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Old 05-24-2017, 01:50 PM   #1
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1962 22' Safari
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What hitch do you use on your smaller vintage AS?

I know this has been covered and covered out here, but the more I read and the more people I talk to, the more confused I get. My new rig is:
  • 2013 Tundra 5.7 liter V8
  • 1962 Safari: Dry weight 3,050 Tongue weight 420

I was leaning toward a Hensley but then an Airstreamer I respect very much said I wouldn't need it--but he didn't have time to elaborate on what I would need.

Currently I am leaning toward: Eaz-Lift 48058 Elite Weight Distributing Hitch Kit - 1,000 lbs Capacity, though it comes with a 2 and 5/8" ball and I need a 2". Hopefully that's an easy switch?

This is more like the hitch I had for my '73 Tradewind.

What do you use? What advice do you have? This hitch seems like it's toward the lower end of the spectrum and of course Hensley at the high end.
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Old 05-24-2017, 02:11 PM   #2
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Personally, I think your friend is right, although I'm sure I'll get some heat from the Hensley/ProPride community.

I use a Curt tapered bar hitch with 1400# bars, because I pull with a relatively long wheelbase truck and that's what it takes to transfer weight properly, plus a Husky friction anti-sway bar. These work fine for me. I bought two anti-sway friction bars but never installed the second one because one gets the job done (just as it does for Sean and Cristy of LoLoHo--Long, Long, Honeymoon).

My Airstream dealer told me the same thing: Hensley/ProPride were overkill for my 25" trailer (and yours is shorter and lighter than mine).

But as with most things, YMMV.
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Old 05-24-2017, 04:45 PM   #3
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Bob,

Thanks. Lots of opinions on this one! Hope to hear some more though.
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Old 05-24-2017, 06:08 PM   #4
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My decision tree is the following. I am influenced by my personal belief that friction is a poor sway control force. It does work as is demonstrated by many of the WD/SCHs currently being effectively used.

The force projection designs are effective at eliminating sway. The two primary issues are cost and weight. If an extra 100#s and ~ $1000 more cost is not an issue for you, consider what many believe to be the only logical choice.

If the $s and weight are an issue, consider the Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch. It is relatively simple to setup, costs ~ $600 and uses spring force to control sway which is progressive in application. There is grease involved and considerable force stored in the springs, but both issues are easily mitigated.

If the cost of the BOSP is too expensive for you or the force stored in the springs scares you, consider the Easylift hitch with a brake pad style friction sway control arm. You may find two arms are more effective for your rig. You will need to release the sway control to back up and adjust the friction in slick weather conditions, but the design is reasonable to set up and an effective weight distribution sway control system.

This is your decision for your rig and your safety. Research the designs and make your own informed selection. If your rig setup does not feel correct and comfortable, slow down and investigate. Most hitch setups require iterative adjustment to fine tune the results.

The other players are Anderson, Equalizer, and Reese. My concern with the Anderson is that it uses friction to control sway, that the chains make it hard to transfer weight, and that it has problems with some trailer ball receiver designs. My concern with the Equalizer is that it is a challenge to setup effectively, is noisy, can be damaged when backing at sharp angles, uses grease that gets on your pants and makes a stiff connection with the TV. It is thought by many to be quite easy to hookup. My concern with the Reese is that it can be difficult to setup correctly.

You stated dry weights. The only weight that is of importance is your travel weight. A 400# tongue weight would not require significant weight transfer, so the Anderson would be a consideration. I would not consider it if the TW was more like 800-1000#s. Establish a better estimate of your weights before you make a decision.

Good luck with your research. Pat
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Old 05-24-2017, 07:02 PM   #5
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I'll agree with PKI.

My thinking is to compare the situation with brakes. Look at their history on cars. Not that long ago most came with 4 wheel drum brakes. Now it is hard to find anything but the cheapest with anything but 4 wheel anti-lock disc brakes. Reason to go with disc brakes? They are safer than drums. Not that drums are bad. Disc brakes stop faster, straighter, and have less fade. However disc brakes are more expensive, weigh more, and are more complex. Note that there are a significant number of people putting disc brakes on their trailers at a $2k cost.

