clarkely
SE Pennsylavania
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Joined: 05/08/2008
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ProPride...Its simply an improvement to the Proven Hensley.
Hensley lowered their price..........Guess they are acknowledging that there is a competitive product to theirs that is the same if not better.
Sean (the owner) is a great guy.....email him....he will get right back to you and answer all of your Questions...Promptly!!!
My WD bars stay on....i use my cordless on the tower to crank them up (same 3/4" socket as TT stabilizers)
You simply need to know your height of when you hooked up......set the Tongue jack so you are at the same height simply back in or swing the retainers in place and drop the lynch pins......
Takes a couple of minutes if that.........
You won't be disappointed!!!
I'd Rather be camping!
Sydney Outback 310BHS
2008 2500 Suburban Some Mod Pictures
AirLift WirelessAIR with Firestone RideRite Bags, Pressure Pro System, Tekonsha P3
ProPride 3P, Power Jack
1 Wife, 4 kids & a Dog...Bigger is Better!!
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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Joined: 07/13/2005
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BurbMan wrote:I can't stand to read anymore....Ron and Will, "Yolk" is that yellow part in the center of an egg..."Yoke" is a mechanism that links separate parts and enables them to work together.
Now, with that out of the way, let's move on to KSD's question. First off, Ron and Will almost need their own forum where they can privately pummel each other about the pros and cons of the Hensley vs. the ProPride.
That said, both are good hitches, and a MUST, IMO, for pulling a long trailer with a Suburban. We had a 34' Sunnybrook that we pulled with our 2500 Burb for 6 yrs with the Hensley Arrow. (Still have the burb and the hensley, traded the Sunnybrook for a 32' Terry). Given the length of the trailer, the wheelbase of the Suburban is relatively short to provide adequate control. the hitch makes ALL the difference, and we towed thousands of miles not only safely, but comfortably, in all kinds of weather, including snow/ice.
I've been very satisfied with my Hensley, and have not experienced any shear bolts shearing off. The paint, as was noted, is disappointing. I painted mine 3 times already and it still manages to chip off. Customer service is top notch, and the whole thing works as advertised.
I don't have any first hand knowledge of the ProPride, but from what I;ve read and corresponded with the owner Sean Woodruff, they have improved upon the HA design. The mounting of the strut linkage, the adjustable draw bar (stinger), and the purportedly better paint job are the top points.
Bottom line, do your homework, pick the one you like, either one will do a fine job for you.
Well said! One more thing - our orange paint hasn't chipped at all. Bought it in 2006 - DH maintains it according to the manual and haven't had any problems to date.
2006 282TS Komfort
1999 Ford F250 4x4 XLT SD Triton V10 w/Tow Package
Prodigy Brake Control
Magnaflow Cat Back Exhaust, FIPK, TransGo Shift Kit, 4.1 Differential
Hensley Arrow
Dave & Renee plus (Champ & Molly in spirit), Missy, Maggie, and now Paris!
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willald
NC
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Joined: 07/15/2002
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ReneeG wrote:our orange paint hasn't chipped at all. Bought it in 2006 - DH maintains it according to the manual and haven't had any problems to date.
Oh, our orange part, hasn't chipped at all, either. Sure has faded, though.
And, nearly everything black on ours, has had rust forming on it. I'm betting yours has, too. Requires regular treatments of rustoleum paint (or you can do like crappie_fisherman and others have done, and re-paint it yourself). Not a major problem, but....Sure would be nice if a $3000 hitch came with a little better paint, would you not agree?
Will
* This post was
edited 09/03/08 09:24pm by willald *
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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Joined: 12/27/2003
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BurbMan wrote:---The HA uses struts, the ProPride uses a different YOKE assembly that mounts under the A frame somehow. I have not seen one yet up close and in person, but have been told by folks who have that the ProPride approach is a cleaner design.
Yes, YOKE versus STRUTS is the primary difference between the 3P and the HA. Both devices restrain the upper unit from yaw rotation relative to the ball coupler. But they do it in quite different ways.
There are some good close-up photos of the 3P's yoke on the Lockharts web page.
In the upper right hand corner of the first photo, you can see the complete yoke assembly partly covered by the jacks. In the center of the photo is a horizontal channel with the two vertical projections. This piece fits transversely under the A-frame with the vertical projections pointing down.
The sixth photo shows the horizontal channel installed under the A-frame. The yoke's tail piece fits between the vertical projections and is held up by a retainer bolt. The seventh photo shows the U-bolts which hold the horizontal channel in place.
The ninth and tenth photos show how the left front end of the yoke assembly is bolted, using the single large bolt and washer, to the side of the upper unit. The left front and right front pieces of the yoke are separate from, and bolted to, the rear portion of the yoke. The two bolts on the downward-sloping part of the yoke allow the angle of a front piece to be adjusted relative to the rear portion. This adjustment allows the yoke to be used with ball couplers which are at different heights above the bottom of the A-frame.
