Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! I wish I had the words to express how much I appreciate your extraordinary efforts on behalf of the RV community. I’ve been watching and waiting since you announced the hitch battle. You exceeded all expectations! Thank you for your professionalism and generosity of time. You have made me a more informed consumer.
Great review on all these hitches. I happen to own the ProPride 3P hitch and purchased after using an Equalizer E4. There really is no comparison with how the 3P projects the pivot point and eliminates the sway versus a friction hitch that attempts to control sway. The cost did give me pause but my wife lived through a sway accident as a child and the peace of mind was worth it to us. We have since traded our F150 in for an F350 and still tow a 7500 lb Grand Design travel trailer with the 3P. The weight distribution isn't as big a factor now but we enjoy the locked in tracking of the trailer behind the truck secure in the knowledge sway is eliminated. The hitch also keeps everything safe in an emergency avoidance situation.
FYI. The cotter pins can be easily pushed into the loop you put your finger through. That way they will never accidentally come off. Great great video. The last two years I have the Equalizer hitch. I tow a 7,700lb TT with a 2017 Ford Expedition XLT EL. Overall the hitch has been awesome. Obviously I would be better off with a 3/4-1 ton truck. We love an hour outside of Chicago. We tow our trailer to eastern Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Wyoming, Colorado and a ton of weekend getaways. The hitch just works great. I keep the pivots lubed, I check torque on the pivot bolts since that is a big part of the anti sway. Sometimes I put a little lube on the bars. I just got a set of the inserts. When spring rolls around I will see how those work. I would imagine there would be nonnegative impact. Soooo. Great video. Throughly enjoyed it.
I went the same path as you. Started with a Blue Ox Sway Pro. Was reasonably happy with the sway pro, once I learned how to manage the chains without getting whipped by them. Until a trip earlier this year where we were in heavy, heavy traffic, construction and all at highway speeds or higher. Got knocked around pretty good, and it was at that point started looking elsewhere. After a ton of research, settled on the Pro Pride. After a couple of trips of about 500 miles each, OMG. The Pro Pride is like having your trailer welded to you. Solid as a rock. Yes hitching and unhitching is a learning experience, but once you get it, it becomes very easy. A lot of money yes, would I spend it again yes. There's nothing like it. Thanks for the great video, and all the hard work.
Only input i have is on the Curt. I have had mine for a little more than a year now and both my L brackets for the frame and the diamond shaped angle adjustment pieces are bent and what i consider no longer safe. So yes the thin metal has proved to be an issue at least for me. Great review helps me choose its replacement!
Great video and analysis. We went with the Sway Pro and have no issues. Super tight tension bar setting, height just right. No continuous tweaking or adjusting. No worries in wet weather like friction based systems. Quiet. Works great on my 2016 F150 FX4 Lariat w/ hd tow package and ecoboost v6. Love it. Love your channel too!!! Thx for all the hard work and time you put into these.
Great video. Been waiting all summer for these results. I have the Blue Ox Sway Pro with 4 seasons in, towing our Winnebago 27BHSS with an F-150 eco boost (18050 mile total). Upgrading to an F-250 with the 7.3l gas engine; build scheduled to complete this week (your truck videos helped me significantly in deciding to upgrade). May want to upgrade my hitch also before we increase our travel when my wife retires next June. Thank you for your great effort in making your videos. One thing you might want to include is whether you can drop your tailgate when hitched. You mentioned it with the Blue Ox hitches but I did not catch it for the other 4. Most of us would love to have a great performing hitch that also allows access to your bed easily when hitched up. Thanks again.
I just bought the Weigh Safe hitch in part due to your great review/test/comparison. Thank you for helping make it easy to understand the differences and assess the pros/cons.
Wow, Finally a decent video, very well edited, no bullshit, no stupid music. I can’t imagine compiling that amount of information for a hitch ( impressive) I will be buying my 2nd Travel Trailer next year that will need this for my 22 footer I plan on buying. Well done.
Just did a 7,200 mile trip with our travel trailer using the weigh safe hitch, hitch did need some adjusting from time to time, amazing hitch and well worth the money
Hey Cory … Excellent review ! I’m running the Curt this year, and put about 9000 kilometres (5600 miles) on it this year, mostly in the mountains with considerable wind fluctuations. Sway was almost non existent with the exception of high gusts. I pull a 7000 lb trailer with a 4 wheel drive half ton. Insofar as noise, keep it greased, and use dry spray grease on the saddles, and it will be as quiet as any others. There is a little porpoising, but nothing of concern. My only wish would be heavier saddles. Thanks again!
I’ve had the equalizer for 2 yrs now. Just got back from a very windy trip to Fort McAllister and am thinking I might be looking into the pro pride. I never want to have a trip like that again. Thanks for the time you’ve spent on this.
Have you considered the Fastway e2 round bar hitch system? The owner of Fastway was a former Equalizer designer/engineer, and left Equalizer to start Fastway. I've been using the e2 for 4 years, and towing a 6200# trailer with a 1500 truck, never experienced sway or porpoising. Perfect weight distribution, and a very comfortable ride, and able to back up on uneven ground with the bars attached. I'm in the process, today, of setting up the hitch with my new '22 Chevy 2500HD, and with the heavier tow vehicle, much taller, I'm reviewing the instructions again. But I'm positive that the new combination will be even better than using the 1500 pickup, once I get my new height worked out. The Fastway e2 is also made in the USA, in Provo, Utah... same city that Equalizer is made. Great review 👍🇺🇸
I've had my current Equalizer WDH system since 1991 (with the spring bars that have a 90 degree section that inserts into the ball head from underneath) and have used it on two F350 4x4 crew cab long beds and two travel trailers (23' and 26') without any serious issues. I had a previous one I used with a Ford Elite with my first travel trailer (17' Comfort) bought in 1975, later with my old Ford station wagon and then used it for a 26' travel trailer in 1980 with my old Buick station wagon, also without issue. Some of the newer designs seem clever, but I'm not seeing a need to upgrade to any of them. Good job on the video.
Based on your video, I switched from Blue Ox Sway Pro to the “Weigh Safe Middleweight” WDH and saw a huge improvement in trailer sway. I can now drive 65mph with my 28’ travel trailer with no problem. With the Blue Ox Sway Pro it was a white knuckle drive every time. But now the Weigh Safe Middleweight is working just great. We are leaving on a cross country trip (45 days / 6500mi) in two weeks and I’m really pleased with my setup now. Thanks so much for your RUclips video
Super glad we stumbled upon this video. So many people with their own opinions of which hitch is best without experience with others. Also only way to compare it is same truck, same trailer, which you have!
Great video. I watched many videos and bought a Hensley (same as ProPride basically). Pulls great, wind not a problem. Unhooking is a big problem. If either of the tow vehicle axles is not the same as the trailer it's very difficult to hook up. Works great on flat driveways and parking lots but not where the full length of the truck and trailer are not on a flat surface. For us only works on flat pull through campsites. Gonna sell it.
Having used the Fastway E2 on a utility trailer pulling 3500lbs loaded with great success with a Honda Odyssey minivan, I naturally gravitated toward the Equal-i-zer 4 point when we moved up to our Navigator and KZ Sportsmen SE 301BHKSE. The GVWR of the camper is 8k and we pull at up to 80 without issue but average 65mph on non-interstate highways with zero sway. I think the main contributor to our smooth and safe towing experience is using e-trailer’s tongue weight scale prior to departure to ensure we keep our tongue weight below the hitch rating of our Navigator (900lbs) and above the 10% amount of our camper (800lbs). I shoot for 825lbs as my target and balance the camper load accordingly. I keep the equalizer head sockets greased and torqued to 100ft-lbs and we pull smoothly and safely. The weigh safe appears to grant its edge in towing solidity via proper tongue weight readings right on the hitch. Seems like two ways to arrive at the same safe result! Thanks for all the work you’ve put into this and for the Equalizer discount on your Equalizer review video.
I have the curt trutrac for 6 years and I have a 38’ 9500lbs travel trailer. I only had one issue. It was a metal failure, luckily I was almost home. All that failed was the nut with the barring runs on broke. I call curt. I sent pictures and in two days I had a replacement head. No issues.
Great video. Viewers should know that the ProPride is nearly identical to the Hensley Hitch and comparable in price and performance. Both are based on Jim Hensley's patent. I have a 20 year old Hensley Arrow on my 28' Avion and can attest that it eliminates sway. Last summer I was driving on the skyway around Chicago when the wind was gusting up to 70MPH and I barely felt it. I didn't realize how strong the wind was until I watched the evening news. Also, you should consider the resale value of the hitches in your evaluation. Both the ProPride and Hensley hold their value extremely well and you will not find very many used ones on the market. Another consideration is the ProPride and Hensley add about 12" in length which makes it easy open the tailgate.
I did a nationwide search for a used ProPride or Hensley and there are very few available. Most need paint jobs but the average price range is $1,200 to $1,800. Hensley sells refurbished hitches when they can get them and prices start at $2,500. Also, the wind I experiences was only 40 to 50+ MPH and not 70 MPH. Nevertheless, I barely felt it. " Non-thunderstorm winds gusted to 40 to 50+ mph, especially along and north of the I-80 corridor on the night of October 24 into the morning of October 25. These caused spotty tree and wire damage and power outages. The winds also built high waves on Lake Michigan, resulting in minor flooding along the immediate lakeshore." (10/24/21)
Great video! I have the equalizer hitch. Everybody says it is loud, and they are not wrong!!!!!!! This hitch will make any person around think your trailer is about to break free! Equalizer is not just loud, it is unsettling loud. Even after many tows!