For hitches, lots of people towed for lots of miles successfully without any sway control at all. Sway control was added to make towing safer. It also added weight, complexity, and cost.

So bottom line, it's your decision based on your financial situation and your risk tolerance. I believe the Hensley design is the safest hitch. I am not saying that any other hitch is UNsafe, as long as you properly load your trailer and properly setup the hitch.
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Old 05-24-2017, 07:36 PM   #6
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You don't need a weight distributing hitch at all. You don't.
Your Tundra was designed to carry a load in the back and is light in the rear axle without that load....the trailer tongue meets that design requirement and it's really just that simple.

Pull that trailer on a few trips and you'll agree with me I'll bet. (And you'll avoid all the trouble of hitching up and un-hitching all the time.)

You might decide later to use a friction-type antisway device but even that is largely subjective if you're an experienced tow-hauler. (I'm putting on my fire-proof suit for the responses by all the sky-is-falling-if-you-don't-use-WD but I've been hauling my little 22' Bambi with similar weights as yours with my half-ton Ram for two years and 25K miles and I am NOT going to waste my time on a WD hitch that is sitting on my garage floor that my friends are going nuts over. They use them so they think everyone should or it'll make themselves look silly, and they'll try to frighten you that you're being dangerous and, using their best method to cause you to question it.... will suggest you'll need a lawyer someday. Your equipment---your choice, tho'.)
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Old 05-24-2017, 08:38 PM   #7
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With your Tundra I would say you wouldn't need a WD hitch. I have a '63 Tradewind and have no problems towing it with a full size Chevy P/U. With my Honda Pilot though, I do use an EZ lift WD hitch with sway control. It needs it. Your Tundra should be fine though without.
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Old 05-24-2017, 09:02 PM   #8
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With your light weight the Andersen will work fine. Anti Sway is built in.
I use an Andersen on my 26'
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Old 05-24-2017, 09:04 PM   #9
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[QUOTE=TG Twinkie;1954167]With your light weight the Andersen will work fine. Anti Sway is built in.
I use an Andersen on my 26' Argosy. It does a fine job. I have an '08 Tundra.
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Old 05-24-2017, 09:14 PM   #10
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I would go with no WD and a 50 buck friction sway bar.
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Old 05-24-2017, 10:52 PM   #11
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Your trailer has a 2" hitch? I'd start with a 2" ball on a simple receiver bar and go from there. 500# is not overloading the Tundra. People tow boats, flatbeds, and utility trailers all over the country and never use a WD hitch.
You can always go up.
I once towed a 16' boat and trailer to the keys using a Toyota Corolla. Not a minutes problem.
Somehow, it's become the norm to think an RV will try to kill you if you go over 10 mph without a $2500 hitch.
Take a short trip, see how it works.
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Old 05-25-2017, 05:14 AM   #12
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I use the Reese dual cam hitch for my '66 Safari and have been very pleased with its performance. I inherited the hitch from the PO then towed the trailer home down the interstate with probably 30 knots of crosswind. I finished the trip completely happy with that hitch, so I upgraded it to fit my truck and kept on using it.
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Old 05-25-2017, 06:22 AM   #13
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You are working with a relatively light tongue weight as such you probably need to be more concerned with SWAY CONTROL.
Ancedotal story time: Many years ago some relatives of mine had a sway control accident towing a small lighter trailer. They were driving a late 1960's Chrysler and had a ~20' Shasta. The car was much heavier than the trailer but a passing truck put them in a sway condition causing them to wreck.
One aspect to keep in mind is that sway control on some hitch designs is directly correlated to the spring bar weight rating (ie; Reese dual cam). One question you may want to ask as you study each hitch design. Does the tongue weight have any bearing on the effectiveness of the sway control?
With that said and IN MY OPINION the Anderson hitch would probably work ok for you as it is more of a light weight hitch. I'm not real keenp tighter to level things out again.
I myself wouldn't fiddle with the friction bar, it makes for a good door stop.
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Old 05-25-2017, 08:02 AM   #14
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I think the Eaz Lift with a sway bar and light weight bars would work well for you. On our first TT (3400lb) we pulled it with a 1/2 ton chevy six cyl but found that the 1000 lb bars were too stiff. The Eaz Lift has a good heavy duty hitch head which is better then any light duty head you might buy at Walmart or Harbor Freight.

