ksd
Medina, MN
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Joined: 10/22/2003
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We're about to buy a new TT. Overall length is about 35 feet. Our tow vehicle is a Suburban 3/4 ton. I've decided to invest in one of those expensive sway control hitches -- either a Hensley Arrow or a ProPride 3P. They're about the same price right now (Hensley has a sale on), and I can't figure out how they differ.
So ... how do they really differ? Since the price is about the same, which one is the better value and why?
2008 Salem LA 312QBBS
2006 Suburban 2500 LT 8.1/4.10
Gear Vendors Under/Overdrive
BrakeSmart Controller
ProPride 3P hitch
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TURK2500
S.E., Michigan
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Joined: 04/12/2005
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A search on the "Hensley" and/or "ProPide" within this forum may provide the information you are looking for. ThisTHREAD may be a good start.
Turk2500
05 Jayco Eagle, 278FBS, UVW 7,063lbs, GVWR 9,000lbs.
Tongue Weight: Dry 913lbs/Loaded 1,200lbs.
02 Chevy, 2500HD/4x4, 6.0L/4:10, EC/LS/SB, Prodigy, GCWR 16,000lbs.
TV/TT loaded: 14,700lbs.
Putnam XDR Class V, Reese HP Dual Cam.
00 HD Road King Classic.
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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Joined: 07/13/2005
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If they're about the same why not go with the "experienced" one - the Hensley? Check out warranty and customer service too. When we bought our Hensley in February of 2006, we had not yet begun to camp as the weather here in our area was too cold. They have a 60 day money back guarrantee period that you can send it back at their expense so they started our money back period in May when we expected to begin camping. The hitch was sent then but we in actuality had till end of June to make up our minds. They've been great and the hitch has lived up to their claims.
2006 282TS 32' Komfort
1999 Ford F250 4x4 XLT SD Triton V10 with Tow Package
Prodigy Brake Control
Magnaflow Cat Back Exhaust, FIPK, and TransGo Shift Kit
Hensley Arrow
Dave and Renee plus Champ, Molly (in spirit), Missy and now Maggie Along for the Ride!
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ksd
Medina, MN
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TURK2500 wrote:A search on the "Hensley" and/or "ProPide" within this forum may provide the information you are looking for. This THREAD may be a good start.
Turk2500
Ya know, I had tried that, but I kept coming up with scores of posts that mentioned the Hensley and ProPride hitches, but didn't actually tell you what was different about them. In scanning yet again through the 15+ page thread you linked above, though, I found this post:
willald wrote:Now, if you decide on a converging link type hitch (Hensley or ProPride), then among those two, its a no-brainer IMO: I'd go for the ProPride any day. ProPride is considerably less expensive, and has several improvements over the Hensley.
Specifically, some of the improvements I know of with the ProPride (over the Hensley) are:
1. Much better paint used (Hensleys are notorious for rusting a lot, ProPride appears to have fixed that).
2. Better design/mechanism used to lock the hitch head in place on trailer - no more U bolts and shear bolts
3. Adjustable height/angle on the hitch bar
4. Pivot point actually moved even further forward, due to stinger being slightly shorter than Hensley
5. Better design that holds the WD bars in place (does not use grease zerks like Hensley uses, that are prone to wear out with time and allow bars to fall out when unhitched)
6. Jacks used for WD bars place weight on top of A frame instead of outside, reducing risk of the frame brackets bending with age
7. Link pieces, bearings, etc. are built even more solid (thicker, heavier) than ones used on Hensley
8. Availability of adapter piece I mentioned above, that will allow shops to move your trailer if need be
Now, the ProPride is no longer "considerably cheaper" than the Hensley with the Hensley being on sale for $2400. That post is helpful to me, but I'd like to hear from someone with a Hensley who can respond.
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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The link provided by Turk2500 should give you your answer. It's all been said in there and numerous other threads on RV.net which is why you're probably not getting any more responses.
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crappie_fisherman
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Joined: 08/09/2005
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ReneeG wrote:The link provided by Turk2500 should give you your answer. It's all been said in there and numerous other threads on RV.net which is why you're probably not getting any more responses.
Very well said indeed!
Plus the hard part about this topic is that it is truly VERY SUBJECTIVE...
What constitutes 'better' to some may be viewed as a negative to others...
The OP should enjoy the competition and price reductions being generated due to COMPETITION between these two manufacturers with ProPride coming on the market.
When many of us purchased our hitches...we basically had 2 choices...Hensley or PullRite. We also had to fork out over $3K!!!
For me and my Excursion the PullRite was eliminated due to the mounting configuration that required the hitch to be installed BELOW the factory receiver eating up ground clearance...I even called Pulliam which is about 1 hour from here to ask about a custom install...they told me NO WAY...
