lanerd wrote:

Ok, you used the word "BEST". That narrows it down to two units. Hensley Arrow or Pro Pride.

Dropping down to "BETTER" narrows it down to three units: Equil-i-zer, Reese Dual Cam, or Blue Ox Sway Pro

Dropping even further down to "GOOD" is any of the el-cheapo units that require a separate sway control bar.

dthfsa wrote:

Blue Ox is okay as long as you have a light trailer and under 28' long. I fought one for a year only to have the dealer replace it with an Equalizer.

LVJJJ wrote:

For the money and safety, Equal-i-zer 4-point

I think the Hensley and ProPride like that are waaaaaay too expensive for what you get, and too heavy, and are overkill (my own opinion only). (Whatever happened to Pullrite?)

lanerd wrote:

Ok, you used the word "BEST". That narrows it down to two units. Hensley Arrow or Pro Pride.

Dropping down to "BETTER" narrows it down to three units: Equil-i-zer, Reese Dual Cam, or Blue Ox Sway Pro

Dropping even further down to "GOOD" is any of the el-cheapo units that require a separate sway control bar.

Hannibal wrote:

We towed our 32.5' TT for a year with a Reese HP trunnion style hitch without the sway control arms installed. No sway but an occasional waggle from passing trucks. Nothing scary or dangerous but annoying with long lines of trucks on weekdays. I saw a barely used Equalizer 4 point 10k on ebay close by for a song so I bought it last summer. No more waggle from passing trucks. While lubing the sockets per the manual and the ball before each trip, I'll smear a little lube on the L brackets. Lube on the L brackets does reduce sway control a little but not enough to notice in our case. Our Equalizer is silent as a result. I imagine the bracket jackets would do just as well if not better.

Just a FWIW,
https://www.etrailer.com/question-116001.html

Hannibal wrote:

... I'll smear a little lube on the L brackets. Lube on the L brackets does reduce sway control a little but not enough to notice in our case. Our Equalizer is silent as a result. I imagine the bracket jackets would do just as well if not better.

...

lanerd wrote:

Ok, you used the word "BEST". That narrows it down to two units. Hensley Arrow or Pro Pride.

Dropping down to "BETTER" narrows it down to three units: Equil-i-zer, Reese Dual Cam, or Blue Ox Sway Pro

Dropping even further down to "GOOD" is any of the el-cheapo units that require a separate sway control bar.

DutchmenSport wrote:



Snip...
You're defeating the entire functionality of the system by doing that. You are fortunate you've not had sway and hope you never do. But please, remove the grease.

DutchmenSport wrote:



Putting grease on the L bracket is not a good practice. Lubricating reduces the friction, which is what makes the entire system work.

Lubing the joints on the hitch head, and lubing the hitch ball, and your trailer coupler, yes. But not those L-brackets. You're defeating the entire functionality of the system by doing that. You are fortunate you've not had sway and hope you never do. But please, remove the grease.

LVJJJ wrote:

Jumpin' in here again. Started using Equal-I-zer about 20 years ago. Was towing a 30' double slide Arctic Fox with an '88 454 Suburban and for some reason had a big sway problem, just that particular combination I guess. The WD hitch was set up properly, I have known how to do that for a long time. Tried the EQual=I=zer, which solved the problem incredibly well, no sway at all. Used the EQ ever since. When my son bought his first TT I made him by an EQ, he loves it. His dealer tried to sell him a 2 point EQ, (is that a Fastway?). I said don't do it.

Walaby wrote:


That's a new one... My TT is 37 footer, and GVW of nearly 10K and Blue Ox works great.

lanerd wrote:

Ok, you used the word "BEST". That narrows it down to two units. Hensley Arrow or Pro Pride.

Dropping down to "BETTER" narrows it down to three units: Equil-i-zer, Reese Dual Cam, or Blue Ox Sway Pro

Dropping even further down to "GOOD" is any of the el-cheapo units that require a separate sway control bar.

BarneyS wrote:


Sorry, but that is not quite the case. The main sway control of the Equal-i-zer hitch comes from the pressure placed on the bar sockets/hitch head interface when the bars are pulled up onto the L brackets. The friction from the bars/L bracket is small compared to the hitch head/bar socket interface.

This info is from Equal-i-zer statements and not my testing. That would also explain why lubing the bar where they rest on the L brackets or using the plastic covers does not reduce the sway control effectiveness very much.
Barney

RinconVTR wrote:



Said info from Equalizer is marketing fluff so they can claim "4 point" control. 100%

Majority of friction based sway control is on those L brackets, without question.

And you want the WHD bar pivot points at the head well lubed and free turning on every version WDH out there.

drsteve wrote:



Do you have a source for that information?