After two years we moved up to a heavier trailer (25FB) and a BluOx which as you have already read has the built in sway control. That would also work well for your rig but the $600 cost may be more than you want to spend right now.

You can put any size ball you need on your hitch head just make sure that it has the right size stem for your hitch.
Your Tundra should be ready to roll! Happy camping
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Old 05-25-2017, 11:35 AM   #15
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I use the Equal-i-zer brand https://www.equalizerhitch.com/ to tow a "77" Minuet, 2450lbs empty, single axel, with a 2005 Jeep Wrangler. I have had to do panic stops, and panic lane changes in the last 8 years of use and it has never let me down. To be fair some of that is due to the Airstream product, they are tongue heavy and that does help.
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Old 05-25-2017, 12:14 PM   #16
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I use the Anderson on our 25ft and put over 10,000 miles on it with no problems.
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Old 05-25-2017, 01:02 PM   #17
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Hi Jim,

We have a similarly sized/wt. 1960 Avion T20 at +/-3000# wet & loaded with 542# HW - including 160# Hensley Cub & 2x 30# LP tanks on the A-frame, with a single axle (it was listed as 2680# GTW & 275# HW dry & without options per Avion specs).

I'd towed it home 800+/- miles to SoCal from ABQ when we bought it in July 2012, on the "bare ball" with a rented 2012 F150 4x4 extra cab with built-in AS (similar class to your Tundra), but it was a V6 EcoBoost base truck only rated to tow 5000# & 500# HW (the Avion's HW was only about 380# without the Cub then), & it towed fine, but it got a tad squirrelly when an 18-wheeler or Bus passed, & in some side winds, but slowing from 65 to 55 mph resolved that. However, some of those desert gusts can catch you off-guard without time to slow down.

So I think you may be okay without any special hitch on your Safari & Tundra - assuming the Tundra also has the built-in AS system.

Then in 2013 we were renting Nissan Pathfinder 4.0L V6 mid-sized SUVs - more the size TV we need for our narrow driveway & tight street, & the first trip we did Orange to Pismo on "bare ball" was a white knuckle E-ticket ride whenever I got over 55 mph by just an mph or 2!

Since we planned/plan to get a mid-size V8 SUV eventually, we looked at WD/AS hitches - & the AS restorer who helped us with the PPI etc. on our Avion, had recco'd the Equalizer or similar, & he also said that cam AS is far better than friction, & that the PP/Hensley were great AS - if more expensive. I got the Hensley Cub for about $1560 IIRC, & it worked like a charm to absolutely eliminate any sway at all in all cases for the rest of the Pathfinder TV trips that year.

Likewise, I think you'd probably be a bit more safe in gusty winds/vehicle wakes situations with any of those "conventional" or PPP-Hensley/ProPride WD/AS hitches.

Most of the better "conventional" WD/AS hitches noted above & on this forum seem to run in the $600-1000 range, & the ProPride & Hensley Arrow with 10,000# GTW & 1000# HW run in the $2000-3000 range, (less $'s for a reconditioned one).

However, theyre is the Hensley Cub for smaller <25' trailers of <6000# GTW & <600# HW can easily run on our Avion T20 & your 62 AS-Safari (think of it as an "Arrow Jr" with the same dimensions, a tad lighter weight, & lower capacity). The Cubs run in the $1300-1700-ish range - & a few $100s less if it's a used reconditioned one from Hensley & still with their lifetime warranty - so not so big a $ hit (note that the low end price is without the springbar jacks, but lift-chains for the hardy souls).