I've been pulling with an Equalizer for quite a while. We have both a 10K and a 14K unit. The 14K has had the workout, being in use over 5 years. The truck is a F-350 DRW 7.3L and the trailer is a 34' Continental Cargo extra height race trailer that weighs 13,900. That rig has run a lot of miles over some damn ruff roads in Tx, NM and OK. We're in west Texas so if you want some 15~25 MPH wind and 80 MPH semis passing to test with, come on. On your note on "0.5 off for the little clip" - that clip doesn't do anything but retain the bar pin while you are setting up the hitch. Once under load, that pin can't move. So the clip is under zero strain. In my experience, they don't pop off or get lost - still have the original clips for both hitches. If anything, sometimes you can push them in too far then you have to fumble them around to line the straight side up with the hole to remove. Just my opinion, you don't need any more fancy retention for that part of the hitch. The 10K hitch runs with an F-150 and a 5800 lb 25' Keystone RV that has a "high sail" thanks to the front bedroom. The first run with that was to NM and back - my observation is that any "sway" was mostly the tail end of the trailer wagging as the nose tracked well with the truck. Seems like that is just the nature of this particular trailer, maybe because it's pretty light weight. That is the wife's tow rig and she has no problems with it. The downside of the Equalizer is they are heavy as all get out and humping the bars on the brackets. You can reduce that effort by latching the ball and then raising the tongue up to lift the bars. Noise - I don't care if it squeaks. However, lubing the bar sockets as recommended helps reduce any noise on the head. Metal on metal bars at the brackets just is what it is. I will be looking at your Andersen hitch review to see if that's a better fit for the F-150 - wife has trouble with that dang heavy Equalizer hitch head. Thanks for this review, excellent.
Like everyone else on here I truly appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into this video, I googled and read reviews for many hours and ended up on the Reese steadi flex but after watching this it might be time for a new hitch as I keep having to change out the brake pads on my Reese system
Very informative. We ha e a fifth wheel now but used the recurve 3 and equalizer with pull campers. Equalizer was the better of those. Thanks for sharing. Now have fun selling off the hitches.
You pointed out the tiny little pin on the Equal-I-zer hitch. I lost a bar at some point on a trip probably because that little pin fell off. Lol it was on a trip to the dealership for repairs on the trailer. I didn’t think about it until I got home, but I should do an under belly inspection for damage.
If you ever want to test the only Zero Tongue Weight hitch give me a call. I own the TrailerToad company. Zero tongue weight on the tow vehicle, even with 2000-lb of tongue weight. Great video!!
I really appreciated your hitch review series. Been subscribers for a couple of years, which added to your credibility. Our Expedition towed our 6,300# 21SS trailer just fine with our Equalizer E2 hitch. We upgraded to an 8,300# 2706ws trailer and our tow vehicle and hitch were both undersized. We upgraded to a Ford Super Duty but still wasn't happy with the hitch that was near its maximum capacity. I watched many videos and especially liked your reviews. We had been happy with our E2 so after hearing you talk about the E4, that's the one we went with. We love this setup now and are excited for future trips. Thank you, and we really enjoy yours and many other channels, including your brother's. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas!! Tell my brother to call me… we’ve never met!! Haha, seriously I don’t have a brother but some have mentioned Chad from Changing Lanes and I look similar. 🤷🏻♂️
I feel like its a very fair review and summation. Job well done. As I've said before yes the ProPride is expensive, but when it becomes the difference between having an accident or not its worth every penny and more.
@@SeanWoodruff agreed. I had an incident that I talked about in his video on the ProPride where I truly believe the hitch was the difference between us driving away and ending up rolled over on the side of the highway.
I hope for 2022 you can expand the hitch battle with a few more hitches. I would love to see the Andersen no-sway, Husky Centerline, and the Camco Recurve R6. We need to get subscribers to email these companies to let them know, possible customers want this done. Thanks for doing this for us, and trying to give the most objective opinions you could!
I have the Husky Centerline and I modified a set of the equalizer sway bar silencers and I'm very happy with it and only have $400 total in mine. It's identical to the 3rd place equalizer in setup but $100 cheaper.
Bought the weigh safe last month! This makes me feel much better about my purchase. I just couldn’t justify spending $3500 to pull a used toyhauler that I paid $10k for. Thank you for taking your time to do this test.
Almost exactly the same circumstances, purchase and thought process. I bought my first Travel Trailer used for $11,000. It's about 29 ft of body and 32 ft LOA but has spread axles. I am not sure if the little pushes I feel are a problem but they are un-nerving and taxing. I got the trailer 800 miles away and didn't have a WDH ever before. Luckily the guy gave me the old Reese Turnion WDH with 700 lb bars. That's what I used the 4 months of last year that I had to get used to towing a pretty big Travel Trailer. I finally decided that by looks and measurement that I needed more Weight Distribution from teh bars (didn't know the Reese rating at the time but i guess that I needed a couple hundred pounds more lift). This hitch had now sway abatement I figured out after research/examining. So, I figured I'd get the biggest hitch I could for th money, until I could decide what to get amongst the "big boy hitches". Thus, I installed teh HaulMaster 1,000 lb bar WDH from Harbor Freight. It's really just a Husky round Bar.. That was much better in terms of leveling the truck, much less bar flex/porposing. I added the little $40 friction slider bar, drilled holes and all. That sway friction helped for teh little bit I towed at the end of 2021 but that quickly became ineffective quickly, no matter who tight I made the nut or the handle. Generally, this setup was still stronger, more sure, better lifted (headlights level) and better behaved, etc. NOW, just received teh Weigh-Safe True Tow WDH the other day, installed and just towed around home freeways but by CAT Scale and now the hitch, I see that I have 900-950 lbs of tongue weight. I assmed it was closer to teh 650 lbs the trailer is rated. So looks like I needed a bit more lift and plenty of consistent friction because even my wife was like " Oh, man I forgot the trailer was back there" from a ride, sway and sound aspect. Yes, I spent an extra $150 for the Harbor Freight hitch but it was worth it to buy myself a safer year to chose my "big boy hitch". I Know the advantage of the Pro-Pride 3p. I want it. I know it works and would solve all my truck wake push/suck wiggles. However, I paid $1,000 for the WS/TT and that's enough, compared to the $11k camper towed by a $9k truck ( with brand new factory GM 5.3L V8 however). If I got a $40k camper then yeah, I'd go for the Pro-Pride but jeez, I can't swallow $3,600+ for a hitch that can't even be quick swapped or do anything else and still wouldn't have told me I was at >900 lbs tongue weight. I want it but can't justify it but I did spend the $1,000 for the Weigh-Safe so you get that I'm not shy on spending to get safety and performance. I ddin't see WW's video that he'd buy the Weigh Safe, on value until after I had ordered mine but this guy and WW came the conclusion I did too.
I've got the equalizer (made here in Provo Utah 😁) and the nylon spacers do quiet it a ton. There seems to me not to mess with the ability to control sway with my small trailer and the two trucks I've used it with. They should include them in the price of the hitch (which was $499 at my dealership) Excellent review 👍
I really appreciate the video and I wanted to provide my experience to potential buyers. I tow with a 2020 ram 3500 SRW and I tow a GD momentum 31g TT. I purchased the weigh safe hitch based on this review and others. I wont say it is bad for every RV because having towed several RV's I believe setups vary greatly. This setup for my tongue heavy toy hauler was horrible. I towed with it from NJ to Florida in April of 2022. We cut the first day short by several hours because the trailer was all over the place. After resting we reviewed the instructions for installation again, but all number lined up. We started out again with worse results. We then cranked the bolt for tension way beyond what the app recommended. That made it manageable, but not good. Once we arrived in Florida we called the company and tried to trouble shoot. We were on vacation at Disney and after missing several hours I gave up and bought the same hitch I used previously. I drove drove home with no issues. I called weigh safe, but they will not refund or buy back the hitch because it is considered used. I will never consider any of their products again.
I hate hearing this. That said this is literally the first negative comment I’ve heard about the weight distribution hitch. What hitch did you end up buying? As far as returning the hitch. Did it break?
That must have taken a lot of thought and effort learning how to use each distribution hitch and giving an honest review of each. Thanks for the video. We'll done!!! ☝👍✌🇺🇸🍻👏
Thanks for taking the time to help a lot of people out. I had already purchased the weigh safe and glad I did. So far it has been great. Great job and thanks again.
Great Job ProPride! I have a ProPride and will never pull a camper with anything but a ProPride. It is expensive but you absolutely can’t find a better hitch.
I have the ProPride. The way I justified the expense is that if someone would offer me a “warranty” that my trailer (a Lance, $45K) will never sway and risk to roll, I would probably consider to purchase it. So, this is that insurance…
Sean and Brent are great to work with… and so was everyone else we encountered from the other manufacturers. All easy going and willing to participate.
I can second that about the Weigh Safe True Tow. Was thinking of getting the Propride but glad I got this instead. I've been using it now for 3 months and maybe 1500-2000 miles and it works great. No more sway very little noise and weight distribution was spot on the first try. Thing is built like a tank and very heavy, should last for a long time. Using it on a 2020 Ram 1500 and a 2021 Grand Design 2600RB.