DutchmenSport wrote:



4-Point Sway Control means there are four unique friction areas built right into your hitch. This friction on your hitch acts to continually resist your trailer's attempt to sway.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/blog/05-31-2016/how-does-equal-i-zer-hitchs-4-point-sway-control-keep-me-safe

Where should I lube?
https://www.equalizerhitch.com/blog/02-25-2016/how-to-lube-your-equal-i-zer-hitch

The friction surfaces of the head should be kept clean and well lubricated with a good quality multi-purpose or bearing grease. These are the surfaces where the arm sockets rub against the top and bottom plates of the head.

It is not necessary to apply grease to the L-brackets on any hitch model.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/frequently-asked-questions

Quote:

And you want the WHD bar pivot points at the head well lubed and free turning on every version WDH out there.

Quote:

The 3/4” trunnion hex bolts come lubricated from the factory re-lubricate if needed with
bearing/axle grease. Do not apply lubrication to the friction surfaces of the top and bottom plates
or on the top or bottom trunnion surfaces as this will reduce the built in friction sway feature.

RinconVTR wrote:

Without getting into the extremely simple mechanical design look at it this way;

The anti-sway features in this case (how ever many you wish to believe in) rely on friction and friction alone.

Add grease = reduce friction.

And grease is required at the head, like every WDH does.


It's honestly that simple. These are extremely crude devices using mild steel.

dthfsa wrote:




I did lots of research and looking at comments by users. There are few people who have not been happy with the Blue Ox, but the few that did not like them seemed to have longer trailers. The tech told me they have had issues with toy haulers and also some of the longer trailers, he suggested not to put a Blue Ox on any trailer over 28 feet long.
I don't necessary agree with that, I think it has to do with your particular truck and trailer and every one will be different depending on weights, loading etc.
There are many users who love them and have no issues. I was just unlucky to have a setup that did not work.
I am very happy that my dealer changed out my set up at no cost to me and was willing to work with me a year later on my set up.

Hannibal wrote:

Once tightened to 65ft/lbs on the socket bolts, the WD bars on the Equalizer 4 pt are quite hard to move.

RinconVTR wrote:



I personally have worked on 3 rigs in as many years using Equalizer WDH's with bars so tight in the head they affected TV handling Each case was steering pull from the bars not rotating freely.

Those bars need to pivot freely side to side and not feel clamped or the above can and will occur. Call and ask...you'll hear it from the OEM direct.

Secondly, I never said NOT to lube the L brackets. Sure, you CAN. But why. All that does is reduce noise (and friction). And if the noise is so terrible, you bought the wrong hitch.

Keep in mind, the friction we're all talking about does NOT eliminate sway, it simply creates mild resistance. Properly set up trailers wont know the difference from lubed brackets to dry ones, until one day you really want all the sway resistance available...then you'll think about those grease brackets!

Funny thing. The manor of which people fear monger around this forum, one would think adding grease to the L brackets is sure death. Well it's not but don't be fooled...it does reduce sway resistance. That's a simple caveman fact.

You're the one driving and you know you're own comfort level. Good luck!

camperforlife wrote:



Don't understand that at all. I am pulling 35' with 1500lb tongue weight with a Blue Ox Sway Pro and it is the best towing combo I have ever owned.

Sgeorge wrote:

Equal-i-zer 4 point control. Easy hookup and just works. Can be bought for around $550.00 depending on size.

Walaby wrote:

OP asked the question, because (in his own words) he was too lazy to do the research. Haven't heard back from him since his post. Wonder if he's too lazy to read the answers....

Did anyone notice in his signature it says 'check out my review of WD hitches' and has a link to tophitches.com?

Troll/spammer?

Maybe this will get a rise out of him and generate a response.

Mike

troubledwaters wrote:

So rob, how do you explain the fact that if you weigh the axles with WD hitch attached and without WD hitch attached, the weights will change by several hundred pounds?

Oh wait I know why; because the downward force on the scale changes. Which is the meaning of weight as used in this context. Hence a weight distribution hitch does work; it changes where and/or how the downward forces are applied.