Aside from the better AS elimination on the Cub (or Arrow) due to it's design (same for Arrow & PP) - some additional advantages to them are that:

1 - You do NOT have to ever remove the hitch head to store it at home, nor at campsites (only remove it every so often to re-grease the ball) - so no more hefting the hitch head, finding room to store it, & no greasy hands & clothes from the process on & off!

2 - If you get their Cub/Arrow version with the adjusting jacks to tension the springs - all you do is use their supplied ratcheting wrench, or a crank drive or cordless drill with a socket adapter - & NO MORE sore back & shoulders from cranking up chains or cams to tension the WD spring bars!

3 - Due to the added length of the Hensley/PP - you can open your Tailgate (or rear hatch on SUVs) for access & to load/unload gear, bikes, etc. while still hitched up.

4 - Also due to the additional length & the hitch design, you can do Much Tighter Turns - but watch out for your TV's rear quarters not hitting the trailer/a-Frame items, as it can get that tight.

5 - Since the Hensley (& PP) is set-up for either 2" or 2-5/8" ball at the head, then uses a "Stinger" tow bar with no ball to connect the TV - you just back the 2" square "stinger" into the Hensley hitch-head's 3">2" receiver box, latch the retainers - then hook-up all else the same as with any hitch (safety brake lanyard, safety chains, 7-blade power). Either a back-up camera (best option) or those "yellow balls on sticks" dealies help with lining-up for solo-hitching.

6 - Whether a new or a Hensley reconditioned-used Cub or Arrow - they have a Lifetime Warranty for the original owner (new owners can pay for a transfer I think), as well as excellent customer support.

7 - The ride is super smooth & comfortable with our Cub, so we're very happy with it, & I have to watch out that I don't get going too fast!

Since 2014 we've been renting F250 or RAM2500 3/4 ton crew cab pick-ups from Enterprise Truck Rentals (TV way overkill for our Avion, but that's all they have), which do have built-in AS so the Cub is superfluous for WD, but still welcome for no sway.

We'd decided to buy a TV in late 2015, rather than rent, since those trucks are too tall & uncomfortable for us on longer trips - & I have been hunting for a nice low mile 2008-14 Porsche Cayenne S with the normally aspirated 4.8L V8, on which both the WD & AS will be welcome.

Ultimately the choice is yours, no WD &/or AS, another conventional WD &/or AS, or go with the Hensley Cub (ProPride has no lighter duty model).

But for me in my 60's & not getting any younger nor stronger - nor with extra space to store a dismounted WD/AS hitch parts - it was well worth a few $100 more to get the Hensley Cub (we paid $1550+/- in 2013 on a special Spring Sale - call & ask Terry Powell for those & refurb'ed Cubs) - as well as to save the aches & pains from springbar chain cranking, hitch head lifting/storage - not to mention the white-knuckle rides, & it will perform very well whenever we find that "perfect for us" Cayenne S!

I hope this helps!

Good Luck!
Tom
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Old 05-25-2017, 02:17 PM   #18
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Old 05-25-2017, 03:52 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mollysdad View Post
-- snip -- I once towed a 16' boat and trailer to the keys using a Toyota Corolla. Not a minutes problem. -- snip --.
Yes, usually no WD needed to tow a boat. However, boat trailers are different from travel trailers. Measure the distance from the ball to the axle on a boat trailer and do the same for your travel trailer. Proportionately, the distance is usually more on the boat trailer. They also have less rear overhang and side surface area. That makes a boat trailer rig more stable and less likely to sway or over-steer in an unexpected transition. Pat
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Old 05-25-2017, 03:58 PM   #20
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Hey Jim, I'm with TomT on this one. I pull a 34 foot AS with an F150 v6 eco-boost tricked out with every towing extra Ford offers. I also have a Hensely arrow. No sway issues.
I also use that truck to tow an Aliner Expedition (3500 lbs soaking wet) on a 2" ball, it pulls that little A frame camper like it's not even there. That said, buses, big rigs, and sudden cross winds are a problem. If I keep this camper much longer I'm equipping it with a Hensley cub.

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