I had a Weigh Safe True Tow and ended up breaking the adjustment screw (It is rated much higher than it can really handle) aside from the broken (galled then snapped) adjustment screw all of the hydraulic oil leaked out causing the gauge to stop working. I also didn't like only being able to use it with an app, okay when you have cell service for the phone, but I liked being to set things up when off grid too.
Fantastic review! 100% on Equalizer prices. They're too high and all over. I found mine new in the box on FB marketplace for under $300 so that worked out great. They are loud so we got the plastic pads. They claim the friction is NOT reduced. We noticed no performance reduction either. And for those pins you didn't like on it they sell the wire bail one piece pins. Again, drives their cost up but it's worth it for E4 owners. I do wish the WeighSafe was available when I needed a hitch. Your vid has me wishing we had that even though we love our E4. Great stuff! Alot of work to make the series but it's a gold mine for people looking to buy.
Don't feel bad. I used the equalizer for years and then tried the weigh-safe when it came out. The oil leaked out of mine under full loads (less then the rating on the hitch) and my adjustment screw broke trying to adjust the hitch for the full loads (within their weight ratings). After the oil leaked out I couldn't adjust it because the gauge has to be working right in order to connect your trailer safely. I went back to the Equalizer happily and have had no problems just like before. It may be dumb steel but it works no matter what. Just because something is newer doesn't mean it does something better.
Awesome video! I think this is the best comparison video out there. Personally, I would have awarded the win to the Weigh Safe. The reason being is I think your points on Cost was skewed. If the Propride runs $3600, then each point on your scale should be $360. This would put the Weigh Safe at a score of 7. Total points would then be 33. You have to admit that the price difference is huge between the Propride and all the other hitches. I think this warrants a greater difference on the cost scale than just a few points. Thanks for your excellent work on this video. 👍
You make a good point... but the ProPride is the only hitch that eliminates ALL sway. It's on its own level in that regard. Obviously the price is on another planet as well... haha. I would personally choose a Weigh Safe based on MY budget but for some folks $3500 is a drop in the bucket. Both are GREAT hitches.
I used the Blue Ox Sway Pro for a couple of years and then bought a 5th wheel. I'm planning on going back to a tow-behind (an Imagine 2670MK) and wanted to check out hitches. Like your experience, the Blue Ox Sway Pro bound up a lot and was annoying in that respect--despite the binding, I never experienced any situation where I felt the chains or bars would break bones. Actually, the thing I hated most was trying to remove the bars when it was really cold...I could NOT get those buttons to pull up in order to slide the bars out of the hitch (fingers too cold and cold metal--just don't mix). I just kept a flat head screwdriver handy during cold weather to pop it up. lol But I always felt the sway control was outstanding (only having previous experience with the crappy little friction one that you have to disconnect before backing up--lol). One performance issue for me is whether or not I can put the tailgate down. It was never a problem with the Blue Ox--one other reason I liked it. I'm interested in the Weigh Safe and the Equalizer. Can you tell me whether or not you were still able to put the tailgate down when hooked up with both of those? (Backing up is a HUGE concern too, but you mentioned that all of the hitches reviewed in the video do not need to be unhooked to back up.) Thank you for your great videos!
I’ve been waiting for this. I’ve had my eye on the weight safe for months. You just helped me make up my mind. Thanks for putting in the time and effort on this.
I do believe that if I had a trailer the weight of yours or heavier AND I was full-timing then I could justify the Pro Pride price. But you take a lot more trips than we do, and our trailers Max GVW is probably what yours is unloaded. Truck is a Silverado 1500 and hitch is Equal-i-zer, and I only get porpoiseing when the road is very bumpy, and sway is non-existent. This confirms that I bought the correct hitch: the Curt and Blue Ox hitches you tested I would not have considered (especially the one with chains), I don't believe the weigh safe was around when I bought mine, and the Pro Pride/Hensley stinger-type are just something I couldn't justify the extra cost for in my situation. Great series, and I hope you get to keep the winner. ;)
I have the Hensley, which is the same design as the ProPride. Great video. I have had The Blue Ox Sway Pro, Equalizer and the Curt. The Hensley/ProPride is expensive, but so much safer and stress free to tow with. I wish you would have added video clips of you hooking/unhooking, driving, and installation but still a great video. Thanks for all your hard work!
The Equalizer probably saved my life when I was in a fishtail situation. There trailer was totaled but the truck stayed upright and I came out of the fishtail rather quickly.
Nice work Cory. That was a lot of effort to setup and test all those hitches just so we could benefit. You didn't over complicate things on your scoring system. After all is finished, I like the Weigh Safe hitch. It is esthetically pleasing, easy to "dial in", and well constructed. Great video.
Thank you for doing this. I archived the video knowing that i would want to watch it later, now that i have a truck and ready... i really appreciate all the research and help you have provided!! THANK YOU!
I love our ProPride, we pull a 32 ft bunkhouse with an Expedition EL, zero sway period. My only complaint is that to hook up, it really likes the truck and trailer to be as straight as possible. The bars swing under the jack at a big enough angle so certain "nose to tail" camp grounds can be really difficult if you need to back in with a large angle between the truck and trailer.
Thank you for this comparison. I have been investigating the Equalizer 12K and your analysis helps. Too bad Andersen didn't participate but I imagine it's because theirs may not have held up against the others. I bought one last year (replacing the old chain/sway bar setup) and towed my 27' TT around the country for 10K miles. I can't wait to get rid of the Andersen! I would like to add that as a solo senior female Rv'er it would be helpful if you included the actual weight of a system, ie. bars, ball assembly, etc. so I can judge if I will be able to handle the hooking/unhooking on my own. When I "park" I take off hitch until I'm ready to leave again. Thanks again.
@@WanderingWeekends Hi, Thank you for your timely response. I understand the weight a particular unit is designed to accommodate us listed but I have been unable to find the weight of individual parts or the total weight of an assembled unit. You used the terms heavy and very heavy but what does that mean? Does each swing bar weigh 5 lbs or 20 lbs, etc? No retailer lists an item's individual weight or a weight for the entirely assembled hitch. Am I going to be able to pick the darn thing up, lol?
I have a Reese Dual Cam. Works great. ProPride I watched two owners trying to hook up. OMG placing a truck at a 32nd of an inch and still would not go in.
The dealership installed a Sway Pro on my new Grand Design Transcend 265BH and from what I can tell there was zero sway control. I have my Weigh Safe on order 😊
Great video and review. Appreciate the time and effort that went into it. I have the Equalizer as at the time it just seemed to be the best compromise of price and performance (plus being made in the USA 🇺🇲). I do like the ProPride but couldn't justify the cost. In addition to the nylon spacers, making sure the surfaces where the bar "sockets" pivot in the hitch head are greased periodically also helps quiet it down quite a bit.
16:00 honestly, the round bar is what I have. I grease the end of the bar that goes into hitch. 2 sandwich bags keep things clean from the grease. I do use inserts on trailer side. Very little noise. That square bar you have has 2 additional rub points on each bar. In parks where I have been, those are very noisy. I wish you would have tried the round bar. Super fast to install bars, but you do need the nylon inserts where the bar drags on turns. But $20 was worth to add it on.
Good video. I loved my Equalizer and was also worried about loosing those bar pins, but I just remember to keep them together with the bars and stored on the tongue behind the tanks. Now I’m interested in the Weigh Safe hitch now if we get another TT. Thanks again,
I ran a friction hitch & a ProPride on our TT. Hands down the ProPride wins!!! American made, customer service & support second to non. Yes it’s pricey, but my honest option is that it’s worth every penny!!!!!!!!!
After watching two of your videos on this subject, I subscribed. I had done some research and liked the Weigh Safe independently and after your video, will likely select that WDH for my near future rig. The $3600 price tag for the Pro Pride is crazy, but it's almost a different product in a way, but at that price with a near equal at a fraction of the cost, it's hard to pass on Weigh Safe and when there are other options, I don't buy Chinesium products.
A decent comparison summary. Thanks for sharing, and the long term effort on this one! I really liked the fact that you took the time to run the hitches for an extended period to get to know and work through their quirks. So much better than first impressions based on a quick install and a quick tow around a known loop. I've run several of these hitches and for the most part agree directionally your ratings. One thing I think would be helpful for others using this as a data point in their purchasing decision is a finer breakdown under the 'performance' top level ranking category. Thinks like noise, antisway, maintenance, storage, setup, connecting etc.. Take Equalizer vs. Curt TruTrack for example. Someone may more highly value noise over sway mitigating capability, but from the comparison chart its not obvious. Just a thought.😉
Your videos are great. Based on your reviews and my own research, I went with the ProPride 3P. I placed my order today. I enjoyed your reviews and I think it’s the superior hitch regardless of cost. I think I can get past the hitching learning curve. Thanks for you videos and I’ll keep watching. ProPride was great at answering my questions and concerns plus they are offering free shipping and a veteran discount.
