Equalizers and Sway Bars

Since I am new at this and am having a little trouble figuring out how to use this board, please forgive if this is not properly posted. My questions involve Hitches and Sway bars with a 3124. I would like to hear from some of you about the following: 1) Experiences with sway and fishtail in the case of panic stops? 2) How crucial are equalizers and sway bars? I am planning on towing with a full size Ford van with a 302 V8.
3) Is anyone familiar with the Hensley Arrow and does anyone have any experience using one? 4) A corollary of the previous question-Are they worth the cost, since they are very expensive(at least to me)? 5) Finally, if they are worth the cost, will they fit on a 3124KS, both in an open and a closed condition? :)

[Paul_Heuvelhorst]

Hi G'pa,
You didn't tell us what year your E-series Ford is, or if it is an E150 or E250.  Since you refer to your V-8 as a 302, I'm assuming it is not a new van.

My 2001 Ford RV & Trailering guide says the new E150 will hold 500# on the hitch receiver of a factory installed tow package (does your's have that?).  The E150 with the 4.6L V-8 (about 220 HP) will tow 6600# when equipped with tow package and the 3.55 rear axle ratio.  The 5.4L V-8 (about 260 HP) will tow 7000# with the 3.55 rear axle ratio.

In my opinion, the Hensley Arrow is "overkill" for a TrailManor.  I considered one for our new 26' Tahoe Wide Lite and decided with the right tow vehicle and the right hitch I didn't need it... and this trailer is double the weight of the TraileManor you are considering.

I don't think you'll need an equalizer hitch, either.  The way to test that is to put the TM on you hitch after you've measured the unladened height of the hitch from the ground.  After putting the TM on the hitch, measure again.  If the hitch dropped more than 1" you should get an equalizer to distribute the weight.  Make sure the TM is loaded with propane and a full clean water tank before you do this.

We found a sway bar helpful in reducing the gust of wind from passing big rigs.  The TM tows beautifully and may not need it, but it gave us peace of mind.  We never had a hint of sway or fishtailing, before or after installing the sway bar.

Enjoy your TM and travel safely,

I tow a 3124SL with my F-250SD and get over a 1 inch drop without the equalizer bars. On a rear drive vehicle you could probably do without unless you had a "stretched" full size van. On those the wheelbase is the same as a long base van and with 18" or so extra overhang. Trailer Life once ran an article about the effect of trying to tow with one of those types of vans. I could probably get by without mine but use them since I have them. Also have a left over sway bar from a Jayco pop-up but have never needed with the TrailManor.

I agree with Paul 100% when he mentioned "piece of mind". I went with the Equal-i-zer brand hitch, (with built in sway control), for that very reason. While my rig towed fine without it, I asked myself,,,, "what if?"


While I also agree that the Hensley is an overkill on a Trailmanor,,,, I also have to say that if having what seems to be the very best hitch on the market gives you that oh so important piece of mind,,,,, go for it. You NEED to feel confortable and safe while towing.


If I remember correctly, one of our friends out there had a conventional travel trailer and lost it and his/her tow vehicle because of a sway that got out of control. He/she now has a TrailManor and a Hensley, and is once again at ease on the road. If my memory is wrong, (like it too often is), sorry for the false information.


Oh yeah, almost forgot,,, about the Hensley,,,, rumor has it that the Pull-rite hitch is almost as good as the Hensey for a lot less money. Some even say that it is as good, or better. Not, "works better", but "better", as in much easier to hook up. Again,,, RUMOR. I have never used either of them. I can say for sure that the Equal-i-zer hitch, and the Rease Duel-Cam hitch both work great. (I've used them both).


What ever you get, or don't get,, be sure you are confortable with it. It takes the fun out of trailering if you are on pins-and-needles on your trip.

We just got our 27/20 two weeks ago.  Was seriously considering purchasing the Hensley.  I called the factory to check a couple of issues. Of particular concern was how much did it weigh?

My Toyota has a 3,500 lb 520 hitch weight limit.  Our 27/20 has a hitch weight of approx 332 lbs.  Add the Hensley at 280 lbs and I'm over weight.

I know they are a great hitch, but for the TM a conventional load equalizing hitch works just fine.  For  my own satisfaction I did add a sway control.

As I buzz down the road I do not feel trucks, busses or whatever I pass or what passes me.

aschuster

We have a 1994 Ford E150 with 5.8L v-8 (351) and we added an equalizer because of the heavy tongue weight.  I felt a little sway in the front end before I got the equalizer.  We also had a sway bar left over from our Coleman pop-up, so I use that as well.  We had a 'panic stop' on our 6000+ mile trip that we just returned from on Saturday and thought we would be killed.  I slammed on the brakes (4 wheel anti-lock) and came to a dead stop from 65 mph and everything stayed as straight as an arrow.  Glad I had everything!

[Larry_Loo]

A couple of months ago my wife and I took our 3124KS on a weekend trip to Watsonville, near the coast. We tow our trailer with a Reese load-leveling hitch but without any sway control. While searching for the turnoff from the freeway to the trailer park, we came around a bend and suddenly spotted it. I quickly turned off but was suddenly confronted with the off-ramp road ending in a "T" intersection (it was a temporary detour instead of a regular off-ramp). I hit the brakes and our tires all squealed but both truck and trailer came to a panic stop halfway into the intersection. Our trailer stopped in line with the truck, without any jackknifing.

Several months ago, on another trip in Northern California, while pulling our trailer without the load-leveling hitch, we had a Carlisle trailer tire blow out while coming around a curve on Highway 101. I braked truck and trailer to a stop without any problems - our trailer remained straight and came to a stop completely aligned with our truck.

If our TM trailer is typical of all TMs, they can be safely towed without sway controls and may not even need load-leveling or equalizing hitches. I prefer to use our load-leveling hitch because I dislike scraping the bottom of the hitch when descending driveways or turning on to the highway from a service station.  8)