Best Anti-Sway Tow Hitch

[Profxd]

Originally Posted by slowmover

The Euro stuff is interesting -- the study worth a read -- but trailer and TV differences (extra low TW and no WD, among others) make it more of a curiosity than an aid. Bundorf, 1965 (SAE) is better.

"Best" hitch is by design. Same as with a TV. Same as with the TT.

And any reader can safely ignore those who find a few dollars as relevant in the choice of a hitch.

How much were the vehicles? They were each one-third of achieving a good highway rig. The hitch and it's installation are the other third.

Here is a another study on sway instability.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4e8...336eef1e34.pdf

It’s good to know the basic science behind trailer instability and you don’t have to be an engineer to understand it. Sway is just one of three different modes of lateral instability but is the most common. Rollover and jackknife are the other two.

[gator.bigfoot]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

It didn’t fail at the bosses though, it failed at the top of the U. Metal fatigue in the brake bends.

I just had the U shape bracket break on mine. It broke clean off in the bottom of the bends. Both sides. Luckily I was just moving the trailer within the camp site when it broke. Fortunately I had spare brackets with me. I try to carry an assortment of pins and clevises with me. I talked to Hensley, but their answer was that the hitch is 18 years old so things aren't going to last for ever.

My first Hensley was a lot newer, but it broke catastrophically a few years back that there was no saving it. I just salvaged what I could and chucked the rest. My current one I also picked up used and has a reinforcement bar welded across the back so it hopefully won't break apart like the first one did.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by gator.bigfoot

I just had the U shape bracket break on mine. It broke clean off in the bottom of the bends. Both sides. Luckily I was just moving the trailer within the camp site when it broke. Fortunately I had spare brackets with me. I try to carry an assortment of pins and clevises with me. I talked to Hensley, but their answer was that the hitch is 18 years old so things aren't going to last for ever.



My first Hensley was a lot newer, but it broke catastrophically a few years back that there was no saving it. I just salvaged what I could and chucked the rest. My current one I also picked up used and has a reinforcement bar welded across the back so it hopefully won't break apart like the first one did.

I have read about some Hensleys breaking where the WD bars enter the hitch head. That sounds like that is what happened to yours....

My U bracket broke at the bend also, but it is a fairly early serial number hitch, it was probably pretty old.

I repaired it with chains at a Tractor Supply in Texas a couple of years ago, the chains are still in place. They probably wont ever break.

[Bill M.]

I have a 2500 4 wheel drive. About how much will the "stinger" weigh and would I have to lift it each time I unhitch to put it in and out of the TV receiver?

[Countryboy59]

25 lbs maybe?

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by Countryboy59

25 lbs maybe?

That sounds about right for a Hensley stinger, maybe 35 pounds, I think the ProPride is a little more.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Profxd

Here is a another study on sway instability.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4e8...336eef1e34.pdf

It’s good to know the basic science behind trailer instability and you don’t have to be an engineer to understand it. Sway is just one of three different modes of lateral instability but is the most common. Rollover and jackknife are the other two.

Hi

The most interesting part of that paper is the data on "uniform braking". It's a pretty good pile of data on what not to do in the case of sway and why.

Bob

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

That sounds about right for a Hensley stinger, maybe 35 pounds, I think the ProPride is a little more.

ProPride is a fair bit heavier, maybe 40-45 pounds. It can be a bit of a struggle for this older dude. Some have built a box on wheels with slots to carry the stinger at the right height in the garage to easily slip it in the receiver, and make storing it a bit easier.

I usually just put on a pair of gloves, and go for it. It does not come off enroute, and I'm considering a small hoist from Harbor Freight that mounts in the truck bed and can more easily lift the beast.

Rock-solid stability tends to indicate large chunks of metal, I guess...It's a trade-off, like most things. At least the head and WD bars do not have to come on and off every time I hitch and unhitch. That would be painful.

[Bill M.]

"It does not come off enroute"

Could you clarify that statement? Does something stay in the receiver when unhitched or does it all come out? What is the thing that is always hanging out of the trailer with a cone in front of it or on it when a Hensley is unhitched.