I have a Blue Ox Sway Pro system. When hitching up one morning in the pouring rain, one of the "Chain Reels" (for lack of a better word) kind of exploded. The front plate, which is a big chunk of steel, came off when the big center "rivet" failed, and pulled thru the hole, and was launched about 3 feet, dropping the chain. I wound up having to wrap the chain around the leg of the A Arm (fortunately, I had a piece of chain and a couple of chain couplers with us). VERY lucky it wasn't on the road where it could have bounced up and killed or injured someone. When I called Blue Ox, one would think they would have been concerned about the potential danger, but all they could think about was whether it was still under warranty!! Turned out that it was over a year old, so they said I would have to PAY for another "chain reel". (still no concern about the danger). I bought a set of lever type chain holders by another brand. Just couldn't bring myself to trust those things, and aside from that, the TWO level type holders were MUCH safer and way less expensive than the ONE Blue Ox replacement reel to replace the one that failed!! I would never again have peace of mind using those Blue Ox "chain reels" Aside from that failure, I had to add an aftermarket sway control, as the Blue Ox did seemingly nothing in the way of reducing sway with our Ram 3500 and 10k pound Arctic Fox 25w. (The $29 Harbor Freight Anti Sway device actually does a pretty good job BTW). Just letting folks know..
This is so awesome....sorry I'm joining so late. But I have a 2017 F250 6.7L and we are purchasing a 39.5 ft TT (yea, a beast I know). So I need the best to ensure my family's safety!
Thanks for this. I'm just getting into rv'ing and am learning all I can before I make an RV purchase decision. It's videos made by folks like you that help keep us safe on the road. I have an observation/comment on your scoring method. These are designed to be used as a safety device. If I were comparing bullet proof vests, I would not give one a higher score that let bullets pass through it just because it was cheaper than ones that did not. All things being equal, cost is a factor. But cost should not be a factor when evaluating a product's effectiveness. Subscribed and look forward to watching more of your presentations.
Appreciate the respectful comment… cost and performance were separate categories… and many individuals simply cannot afford a $3500 hitch. All of the hitches did some work to help control sway vs no hitch at all. To use you analogy I’d rather have a vest that offered some protection vs no protection at all. Cheers and safe travels!
Great video, I was waiting for this one. But I couldn't wait till the end of summer for your review results so I ended up buying the Weigh-safe True Tow hitch and it was a major upgrade from my Husky round bar style hitch. Overall, I am very happy with the purchase, except for one problem, the gauge on my hitch broke and leaked liquid. I hope the warranty covers it, but it's one thing to keep in mind before purchasing this hitch. Sometimes more features can = more failure possibilities.
had same problem. Couldnt get darn thing appart to exchange gauge so they sent me the whole thing the gauge sits in. No ? asked. great company to deal with. Said they had a bad batch of gauges.
GREAT VIDEO, THANKS! You have put a lot of time, thought and effort into making this video and it will help many people who are trying to decide on which hitch they need to get.
What a huge amount of work. Thanks. I wish Hensley was there but i get it. They are steep in price. I didn't realize the PP 3P costs more than Hensley. I know they designed it off thd Hensley when they split up
Thank you for this incredible video comparison of these hitches! We actually use the equal-I-zer 4 way currently. Having come from the old school chain and saddle type of hitches of the past. I really like the equal-I-zer 4way. For us the pro pride is just not in the budget.
Thank you, great job. We had the Blue Ox Sway Pro and had a terrible accident earlier this year on I-95 when we got passed by a truck on the left. We thought we had the best hitch for sway and learned the hard way that it had weak performance.
Thank You so much for doing such a great review of the hitches. I'm a newbie doing a great deal of research and the weight distribution hitch was one of the critical areas. I pull a 2 hours bumper pull horse trailer and I use a basic weight distribution hitch there, but this confirmed by thoughts on a particular hitch for our travel trailer when we get it. Great material throughout your channel. Really appreciate the information that you and your family share.
I like my Equal-i-zer hitch a lot, and I definitely swapped out the clips with the wrap-around style. (I also carry a few extra small parts like this and the L "hold down" brackets, as I'm prone to set parts down and forget to put them back where they belong.)
Me too. It's a little noisy sometime but have never had a problem with swaying trailer, even in the terrible Kansas winds! Truck, Dodge 1500 with 27' Airstream.
Great video! I really appreciate all the effort and thought you put into this. I ended up going with the equalizer hitch and it seems to be doing great.
The thing that would concern me about the ProPride would be if you took your trailer to a non improved camp spot. Typically at those sites your truck and trailer can get pretty twisted to each other making it difficult to even get my Equlizer hitch unhooked/hooked. Would it even be possible to use the ProPride in these situations? Sounds like everything needs to be lined up perfectly to get hitched up.
Your concerns are valid. We wouldn’t dare take our rig too far off course because of its length anyway. It’s just not designed to go off-roading much at all. If I were off pavement a ton I’d likely go with another hitch.
The other option for those cases is to get the lot bar which allows the trailer to be moved with a normal ball. You can then move it just enough that you are on level ground and hook up normally.
I previously used Equalizer hitch ended up switching over to.Weigh Safe hitch and I agree 100% that weigh safe is way better than Equalizer in terms of sway control. But its weight is a bit hard to handle which is only one drawback. Other than that I really love this hitch. Really appreciate it.
I have a Husky Pro line. Also owned an Equalizer. Both friction bar sway control and DO NOT like the noise and clunking of the bars on the saddle when turning tight and straightening out. Wished there was a hitch that would accomplish this that has the bar friction for sway control. Thankyou. You do an awesome job and I am a happy Subscriber!!👍👍
Outstanding review. I'm looking to upgrade my 8yr old Reese system. I bought it for a 17 ft hybrid and now I have a 28 ft tt with a slide. It says it's rate for 10k but I keep snapping the pin that holds the chains up and they are not easy to find. It's happened twice and most recently the tension bar fell off and I didn't even know until I pulled into camp and it was gone (found it on the side of the road). I don't trust it at all anymore and that's when you know it's time for a change. This was a huge help.
Man prices have really went up. I just looked on Curt’s site and the TruTrac is 900$ After watching your video it was between the EQ and the WS hitch. I’ve read a lot on the forums and there seems to be a issue on the WS where the gauge is inaccurate or needs replacing. So I think it’s the EQ for me. Thanks again for taking the time to do this great video!
Truly a great video!!!! I was fortunate to find a never used secondhand Equal-i-zer as seen here for $250 and I needed a longer shank I found amazon used $85 equalizer brand as well as an equalizer ball for $30 totaling $365. There’s deals out there for what your looking for. Even secondhand pro pride and Hensley setups. I use the silent pads but I also tow a 8k lb Airstream with a 10k lb Dually so it’s not going to effect it enough to worry about. Had the Husky it’s a great hitch too and I would’ve gone with that if not for the great deal I got. Also my tailgate opens!!!!! I love that.
Awesome review! Wish I had seen this before getting the SwayPro. I had the TruTrack and overall found adjustability to be a pain and secondly found a very dangerous design flaw to it after 2 years of use which is why I replaced it. The Curt does the job, and everything is robust except the fittings and holes drilled for the angle adjustment! Yikes!
Weigh Safe has shifted their discount to 10%... while unfortunate it still saves you around $100 on a WDH!!
Can't even imagine how much time and effort went into producing this wealth of information. Very well done sir.
Thanks! Hopefully it was helpful.
Agreed. Thank you for the time and effort for this content
Hear here!
Thanks. I'm going with the Equalizer.
Do the test with a 1/2 ton. That would exaserbate the differences, and really tell you which hitch, if any, are actually good.
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! I wish I had the words to express how much I appreciate your extraordinary efforts on behalf of the RV community. I’ve been watching and waiting since you announced the hitch battle. You exceeded all expectations! Thank you for your professionalism and generosity of time. You have made me a more informed consumer.
Love hearing this… appreciate everyone for having patience with me!
No kidding! I just got through the intro, and I'm thinking man! This guy has done an incredible job of evaluating these presented!
Great review on all these hitches. I happen to own the ProPride 3P hitch and purchased after using an Equalizer E4. There really is no comparison with how the 3P projects the pivot point and eliminates the sway versus a friction hitch that attempts to control sway. The cost did give me pause but my wife lived through a sway accident as a child and the peace of mind was worth it to us. We have since traded our F150 in for an F350 and still tow a 7500 lb Grand Design travel trailer with the 3P. The weight distribution isn't as big a factor now but we enjoy the locked in tracking of the trailer behind the truck secure in the knowledge sway is eliminated. The hitch also keeps everything safe in an emergency avoidance situation.
FYI. The cotter pins can be easily pushed into the loop you put your finger through. That way they will never accidentally come off. Great great video. The last two years I have the Equalizer hitch. I tow a 7,700lb TT with a 2017 Ford Expedition XLT EL. Overall the hitch has been awesome. Obviously I would be better off with a 3/4-1 ton truck. We love an hour outside of Chicago. We tow our trailer to eastern Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Wyoming, Colorado and a ton of weekend getaways. The hitch just works great. I keep the pivots lubed, I check torque on the pivot bolts since that is a big part of the anti sway. Sometimes I put a little lube on the bars. I just got a set of the inserts. When spring rolls around I will see how those work. I would imagine there would be nonnegative impact. Soooo. Great video. Throughly enjoyed it.
