the rest of the stuff from the camper. I also go to manufacturer websites and download PDF versions of the manuals and keep it in Google Drive so they are remotely accessible.

That said there isn't much for setup with the Blue Ox. Put the camper and TV on level ground measure the coupler height with the camper level. Add an inch to that measurement and that is how high you want your ball on the TV. The clamp on rotating latches go 29" back from the coupler but before torquing down the bolts hook up the camper and make sure the chains go straight up and down. There are no shims or other adjustments to it. However that is why you have to buy a different hitch if you have underslug vs standard coupler.

Originally Posted by Donedroolin

Oh man I have been reading allot. For those that have the BLu Ox, Does it really work. I mean really. I am wondering if I should cancel my order and if I can, buy a Hensley Arrow system.
~snip

There are lots of systems out there. I will save my review for after I pull my camper for a few times but a lot of people here and at other forums recommended it. My dealer said they normally sell the Equalizer but it is $50 cheaper. From what I read in talking to people that use both is either works very well. One thing to keep in mind. I don't think any system will remove 100% of the sway in every condition. Just the other day we had a strong wind advisory and wind gusts were in the 40-50mph range. I don't care what system you go with, I would have adjusted my schedule and not pulled the camper that day. Some times it just isn't a good idea to be on the roads with something this big. Where I live this is the exception to the norm so not that big of a deal. Taking an extra day of vacation or leave a day later is better than something bad happening.

With my old camper we used a Draw Tight but never had any sway control. It was a shorter camper at 22' however this was measured different. Overall it was 23' long where the new one is a 25' and almost 31' overall. It is also a lot heavier so I was more concerned about sway this time around. I could have added the friction bar style sway control but you have to release the pressure or remove the bar before backing up and more stuff to hook up.

Like with everything in life what works best for one person isn't the best for the next. So here is what my list of pros and cons looked like and why I went with the Blue Ox over the Equalizer or other hitches. NOTE: my comparison was between keeping my Draw Tight, Equalizer and Blue Ox.

Pros

- Easier setup. There is no hitch angle or shims to deal with in setting it up which may be best done by a dealer. I can set up the hitch myself. This is a bigger benefit in that I could buy it online for $599 where my dealer wanted $850 (installed) for it. Also there are times where we don't pull our camper with our truck. My son, the Father in law and myself have been going up north fishing in the spring. In the past we have taken their Heartland Big Horn 5th Wheel with his GMC 3500 truck. They live in the 5th wheel for the summer months so that means the MIL moves in with my wife and daughter as we take their home. We could just use the GMC 3500 to pull the 25BH and take that fishing as it is all we need but the hitch will need to be adjusted. Sure we could take the Denali but it is a long haul and easier on the GMC 3500 also the Denali is my wife's daily driver so if I took that she would have to drive my car. She hates my Subaru WRX. Most of this is personal to my situation. Also they may borrow our camper if they want to do a quick trip and we are not using it rather than pulling the big 5er.

- Easier hookup and more adjustment for load. The thing I like about chain systems is lets say you dry camp and camp with full hookups. That can change your load and tongue weight. It is fine if you only do one kind of camping but we do both so it is a factor we keep in mind. If I need to I can add or drop a chain link to change the amount of lift. This is another factor when changing tow vehicles. Also less stuff to hook up when compared to the Draw Tight with friction bar. Sometimes my wife pulls the camper and we meet at the camp site so if she hooks up it is going to be easier on her.

- Because the sway control is based on spring pressure it is more like a variable sway control.

- None of the popping and snapping sound. Not that big of a deal though.

- The lube point is on the hitch head not the bar ends so with some hitches you can have grease all over the place so this is a cleaner solution.

