[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by sandy eggo

That Hensley looks like a great product (checked out the website) - looks like a definite "must buy" in my case to add a bit of extra comfort factor.

Take the Hensley back off your list...it is most certainly NOT a must buy for towing a TM. You don't need any sway control to safely tow a TM; much less the level of sway control provided by a Hensley.

The huge advantage of Hensley Arrow hitches over other weight distributing hitches is they use a patented set of trapezoidal levers to essentially lock the trailer in line with tow vehicle, yet still allow the tow vehicle to initiate a turn. Essentially it makes the tow vehicle/trailer almost sway proof...which is a good thing because traditional travel trailers are very sway prone. The reason they are sway prone is they are typically so heavy that the manufacturer has to put their axles very near their center of gravity to reduce the percentage of trailer weight that's on the tongue (usually only about 10%). And thereby the manfacturers reduce the tongue weight to something that's manageable by typical half-ton rated pickups and SUVs, namely something in the 700 to 900 lb range.

By contrast, TrailManors are designed to be inherently very sway resistant because their axle(s) are much further aft of the trailer's C.G. than on a standard travel trailer. This results in about 15% of the trailer's weight being on the tongue...but, because TM's are so much lighter for a given "open" length than a standard trailer, the resulting tongue weights are still quite manageable. As long as you properly load a TrailManor (any model)...namely don't hang a lot of weight (like a bunch of heavy bikes) well behind the rear bumper....there is absolutely no need to use any sway control when towing a TM. In fact, the factory has told members of this board to NOT use sway control because it (1) should never be needed and (2) will mask any loading problems if used.

So, forget the Hensley. As a weight distributing hitch, it provides no better tongue weight distribution than any other WDH. But it is incredibly expensive (around $3000). And it's also a royal pain to attach to the tow vehicle when hooking up for departure. Normal WDHs....where you lower the tongue over the hitch ball on the TV before attaching the weight distribution bars....have quite a bit of latitude in the angles between TV/trailer and around half an inch of fore/aft/lateral misalignment between tongue and ball. Not so on the Hensley...this hitch is pre-locked onto the hitch ball and leaves only the hitch bar sticking out. Therefore you have to precisely align the TV's hitch receiver's 2X2 opening with the 2X2 hitch bar. This requires precise (to about 1/16 of an inch) lateral placement of the hitch receiver and within about 1 degree precise alignment of the centerline of the hitch and the centerline of the TV. It takes a lot of maneuvering and backing up skill with a Tow Vehicle to achieve that level of precision so the hitch receiver will slide onto the hitch bar.