Re: [A/S] Re: Hensley Hitch Install

["Tom" <tmeeker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

And, the Hensley and other hitches that 'lock up' a tow vehicle and the
trailer behind it so that when it has the friction of the road underneath
the tires is fine.

But, the question of both the trailer and vehicle being 'locked up' together
when both go sliding due to *no friction traction* is what is NOT designed
into these "great" hitches.

The same can be said for the Reese cam-lock setup.  Once "locked" in place
and kept there if or when they start to slide is when you would be totally
"out of control" for lack of a better word.

My opinion, which is only good for myself, is that these hitches could be
even better designed so that somehow they would allow the "locked together"
situation as described above to come "unlocked".  There is no way in the
world you could recover from both tow vehicle and towed trailer "locked"
into what the hitch perceives to be OK.  Like I said, as long as there is
friction there is control as is the case with any non-skidding application.

I feel that the design of the Equal-i-zer hitch which uses friction and
sliding tension bars on the hitch itself is really a "better" designed hitch
than either the Hensley or the Reese dual-cam anti-sway setup.

I say this because as soon as either the trailer or the tow vehicle regains
some traction due to friction with the roadway you can then begin to get
your rig back under control.  By allowing very firm yet still movable parts
to interact with each other under all but the severest skidding situation I
feel that the Equal-i-zer hitch has both the Hensley and Reese dual-cam
setup beat in design.  My opinion is good for me and it's just that as yours
will most likely be somewhat differing and that is fine, too.

Another thing I've been thinking about with these Hensley hitches today is
their high cost to begin with.  I know that R&D costs big bucks.  Insurance
is higher today than ever before thanks in part to 9/11.  It is surprising
that more companies are not out of business due to just the higher insurance
costs but they may be soon if something is not done about that issue.

Getting back to high initial costs - why SO high?  Could be that Hensley is
trying to recover their initial R&D costs very rapidly for one thing.  That
is again just MY opinion of a "possible" reason for such a high selling
price.  Also, could it be that Hensley has to pay huge insurance premiums
and therefore passes them on to you, the consumer?  If this is the case with
Hensley then why are we not seeing the cost of Reese dual-cam setup up in
the stratosphere?  Surely Reese would also pass along to the final user of
it's product the higher cost of insurance to them.  This is how things go
round and round in America, the end user pays the freight, full freight
usually unless it's on clearance or there are no warranties with the
product, etc.

These are some of the reasons that for ME, I feel personally that the
Equal-i-zer hitch is a more forgiving product if you ever find yourself in a
bind.  I do know that Draw-Tite tells owners of it's anti-sway friction
device to make it "loose" or non-effective on wet roads.  Reasons for this?
A locked tow vehicle and trailer will NOT come "unlocked" when you may need
them to in a worst case scenario.

Has anyone here EVER heard of a very severe accident due to BOTH the tow
vehicle and trailer losing friction or grip with the road resulting in BOTH
units going hand in hand to their demise?  I know it can happen, but then
again maybe owners of the Hensley and other hitches that "lock" tow vehicle
and trailer as a unit just park them until the weather clears.  Maybe?

Food for thought when you make your decision about what type of product to
buy for you and your setup.

Tom
WBCCI 5303