Re: [A/S] trailer hitches comparison

[Charlie/Betty Burke <cbburke@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well this will certainly garner some enthusiastic discussion within the 
group. Over time there have been several such discussions.
Working at a dealership I have over the last nearly 10 years had many 
opportunities to tow not only my trailer (75 22' Argosy) but those of a 
number of our customers using their hitches. Until this
spring my hitch was the Eaz Lift 1000 lb rated hitch. It is the classic 
round bar style invented by Eaz Lift. I never felt the need to add any 
sway control devices, believing a properly setup hitch
is not prone to sway. My tow vehicle over this time has always been a 
1990 Ford F250 HD Super cab pickup with a 351ci, 5 speed. Having started 
towing back in 1971 with another brand equalizer hitch I
was comfortable with a standard equalizer hitch. In the last few years 
as the Hensley gained in popularity I have had several opportunities to 
tow with it. The trips included several trips across the
2 lane roads of Central Oregon and one trip to Phoenix. Cumulative total 
I estimate about 3,500 miles. Most recently I became aware of the 
Equal-I-Zer hitch from Linden Hitch. I have used it for
local towing of my rig and one trip to Yakima, Wa towing a new 25' 
Safari. About 500 miles so far.
Based on this history I believe there are better alternatives to the 
standard equalizer hitch like the Eaz Lift, DrawTite, and the Reese. 
These hitch all share the same basic characteristics. They
differ only it the methods used to surpress sway when it occurs. The 
Hensley uses a very sophisticated approach to eliminating the means for 
sway to even begin, and does it well. The sensation is as
if tow vehicle and trailer are one. It's challenges are cost and 
developing the required techniques to hook it up. It the past it was 
also pointed out that the hitch must be installed correctly or
the effect is lost. One on occasion I towed one customers rig with one 
torsion bar length adjustment set to loose. The effect was a very 
pronounced tendency to dive to that one side.
Another hitch occasionally mentioned is the Pull Rite. This hitch uses a 
some what simpler design to eliminate the onset of sway. It's drawback 
is its rather obtrusive mount on the tow vehicle and
it's unnerving ability to back it to the tightest places.
The description of the Equal-I-Zer that I read also addressed the 
eliminating the means for sway to begin. Their approach used a typical 
equalizer setup with two important differences. Their design
removes the unrestricted movement allowed by the chains with solid L 
brackets and severely restricts the bar movement at the head with a 
torque compression pivot point. Based on my experiences to
date which have included significant crosswinds and the infamous truck 
passings on the freeway I believe the Equal-I-Zer offers a safe and less 
expensive option for safe towing. My recollections and
when comparing with a current Hensley owner describe a very similar 
effect when towing. One member of this group has expressed her concern 
about this hitch, but she has not yet chosen to share the
specifics that concerned her. My experience has been all positive so 
far.

IMHO
Charlie