[REDNAX]

As a former truck driver I'll lend some perspective to my comments above.

One, my old mantra: If the truck is good, then the other things can be dealt with. That is, if ALL deficiencies have been addressed, then;

Two, the unpredictable. Sudden bad weather. Construction, narrowed lanes and aggressive traffic. Uneven road surfaces (search on trailers being "tripped" as a cause of turnover; on the Web), high crowned roads, etc. Worse, driver health. One can be prey to any number of non-emergency problems which affect driving alertness, driving-ability-AT-THAT-MOMENT. Or, an emotional problem that is nagging (a parent with Alzheimers, etc).

Three, now combine any of these. Here's a scenario:

Early summer, hot, A/C not quite keeping up, construction on an Interstate in Tornado Alley and suddenly the weather is changing. The driver is tired from the heat/humidity, the traffic is being funnelled down to one lane; the TV has less-than-new-but-adequate-tires, the surface of the asphalt overlay is lumpy/wavy and . . . .

You fill in the blanks you as you want. A jerk changing lanes, some dunnage falls off a big truck, winds of 60 mph are hitting, the asphalt is now wet/slippery, etc.

A hitch that counters sway is at the point that it is just NOT enough, (the driver, the road, the traffic, the weather are all deteriorating at the SAME TIME), driver skill and attention are at the utmost.

This is why I wanted a hitch without compromises. For the times that are unpredictable (that other people call "accidents"; no such thing in my book), I want to focus on keeping upright and in my lane until things change or I can exit. That may be hundreds of yards or it may be miles. There may not be an easy out.

I've seen the results. I also believe that if my parents had this hitch a dozen years ago their near-catastrophic wreck "might" have been avoided. My father simply couldn't change lanes (and into the slight median shoulder) fast enough to avoid a tripping hazard.

Granted that there is much more to getting the rigging of the hitch between TV and TT ideal. An A/S is already ideal, and many TV's can be made to be so if one is willing. Getting the rigging correct takes some time and effort. The "expensive" hitch just makes it easier.

Years ago, once I read about the Hensley there was no doubt in my mind that I would buy, test and decide if it did what it said. The manuevers I put my trailer through SHOULD have turned it over (fast double lane change). The trailer never unlocked and followed me as if it were unable to move out of line. Well, geez, it wasn't able to move. That was 1/2-hour after it was installed and the 60-days was just a formality after that.

Once I've worked my way through the TT/TV rigging (balance, weight-distribution, etc) then, as I see it, the only real threat is one of having the trailer "tripped" beyond the point it can recover. This is why, even though mine is not an independently-suspended A/S it is still a lightweight, aerodynamic low-center-of-gravity trailer. There are some improvements I can make to the TT suspension that are high on my list to perform this year.

The A/S choice is 70% of the way to the safest towing rig (along with the proper TV). The hitch just completes it. The driver is only about 10-12% of the equation given the above AND safe towing speed/distances, IMHO. My aim is to keep the driver proportion to its lowest point as it is the weakest link in the chain.