My Reese WD bars weigh maybe 5 lbs each and I handle them easily with one hand when hitching. I put a cover over the ball and leave the head in the receiver unless I am going to be somewhere for a long while.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

"It does not come off enroute"

Could you clarify that statement? Does something stay in the receiver when unhitched or does it all come out? What is the thing that is always hanging out of the trailer with a cone in front of it or on it when a Hensley is unhitched.

My Reese WD bars weigh maybe 5 lbs each and I handle them easily with one hand when hitching. I put a cover over the ball and leave the head in the receiver unless I am going to be somewhere for a long while.

The stinger can stay in when unhitched, or it can be taken out,,, same as a ball hitch.

[rmkrum]

Unless you are clumsy like me and nail my shins on the stinger or ball walking around the back of the truck. I carry a few orange cones if I leave the stinger in and put one over the stinger for visibility and padding. Usually don’t bother unhitching until I get to final destination.

Nice part with Hensley designs is that the WD bars do not have to be removed when unhitching.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Unless you are clumsy like me and nail my shins on the stinger or ball walking around the back of the truck. I carry a few orange cones if I leave the stinger in and put one over the stinger for visibility and padding. Usually don’t bother unhitching until I get to final destination.

Nice part with Hensley designs is that the WD bars do not have to be removed when unhitching.

Me too. Thats why I always pull my stinger out. Because that really hurts... the cone thing is a great idea.

[ROBERT CROSS]

...........after the second shin whack on the first trip, I started putting this on as SOON as we un-hitched.

Bob

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

The most interesting part of that paper is the data on "uniform braking". It's a pretty good pile of data on what not to do in the case of sway and why.

Bob

It's there to make the case for integrated roll and/or stability control. But it doesn't say squat (as is usual) about trailer design, hitches, etc.

So long as it's outside the OEM envelope of responsibility, no one else covers it.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by slowmover

It's there to make the case for integrated roll and/or stability control. But it doesn't say squat (as is usual) about trailer design, hitches, etc.



So long as it's outside the OEM envelope of responsibility, no one else covers it.

Its possible to overthink things. For me, if towing is comfortable that is my benchmark.

To be comfortable I need to feel in control of my vehicle and that shouldn’t be a chore.

Again to be comfortable I want to know that my 1/2 ton pickup truck is going to respond in a proficient manner anytime I ask it to. (It will)

Thats about it.

[Profxd]

Originally Posted by slowmover

It's there to make the case for integrated roll and/or stability control. But it doesn't say squat (as is usual) about trailer design, hitches, etc.

So long as it's outside the OEM envelope of responsibility, no one else covers it.

On the first page in the summary they tell how importantance of TV/TRL weight ratio. No matter how perfect you load a trailer this weight ratio remains in the equations and is key to keeping critical speed above the normal operating highway speeds.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Profxd

On the first page in the summary they tell how importantance of TV/TRL weight ratio. No matter how perfect you load a trailer this weight ratio remains in the equations and is key to keeping critical speed above the normal operating highway speeds.

But it's not the only effect. It's the easiest one to test.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by slowmover

But it's not the only effect. It's the easiest one to test.

Hi

They go through a lot of talk, and present some high level math. They never show how the high level stuff connects to the talk stuff. Essentially there are about 50 pages of math left out (or 50 pages of talk). You have no hard information about what's what.

About the only thing that *did* make it through this process is the simulation and field data on uniform braking. Other than that .... not much left after the scrub.

Bob

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi



They go through a lot of talk, and present some high level math. They never show how the high level stuff connects to the talk stuff. Essentially there are about 50 pages of math left out (or 50 pages of talk). You have no hard information about what's what.



About the only thing that *did* make it through this process is the simulation and field data on uniform braking. Other than that .... not much left after the scrub.



Bob

And still, the bottom line is how a combination drives, handles, and stops....

[Profxd]

Here’s the equation for calculating damping ratio. At the end there you see “Tow vehicle sensitivity” which is trailer mass divided by tow vehicle mass multiplied by a constant of 3.7. The study is very clear on how damping ratio values are related to speed. There are indeed other factors to consider depending on which mode of instability your referring to, but for dynamic instability (sway) the biggest factors are speed, trailer CG and TV to TRL mass ratio. If you have a TV with serious lateral stability issues then that’s a separate problem to address.