Cons

- Because it doesn't have all the hitch head angle adjustments and shims needed for setup, it also means it isn't as flexible. They will say in the sale material that if you get a new camper that all you have to do is look at the spring rating of the bars and maybe swap those out and use it with the new camper. However what this doesn't mention is that this is true only if you keep the same style coupler. Our old camper has a standard coupler. The new camper is underslung coupler. If we had a Blue Ox on the old camper we would have had to buy new spring bars and a new hitch head. At that point we would probably be better off just buying an entire new hitch and selling the old one.

- I have read where some people have complained about ground clearance issues with the Blue Ox. Shouldn't be an issue for us.

[Drew A.]

Originally Posted by Donedroolin

Oh man I have been reading allot. For those that have the BLu Ox, Does it really work. I mean really. I am wondering if I should cancel my order and if I can, buy a Hensley Arrow system. I am always thinking about my families safety. And everytime you talk about sway, family safety comes up and so does the Hensley Arrow. Close to $3000.00 for the Hensley vs $699.00 for the Blu Ox. You cannot put a price on people(family). I would probably buy a Hensley but my wife is really against it. She does the bills and knows where the other money could be spent. This is really tough. I am torn. We really don't have the extra to buy it, however I could with tax money. Again she is against that. So I really need to know if the BLu OX works, Really works. Thanks

Hi Donedroolin, I don't post here much, if ever, but I had to chime in on this topic with my experience. (I have been lurking for years).

I've got a 2010 32BHDS and tow with a 2006 Ram 3500. Similar truck and camper to what you have. I initially, way back in 2010, tried to set up my dual cam hitch and I didn't like the results. Now, this isn't my first camper or trailer to use the dual cam on, so I'm not a novice. I've been towing since 2004.

I went with a ProPride and can't be happier. My wife even drives sometimes. We've gone to Florida from Mass 3 time as well at Wyoming. All over the east coast. Tows great.

I didn't want to have to second guess my family's safety towing such a huge trailer. My 32BHDS is 35 feet long and 8300 pounds empty per the sticker. It's huge. Granted, it was a lot of money, but I sleep well at night.

Good luck making your decision.

Drew

[homer1959]

The E4 will do the job and BTW your family is much more exposed to dangers from the others drivers then by an eventual event of sway... dont overthink it, there is always somewhere someone counting on fears to sell you something .....

[lspajm]

I had terrible sway issues also. I upgraded to an f250 diesel and then upgraded to a Reese dual cam. No issues since


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[lspajm]

All of the research I did anything over 28 feet a friction sway bar is totally worthless. When I originally bought our camper the dealer should have sold me a heavier hitch set up with built-in sway control and not the friction bar since my initial camper was 32 feet.


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[TxTwoSome]

We have the Bue Ox Swaypro and we love it and have towed about 3,000 miles with it with great success.

[LarryJ]

I have the Equalizer that matches my TT, works perfectly. As other have noted need to insure what you use matches your rig. IMO there is nothing on the market that matches the Equalizer when setup properly...

Larry J

[Ottawasteve]

Originally Posted by Donedroolin

Oh man I have been reading allot. For those that have the BLu Ox, Does it really work. I mean really. I am wondering if I should cancel my order and if I can, buy a Hensley Arrow system. I am always thinking about my families safety. And everytime you talk about sway, family safety comes up and so does the Hensley Arrow. Close to $3000.00 for the Hensley vs $699.00 for the Blu Ox. You cannot put a price on people(family). I would probably buy a Hensley but my wife is really against it. She does the bills and knows where the other money could be spent. This is really tough. I am torn. We really don't have the extra to buy it, however I could with tax money. Again she is against that. So I really need to know if the BLu OX works, Really works. Thanks

At one point, Hensley was selling factory reconditioned hitches that had a pretty significant discount. You can usually save a bit of money on the Propride which is equivalent to the Hensley. I personally would not hesitate to buy a used hitch if I could find one. If buying used, the Propride would be easier to adjust for the height of your hitch and coupler.

