RE: [A/S] New crash article in Airstream Life

[Guy Calafato <greencanoe@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Sarge 
Your comments on the Hensley are interesting.  I have
always thought they were the ultimate in safety, but
have never been in the financial position to afford
one.  At one point I towed a 26' Argosy with an '89
Jeep Cherokee, which had upgraded springs and gears,
and a weight "distributing" hitch and friction sway
control.  I never had any problem, but this combo
never gave me a confident, comfortable feeling on the
highway, always made me very cautious and
careful....and tense.  Also, health considerations
made it very difficult for me to handle lifting the
weight of the hitch head unit on and off.  When I
replaced the Jeep with a Dodge 2500 4X4 quad cab long
bed V-10, i considered a Hensley, but due to finances,
i decided against it  and switched to a weight
"carrying" hitch and friction sway control, airbags
and swaybar on the rear of the truck.  Solid, solid
feel and much more towing confidence and comfort level
on the road.  When I traded the Argosy for a 91
Excella a year ago i thought of the Hensley again, but
decided to try the weight carrying hitch with friction
sway first.  The big Dodge and Airstream combo feels
as solid as a rock so far.  I was hesitant about the
800 lb tongue weight, but the hitch can handle 1000
lbs and the truck 1500, so I am within tolerance, and
everything sits level with the air springs. I go into
4 wheel drive on wet roads which locks the front and
rear axles together and seems to help improve the
braking, too.  With the hitch weight on the rear axle
it is glued to the road, and with all the weight of
the V10, frontdrive axle, and transfer case up front,
plus the ability to keep the rear slightly elevated
with the airsprings, the front is as solid as a rock,
also.  The friction sway control just adds another
layer of safety, just in case.
Maybe people with short wheelbase vehicles buy the
Hensley thinking it can overcome the laws of physics,
when in reality it is only masking the feel of the
inherently unstable condition created by putting a
long heavy trailer behind a short and relatively light
tow vehicle.  This might lead to a bit of
overconfidence or lack of wariness on the part of the
driver, increasing the danger of the less than ideal
towing setup with all that extra leverage out back,
and lead to increased accidents.
Guy