Arrow vs. 3P: which one is better at distributing weight?

[rangerbait]

Clearly the Hensley vs. ProPride debate has been flogged to death, and I still think I'd be happy either way, but is there a clear front runner when it comes to doing a better job of distributing weight?

Additionally, is there any merit to the claim that the Arrow is the better choice when towing a heavier trailer, whereas the 3P was designed for lighter trailers with surge brakes?

Much obliged in advance for the wisdom!

[chracatoa]

JD and Beastlet wrote:
The F-150 is in another league when it comes to towing. The EcoBoost is built for it and the integrated trailer brake controller works seamlessly with the trailer. I love the backup camera too - it makes solo hitching so much easier.

Oh, and I understand it has sway control but with the ProPride, we don't need that. 😉

The transition from SUV to pickup meant a few adjustments but we are managing well!

Yeah, I don't think I will be able to get a pickup truck unless I change my daily driver (Equinox). My wife is adamant that she needs a large SUV to drive kids and their friends around.

The Sequoia does have a backup camera though...

[JD_and_Beastlet]

chracatoa wrote:
I always had great customer service from Sean. If we need something quick he's quick to respond, but if it's not that important he may take some days and maybe you have to ping him again. I agree, Sean needs help but where he's going to find someone as passionate as he is for the job? I'd take the current setup any day over a soulless call center that doesn't actually understand the product.

I have certainly seen Sean's passion for the company, but I've seen other situations where it's completely absent. Absent after repeated attempts at contact through all the avenues I could find... not a word for weeks at a time, not even an, "I'll get back to you as soon as I can".

I wouldn't want a soulless call centre either, but those are two extremes and there is middle ground. I'm sure that competent (if not passionate) people could be found to field inquiries. Leaving customers wondering when they're going to hear back can't be good for business, and nobody (except maybe Hensley) wants that.

JD, I see you have an F-150 now. Your pictures were invaluable for me to install it for my Sequoia.

I'm delighted to be of service. Yes, we replaced our venerable 2005 Sequoia this summer. It was a competent tow vehicle even at its limits and served us well, including a 2-month, 11,500 km trip out west, towing through the Rockies in both directions. At 10 years old, however, it was showing a bit of age and we were ready for something new(er).

The F-150 is in another league when it comes to towing. The EcoBoost is built for it and the integrated trailer brake controller works seamlessly with the trailer. I love the backup camera too - it makes solo hitching so much easier.

Oh, and I understand it has sway control but with the ProPride, we don't need that. 😉

The transition from SUV to pickup meant a few adjustments but we are managing well!

[chracatoa]

I always had great customer service from Sean. If we need something quick he's quick to respond, but if it's not that important he may take some days and maybe you have to ping him again. I agree, Sean needs help but where he's going to find someone as passionate as he is for the job? I'd take the current setup any day over a soulless call center that doesn't actually understand the product.

JD, I see you have an F-150 now. Your pictures were invaluable for me to install it for my Sequoia.

[JD_and_Beastlet]

elidodge@msn.com wrote:
That's O.K. I am quite happy with my ProPride

Those are my photos, and that was my hitch. I'm a relative newcomer to RV.net - I used to tow with a Toyota and was warned by a friend to purchase a flame-retardant suit or stay clear - but I'm here now.

Yes, my stinger did fail. In fact, it failed in August 2010 at the end of an 11,500 km two-month summer trip from Ottawa to Vancouver Island and back. Less than half a kilometre from home.

Sean was on the ball. Within a few days we had a replacement stinger in hand, and we sent the broken one back in the same packaging. Sean assured us that this had never happened before; nevertheless, we check the new one regularly.

Sean was indeed all about customer service before the sale and during the installation... and, of course, during our stinger problem. Otherwise, not so much. Sometimes he would answer right away and sometimes he's just about impossible to get hold of. Case in point: He agreed to send me some spacers to go between the frame and the pinch bolts on the WD jacks. After months without seeing them and no luck after repeated attempts at contact, I did finally get in touch. He told me he had sent them twice and both must have gotten lost in the mail. The third set did arrive.

Another case: A colleague bought a 3P (on the strength of the 3P page on our website, as I later found out) and purchased a number of other items from ProPride. Many didn't show; he was given no explanation and also had a lot of trouble getting in touch with Sean.

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that Sean is overextended. From the ProPride site:

ProPride, Inc. was founded with one single focus. That focus being to develop a culture of professional pride in everything we do in order to create an exceptional customer experience with every product and service we offer.

In my experience, ProPride has not consistently met this goal.

- - -

With the hitch, however, we are completely satisfied. Installation was fairly straightforward and performance (stinger failure notwithstanding) has been excellent. When we changed tow vehicles this year, having the adjustable stinger was a boon - and having an adjustable tilt angle is a bonus. Yes, it's heavy, but it's not unmanageable. My only (other) complaint with the hitch is a minor one - the powder coating is substandard, so paint touch-ups are a part of our spring camping routine.

As far as I know, the HA and the 3P are slightly different executions of the same design. We decided on the 3P because of the adjustable stinger and the yoke design, which eliminates the somewhat failure-prone strut bars.

