Pull-Rite vs Hensley Question

[JoeDiesel]

New post since a long time. Hope you guys can help. I plan to buy an Arctic Fox 22M in the near future. I'm a little undecided on a few critical details. 1) I called Pull-RIte and asked the same question and saw the "claim" on their web site that on a 03 Ram 2500, with the 17" spare with the aluminum rim and stock tires will NOT have to be relocated. Is this true??? No guesses please, I can do that myself. Having to do a little tail pipe modification is no big deal if the hitch is as good as "they" say. 2) Has anyone experienced the "harsh" ride claims over rough roads thing that I read so much about??? Once again, I reiterate; harsh ride over a few bumps, not so big of a deal if the safety factor is there. 3) Any views on if the 90 degree PR is worth the extra cost over the standard 70 degree?? Is the only difference 20 degrees and a few bucks more, or am I missing something like further interference or mods?? 4) Cost aside, is the general opinion by people who actually use the product; is the Hensley actually safer that the PR or are they psyically equal on a safety stand point only??? 5) Last question, I promise. I towed a 8' wide 22' Hi-Lo to the Grand Canyon and back from Miami. No problems with sway using my "Equalizer" hitch. Obviously, enough truck for the job. However, that being said I must admit that being caught in construction zones a lot, surrounded by big rigs did make me feel that 8' is much better that 8'6" (wide body of AR-22M). I had a few close calls all due to the other guy moving into my lane. For those of you who tow toy haulers and other wide body rigs, do you feel that you really do not worry that the extra 3" of lost clearance on each side was much of a safety issue. I know this really is a matter of opinion but I really love the layout of the 22M. I feel with the added security of the PR or HA it would eliminate my clearance concerns. Thanks.

 

[SmithB]

Hello Joe

Sorry but I can't help you with any of your questions cause I just got my truck and Im thinking of buying a trailer. That being said I am thinking a lot about the Hi-LO. Are you selling yours or trading it in. And why are you changing if you dont mind me asking.

Thanks

Brad

 

[oldcrow]

Hensley

Hi Joe,

I know the feeling of trying to find the best hitch. I went from a Equalizer to a Hensley and have never had any regrets. It is a big investment but it was worth it. I tow a 32' travel trailer and it made a world of difference in the handling. I have no sway and now drive without the white knuckles. One of the problems I had was backing into a camping spot,The equalizer bars would bind up and the turning radius wasn't very much, now I back into any site without a problem. I drive a 2004, 2500 sb quad cab. I did a lot of internet searches before I made my decision. The other plus is you leave the heavy part of the hitch on the camper and only deal with the tow bar.

Hope this helps some

 

[R-N-R]

Cost aside, when I purchased my Hensley 5 yrs ago, the main thing that steered me away from the Pullright was the fact that it was vehical specific. The Hensley mounts to the TT which makes it vehical independent. I have never used a Pullright so I can't compare functionality, but I sure like the sway control and the turning radious of the Hensley. The only negative thing I can say about it is that it took me a long time to get "good" at hooking up in a timely manner, and that was with using aids such as the FastHitch Mirror and the HitchHelper.

 

[RCook]

FWIW, my friends tow an AF22 all over the west with their 03 2500, with a simple load-distributing hitch, with no problems at all. Maybe you don't need either Hensley or Pullrite for that small a TT.

 

[JoeDiesel]

I greatly appreciate the input. I called Pull-Rite again and this time got a really knowledgable and friendly rep. She answered two of my concerns immediately. I don't lose my spare tire location at all. This would have been a deal breaker. I also can only get the 70 degree PR for the Dodge short bed. She also discounted the PR price to $1,900 plus about $100 for shipping. Not to shabby, thats about a grand away from the HA. I'm not worried about transferring the hitch because I keep my vehicles until the wheels fall off. Thanks RCook for the input. I agree that maybe my Equalizer might be sufficient but I sure would like to try it in a real world experiment. If anyone else tows and Arctic Fox 22M with the equalizer hitch, please share your thoughts. I'm pretty sure that the equalizer is "very good". I just think that the PR is "significant" better at eliminating sway instead of dampening it. The rep e-mailed me the instruction. A little confusing but I think I can do it. Has anyone installed a PR. How tuff was it? How much did the muffler shop charge for the exhaust mods on the Diesel?? Thanks again.

 

[JoeDiesel]

SmithB-The only reason I would like to change the Hi-Lo is because I made a deal with my next door neighbor. Hurricane Katrina blew down all our fences and I agreed to pay for my neighbors in exchange for partial space between our houses to park a full size trailer. The Hi-Lo is fantanstic and we absolutely love it. My wife would just like the convenience of a "regular" hight trailer so we can take more stuff. Were not old but getting there and convenience takes a priority. I also travel 55-60 MPH and should not have the whole wind resistance issue to the extent that the 70-80 MPH crowd gets. I Paid 18K in 2004 for it plus tax. Total w/finance was 20K out the door. A new one goes for around 24K now. Mine is in excellent condition but I don't know honestly what it worth. I'll sell it when I order the Fox. Hi-Lo make a great product but I am very excited about trading up to an all weather camper to get away from the stress of Miami Life.

 

[Jrork]

If you get the PR please post your thoughts. I've also looked at them and everyone I talked to loved them but these were strangers and campgrounds and I couldn't tell if they were being truthful or not.

I'm really interested in the manuverability aspect. I a 34' trailer all over the NW and as far as Wyoming and have zero sway issues with my EZloader setup BUT as someone else mentioned, they don't turn sharp backing up.

Good luck... ..... John

 

[JoeDiesel]

Jrork- I am pretty sure that I will get the PR. I have been in continual contact with the company and they have sent me all the instructions and manuels. I have read and studied them at length. I have also read just about every post on the Web referring to this hitch. I have studied the manual so much, I even found a "Typo" error that I brought to their attention. It is a measurement error that appears serious on paper but actually is correct on the actual product. No worries. As for my application, 03 Ram Diesel SB-QC, the instructions mandate that you "trim" off the shipping brackets attached to the stock receiver. Well I did it already and it came out perfect but not after about two hours of preparation and the help of my son and a host of uncommon tools. ie right angle air-die grinder with metal cutting blade, awl or other scribe, small square to lay flat on frame and get scribe points, small grinding wheel attached to drill to clean off sharp edges, weighted hammer to pound the 1/8" steal plate and finally some paint to finish the job and keep rust away. I truly believe that as a safety stand point referring to eliminating sway, this is a great hitch and only the HA can be considered in its league. It will be a matter of preference. I was lucky that I am not supposed to lose my spare location at all. This would have been a deal breaker for me. However, I was told that there would be a "bit of maneuvering" involved when trying to remove the spare. . Hmm? Has any done this before??? Please chime in. Inquiring minds want to know. Jrork- I have also read about the backing issue. Well guess what, I totally expect it to back up like a fifth wheel hitch because thats what it is; just up-side-down. I will have to learn how to do this too. I am not a "trucker" and those guys can thread an elephant through the eye of a needle. Its a skill like anything else. Not harder, just different. One good note is that the PR also has a "center lock" position used when pulling light loads like a bass boat or anything with a GVWR of not more than 3500's. I hope that my "future" 6000lb Arctic Fox 22M can be backed up the usual 40-50 feet in to a campground site, using this feature without damaging it. If not, I'll just get good at backing the old fashion way; trial and error. Honnestly, for your application ie 34' trailer; I can't believe that you don't use a PR or a HA. Check the PR web site, I think your vehicle will loose the spare.