I'm currently doing a LOT of homework on the Hensley and Propride and one question I've got is the tongue rating for both. My Jayco sits a 1350# on the tongue already (without LP when weighed). Add the hitch itself and full propane and I'll be a good bit over the 1400# rating. Of course reps from both companies say I'll be fine but I would to hear from 'actual owners' who are towing heavy with these. Something about spending that kind of coin and be over the ratings on day one doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy.

NC, I don't think the weight of the hitch itself factors into it's own rating. The dry hitch weight of your rig is listed as 870 lbs by Jayco...you really added a lot of weight up front. Is there any way to re-distribute weight and pack some some stuff behind the axles of the TT? Maybe store some lighter stuff under the front bed and move some heavier items to the rear?I extended the frame of our TT and added a storage box for the Honda 2000 and some other stuff:The good news is that both of these hitches are indifferent to tongue weight...in other words a heavy tongue is not needed to manage sway, the hitch uses the 4-bar linkage to keep the TT from swaying. The hitch won't allow the TT to sway regardless of how light the tongue is.There have been a few reported issues of a busted Hensley...one was from member carringb who blew his up towing a very heavy toy hauler with his van. When I say blew it up, it broke in half IIRC....here's the thread here on the forum discussing this about a year ago.My HA is only rated for 1200 lbs, they didn't certify it for a higher weight and make 1400 lb bars available till a few years after I got mine (mine is a 2002). Last time I calculated my tongue weight it was about 1200 lbs and I'm running 1200 lb bars on mine.The HA is designed with a bronze bushing in the hitch head where the spring bars insert. This bushing wears over time, and the closer to the limit you run, the faster it wears. I'm on my 3rd one right now. When it wears, the spring bar holes elongate and you have to crank the bars up more to get the same level of weight distribution. The good news is that this sacrificial bushing is easy to change and prevents damage to the hitch itself. I'm not sure if the PP has the same (or maybe a better) design.Off the top of my head I don't think that you would have issues running either hitch at your current tongue weight...but since the heavy tongue is what's causing the ride issues in the truck, I would look for ways to lighten the tongue. As I said, either hitch does not allow the TT to sway regardless of how light the tongue is.On edit, I found the thread on the wear bushings.

CampingN.C. wrote:...snip.... Of course reps from both companies say I'll be fine but I would to hear from 'actual owners' who are towing heavy with these. ....snip........Those "reps" might be related to the ones who told me that a certain trailer was "half ton towable". Anything to make a sale. Why have ratings at all?

snip"The dry hitch weight of your rig is listed as 870 lbs by Jayco...you really added a lot of weight up front. "Funny, that's the same thing Sean at ProPride said too. Jayco isn't even in the ball park with the numbers they have online. The yellow shipping/unloaded sticker is 8200#. That's 1000# over UL weight online. Over on the Jayco forum people have posted seeing published tongue weights around 1100# years ago, and nothing has changed on the floor plan at all over the years. All I have up front is some decking boards, sewer/water gear etc, can't really see changing much. When I hit the scales I was a 8500#, that's only 300 over the shipping weight sticker, very little in camper. It's just that heavy.

I towed my previous RV with a Hensley hitch. I had a platform on the rear similar to what Burbman posted. I arranged my cargo to keep my TW in the 1250-1300# area.I used 1400# bars and never had any issues.After reading CarringB post I was careful to keep my TW in check.In your case your TW is awfully heavy. I would be concerned about the hitch.If you still have the OEM hitch receiver on the truck I would be concerned about it as well.GM trucks of that era had notoriously weak hitches.In the end I would verify the rating on the trucks hitch and if it is the OEM original I would get an aftermarket hitch.I would also keep the Hensley within its 1400# rating. I don't believe the sky will fall if you exceed 1400 pounds just a bit. But I would not ignore the 14000 rating altogether.