BUT...if I had a different vehicle...I truly feel the PullRite is a superior hitch due to its pure mechanical advantage under all towing conditions. There is no 'virtual' pivot point (VPP) that changes due to the angle between the TV and TT. The PullRites pivot is ALWAYS at the rear axle and has benefits over either of the VPP hitches IMO. Again a search of the PullRite will generate some reading pages for you.
The only two negatives I've read about on here for the PullRite is that it STAYS with the vehicle...if you change vehicles often...this could be a BIG negative for YOU. The other...if you have to just nudge the TT over a few inches...you must pull WAY forward like with a 5'r...for some parking conditions say at home or such...again this could be a BIG negative for YOU...
The VPP hitches...well they have their negatives as well...and have been well covered on this site.
I only posted to mention to NOT DISCOUNT or IGNORE the PullRite hitch for your situation. I'm not sure how the mounting options are on the Burb...but since the reciever can be changed...I have to believe it is a much cleaner installation than on my Excursion...
Good luck!
joe.
DH, DW, 2 DD's
2005 Excursion V10 w/4.30's
- Hensley Arrow
- Prodigy
- Hellwig rear sway bar
- RoadMaster Suspension
- Front 2" hitch
- Bilsteins
2007 JayFlight 31BHDS (3 women & 2 slides...it helps!  )
Mini & the BEAST
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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Joined: 12/27/2003
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ksd wrote:---So ... how do they really differ? Since the price is about the same, which one is the better value and why?
As of today, the price is about the same.
The Hensley Mfg. website has the Hensley Arrow® listed for sale at $2,395.
The ProPride Hitch website has the 3P listed for $2,395 (1000#) and 2,445# (1400#).
As for the other differences -- the post by willald gives a good starting point for discussion. IMO, each of Will's items deserves a separate post which can be used to summarize any further discussion of the item. Differences mentioned so far are:
Hensley Arrow Paint versus ProPride 3P Paint
Hensley Arrow Struts versus ProPride 3P Yoke
Hensley Arrow Fixed Hitch Bar versus ProPride 3P Adjustable Hitch Bar
Hensley Arrow Pivot Point Location versus ProPride 3P Pivot Point Location
Hensley Arrow WD Bar Attachment versus ProPride 3P WD Bar Attachment
Hensley Arrow WD Jacks versus ProPride 3P WD Jacks
Hensley Arrow Construction versus ProPride 3P Construction
Availability of Hitch Bar with Ball Coupler
As more differences are identified, links to respective summary posts can be added here.
Our challenge will be to keep the discussion of differences focused on facts.
Ron
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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Hensley Arrow Paint versus ProPride 3P Paint
Quote:Much better paint used (Hensleys are notorious for rusting a lot, ProPride appears to have fixed that).
Many HA owners have commented on the poor quality of the paint job. Perhaps the new competition will motivate Hensley Mfg to adopt a better process. Initial reports from 3P owners indicate no dissatisfaction with their coatings.
Related Post #1
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9/5/08 Summary
The poor quality of the HA's paint/coating is a frequent topic of discussion among HA owners. So far, there have been no complaints from 3P owners.
* This post was
edited 09/05/08 06:41pm by Ron Gratz *
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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Hensley Arrow Struts versus ProPride 3P Yoke
Quote:Better design/mechanism used to lock the hitch head in place on trailer - no more U bolts and shear bolts
The 3P yoke system is shown in third photo down on the ProPride Hitch website.
It is entirely different from the HA strut system shown as Item 11 on Page 11 of the HA Manual.
A yoke system was initially described in Mr. Hensley’s 1997 patent titled, Antisway trailer hitch with surge break accommodations.
Mr. Hensley did not claim that the yoke offered any stability improvement over the strut assembly described in his previous patents. Rather, the yoke was introduced as a means to allow for trailer tongue “shortening” when used with a surge brake.
Related Post #1
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edited 09/05/08 08:02pm by Ron Gratz *
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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Joined: 12/27/2003
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Hensley Arrow Fixed Hitch Bar versus ProPride 3P Adjustable Hitch Bar
Quote:Adjustable height/angle on the hitch bar
The HA hitch bar is shown as Item 5 on page 11 and on page 35 of the HA Manual. The HA bar is available as a straight bar or in “drops” or “raises” in 2” increments.
A very good photo of the 3P’s adjustable bar is shown in the second photo on this web page. The 3P bar is vertically adjustable in increments which appear to be about 1.5” (this needs to be confirmed). The 3P bar also can be adjusted for “tilt”.
The 3P adjustable bar is multi-piece with bolted construction and numerous welds. The HA bar is a single piece with no welds for the straight bar, and relatively few welds for the drop/raise bars.
An adjustable hitch bar with bolted construction has not previously been used with a 4-bar linkage hitch.
The 3P hitch bar appears to weigh more than the HA bar (this needs to be confirmed). Update 9/5/08: The 3P adjustable hitch bar is believed to weigh about the same as an HA 8" drop hitch bar. Other HA bars should weigh less.
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* This post was
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