The next to last photo shows how the right leg of the yoke fits under the A-frame.
The Lockhart web page does not show how the yoke’s tail piece fits between the vertical projections of the cross channel. Perhaps a 3P owner can post photos of this detail.
Ron
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BurbMan
Long Island, NY
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Joined: 09/20/2001
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Good Sam RV Club
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Thanks for that link Ron, that's the best view of the 3P I've had yet. I see how they designed that yoke....looks fine, but on first pass don't see the advantage of that design over the HA's struts. Certainly another way to solve the problem, and I'm sure just as effective, but what advantages does the yoke have vs. the struts? What issues did the strut design pose that the yoke design solves?
Before Will jumps me like a Brooklyn mugger, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it...I would probably buy one based on the paint job alone....but what makes the 3P a better design vs. just a different design?
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ksd
Medina, MN
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Joined: 10/22/2003
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BurbMan wrote:what makes the 3P a better design vs. just a different design?
And that, BurbMan, is exactly the question I tried to ask at the beginning of this thread. From all of the posts above, I have learned quite a bit about the differences between the 3P and the HA, but I'm not convinced as of yet that those differences are actually significant improvements. If I had to choose today, I'd probably go with the 3P, but I don't have a lot of confidence at this point that it is markedly better than the HA, and I am a little concerned about long term support. Hensley Manufacturing has been around a long time, and I'm sure will be there to continue to support its products. ProPride, however, is a new and still very small company, and for all I know could go belly up tomorrow.
2008 Salem LA 312QBBS
2006 Suburban 2500 LT 8.1/4.10
BrakeSmart Controller
ProPride 3P hitch
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willald
NC
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Joined: 07/15/2002
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BurbMan wrote:I see how they designed that yoke....looks fine, but on first pass don't see the advantage of that design over the HA's struts. Certainly another way to solve the problem, and I'm sure just as effective, but what advantages does the yoke have vs. the struts? What issues did the strut design pose that the yoke design solves?.........I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it...I would probably buy one based on the paint job alone....but what makes the 3P a better design vs. just a different design?
As I understand Sean's reasoning for going with this design, he wanted to get away from a design where just shear bolts and U bolts would be what held the upper unit rigid with the A frame. Yes, even with the new design U bolts are used to hold the frame bracket in place, but the force the hitch would apply on it is *perpendicular* to the A frame hitch, not parallel. Sooo, the U bolts and shear bolts are not directly responsible for holding the hitch rigid. The 'yoke' piece does that.
Also, something else I saw Sean explain once in a thread: Look at the Yoke closely in that picture, close to the ball hitch, where it (yoke) goes alongside the A frame. Even if the link between yoke and frame bracket underneath let go, the yoke would *still* hold the upper hitch in place somewhat, just by the way it is up against the sides of the A frame. Hitch could only move on the ball a small amount, before yoke would hit up against A frame and prevent further movement. That was another advantage supposedly, of this design.
Now, I'll wait for Ron to post a 20 page analysis explaining how this is NOT a better design, hahaha. 
As to whether or not it is indeed a better design: IMO, it is, just 'cause I never liked the idea of just a U bolt and shear bolt holding those struts solid (which is the reason I and several other Hensley owners used real bolts, and bolted frame bracket in place). The 'yoke' approach seems like a cleaner way to lock the hitch in place, but like anything else, time will tell if it is indeed better.
Will
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willald
NC
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Joined: 07/15/2002
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ksd wrote:If I had to choose today, I'd probably go with the 3P, but I don't have a lot of confidence at this point that it is markedly better than the HA, and I am a little concerned about long term support. Hensley Manufacturing has been around a long time, and I'm sure will be there to continue to support its products. ProPride, however, is a new and still very small company, and for all I know could go belly up tomorrow.
Very true, ProPride is very new, and there is some risk there.
Then again, that argument could be turned around to say, is Hensley REALLY going to be around much longer to support their customers? Here they have competition making a hitch every bit as good, in some ways probably better, and they (ProPride) have the ability to sell that hitch for considerably less and still make a profit.....Such could well spell the end of Hensley. I sure hope not, I'd like to think Hensley will find a way to remain competitive (dont want this market to go back to being a monopoly!), but it is something to think about.
Yes, I know right now Hensley has matched ProPride's price. Question is, just how long they can afford to keep selling them at that price..
Will
* This post was
edited 09/04/08 08:09am by willald *
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crappie_fisherman
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Joined: 08/09/2005
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ksd wrote:BurbMan wrote:what makes the 3P a better design vs. just a different design?
And that, BurbMan, is exactly the question I tried to ask at the beginning of this thread.
ksd,
If you remember my post from page 1...
crappie_fisherman wrote:
Plus the hard part about this topic is that it is truly VERY SUBJECTIVE...