Good point from Lantley, I just re read your original post and the 1350 doesnt include propane so you really are close or over the 1400 lb rating.If I understand the issue you are having, heavy tongue weight causes the bad ride in the truck, and offloading tongue weight via the WD hitch then makes the TT want to sway. It sounds like you need to find a way to lighten hthe tongue, then use either the HA or PP to ensure that it doesnt sway. But using the HA or PP requires that you lighten the tongue anyway to stay within the ratings of the hitch. Kind of demonstartes what I said in that other thad about sway control, not every TT is designed with the best interests of weight and balance in mind. Ideally you could install a storage box or something at the rear of the TT to offload the tongue some.

Hensley/Propride over tongue weight ratings. | Good Sam Community

62 Replies

JBarca
Nomad II
Jan 13, 2015
CampingN.C. wrote:
Well, after weeks of reading and shopping I opted to upgrade my Reese to 1500# instead of the Hensley/Propride route (for now). Ordered from etrailer last night and they've already shipped! I do believe it will make a difference, time will tell if it makes all the difference I need or not.
Thanks to all that added their input and I'll do an update thread soon.

This is a good step forward. When you get the new bars, you will need to start all over on the WD. Odds are high you will be on 7 chain links under tension as a starter. Then tilt the head. If you are still using your existing hitch head it can take up to 8 washers. I have the older Draw-Tite instructions for your hitch if you need them. Since Cequent took over, they are mixing the Reese brand more and more into the Draw-Tite brand and the older instructions on line are harder to find. If you want them, PM me a place to email them too.

Also, 2 washers of head tilt is approx 1 chain link of tension in the WD bar. So you can adjust within a link.

Good luck and please report back.

John
93Cobra2771
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015
x2 - if you opt to start a new thread with your results, please post a link in this thread pointing to the new thread. :-)
BurbMan
Explorer II
Jan 12, 2015
Good luck and hope this fixes your issues. Keep us posted.
CampingN_C_
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015
Well, after weeks of reading and shopping I opted to upgrade my Reese to 1500# instead of the Hensley/Propride route (for now). Ordered from etrailer last night and they've already shipped! I do believe it will make a difference, time will tell if it makes all the difference I need or not.
Thanks to all that added their input and I'll do an update thread soon.
93Cobra2771
Explorer
Jan 07, 2015
If you need more head tilt, you might need to address any slop in the receiver on the truck. In my case, I was losing several degrees of head tilt due to a 2" bar, but a 54mm receiver (Ford F150).

I welded some beads on my bar on top/bottom and on one side to fit more tightly in the receiver. Made a world of difference.

Not sure if your receiver is that way, but would be good to check. That side to side slip can also make things a bit wiggly.
CampingN_C_
Explorer
Jan 07, 2015
JBarca wrote:
Hi NC,

Thinking on this, there are some pieces in weights missing so I'll get you in the neighborhood.

Not having your truck empty weights makes this a little hard, but here goes.

By the pure math, if you truck has 153" wheel base (I looked that up, confrim I have it right) and a 65" rear overhang, tow ball to center of rear axle, then

With a tongue weight of 1,320# dead weight on the ball, the rear axle gains 1,881# and the front axle looses 560#.

Following you older post, Here you posted this:

NC wrote:
Loaded with bars off, camper on ball.
Steer: 3180
Drive: 4680
Gross: 15260

Camper alone, no propane up front.
Tongue: 1320
Trailer axle: 7320
Gross: 8640

I do not know how you did those weights or came up with the TW of 1,320#. There is some error in the numbers. The TW if that is the jack on the scale, then it is good and the truck numbers have some issues. Also you said no propane, don't know if that is with no tank or just no LP in the tank. 2 , 30lb'ers add ~ 60# more to TWTongue weight was measured by unhooking truck and pulling off the scale, leaving the jack on one plate and both trailer axles on the other.Two empty propane tanks on tongue at the time.

If the gross CW is 15,260 and the camper is 8,640 this makes the truck alone 6,620# GVW

However then, If the TW is 1,320# then if we add 3180+4680 = 7860# TV GVW with camper hanging dead weight on the ball. 7860 - 1,320TW = 6,540# on the truck.

6620 - 6540 = 80 lb difference. This is more then scale error and may reflect doing weights at a different time. Don't know. Do you?