I went the same path as you. Started with a Blue Ox Sway Pro. Was reasonably happy with the sway pro, once I learned how to manage the chains without getting whipped by them. Until a trip earlier this year where we were in heavy, heavy traffic, construction and all at highway speeds or higher. Got knocked around pretty good, and it was at that point started looking elsewhere. After a ton of research, settled on the Pro Pride. After a couple of trips of about 500 miles each, OMG. The Pro Pride is like having your trailer welded to you. Solid as a rock. Yes hitching and unhitching is a learning experience, but once you get it, it becomes very easy. A lot of money yes, would I spend it again yes. There's nothing like it. Thanks for the great video, and all the hard work.
Only input i have is on the Curt. I have had mine for a little more than a year now and both my L brackets for the frame and the diamond shaped angle adjustment pieces are bent and what i consider no longer safe. So yes the thin metal has proved to be an issue at least for me. Great review helps me choose its replacement!
I have used the Blue Ox, Curt and EQ 4 point. The EZ was my favorite by far. its a little noisy but its a dream down the road.
Great video and analysis. We went with the Sway Pro and have no issues. Super tight tension bar setting, height just right. No continuous tweaking or adjusting. No worries in wet weather like friction based systems. Quiet. Works great on my 2016 F150 FX4 Lariat w/ hd tow package and ecoboost v6. Love it. Love your channel too!!! Thx for all the hard work and time you put into these.
Great video. Been waiting all summer for these results. I have the Blue Ox Sway Pro with 4 seasons in, towing our Winnebago 27BHSS with an F-150 eco boost (18050 mile total). Upgrading to an F-250 with the 7.3l gas engine; build scheduled to complete this week (your truck videos helped me significantly in deciding to upgrade). May want to upgrade my hitch also before we increase our travel when my wife retires next June. Thank you for your great effort in making your videos. One thing you might want to include is whether you can drop your tailgate when hitched. You mentioned it with the Blue Ox hitches but I did not catch it for the other 4. Most of us would love to have a great performing hitch that also allows access to your bed easily when hitched up. Thanks again.
A very minor plus for the ProPride. You can open the tailgate while hooked up!
I just bought the Weigh Safe hitch in part due to your great review/test/comparison. Thank you for helping make it easy to understand the differences and assess the pros/cons.
Wow, Finally a decent video, very well edited, no bullshit, no stupid music. I can’t imagine compiling that amount of information for a hitch ( impressive) I will be buying my 2nd Travel Trailer next year that will need this for my 22 footer I plan on buying. Well done.
Appreciate that Rick…
Just did a 7,200 mile trip with our travel trailer using the weigh safe hitch, hitch did need some adjusting from time to time, amazing hitch and well worth the money
Hey Cory … Excellent review ! I’m running the Curt this year, and put about 9000 kilometres (5600 miles) on it this year, mostly in the mountains with considerable wind fluctuations. Sway was almost non existent with the exception of high gusts. I pull a 7000 lb trailer with a 4 wheel drive half ton. Insofar as noise, keep it greased, and use dry spray grease on the saddles, and it will be as quiet as any others. There is a little porpoising, but nothing of concern. My only wish would be heavier saddles. Thanks again!
I’ve had the equalizer for 2 yrs now. Just got back from a very windy trip to Fort McAllister and am thinking I might be looking into the pro pride. I never want to have a trip like that again. Thanks for the time you’ve spent on this.
Have you considered the Fastway e2 round bar hitch system? The owner of Fastway was a former Equalizer designer/engineer, and left Equalizer to start Fastway.
I've been using the e2 for 4 years, and towing a 6200# trailer with a 1500 truck, never experienced sway or porpoising. Perfect weight distribution, and a very comfortable ride, and able to back up on uneven ground with the bars attached.
I'm in the process, today, of setting up the hitch with my new '22 Chevy 2500HD, and with the heavier tow vehicle, much taller, I'm reviewing the instructions again. But I'm positive that the new combination will be even better than using the 1500 pickup, once I get my new height worked out.
The Fastway e2 is also made in the USA, in Provo, Utah... same city that Equalizer is made.
Great review 👍🇺🇸
I've had my current Equalizer WDH system since 1991 (with the spring bars that have a 90 degree section that inserts into the ball head from underneath) and have used it on two F350 4x4 crew cab long beds and two travel trailers (23' and 26') without any serious issues. I had a previous one I used with a Ford Elite with my first travel trailer (17' Comfort) bought in 1975, later with my old Ford station wagon and then used it for a 26' travel trailer in 1980 with my old Buick station wagon, also without issue. Some of the newer designs seem clever, but I'm not seeing a need to upgrade to any of them. Good job on the video.
Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke!
Based on your video, I switched from Blue Ox Sway Pro to the “Weigh Safe Middleweight” WDH and saw a huge improvement in trailer sway. I can now drive 65mph with my 28’ travel trailer with no problem. With the Blue Ox Sway Pro it was a white knuckle drive every time. But now the Weigh Safe Middleweight is working just great. We are leaving on a cross country trip (45 days / 6500mi) in two weeks and I’m really pleased with my setup now. Thanks so much for your RUclips video
So glad to hear!! Enjoy your trip and safe travels!!
Super glad we stumbled upon this video. So many people with their own opinions of which hitch is best without experience with others. Also only way to compare it is same truck, same trailer, which you have!
Appreciate you watching!!
Great video. I watched many videos and bought a Hensley (same as ProPride basically). Pulls great, wind not a problem. Unhooking is a big problem. If either of the tow vehicle axles is not the same as the trailer it's very difficult to hook up. Works great on flat driveways and parking lots but not where the full length of the truck and trailer are not on a flat surface. For us only works on flat pull through campsites. Gonna sell it.
I was wondering about that, theres no way to turn the hitch counter clockwise ir clockwise a hair to adjust for that situation?
Having used the Fastway E2 on a utility trailer pulling 3500lbs loaded with great success with a Honda Odyssey minivan, I naturally gravitated toward the Equal-i-zer 4 point when we moved up to our Navigator and KZ Sportsmen SE 301BHKSE. The GVWR of the camper is 8k and we pull at up to 80 without issue but average 65mph on non-interstate highways with zero sway. I think the main contributor to our smooth and safe towing experience is using e-trailer’s tongue weight scale prior to departure to ensure we keep our tongue weight below the hitch rating of our Navigator (900lbs) and above the 10% amount of our camper (800lbs). I shoot for 825lbs as my target and balance the camper load accordingly. I keep the equalizer head sockets greased and torqued to 100ft-lbs and we pull smoothly and safely.
The weigh safe appears to grant its edge in towing solidity via proper tongue weight readings right on the hitch.
Seems like two ways to arrive at the same safe result!
Thanks for all the work you’ve put into this and for the Equalizer discount on your Equalizer review video.
Thanks for doing this. Replacing our trailer and upgrading the hitch when we get it. Liked that it was a user review not a product promo review.
Most impressed by the performance of that plastic folding table handling the weight of all those hitches...Lol
Haha!! Costco baby!
I have the curt trutrac for 6 years and I have a 38’ 9500lbs travel trailer. I only had one issue. It was a metal failure, luckily I was almost home. All that failed was the nut with the barring runs on broke. I call curt. I sent pictures and in two days I had a replacement head. No issues.
Very good customer service with all of these hitches really.
Made in China. DONT buy China Tires. If you do get two spares.
Great video. Viewers should know that the ProPride is nearly identical to the Hensley Hitch and comparable in price and performance. Both are based on Jim Hensley's patent. I have a 20 year old Hensley Arrow on my 28' Avion and can attest that it eliminates sway. Last summer I was driving on the skyway around Chicago when the wind was gusting up to 70MPH and I barely felt it. I didn't realize how strong the wind was until I watched the evening news. Also, you should consider the resale value of the hitches in your evaluation. Both the ProPride and Hensley hold their value extremely well and you will not find very many used ones on the market. Another consideration is the ProPride and Hensley add about 12" in length which makes it easy open the tailgate.
I did a nationwide search for a used ProPride or Hensley and there are very few available. Most need paint jobs but the average price range is $1,200 to $1,800. Hensley sells refurbished hitches when they can get them and prices start at $2,500. Also, the wind I experiences was only 40 to 50+ MPH and not 70 MPH. Nevertheless, I barely felt it.
" Non-thunderstorm winds gusted to 40 to 50+ mph, especially along and north of the I-80 corridor on the night of October 24 into the morning of October 25. These caused spotty tree and wire damage and power outages. The winds also built high waves on Lake Michigan, resulting in minor flooding along the immediate lakeshore." (10/24/21)
Great video! I have the equalizer hitch. Everybody says it is loud, and they are not wrong!!!!!!! This hitch will make any person around think your trailer is about to break free! Equalizer is not just loud, it is unsettling loud. Even after many tows!