I think you can probably get the Blue Ox setup so it is safe, but I would be willing to bet that you will get more trailer movement when it is windy or passing semis than you would with a Hensley/Propride hitch. It will depend on how comfortable you feel about this while towing. If the Propride makes for comfortable towing for Rgchak with a short wheelbase Bronco, on your setup you will always have a comfortable tow. Personally, I would not tow our 28BHBE with our F150 without the Propride hitch. I have read about similar size TVs and TTs having sway issues, but none of them were using Hensley or Propride hitches.

[lspajm]

Originally Posted by Crabman

I have been using the old style Reese Dual cam since 2008 on 3 trailers and have never encountered what I consider a sway event (when the tail wags the dog). They don`t make that one anymore but I`m sure the next gen dual cam is good too.

I also have Reese dual cam and tow nearly 10k pounds with f250 diesel - never had sway issues at all with it.


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[lspajm]

And lets forget it is not just weight. It is also how you have the camper loaded from front to back and length. Length of the tt vs wheel base of your tv.


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[GarlicDude]

Jay Feather 7 18RBM, reasonably light, I talked to a local hitch installer who everyone says is THE guy to go to for hitches etc. recommended the Anderson Hitch system. From what I've read it works best on lighter trailers. I was considering the Reese dual cam setup, still reading and haven't made a decision yet.

https://www.andersenhitches.com/

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by GarlicDude

Jay Feather 7 18RBM, reasonably light, I talked to a local hitch installer who everyone says is THE guy to go to for hitches etc. recommended the Anderson Hitch system. From what I've read it works best on lighter trailers. I was considering the Reese dual cam setup, still reading and haven't made a decision yet.

Keep reading and include the Equal-i-zer brand hitch in your research into weight distribution hitches and anti-sway. Several of us like that hitch a lot!

And to add to what lspajm said, other factors to keep in mind regarding sway are having the trailer level or slightly nose down and the type of tires on both the TT and TV and their inflation.

[Disney fan]

I had a similar problem with my Eagle 28 bunkhouse. Took advice and changed my wheels to low profile 20" tires from 17" and added another leaf to my gmc 1500, and it drives perfect. The half tonne gmc with 17" was just too soft and caused the lateral motion. 1100 lbs on my ball and truck only drops 1.25" before the wdh is applied Easy fix. I do have a blue ox wdh and it is far better than your cheaper round bar wdh.



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[2nOZ]

Originally Posted by GarlicDude

Jay Feather 7 18RBM, reasonably light, I talked to a local hitch installer who everyone says is THE guy to go to for hitches etc. recommended the Anderson Hitch system. From what I've read it works best on lighter trailers. I was considering the Reese dual cam setup, still reading and haven't made a decision yet.

https://www.andersenhitches.com/

We weren't happy with the dealer provided and installed Reese Pro Series WDH with friction bar. We consulted a local trailer/hitch shop for suggestions. The owner has extensive experience towing TT's from the factory to the dealers. He suggested the Andersen WDH for our F250 and Whitehawk 27DSRL. Had it installed on Friday and the tow home was quiet and pleasant. Put it to the test yesterday by towing in four directions in a gusty 30mph wind. No sway. Pleasant pull. The DW feels confident enough that she will drive when needed and loves the ease of hitching and unhitching.

There are several good hitches out there. You just need to find the one that fits your combination.

Happy camping.

[tdcoody]

Years ago when I had a TT, I purchased a Hensley Arrow Hitch. They said it would eliminate trail sway. It absolutely worked as advertised! I paid about 2500 dollars then. When I traveled I carried my most valuable possessions, my family. So I felt it was worth every penny.


Tim

[pawpaw]

i use the Equalizer with 4 point sway control. My TT weighs in at almost 10,000lbs, so I bought the 12,000lb. rated hitch. Absolutely the best hitch I've ever owned.
Happy Camping!

[Donedroolin]

I have picked up my New Blu Ox sway control. However still don't have the camper as it is getting the front cap painted. Cant wait to get it back and find a level parking lot to do the installation. Looks easy to install and setup. Will let you know how we make out when installed and first towing experience