So now lets try Turk2500's truck weights. Bob weighed his truck a few times. Here is his last weights with a little bit of bed weight

Unhitched truck. 2002 2500HD ext cab 4 x4.
FA 3,480#
RA 2,900#
GVW 6,740#

His GVW is ~ 120 to 200# different then yours but you have more cab length. OK they are "close"

From here

NC wrote:
Update with new CAT weights.

At 5 links.
Steer: 3580
Drive: 3900
Trailer: 7420

6 links had the steer at 3380# so the switch to 5 links adds another 200#. Truck alone was 3180, so I'm transferring 400 total to the front.

Those 5 links weights creates a 14,900# GCW. This is 360# less then the weights posted before. OK Did you do a quick scale pass this week and just use the older 3180 and where did the 3380 come from?Yes, that's exactly what I did. Just one quick pass on 5 links. So that's where some inconsistencies have came from. I think the wife and kids were with me the last time.

Point in all this, If your truck empty has a front end weight close to Bob's with 3,480# FA empty and your 5 links WD engaged is 3,580 you are only 100# short of full load restoration on the FA. But your front end fender measurements seem further then that. So either your truck front axle weight empty is lighter then Bob's or your tongue weight is different then the 1,320#

The only way to get that closer is to do all the weighing at the same scale trip and get the truck unhitched weight at the same time.

I can't think of how to get any closer on the weight differences with we have unless I missed something. Please point it out.
I agree.

So now what?

Here is what I feel may be going on.

1. Your receiver is working well. We can see the shank does not have a lot of excess up tilt to it. So this is not a receiver issue.

2. Yous WD bars do have some flex, but not mega excessive. I would not however go to 4 links or you will run into DC and WD bar binding in turns. If you want more WD, tilt the head back to towards the trailer leave the chains alone. If that head has the serrated washer tilt, 2 teeth are approx 1 chain link of tension. Your pic is dark and I cannot tell if there serrated teeth are there or not.

3. Your TW could be 1,320 or with LP gas ~ 1,400#. With heavy TW like this, 1,500# WD bars are not going to make the truck ride rough. It is true the best ride is at the rating of the WD bar. And running a 800# TW on a 1,200# WD bar can give a harsh ride. But not in the 1,300 to 1,400# range. I'm using 1,700# WD bars and went from 1,200# to 1,600# TW and cannot really tell a ride difference. It may be my 1 ton suspension.

Point: If you do have a 1,400# TW, running 1,200# bars may be trying to cushion out too much with the lighter bar and you start bobbing up and down when going over a bump. Bobbing up and down is also a sign of not enough WD. I myself would use a higher rated WD bar. 1,500# bars are ideal in your case. It is a lot easier to get better WD and not bounce the back of the truck so much.

I would adjust with head tilt to get closer to unhitched weight/height but "do not" do beyond unhitched. 50# lighter is great. 75# is OK. You can get closer with the fine head tilt. May be hard to tell in photos but the head is tilted already. 6-7 washers if I recall. May be at full tilt already.

4. The 265 tires on 245 rims. This may be a bigger factor then we know. It is not good for the problem you are having. If the back or front tires are side wall soft, the rig will not be stable with a DC. I do not know how to test this short of a buddy with the right size tires and rims and switch. For the DC to work, the tires have to hold the truck rigid enough or it will not control like it should.

New WD bars, ~ $200 1500 # WD on E trailer Finding 1,500# used ones may be complex. But you can sell your 1,200's on Craig's list.
You're right about that too, nothing used. Looks like etrailer is the cheapest.

Check your shank it is rated for 1,500#
The hitch head is 1200# so I'll assume the shank is too as it's not marked. I'll be getting it all new.

As Burbman said, do I put more money into tires or WD bars or go to a 1,400# HA or PP? You still need to adjust for WD and bobbing up and down but you can split apart the sway control from the WD.
Still on the fence with this one...

Wish you where closer, you could test with my WD bars and we go adjust in the parking lot. Then you know you eliminated all the variables but the tires.

Hope this helps
It helps a lot and I thanks you for the time you've put in! As well as everyone else too.