I've been pulling with an Equalizer for quite a while. We have both a 10K and a 14K unit. The 14K has had the workout, being in use over 5 years. The truck is a F-350 DRW 7.3L and the trailer is a 34' Continental Cargo extra height race trailer that weighs 13,900. That rig has run a lot of miles over some damn ruff roads in Tx, NM and OK. We're in west Texas so if you want some 15~25 MPH wind and 80 MPH semis passing to test with, come on. On your note on "0.5 off for the little clip" - that clip doesn't do anything but retain the bar pin while you are setting up the hitch. Once under load, that pin can't move. So the clip is under zero strain. In my experience, they don't pop off or get lost - still have the original clips for both hitches. If anything, sometimes you can push them in too far then you have to fumble them around to line the straight side up with the hole to remove. Just my opinion, you don't need any more fancy retention for that part of the hitch. The 10K hitch runs with an F-150 and a 5800 lb 25' Keystone RV that has a "high sail" thanks to the front bedroom. The first run with that was to NM and back - my observation is that any "sway" was mostly the tail end of the trailer wagging as the nose tracked well with the truck. Seems like that is just the nature of this particular trailer, maybe because it's pretty light weight. That is the wife's tow rig and she has no problems with it. The downside of the Equalizer is they are heavy as all get out and humping the bars on the brackets. You can reduce that effort by latching the ball and then raising the tongue up to lift the bars. Noise - I don't care if it squeaks. However, lubing the bar sockets as recommended helps reduce any noise on the head. Metal on metal bars at the brackets just is what it is. I will be looking at your Andersen hitch review to see if that's a better fit for the F-150 - wife has trouble with that dang heavy Equalizer hitch head. Thanks for this review, excellent.
Like everyone else on here I truly appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into this video, I googled and read reviews for many hours and ended up on the Reese steadi flex but after watching this it might be time for a new hitch as I keep having to change out the brake pads on my Reese system
Very informative. We ha e a fifth wheel now but used the recurve 3 and equalizer with pull campers. Equalizer was the better of those. Thanks for sharing. Now have fun selling off the hitches.
You pointed out the tiny little pin on the Equal-I-zer hitch. I lost a bar at some point on a trip probably because that little pin fell off. Lol it was on a trip to the dealership for repairs on the trailer. I didn’t think about it until I got home, but I should do an under belly inspection for damage.
If you ever want to test the only Zero Tongue Weight hitch give me a call. I own the TrailerToad company. Zero tongue weight on the tow vehicle, even with 2000-lb of tongue weight. Great video!!
Shoot me an email… wanderingwknds@gmail.com
My weigh safe (middle weight version) came with the loop around pins for securing the bars to the head, like you suggested they use.
I really appreciated your hitch review series. Been subscribers for a couple of years, which added to your credibility. Our Expedition towed our 6,300# 21SS trailer just fine with our Equalizer E2 hitch. We upgraded to an 8,300# 2706ws trailer and our tow vehicle and hitch were both undersized. We upgraded to a Ford Super Duty but still wasn't happy with the hitch that was near its maximum capacity. I watched many videos and especially liked your reviews. We had been happy with our E2 so after hearing you talk about the E4, that's the one we went with. We love this setup now and are excited for future trips. Thank you, and we really enjoy yours and many other channels, including your brother's. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas!! Tell my brother to call me… we’ve never met!! Haha, seriously I don’t have a brother but some have mentioned Chad from Changing Lanes and I look similar. 🤷🏻♂️
@@WanderingWeekends my mistake. I thought I had heard from Chad or you that you were related. It's all good, thanks for the great content.
I feel like its a very fair review and summation. Job well done. As I've said before yes the ProPride is expensive, but when it becomes the difference between having an accident or not its worth every penny and more.
@@SeanWoodruff agreed. I had an incident that I talked about in his video on the ProPride where I truly believe the hitch was the difference between us driving away and ending up rolled over on the side of the highway.
I hope for 2022 you can expand the hitch battle with a few more hitches. I would love to see the Andersen no-sway, Husky Centerline, and the Camco Recurve R6. We need to get subscribers to email these companies to let them know, possible customers want this done.
Thanks for doing this for us, and trying to give the most objective opinions you could!
I have the Husky Centerline and I modified a set of the equalizer sway bar silencers and I'm very happy with it and only have $400 total in mine. It's identical to the 3rd place equalizer in setup but $100 cheaper.
the camco recurve is made in china...just tossing that out there.
I just bought a trailer and your video was in my feed without searching. I’m really impressed with the work you did and I really appreciate it!
Bought the weigh safe last month! This makes me feel much better about my purchase. I just couldn’t justify spending $3500 to pull a used toyhauler that I paid $10k for. Thank you for taking your time to do this test.
The p3 hitch should be in last place because it's way way over priced.
Almost exactly the same circumstances, purchase and thought process. I bought my first Travel Trailer used for $11,000. It's about 29 ft of body and 32 ft LOA but has spread axles. I am not sure if the little pushes I feel are a problem but they are un-nerving and taxing. I got the trailer 800 miles away and didn't have a WDH ever before. Luckily the guy gave me the old Reese Turnion WDH with 700 lb bars. That's what I used the 4 months of last year that I had to get used to towing a pretty big Travel Trailer. I finally decided that by looks and measurement that I needed more Weight Distribution from teh bars (didn't know the Reese rating at the time but i guess that I needed a couple hundred pounds more lift). This hitch had now sway abatement I figured out after research/examining.
So, I figured I'd get the biggest hitch I could for th money, until I could decide what to get amongst the "big boy hitches". Thus, I installed teh HaulMaster 1,000 lb bar WDH from Harbor Freight. It's really just a Husky round Bar.. That was much better in terms of leveling the truck, much less bar flex/porposing. I added the little $40 friction slider bar, drilled holes and all. That sway friction helped for teh little bit I towed at the end of 2021 but that quickly became ineffective quickly, no matter who tight I made the nut or the handle. Generally, this setup was still stronger, more sure, better lifted (headlights level) and better behaved, etc.
NOW, just received teh Weigh-Safe True Tow WDH the other day, installed and just towed around home freeways but by CAT Scale and now the hitch, I see that I have 900-950 lbs of tongue weight. I assmed it was closer to teh 650 lbs the trailer is rated. So looks like I needed a bit more lift and plenty of consistent friction because even my wife was like " Oh, man I forgot the trailer was back there" from a ride, sway and sound aspect. Yes, I spent an extra $150 for the Harbor Freight hitch but it was worth it to buy myself a safer year to chose my "big boy hitch".
I Know the advantage of the Pro-Pride 3p. I want it. I know it works and would solve all my truck wake push/suck wiggles. However, I paid $1,000 for the WS/TT and that's enough, compared to the $11k camper towed by a $9k truck ( with brand new factory GM 5.3L V8 however). If I got a $40k camper then yeah, I'd go for the Pro-Pride but jeez, I can't swallow $3,600+ for a hitch that can't even be quick swapped or do anything else and still wouldn't have told me I was at >900 lbs tongue weight. I want it but can't justify it but I did spend the $1,000 for the Weigh-Safe so you get that I'm not shy on spending to get safety and performance.
I ddin't see WW's video that he'd buy the Weigh Safe, on value until after I had ordered mine but this guy and WW came the conclusion I did too.
I've got the equalizer (made here in Provo Utah 😁) and the nylon spacers do quiet it a ton. There seems to me not to mess with the ability to control sway with my small trailer and the two trucks I've used it with. They should include them in the price of the hitch (which was $499 at my dealership)
Excellent review 👍
I really appreciate the video and I wanted to provide my experience to potential buyers. I tow with a 2020 ram 3500 SRW and I tow a GD momentum 31g TT. I purchased the weigh safe hitch based on this review and others. I wont say it is bad for every RV because having towed several RV's I believe setups vary greatly. This setup for my tongue heavy toy hauler was horrible. I towed with it from NJ to Florida in April of 2022. We cut the first day short by several hours because the trailer was all over the place. After resting we reviewed the instructions for installation again, but all number lined up. We started out again with worse results. We then cranked the bolt for tension way beyond what the app recommended. That made it manageable, but not good. Once we arrived in Florida we called the company and tried to trouble shoot. We were on vacation at Disney and after missing several hours I gave up and bought the same hitch I used previously. I drove drove home with no issues. I called weigh safe, but they will not refund or buy back the hitch because it is considered used. I will never consider any of their products again.
I hate hearing this. That said this is literally the first negative comment I’ve heard about the weight distribution hitch. What hitch did you end up buying? As far as returning the hitch. Did it break?
@@WanderingWeekends it did not break. I went back to the blue OX
That must have taken a lot of thought and effort learning how to use each distribution hitch and giving an honest review of each.
Thanks for the video. We'll done!!!
☝👍✌🇺🇸🍻👏
🍻!!!
Thanks for taking the time to help a lot of people out. I had already purchased the weigh safe and glad I did. So far it has been great. Great job and thanks again.
Great Job ProPride! I have a ProPride and will never pull a camper with anything but a ProPride. It is expensive but you absolutely can’t find a better hitch.
I have the ProPride. The way I justified the expense is that if someone would offer me a “warranty” that my trailer (a Lance, $45K) will never sway and risk to roll, I would probably consider to purchase it. So, this is that insurance…
Congrats to Sean and his team in building the winner.
Sean and Brent are great to work with… and so was everyone else we encountered from the other manufacturers. All easy going and willing to participate.
@@SeanWoodruff I agree. I've had mine since 2011 and love it. Very good review of hitches for sure. It's been a long year waiting for the results.
I can second that about the Weigh Safe True Tow. Was thinking of getting the Propride but glad I got this instead. I've been using it now for 3 months and maybe 1500-2000 miles and it works great. No more sway very little noise and weight distribution was spot on the first try. Thing is built like a tank and very heavy, should last for a long time. Using it on a 2020 Ram 1500 and a 2021 Grand Design 2600RB.
Did you use anything else to compare? I have the same truck and trailer.
