Hitch shopping, recommendations?

[JaycoRickJoan]

Yes, I know this is an age old question, and of course the hitch you have is the best, but I will still ask...
I have a 2005 GMC Sierra 2500hd pulling a 2005 Jayco FKS322 32' bumper pull. I could not tell you what brand of hitch I currently have, it's the hitch the dealer installed for this combo, but it is nothing special, chain bar weight distro, friction sway control. It does ok but I know there is better and after pulling this rig for 10 years, I am looking for something that provides safer smoother pulling. My confidence level on a 10 year old hitch is not high, and I am ready to upgrade. We are not intending on getting a new truck or trailer in the near future. A few years back I considered Hensley but didn't pull the trigger. Have not seen much about Hensley on any forums recently so I'm not sure if that fad has come and gone. We are not full time RV'ers, just recreational 2x a year long trips and maybe 1x a month local campers.
Bottom line, I want smooth, safe pulling.
Let's hear your recommendations. Ready..... Go.

[JaycoRickJoan]

Leaning towards ProPride. For those who have them, they sell direct and are installed by end user. How difficult of an install was it?

[RobWNY]

I went with the ProPride after a scary ride with the original hitch setup put on by the dealer (regular WDH and Friction control Sway bar). It wasn't cheap but it's the best decision I ever made. The decision you have to make is do you want 1. It works for $300-Might be fine but chances are that sometime down the road you'll have a sway problem 2.It Works and there's some improvement for $500-$600-probably won't have any problems towing but you might. Or 3. It works and it don't get any better than this for $1,000 used or over $2,000 for new. More than likely you will never have any issues. Nothing is 100% safe. There's always going to be variables that play into it but for my money, I want the best I can get and the best chance of having a great towing experience.

[jmtandem]

Hensley or ProPride. All the rest (except PullRite) are just friction based.

[dfm]

I went with a reese dual cam when I bought my current trailer and I am pleased with the towing experience.

[APT]

I see the WDH market in 3 tiers. Basic WDH with optional friction sway control ~$300. WDH with integrated sway control for about $500 (Equal-i-zer 4pt, Reese Strait Line, BlueOx Swaypro, Anderson), and top tier at $2000-3000 (PullRite, Propride, Hensley). Anyone report from a person who has used an example from more than one tier has said the next higher tier is noticeably improved in terms of towing stability.

I recommend at least the middle tier for TT owners.

[JaycoRickJoan]

Yes Dick, I did. Found a plethora of info and all depended on what the TV/TT combo is. That's why I outlined what my setup is and my usage. Trying to drill down and get feedback from someone(s) who may have similar setup. Thx.

[Dick_B]

Did you search this Forum for `hitch' then search the results for the specific model you are interested in eg. hensley?

[icanon]

Most top quality hitches will work great with the TV/TT combo you got.
Some of the top rated hitches are:

Equalizer, the Anderson chain, and Reese dual cam to name a few.

(IMHO) Top performers are the Propride and Hensley.

Read the reviews with caution as some will swear there brands are better than others it's like GM vs Ford or Windows vs Mac they are all good.

[BarneyS]

Hensley is alive and well! 🙂 That would be my choice and was. Also, both of my sons picked up used Hensley hitches for under $1000 each. Found them on Craigslist.

They are easily re-buildable if necessary but was not in either of their cases. I did re-build mine a couple of years ago and it was very easy and was very inexpensive to do. The only thing mine required was new paint and some grease. I wrote about it and provided pictures of the process here.
Barney

[newman_fulltime]

Get the Anderson chain wdhyou won't go wrong with it