[Lspangler]

elidodge@msn.com wrote:
That's O.K. I am quite happy with my ProPride

X2. I own and use a Propride hitch and would recommend it to anyone

[elidodge]

That's O.K. I am quite happy with my ProPride

[Ron_Gratz]

Lspangler wrote:
The link I posted was to a forum of users who have owned the Hensley and now own the PP hitch. There are many pictures showing the stingers and other parts side by side. For me it was quite interesting to read the opinions of those who have owned both and to see the difference in weld quality. I'm surprised Hensley doesn't just update some of their processes to make it a 21st century product. ie. CNC machine some of the parts, powder coat and automate some of the welding

CNC machining, powder coating, and automated welding are no guarantee against failure.
The integrity of a weld cannot be determined from its superficial appearance.

This link shows a failed ProPride drawbar and its replacement.

The replacement has nice looking welds and a nice looking finish.
I assume the drawbar which failed looked equally nice --before it failed.

Ron

[BurbMan]

rangerbait wrote:
....and am ready to move on to more fulfilling pursuits, such as debating whether or not to replace my incandescent bulbs with LEDs :B

Doooo eeeettt :B

Congrats on the hitch and post some feedback after you tow with it!!

[Lspangler]

The adjustability goes beyond just up and down, it is also adjustable for tilt which I found very useful for fine tuning the hitch. I was at 6 1/2 inches on the jacks but it seemed my WD bars were getting close to the frame. I added 2 washers and now only need 5 1/2 inches on the jacks

The link I posted was to a forum of users who have owned the Hensley and now own the PP hitch. There are many pictures showing the stingers and other parts side by side. For me it was quite interesting to read the opinions of those who have owned both and to see the difference in weld quality. I'm surprised Hensley doesn't just update some of their processes to make it a 21st century product. ie. CNC machine some of the parts, powder coat and automate some of the welding

The stinger is quite awkward until you add a handle through the top hole. I now can carry it with one hand

Linc

[rangerbait]

Lantley wrote:


AS to weight your comparing 8" drop to PP adjustable. I imagine 8" is the largest HA stinger available and the PP is still heavier. Compare 2" drop or even a straight stinger and the weight disparity will be even greater.
Bottom line is the HA stinger is a heavy PIA to carry , but the PP adjustable is even heavier.
Not sure about others but I handled the stinger at least twice each trip. Sometimes more if I took it off at the CG. I do see the larger heavier PP adjustable stinger as a deal breaker simply because once set there is no need to having a larger stinger. Adjust-ability has minimal benefit to 95% of users because they tow with the same truck every time.

I can see how this might be an issue for some people, but it's simply not for me. What ultimately tipped the scales in my decision making was the tone of the respective companies...Hensley goes way more on the offensive then ProPride, and frankly, it's a turn off. While Sean certainly seems to have no qualms about mud slinging, it's almost entirely in response to Hensley claims.

[Lantley]

rangerbait wrote:

Lantley wrote:
While I agree for the most part both hitches are identical. I do prefer the smaller stinger of the HA.
When I used the Hensley I really disliked moving the stinger just because it was so heavy.One of the great things about the HA and PP is there are not a lot of bars and things to carry and move around. Unfortunately you must still handle the stinger
I really would not like a heavier larger stinger. Since most of us don't change vehicles regularly the adjustable stinger is really not beneficial. The fact hat it is heavier and bulkier makes it a deal breaker.

I've seen the weight comparison several times in various threads, but the weight of the 8" drop Hensley stinger is within 6lbs (42 vs 48) of the PP stinger assembly. My current WD hitch is 49lbs, and while it IS a PITA to carry around, I don't do it frequently enough for it to be a factor in my decision making process.

Lantley wrote:
I would not however pay a $500-$700 premium for a HA over a PP. If HA would not reduce there price, I would take the savings and go with the PP.

Yeah, they did both price match each other, and made offers that were significantly below MSRP. Competition is good for the consumer, and these guys are in a cage death match it seems.

AS to weight your comparing 8" drop to PP adjustable. I imagine 8" is the largest HA stinger available and the PP is still heavier. Compare 2" drop or even a straight stinger and the weight disparity will be even greater.
Bottom line is the HA stinger is a heavy PIA to carry , but the PP adjustable is even heavier.
Not sure about others but I handled the stinger at least twice each trip. Sometimes more if I took it off at the CG. I do see the larger heavier PP adjustable stinger as a deal breaker simply because once set there is no need to having a larger stinger. Adjust-ability has minimal benefit to 95% of users because they tow with the same truck every time.

[Ron_Gratz]

rangerbait wrote:
Already pulled the trigger Ron...the window for unbiased comparison has closed.

I was aware you had made your decision.

But, others who read this thread might be looking for a broader basis for comparison.

Ron

[rangerbait]

Ron Gratz wrote:

If you want an unbiased comparison of Hensley versus ProPride, a thread titled, "The unofficial pp users guide...", might not be the best place to look.

Ron

Already pulled the trigger Ron...the window for unbiased comparison has closed.

[Ron_Gratz]

Lspangler wrote:
One of the airstream forums has a great comparison of the two hitches. When comparing them side by side, the Hensley looks like it was cobbled together by a beginning welder while the PP looks to have automated welds and a finish you get from something factory produced

I could not find the side by side comparison to which you refer.

Did the comparison contain any reference to this thread:

ProPride stinger weld failure?

or to this this thread:

ProPride bent stinger?

If you want an unbiased comparison of Hensley versus ProPride, a thread titled, "The unofficial pp users guide...", might not be the best place to look.

Ron