John
Drew_A_
Explorer
Jan 07, 2015
CampingN.C. wrote:
Drew A. wrote:
Hi,

I'm coming into this a little late, but I have some experience with the Jayco 32BHDS going from Dual Cam to ProPride.

My 32BHDS is a 2010, weight sticker says 8309 pounds. I don't have the outside kitchen. I do have 30# propane tanks and a pair of 6V golf cart batteries. I pack heavy things under the bed and have a full front storage compartment. I never weighed the tongue but it is very heavy.

I did not like how the DC worked with my truck, a 2006 Ram 3500 quadcab short bed. I had trouble getting it set up just right and finally went with the ProPride and 1400# bars in July of 2010. I have to say it tows like a dream with the ProPride and I have gone on many long distance trips with ease. Mass to Florida twice and Mass to Wyoming once.

Overall I have yet to see any issues with respect to overloading of the ProPride. I did change the receiver on my truck to a Curt rated at 1600 pounds tongue weight.

Good luck, Drew

Man, right when I get ready to order some new Reese gear you put me back on the fence. :S
Can you give some details on the DC setup you had and the towing issues you were experiencing?

Originally, I was having issues where the snap-up brackets were bending. This was eventually found to be caused by a old version ball mount that let the spring bars hit the bottom of the ball nut during sharp corners. Reese was very helpfull in getting to the bottom of this. I also needed the heavy duty brackets and bolted them to the frame.

However, once this was fixed, I still found the handling squishy. My truck seemed to be pushed around alot by the trailer. It was quite a white knuckle experience at times, so I threw in the towel and bought the ProPride.

This trailer is huge and in the event that I ever had a towing related incident, I wanted to know I had done everything possible to keep my family safe. I now know that the ProPride was the best solution for me.

-Drew
93Cobra2771
Explorer
Jan 07, 2015
CampingN.C. wrote:
93Cobra2771 wrote:
In my experience, stiffer bars make for a rougher ride for the TV.

When you say "bouncy", do you mean you hit a bump, the rear suspension absorbs the bump by compressing, compressing causes more weight to transfer to the front, then front compresses as the rear goes back up, rear goes up and front uncompresses, kind of a "see saw" effect?

Yea, something like that.

As others have alluded to, sounds as if there isn't enough weight going back on the front axle. I had a similar experience where it was a bouncy ride. Went back through my entire setup again and got it all straightened out.
BurbMan
Explorer II
Jan 07, 2015
As always John is doing a great job parsing the numbers to find out what's really going on here. I agree with him that without the front/rear weights of the truck empty, it's hard to establish a benchmark and determine exactly how much weight is being sent where. Turk is correct that scales weights tell us more than fender measurements, but as John pointed out, there are some inconsistencies....if you were in fact sending 400 lbs to the front axle, the fender shouldn't be 3/4" higher than unloaded.

All that said, it is important to remember that we have focused on solving the WD aspect of the rig...getting it leveled and getting it to ride right. The underlying assumption that we are making is that once WD is "fixed" that will solve any instability issues as well....and it may or may not.
CampingN_C_
Explorer
Jan 07, 2015
Drew A. wrote:
Hi,

I'm coming into this a little late, but I have some experience with the Jayco 32BHDS going from Dual Cam to ProPride.

My 32BHDS is a 2010, weight sticker says 8309 pounds. I don't have the outside kitchen. I do have 30# propane tanks and a pair of 6V golf cart batteries. I pack heavy things under the bed and have a full front storage compartment. I never weighed the tongue but it is very heavy.

I did not like how the DC worked with my truck, a 2006 Ram 3500 quadcab short bed. I had trouble getting it set up just right and finally went with the ProPride and 1400# bars in July of 2010. I have to say it tows like a dream with the ProPride and I have gone on many long distance trips with ease. Mass to Florida twice and Mass to Wyoming once.

Overall I have yet to see any issues with respect to overloading of the ProPride. I did change the receiver on my truck to a Curt rated at 1600 pounds tongue weight.

Good luck, Drew

Man, right when I get ready to order some new Reese gear you put me back on the fence. :S
Can you give some details on the DC setup you had and the towing issues you were experiencing?