What constitutes 'better' to some may be viewed as a negative to others...
The SUBJECTIVE part has been what has fueled this debate for 8 months or so since ProPride has come onto the market...sorry but I didn't expect you to get an answer that would bust thru the log jam.
Bottom line is BOTH are excellent hitches. If a VPP hitch is what you want...go with the one that you like best...
Paint...yeah it really ticks me off that i had to PAINT my hitch after 5 months of ownership...a $3,000 hitch should have a $3,000 worthy paint job!!!
Choose the one that makes YOU comfortable is the best advice.
Also don't forget PullRite...IMO that has the real advantage over both VPP designs...but that is simply MY opinion...
Joe.
DH, DW, 2 DD's
2005 Excursion V10 w/4.30's
- Hensley Arrow
- Prodigy
- Rear Hellwig
- RAS
- Front hitch
- Bilsteins
- SCT Tuner w/5-Star Tunes
- Aeroforce Gauge
2007 JayFlight 31BHDS (3 women & 2 slides...it helps!  )
Mini & the BEAST
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willald
NC
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Joined: 07/15/2002
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..To clarify a few points discussed earlier, where Ron and I determined a bit more information is needed:
Quote:Hensley Arrow Pivot Point Location versus ProPride Pivot Point Location
Pivot point actually moved even further forward, due to stinger being slightly shorter than Hensley
Ron Gratz wrote:The lengths of the HA hitch bar and the 3P hitch bar need to be confirmed. Based just on the photos, it appears the 3P bar might be longer.
It’s not just the length of the hitch bar which is of concern. The length of interest is the distance from the face of the hitch receiver to the ball coupler when the TV and TT are connected. The “projection” distance is measured from the ball.
I got some measurements, that answers/confirms this.
Hensley distance from ball hitch, to drawbar pinhole: 24" (measured by *me*, on my Hensley yesterday)
Propride distance from ball hitch, to drawbar pinhole: 19 3/4" (measured on Propride owner's hitch)
Sooo, the ProPride is indeed projecting the pivot point over 4" further forward than the Hensley. Which means stability is indeed slightly improved with the 3P design.
Ron Gratz wrote:Hensley Arrow Fixed Hitch Bar versus ProPride 3P Adjustable Hitch Bar
Quote:Adjustable height/angle on the hitch bar
The HA hitch bar is shown as Item 5 on page 11 of the HA Manual. The HA bar is available as a straight bar or in “drops” or “raises” in 2” increments.
A very good photo of the 3P’s adjustable bar is shown in the second photo on this web page. The 3P bar is vertically adjustable in increments which appear to be about 1.5” (this needs to be confirmed). The 3P bar also can be adjusted for “tilt”.
The 3P adjustable bar is multi-piece with bolted construction and numerous welds. The HA bar is a single piece with no welds for the straight bar, and relatively few welds for the drop/raise bars.....The 3P hitch bar appears to weigh more than the HA bar (this needs to be confirmed).
Concerning the weight of the units:
The ProPride drawbar weighs almost exact same amount as a Hensley 8" dropbar. This only makes sense, since the ProPride drawbar allows up to 8" of adjustment.
Soo, technically speaking, in many cases the ProPride drawbar would be slightly heavier than a Hensley drawbar, as long as we're not talking about an 8" drop bar. HOWEVER, read on...
Ron Gratz wrote:Hensley Arrow Construction versus ProPride 3P Construction
Quote:Link pieces, bearings, etc. are built even more solid (thicker, heavier) than ones used on Hensley
I understand that the 3P's link pieces are thicker. But, I'm not sure about the "bearings, etc." being heavier than the HA counterparts.
Since the 3P's hitch bar appears to be heavier and the 3P's yoke assembly appears to be heavier than the HA's struts and the 3P's link pieces, bearings, etc. are claimed to be heavier, I'm wondering how the 3P can be lighter overall.
It would be interesting to see a comparison of 3P and HA weights.
..Following comes from a very reputable/knowledgeable person, that has worked with both the Hensley for years as well as the ProPride:
The Hensley upper unit/head weighs about 20 lbs more than the ProPride unit. This is due to all the steel in that orange part the Hensley has, which the ProPride does not have. As a result of this (larger, heavier orange head on the Hensley), the Hensley actually weighs slightly more overall than the ProPride. Dont have precise total weight numbers for both, but bottom line is, the large, steel orange head used by Hensley, ends up making it heavier overall, even though some individual components of the ProPride are slightly heavier.
The weight difference is probably not significant, I know. But, this does answer the question concerning weight of the drawbar and total hitch weight that was brought up earlier.
To the OP, KSD:, I apologize for how wordy this post (and whole thread..LOL) has become between Ron and I. Still, I wanted to clear up all the specifics on these two issues (pivot point further forward, and overall weight), so that next time someone asks about the differences between these hitches, hopefully another 5 page debate will not be necessary. 
Will
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