Blue Ox Sway Pro vs. ProPride and others

[StreamNTyme]

One question....what is your life worth...you put tons of money into a truck and trailer yet the most important item is the hitch, spend the money and be safe!

We had a Reese w anti sway , it did not work! We could have been killed!
Had a used Hensley and it is great but plan on doing lots more travel so we now have a new Propride. NO SWAY!

Detroit.... you may not have the hitch set up correctly...call Sean at Propride, he will set you straight

Safe Travels...

[Wconley]

I’ve always been confused by all the fuss over the Blue Ox Sway Pro. I’ve been using mine for about two years with no issues. I just use proper technique to hook up and unhook and I’m still using the tool provided which I store on top of the propane tanks. I don’t have any comparison with other hitches but for me the BOSP does the job without drama. We live in a time when there are a lot of good choices of trailer, tow vehicle and hitches. We should embrace our good fortune!

[TG Twinkie]

I agree with Wconley.
I use the provided tool.
It works for me.
Just follow the instructions provided.
Three + years of use. No problems.

[NoResults]

Originally Posted by boondockdad

I’ve towed with
-just the ball
-friction sway bar and chain linked bars
-Equalizer brand
-Hensley Arrow

I will never ever ever ever tow with anything but a pivot point projection setup (Hensley, never used PropRide)

In fact, I think it’s only a matter of time before big Nanny gov steps in and starts heavily regulating towing RV’s, beginning with mandated PPP hitches on travel trailers.

I suppose you think big brother is always right. Maybe you use a Android system or Apple. Do you think the government should mandate one vs the other since you are so one sided on this issue.



Your Pro-pride / Hensley have their issues. Dave

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by StreamNTyme

One question....what is your life worth...you put tons of money into a truck and trailer yet the most important item is the hitch, spend the money and be safe!

We had a Reese w anti sway , it did not work! We could have been killed!
Had a used Hensley and it is great but plan on doing lots more travel so we now have a new Propride. NO SWAY!

Detroit.... you may not have the hitch set up correctly...call Sean at Propride, he will set you straight

Safe Travels...

This is where I need to chime in, please stop with this nonsensical hyping these overpriced and over complicated hitches. What is your life worth,all the money you spend on truck and trailer yadi,yada, bs.
First of all there is absolutely no empirical evidence that they save more lives and prevent more accidents than any of the other very good hitches out there. The vast majority of trailers are pulled with conventional hitches and people aren't perishing by the thousands daily from trailers swaying and turning over.
You want a Pro-Pride have at it dude and I promise I will never ridicule you for blowing so much money unnecessarily for a contraption like that.

[blkmagikca]

Originally Posted by StreamNTyme

One question....what is your life worth...you put tons of money into a truck and trailer yet the most important item is the hitch, spend the money and be safe!

We had a Reese w anti sway , it did not work! We could have been killed!
Had a used Hensley and it is great but plan on doing lots more travel so we now have a new Propride. NO SWAY!


Safe Travels...

I’ve been using the Reese Straight-Line Dual-Cam system since 2011 when I acquired my Excella. JC set it up for me and, other than having to replace a broken trunion a few years ago, it works just fine. I like the fact that it is an active sway control which brings the combination AS & TV back into a straight line as opposed to the friction type which simply tends to stop the turning motion without encouraging the return of the combination AS & TV back into a straight line.
While I have not studied the geometry of the Hensley or Pro-Pride, I see no need to turf out what works for me.

[hoagy_007]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

For that cause I have stopped tightening the over center latches super tight. I thought it through and figured that the wedge doesn’t need to be driven into the seat with tremendous force, and beside that there are safety pins.

This has made my unhitching less problematic.

J. Morgan, it would be great to see a picture of your setup before you unhitch. I have a ProPride and have the same pop when the TV and TT aren't at the same level. Not a big deal but would be nice to reduce that if possible.

Thanks,
Hoagy

[GuyJenn]

Is the Hensley hitch recommended for a 30' AS and how does it compare in terms of safety and risk of injury?