I had a Weigh Safe True Tow and ended up breaking the adjustment screw (It is rated much higher than it can really handle) aside from the broken (galled then snapped) adjustment screw all of the hydraulic oil leaked out causing the gauge to stop working. I also didn't like only being able to use it with an app, okay when you have cell service for the phone, but I liked being to set things up when off grid too.
So thrilled I found this because I'm picking up my new trailer tomorrow with a Blue Ox Pro installed 🤣
😳😳😬😬
Fantastic review! 100% on Equalizer prices. They're too high and all over. I found mine new in the box on FB marketplace for under $300 so that worked out great. They are loud so we got the plastic pads. They claim the friction is NOT reduced. We noticed no performance reduction either. And for those pins you didn't like on it they sell the wire bail one piece pins. Again, drives their cost up but it's worth it for E4 owners. I do wish the WeighSafe was available when I needed a hitch. Your vid has me wishing we had that even though we love our E4. Great stuff! Alot of work to make the series but it's a gold mine for people looking to buy.
Don't feel bad. I used the equalizer for years and then tried the weigh-safe when it came out. The oil leaked out of mine under full loads (less then the rating on the hitch) and my adjustment screw broke trying to adjust the hitch for the full loads (within their weight ratings). After the oil leaked out I couldn't adjust it because the gauge has to be working right in order to connect your trailer safely. I went back to the Equalizer happily and have had no problems just like before. It may be dumb steel but it works no matter what. Just because something is newer doesn't mean it does something better.
@@davidlong1527 that makes me feel better about choosing the E4
Awesome video! I think this is the best comparison video out there. Personally, I would have awarded the win to the Weigh Safe. The reason being is I think your points on Cost was skewed. If the Propride runs $3600, then each point on your scale should be $360. This would put the Weigh Safe at a score of 7. Total points would then be 33. You have to admit that the price difference is huge between the Propride and all the other hitches. I think this warrants a greater difference on the cost scale than just a few points. Thanks for your excellent work on this video. 👍
You make a good point... but the ProPride is the only hitch that eliminates ALL sway. It's on its own level in that regard. Obviously the price is on another planet as well... haha. I would personally choose a Weigh Safe based on MY budget but for some folks $3500 is a drop in the bucket. Both are GREAT hitches.
I used the Blue Ox Sway Pro for a couple of years and then bought a 5th wheel. I'm planning on going back to a tow-behind (an Imagine 2670MK) and wanted to check out hitches. Like your experience, the Blue Ox Sway Pro bound up a lot and was annoying in that respect--despite the binding, I never experienced any situation where I felt the chains or bars would break bones. Actually, the thing I hated most was trying to remove the bars when it was really cold...I could NOT get those buttons to pull up in order to slide the bars out of the hitch (fingers too cold and cold metal--just don't mix). I just kept a flat head screwdriver handy during cold weather to pop it up. lol But I always felt the sway control was outstanding (only having previous experience with the crappy little friction one that you have to disconnect before backing up--lol). One performance issue for me is whether or not I can put the tailgate down. It was never a problem with the Blue Ox--one other reason I liked it. I'm interested in the Weigh Safe and the Equalizer. Can you tell me whether or not you were still able to put the tailgate down when hooked up with both of those? (Backing up is a HUGE concern too, but you mentioned that all of the hitches reviewed in the video do not need to be unhooked to back up.) Thank you for your great videos!
The Weigh Safe allows for tailgate use. The Equalizer was about a 1/4 inch short.
Thanks for taking so much time and effort to create this video. A big plus for soldiering through the weather, too.
Glad you found it useful!!
I’ve been waiting for this. I’ve had my eye on the weight safe for months. You just helped me make up my mind. Thanks for putting in the time and effort on this.
Glad it was helpful!!
I do believe that if I had a trailer the weight of yours or heavier AND I was full-timing then I could justify the Pro Pride price. But you take a lot more trips than we do, and our trailers Max GVW is probably what yours is unloaded. Truck is a Silverado 1500 and hitch is Equal-i-zer, and I only get porpoiseing when the road is very bumpy, and sway is non-existent. This confirms that I bought the correct hitch: the Curt and Blue Ox hitches you tested I would not have considered (especially the one with chains), I don't believe the weigh safe was around when I bought mine, and the Pro Pride/Hensley stinger-type are just something I couldn't justify the extra cost for in my situation. Great series, and I hope you get to keep the winner. ;)
I have the Hensley, which is the same design as the ProPride. Great video. I have had The Blue Ox Sway Pro, Equalizer and the Curt. The Hensley/ProPride is expensive, but so much safer and stress free to tow with. I wish you would have added video clips of you hooking/unhooking, driving, and installation but still a great video. Thanks for all your hard work!
The Equalizer probably saved my life when I was in a fishtail situation. There trailer was totaled but the truck stayed upright and I came out of the fishtail rather quickly.
Nice work Cory. That was a lot of effort to setup and test all those hitches just so we could benefit. You didn't over complicate things on your scoring system. After all is finished, I like the Weigh Safe hitch. It is esthetically pleasing, easy to "dial in", and well constructed. Great video.
Thank you for doing this. I archived the video knowing that i would want to watch it later, now that i have a truck and ready... i really appreciate all the research and help you have provided!! THANK YOU!
Glad I could help!
Great and honest review on the hitches! I ended up going with the Curt TruTrack for my WD set up and look forward to seeing how it performs!
I actually run the Hensley Arrow on mine and would not hesitate to get another one, it's a lot like the pro ride.
I love our ProPride, we pull a 32 ft bunkhouse with an Expedition EL, zero sway period. My only complaint is that to hook up, it really likes the truck and trailer to be as straight as possible. The bars swing under the jack at a big enough angle so certain "nose to tail" camp grounds can be really difficult if you need to back in with a large angle between the truck and trailer.
Thank you for this comparison. I have been investigating the Equalizer 12K and your analysis helps. Too bad Andersen didn't participate but I imagine it's because theirs may not have held up against the others. I bought one last year (replacing the old chain/sway bar setup) and towed my 27' TT around the country for 10K miles. I can't wait to get rid of the Andersen! I would like to add that as a solo senior female Rv'er it would be helpful if you included the actual weight of a system, ie. bars, ball assembly, etc. so I can judge if I will be able to handle the hooking/unhooking on my own. When I "park" I take off hitch until I'm ready to leave again. Thanks again.
Appreciate that. Keep in mind the weight of these units is clearly stated on each manufacturers website.
@@WanderingWeekends Hi, Thank you for your timely response. I understand the weight a particular unit is designed to accommodate us listed but I have been unable to find the weight of individual parts or the total weight of an assembled unit. You used the terms heavy and very heavy but what does that mean? Does each swing bar weigh 5 lbs or 20 lbs, etc? No retailer lists an item's individual weight or a weight for the entirely assembled hitch. Am I going to be able to pick the darn thing up, lol?
I have a Reese Dual Cam. Works great. ProPride I watched two owners trying to hook up. OMG placing a truck at a 32nd of an inch and still would not go in.
The dealership installed a Sway Pro on my new Grand Design Transcend 265BH and from what I can tell there was zero sway control. I have my Weigh Safe on order 😊
Good call. Just don't let the dealership install the hitch. They rarely know what they are doing.
Thank you for taking the time to give use all out there an idea of what might be the best out there.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video and review. Appreciate the time and effort that went into it. I have the Equalizer as at the time it just seemed to be the best compromise of price and performance (plus being made in the USA 🇺🇲). I do like the ProPride but couldn't justify the cost. In addition to the nylon spacers, making sure the surfaces where the bar "sockets" pivot in the hitch head are greased periodically also helps quiet it down quite a bit.
16:00 honestly, the round bar is what I have. I grease the end of the bar that goes into hitch. 2 sandwich bags keep things clean from the grease. I do use inserts on trailer side. Very little noise. That square bar you have has 2 additional rub points on each bar. In parks where I have been, those are very noisy. I wish you would have tried the round bar. Super fast to install bars, but you do need the nylon inserts where the bar drags on turns. But $20 was worth to add it on.
Good video. I loved my Equalizer and was also worried about loosing those bar pins, but I just remember to keep them together with the bars and stored on the tongue behind the tanks. Now I’m interested in the Weigh Safe hitch now if we get another TT. Thanks again,
Win-win between the 2… WS takes it though…
Id love to see the shocker vs the GenY torsion vs the weigh safe. great video explaining the differences.
I ran a friction hitch & a ProPride on our TT. Hands down the ProPride wins!!! American made, customer service & support second to non. Yes it’s pricey, but my honest option is that it’s worth every penny!!!!!!!!!
After watching two of your videos on this subject, I subscribed. I had done some research and liked the Weigh Safe independently and after your video, will likely select that WDH for my near future rig. The $3600 price tag for the Pro Pride is crazy, but it's almost a different product in a way, but at that price with a near equal at a fraction of the cost, it's hard to pass on Weigh Safe and when there are other options, I don't buy Chinesium products.
I bought a propride hitch today. Thanks for your inputs.
Enjoy!!
A decent comparison summary. Thanks for sharing, and the long term effort on this one! I really liked the fact that you took the time to run the hitches for an extended period to get to know and work through their quirks. So much better than first impressions based on a quick install and a quick tow around a known loop. I've run several of these hitches and for the most part agree directionally your ratings. One thing I think would be helpful for others using this as a data point in their purchasing decision is a finer breakdown under the 'performance' top level ranking category. Thinks like noise, antisway, maintenance, storage, setup, connecting etc.. Take Equalizer vs. Curt TruTrack for example. Someone may more highly value noise over sway mitigating capability, but from the comparison chart its not obvious. Just a thought.😉
Your videos are great. Based on your reviews and my own research, I went with the ProPride 3P.