Same with sway control, it changes how and/or where the forces are applied. While your description may be technically correct, the laws of "simple" physic still apply. Applying outside forces changes the vectors.

robgrune wrote:

I owned a Hensley. imho, the claims are false. facts: no hitch "distributes" weight; no hitch eliminates sway; physics rules the day.

fact 1. physics. the hitch point is a fulcrum. the force of any object is the result of mass x acceleration. the change in force is a vector. simple story: the trailer will always exert a 3d force against the truck. trailer mass is always greater than truck mass, so the resultant net force vectored to the truck must be dissipated somehow. no WD hitch will magically dissipate this force. only the truck's suspension and tires can do so, up to the point the tires lose grip.

fact 2. weight distribution.
a/ no hitch distributes weight. to distribute weight, you need to physically alter the placement of weight.
b/ example: boxes stacked 2x2x2=8 boxes on a 2x2 area. now alter this to 4x2=8 boxes on a 4x2 area. THIS is how you "distribute" weight, by altering the "pounds per square foot".
c/ all hitches connect at only one point: the tow ball. no hitch can alter the area of the hitch ball. thus the "distribution" claim is 100% false.
c/ what hitches really do is to add increased torque to the hitch ball, so to vector forces forwards. this is counter productive. all WD hitches are very heavy, so torque must be applied to counter the weight of the WD hitch by itself! then more torque to vector the trailer weight. all that torque is applied to the truck frame- not good. give enough torque in the right driving condition and you can crack your frame. every time you apply brakes, the hitch will INCREASE the forward force of the trailer, via torque vectoring!
d/ WD hitches are false: they are torque hitches, with very limited effect.

fact 3. sway control. hitches try to offset sway force via friction or torque. the friction "control" is 100% useless. the torque control is not control- it simply adds more torque to your truck, attempting to vector forces forward to front wheels, thereby overloading front axle and steering control. sway "control" can be achieved only at one point- the trailer wheels. see the Tuson device- it's the answer.

the rule is: caveat emptor. educate yourself for basic physics and drive sensibly. you are far, far better off to adjust the truck suspension to level the load and have proper trailer brake control to counter sway forces.

afidel wrote:



1) Not all trailers weigh more than the truck, my trailer weighs about half of what truck does (gvwr vs gvwr, and for our big trip last year we were at about 90% on both)

2) Um, they distribute weight from the rear axles to the front, exactly what they claim to do. This is 100% verifiable via a scale. This is very productive in reducing unloading of the drive axles which can happen when adding lots of weight rear of the rear axle. It also helps in properly focusing your headlights on the road, not into the eyes of oncoming drivers and up into the trees.

3) Experience towing with and without sway control will show anyone paying attention that it's useful in doing what it says on the tin, it's not a substitute for properly loading a trailer but some trailers will be squirrely even at 15% tongue weight.

lanerd wrote:

Ok, you used the word "BEST". That narrows it down to two units. Hensley Arrow or Pro Pride.

Dropping down to "BETTER" narrows it down to three units: Equil-i-zer, Reese Dual Cam, or Blue Ox Sway Pro

Dropping even further down to "GOOD" is any of the el-cheapo units that require a separate sway control bar.

robgrune wrote:

I owned a Hensley. imho, the claims are false. facts: no hitch "distributes" weight; no hitch eliminates sway; physics rules the day.

fact 1. physics. the hitch point is a fulcrum. the force of any object is the result of mass x acceleration. the change in force is a vector. simple story: the trailer will always exert a 3d force against the truck. trailer mass is always greater than truck mass, so the resultant net force vectored to the truck must be dissipated somehow. no WD hitch will magically dissipate this force. only the truck's suspension and tires can do so, up to the point the tires lose grip.

fact 2. weight distribution.
a/ no hitch distributes weight. to distribute weight, you need to physically alter the placement of weight.
b/ example: boxes stacked 2x2x2=8 boxes on a 2x2 area. now alter this to 4x2=8 boxes on a 4x2 area. THIS is how you "distribute" weight, by altering the "pounds per square foot".
c/ all hitches connect at only one point: the tow ball. no hitch can alter the area of the hitch ball. thus the "distribution" claim is 100% false.
c/ what hitches really do is to add increased torque to the hitch ball, so to vector forces forwards. this is counter productive. all WD hitches are very heavy, so torque must be applied to counter the weight of the WD hitch by itself! then more torque to vector the trailer weight. all that torque is applied to the truck frame- not good. give enough torque in the right driving condition and you can crack your frame. every time you apply brakes, the hitch will INCREASE the forward force of the trailer, via torque vectoring!
d/ WD hitches are false: they are torque hitches, with very limited effect.

fact 3. sway control. hitches try to offset sway force via friction or torque. the friction "control" is 100% useless. the torque control is not control- it simply adds more torque to your truck, attempting to vector forces forward to front wheels, thereby overloading front axle and steering control. sway "control" can be achieved only at one point- the trailer wheels. see the Tuson device- it's the answer.

the rule is: caveat emptor. educate yourself for basic physics and drive sensibly. you are far, far better off to adjust the truck suspension to level the load and have proper trailer brake control to counter sway forces.