[Daquenzer]

Originally Posted by GuyJenn

Is the Hensley hitch recommended for a 30' AS and how does it compare in terms of safety and risk of injury?

I don't have a Hensley. I use a Propride. Very similar principle. I pull 28'. Lots of people use them with 30'. Works great. Very easy to adjust WD bars since the WD bars remain hooked up to the hitch. I never take mine off. All you have to do is adjust after you hook up. No cranking with chains, etc. Also you can adjust after you have driven awhile without unhooking which I have done. Just turn the mechanism that lifts or lowers the bars. Very safe. Love the system.

If you choose to go with Hensley or Propride it will cost money, take time to put on, and it will take some time to get use to. But it definitely improved my towing experience over my Blue Ox.

To some degree it depends upon your vehicle you tow with. I tow with F150. Those that tow with a heavier truck may not see as much improvement.

[rmkrum]

One of the ways you can tell the TV and AS are at the same level with a ProPride is to carefully watch the hitch head as you lower the power jack.

Here's what I do after getting the AS where I want it, and more or less level:

Put TV in PARK, engine OFF, and parking brake set FIRMLY. Chock and block the AS wheels (I have dual axles, so I use a screw-tightened wedge chock between the wheels on BOTH sides. I get them nice and tight.

Then I go to the tongue jack, and put the foot under it (mine rides in the truck to get WD bar clearance on the road). Then I slack off my ProPride WD jacks completely. Then I start raising the tongue and closely watch the vertical clearance on the ProPride head.

When you get to the same level, the head visibly shifts down just a little bit. That means you have some slack vertically, and the load is off the stinger.

At that point, you can open the latches, and the stinger should then slide out easily as you pull away with the TV. At this point, I unhook the safety chains, disconnect the umbilical, start the truck, and pull away slowly.

Do the rest of your unhitching checklist at this point. Typically stabilizers, utility connections, awnings, etc.

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by GuyJenn

Is the Hensley hitch recommended for a 30' AS and how does it compare in terms of safety and risk of injury?

In any situation, towing any big trailer requires good weight distribution and an anti-sway system of some sort to help prevent loss-of-control accidents. A trailer without some anti-sway can get out of control and start swaying from side to side. Without anti-sway, or immediate action to get on the trailer brakes and pull the rig straight and in tension, the sway can increase, and cause the entire rig to go out of control, possibly leading to a rollover accident. Not good.

There are several ways to add anti-sway to a hitch system. One common one is friction anti-sway bars that use friction to keep the rig straight, and dampen sway when it occurs (hopefully).

Mechanical anti sway systems use mechanical geometry to force the trailer to stay in line with the tow vehicle, and do not depend on friction. The "Pivot Point Projection" (PPP) systems effectively make the trailer tow like a fifth-wheel system, and place the pivot point at or very near the rear axle of the tow vehicle. This flat stops sway from even starting. The sway forces are transferred to the center of the rear axle, to the tires, and thence to the road. There are YouTube videos about how this works, but basically its done with a trapezoidal linkage that is part of the hitch.

Hensley Manufacturing and ProPride are two PPP hitch systems designed by Jim Hensley. The ProPride is the latest version of his design. I chose it because it does not require any holes drilled in the A-frame on the AS, seems easier to install, and is considerably 'beefier' than the Hensley Manufacturing version. A Plus for me is the adjustable stinger drop--when I change tow vehicles, I don't have to fuss with shipping heavy parts back and forth to get the right stinger--I just break out the wrenches and re-set the height.

I use one on my 22 footer. It may be overkill according to some (Hi there, FranklyFrank!), but the total lack of ANY sway under all conditions, ease of hitching and WD adjusting, and superb on-the-road handling is why I bought mine.

The only limitation you need to be aware of is that it is only rated and designed to tow 10,000 pounds or less. With Airstreams, that's probably not an issue. There are several different Weight Distribution (WD) bar strengths available, and they need to match your tongue weight range. I think they go 800, 1,000, and 1,400 pounds IIRC.