I placed my order today. I enjoyed your reviews and I think it’s the superior hitch regardless of cost.
I think I can get past the hitching learning curve. Thanks for you videos and I’ll keep watching. ProPride was great at answering my questions and concerns plus they are offering free shipping and a veteran discount.
Does the Waysafe Truto allow your tailgate to be let down all the way? Thanks for such a great video!
Yes.
10 hitch video will drop this evening
I have a Blue Ox Sway Pro system.
When hitching up one morning in the pouring rain, one of the "Chain Reels" (for lack of a better word) kind of exploded.
The front plate, which is a big chunk of steel, came off when the big center "rivet" failed, and pulled thru the hole, and was launched about 3 feet, dropping the chain. I wound up having to wrap the chain around the leg of the A Arm (fortunately, I had a piece of chain and a couple of chain couplers with us).
VERY lucky it wasn't on the road where it could have bounced up and killed or injured someone.
When I called Blue Ox, one would think they would have been concerned about the potential danger, but all they could think about was whether it was still under warranty!!
Turned out that it was over a year old, so they said I would have to PAY for another "chain reel". (still no concern about the danger).
I bought a set of lever type chain holders by another brand.
Just couldn't bring myself to trust those things, and aside from that, the TWO level type holders were MUCH safer and way less expensive than the ONE Blue Ox replacement reel to replace the one that failed!!
I would never again have peace of mind using those Blue Ox "chain reels"
Aside from that failure, I had to add an aftermarket sway control, as the Blue Ox did seemingly nothing in the way of reducing sway with our Ram 3500 and 10k pound Arctic Fox 25w. (The $29 Harbor Freight Anti Sway device actually does a pretty good job BTW).
Just letting folks know..
This is so awesome....sorry I'm joining so late. But I have a 2017 F250 6.7L and we are purchasing a 39.5 ft TT (yea, a beast I know). So I need the best to ensure my family's safety!
Congrats! Enjoy that new rig!!
@@WanderingWeekends thank you. We are very excited to join this lifestyle!
Thanks for this. I'm just getting into rv'ing and am learning all I can before I make an RV purchase decision. It's videos made by folks like you that help keep us safe on the road. I have an observation/comment on your scoring method. These are designed to be used as a safety device. If I were comparing bullet proof vests, I would not give one a higher score that let bullets pass through it just because it was cheaper than ones that did not. All things being equal, cost is a factor. But cost should not be a factor when evaluating a product's effectiveness. Subscribed and look forward to watching more of your presentations.
Appreciate the respectful comment… cost and performance were separate categories… and many individuals simply cannot afford a $3500 hitch. All of the hitches did some work to help control sway vs no hitch at all. To use you analogy I’d rather have a vest that offered some protection vs no protection at all.
Cheers and safe travels!
@@WanderingWeekends $3500?!!! whoah
Great video, I was waiting for this one. But I couldn't wait till the end of summer for your review results so I ended up buying the Weigh-safe True Tow hitch and it was a major upgrade from my Husky round bar style hitch. Overall, I am very happy with the purchase, except for one problem, the gauge on my hitch broke and leaked liquid. I hope the warranty covers it, but it's one thing to keep in mind before purchasing this hitch. Sometimes more features can = more failure possibilities.
They should cover you. Supply chain mess May delay them a bit (they’re a smaller outfit vs the others) but I’d be confident you’ll be taken care of.
had same problem. Couldnt get darn thing appart to exchange gauge so they sent me the whole thing the gauge sits in. No ? asked. great company to deal with. Said they had a bad batch of gauges.
GREAT VIDEO, THANKS!
You have put a lot of time, thought and effort into making this video and it will help many people who are trying to decide on which hitch they need to get.
Appreciate you watching!!
What a huge amount of work. Thanks. I wish Hensley was there but i get it. They are steep in price. I didn't realize the PP 3P costs more than Hensley. I know they designed it off thd Hensley when they split up
You’re welcome! I’ve done a few more since this one. Top 2 remain the same.
Thank you for this incredible video comparison of these hitches! We actually use the equal-I-zer 4 way currently. Having come from the old school chain and saddle type of hitches of the past. I really like the equal-I-zer 4way. For us the pro pride is just not in the budget.
Appreciate you watching!
Thank you, great job. We had the Blue Ox Sway Pro and had a terrible accident earlier this year on I-95 when we got passed by a truck on the left. We thought we had the best hitch for sway and learned the hard way that it had weak performance.
I hope everyone was OK! You simply don’t know how well something performs unless you compare it to others.
Like you, I didnt care for the delicate Cotter pins on my Equalizer sway bars. The flip pins are readily available and reasonably priced.
Fantastic review!!! Wish they would have sent you a Reese Steady Flex. I love it!!! Thanks for all your work.
Thank You so much for doing such a great review of the hitches. I'm a newbie doing a great deal of research and the weight distribution hitch was one of the critical areas. I pull a 2 hours bumper pull horse trailer and I use a basic weight distribution hitch there, but this confirmed by thoughts on a particular hitch for our travel trailer when we get it. Great material throughout your channel. Really appreciate the information that you and your family share.
Great video, thanks for taking the time to compare the hitches.
Appreciate you watching!
I like my Equal-i-zer hitch a lot, and I definitely swapped out the clips with the wrap-around style. (I also carry a few extra small parts like this and the L "hold down" brackets, as I'm prone to set parts down and forget to put them back where they belong.)
Me too. It's a little noisy sometime but have never had a problem with swaying trailer, even in the terrible Kansas winds! Truck, Dodge 1500 with 27' Airstream.
Great video! I really appreciate all the effort and thought you put into this. I ended up going with the equalizer hitch and it seems to be doing great.
The thing that would concern me about the ProPride would be if you took your trailer to a non improved camp spot. Typically at those sites your truck and trailer can get pretty twisted to each other making it difficult to even get my Equlizer hitch unhooked/hooked. Would it even be possible to use the ProPride in these situations? Sounds like everything needs to be lined up perfectly to get hitched up.
Your concerns are valid. We wouldn’t dare take our rig too far off course because of its length anyway. It’s just not designed to go off-roading much at all. If I were off pavement a ton I’d likely go with another hitch.
The other option for those cases is to get the lot bar which allows the trailer to be moved with a normal ball. You can then move it just enough that you are on level ground and hook up normally.
I previously used Equalizer hitch ended up switching over to.Weigh Safe hitch and I agree 100% that weigh safe is way better than Equalizer in terms of sway control. But its weight is a bit hard to handle which is only one drawback. Other than that I really love this hitch. Really appreciate it.
Glad you like it!
A year late but…. Just looking to buy a travel and can’t say how much this video impressed me. Excellent reviews.
I have a Husky Pro line. Also owned an Equalizer. Both friction bar sway control and DO NOT like the noise and clunking of the bars on the saddle when turning tight and straightening out. Wished there was a hitch that would accomplish this that has the bar friction for sway control. Thankyou. You do an awesome job and I am a happy Subscriber!!👍👍
Outstanding review. I'm looking to upgrade my 8yr old Reese system. I bought it for a 17 ft hybrid and now I have a 28 ft tt with a slide. It says it's rate for 10k but I keep snapping the pin that holds the chains up and they are not easy to find. It's happened twice and most recently the tension bar fell off and I didn't even know until I pulled into camp and it was gone (found it on the side of the road). I don't trust it at all anymore and that's when you know it's time for a change. This was a huge help.
Great to hear it was useful. It’s why I do this
Man prices have really went up. I just looked on Curt’s site and the TruTrac is 900$
After watching your video it was between the EQ and the WS hitch. I’ve read a lot on the forums and there seems to be a issue on the WS where the gauge is inaccurate or needs replacing. So I think it’s the EQ for me. Thanks again for taking the time to do this great video!
That seems to be an issue on the aluminum hitches… ain’t no aluminum on the WDH
Also… the Curt is currently $609 on Amazon.
Truly a great video!!!! I was fortunate to find a never used secondhand Equal-i-zer as seen here for $250 and I needed a longer shank I found amazon used $85 equalizer brand as well as an equalizer ball for $30 totaling $365. There’s deals out there for what your looking for. Even secondhand pro pride and Hensley setups. I use the silent pads but I also tow a 8k lb Airstream with a 10k lb Dually so it’s not going to effect it enough to worry about. Had the Husky it’s a great hitch too and I would’ve gone with that if not for the great deal I got. Also my tailgate opens!!!!! I love that.
Outstanding review, I hope people appreciate what you have done and the time and money it took. Thank you.
Definitely a lot of work to learn, test and collate the results
Man.. Thanks so much. This was very well done. I have never used one of these but I'm looking to purchase. Can you not back up with them installed?
You can back up with all of them. 💪
Awesome review! Wish I had seen this before getting the SwayPro. I had the TruTrack and overall found adjustability to be a pain and secondly found a very dangerous design flaw to it after 2 years of use which is why I replaced it. The Curt does the job, and everything is robust except the fittings and holes drilled for the angle adjustment! Yikes!