The best way to size the WD bars is to call Sean at ProPride and discuss your AS and TV with him and get his recommendation. For my particular combination, he recommended 1,000 pound bars. For my rig, this gives me sufficient WD adjustment range to firmly 'plant' the front axle of my Toyota Tacoma when loaded up to full gross weight in the AS and the truck. They can also be easily set to less WD force when I'm lightly loaded.

The other HUGE advantage to me, over every other anti-sway and WD system, is that the WD bars and hitch head assembly STAY on the AS once installed. You do not have to take anything other than the stinger off the truck when you are not traveling.

I previously had a "Husky" brand WD hitch, and where I live in Southern California, I have to regularly deal with mountainous highway passes. A trip up and down the 4,500 foot Cajon pass on I-15 with the Husky was a) a sway event waiting to happen, and b) the AS was VERY twitchy in the wind and when being passed by the 18-wheelers while I was hugging the shoulder doing 45 MPH downhill to avoid swaying out of control.

It also had to be assembled and installed EVERY time I wanted to tow the AS, including a huge hitch assemble and the WD bars, plus using a two foot long pipe prybar, over-center latches, and chains to set the WD tension. The WD latches were responsible for some rather nasty bruises when they got away from me. The ProPride adjusts with a ratchet wrench applied to a couple jack assemblies on the A-frame. Easy...and safe for brittle-boned old farts like me.

I gave that piece of junk away, and ended up buying and installing by myself, with teenage daughter's minor help, a shiny new ProPride system. I'm super satisfied with it, and have done over 20,000 miles on that hitch, including running at the speed limit (plus a little) across Texas in the wind with zero sway.

[hoagy_007]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

One of the ways you can tell the TV and AS are at the same level with a ProPride is to carefully watch the hitch head as you lower the power jack.

Here's what I do after getting the AS where I want it, and more or less level:

Put TV in PARK, engine OFF, and parking brake set FIRMLY. Chock and block the AS wheels (I have dual axles, so I use a screw-tightened wedge chock between the wheels on BOTH sides. I get them nice and tight.

Then I go to the tongue jack, and put the foot under it (mine rides in the truck to get WD bar clearance on the road). Then I slack off my ProPride WD jacks completely. Then I start raising the tongue and closely watch the vertical clearance on the ProPride head.

When you get to the same level, the head visibly shifts down just a little bit. That means you have some slack vertically, and the load is off the stinger.

At that point, you can open the latches, and the stinger should then slide out easily as you pull away with the TV. At this point, I unhook the safety chains, disconnect the umbilical, start the truck, and pull away slowly.

Do the rest of your unhitching checklist at this point. Typically stabilizers, utility connections, awnings, etc.

Thanks rmkrum! I was thinking about using that approach and will do today on our prep for the weekend trip.

I also agree with your assessment of the ProPride and love it. Regardless of others opinions, I don't push mine on AS owners just share experiences. But at the end of the day the money comes from my pocket not anyone else. If someone has been happy with their Blue Ox or any other hitch, I'm happy for them and would never say 'that hitch is unsafe, your family's life is in jeopardy and need to buy a PP' or any other scare tactics that other posters think ProPride hitch owners use (still scratching my head on the comments).

Share your comments and opinions in a constructive way without the negative connotations and overtones and these threads will be so much more helpful.

Have a great day y'all!

Hoagy

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by toothpull

30000 miles with our 25ft FC and Blue Ox... Absolutely no problems... Tows very nicely. I have no experience with the other systems. My confusion is regarding the continuing issues of setting up the BO and needing extension bars to do so more easily and safely. As some have stated, and I agree, the answer is simply to use your power jack to raise your tow vehicle enough to remove the tension from the bars! I can then literally use one hand and the short bar to very easily unhitch the chains... No effort and no banging of the chains. This was the procedure I was taught by AS AND endorsed by BO... Forget the extended bars and trauma/drama. I can hitch and unhitch in 5 minutes. My 2 cents

Good to here that you are still alive and well. According to the ProPride crowd you should be long dead and buried by now and your Airstream cut up and reused for packaging Charlie the Tuna.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

Good to here that you are still alive and well. According to the ProPride crowd you should be long dead and buried by now and your Airstream cut up and reused for packaging Charlie the Tuna.

Second best is seldom fatal.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by SailorSam205

So far, the ONLY ways I've figured out that I can hurt myself on my ProPride is by banging against it with my shins or dropping the stinger when I put in the TV receiver.

As for problems hitching up, once the stinger is partially into the hitch, if the WD bars are completely loose, it WILL slide in completely without issue. The act of hitching WILL put tension on the WD bars if they are not in the same plane, so stopping to release that tension usually takes care of the issue.

I actually have more of a problem UN-hitching. If you don't get the TV and trailer at the same level, you do get a bit of a bump as you pull the stinger out, not that it is a big issue. But I do like it best when the stinger slides out cleanly.

Our 'shin-saver' 😂

As far as pulling out in a timely fashion.

Place your finger at the hitch entrance>>arrow, raise/lower tongue. The moment you feel the stinger relax...STOP and pull out. 😇

Bob
🇺🇸

[SailorSam205]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

Second best is seldom fatal.

ROFL

[Foiled Again]

MAINTENANCE

There are some maintenance items I just no longer enjoy, some I can barely do and others I have trusted to the hands of professionals... who have occasionally let me down badly.

The Hensley (and I assume the ProPride) require maintenance. Taking one off the hitch, checking washers, etc. for wear and reinstalling is something I totally lack the equipment or strength to do. The Blue Ox is idiot proof (which is why Overlander63 recommended it for ME. Be nice Terry!) YMMD. They are all pretty good and one size does not fit all. The debates on tow vehicles and hitches will never end, and most of it is personal opinion.

Oh by the way there is a Rolls Royce Silver Phantom from the 70s for sale.... wouldn't that be the perfect tow vehicle? PAULA. Being silly after 2 hard ciders.

[rmkrum]

Nope. Maintenance consists of using a grease gun to lube the bars. Really lazy folk like me install a grease fitting on the AS hitch to make it easy to shoot grease in there with the same gun.

If, for some extreme reason I needed to actually work on it, I slide an automotive floor jack under the head to support it as I work. That’s how an old fart like me put it together in the first place. Floor jack, bottle jacks, and hydraulic jackstands to lift heavy stuff and hold it up. I prefer to say I’m clever, but the bottom line my ‘clever’ is being driven real strong by ‘lazy’. And since I have a bad back, and wonky knees, I let the mechanical stuff do the heavy lifting.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Nope. Maintenance consists of using a grease gun to lube the bars. Really lazy folk like me install a grease fitting on the AS hitch to make it easy to shoot grease in there with the same gun.

If, for some extreme reason I needed to actually work on it, I slide an automotive floor jack under the head to support it as I work. That’s how an old fart like me put it together in the first place. Floor jack, bottle jacks, and hydraulic jackstands to lift heavy stuff and hold it up. I prefer to say I’m clever, but the bottom line my ‘clever’ is being driven real strong by ‘lazy’. And since I have a bad back, and wonky knees, I let the mechanical stuff do the heavy lifting.

You OWN the mechanical stuff and have brick and mortar to store it in too. And the skills. I went to high school when girls couldn't take shop, drafting, or basic automobile mechanics. I did learn enoigh to change my own oil and tune up a vehicle before they went all electronic, and I remodeled an old house... but my skills aren't current, and without a spouse or nearby relatives I try to limit opportunities to do myself an injury.

[boondockdad]

The Hensley Arrow is not difficult to install, or use.

Just finished installing one on my brothers brand spankin' new Flying Cloud. It was the second time I've done it. First time was 10 years ago on my Classic. I was done installing it before they were done doing the dealer walk-thru.