I saw a picture of a hitch that looked like it went under the bed of the truck and pivoted near the axle, it was supposed to make a bumper-pull trailer pull like a 5th wheel. The tongue on the trailer would move side to side the length of the bumper during tight turns. Anybody have info on something like this?
I've seen those like that where they are intended to make one man hook-ups easier and distribute weight better, but never one that was meant to tow that way.
Just called my father (who owns and operates an RV service and sales) to ask about that hitch. Figured he would know if anyone did. He said the original versions were really popular back in the late 60s and 70s, but are rarely seen now. Primarily due to cost and complexity in mounting. But, he says the claims are true. If setup correctly, they work great. Biggest problem (other than cost) is in mounting. Rear tanks, spare tire, pretty much anything underneath and behind the axle has to go. Even then, the thing is pretty sensitive to things like tweaked rails and such and will bind if it's not "just so". They are also sensitive to rust (salt belt), damage from road debris, and other things that can cause it to not work smoothly. Still, proper maintenance and care would make a tag along tow almost like a goose neck…
Yup, that's what I was thinking of. Seems like it would be a good deal if you had a really heavy tag trailer, but probably not worth it for my puny 9000 lb load.
I think I just saw someting like this last night behind an old f350. His bumper looked like 2"x6"x6' square tubing. The center of the bumper had a slot going horizontal probly 24" total, in the center of this slot is were the hitch/ball mount came tru the bumper. The bumper was hanging below the body line so I could see behind the bumper. The ball mount whent tru the bumper then what looke like two bigass springs side by side. The rear of the springs were attached somehow right above the rear axle. This setup looked like the ball hitch could move left to right??? and the internal springs would limmit the left to right movement??? I was driving behind this rig so I couldn't get a better look at it, definitally strange and unique
The Hensley's are extremely popular with the Travel Trailer crowd. Those who have them swear by them, they apparantly work as advertised. Even your 9000lb puny load could sway, and with the added weight of a slide in camper, especially with such a high center of gravity on both your tow vehicle and your toad, that could get pretty scary. Come on Shag, I know you always have to have the best. Marc
Thats a PullRite hitch, I had one on my 95 GMC 6.5TD Suburban. I used it to tow my 03 34' Holiday Rambler TT, 11,500 GVW. I needed stability with this big trailer and the 131" wheel base. The PullRite makes a ball hitch tow like a 5th wheel, because it pivots just behind the rear axle. No sway etc. anytime . Handles like a dream. I sold the Suburban, and bought an 05 K-3500 DuraMax/Allison CC, long bed 167" wheel base. This works fine with a classV Reese with HP dual cam sway control. I sold the PullRite to a fellow in Saskatchewan Canada, he put it on a 3500 Dodge. He hauls "bees" to the Western USA for pollination of alfalfa. If you have handling problems, I would recomend the PullRite hitch. They are great to work with and will help you find a used hitch first. Much less money than the Hensley Arrow. Hitching up takes a little longer, but its worth the extra minutes to hitch up. A safe way to tow.
Good to "see" you Tanker. I've een looking for a used HA...but impossible to find so far. Did you have any issues with binding, and did the Burb's fuel tank pose any installation problems for your PullRite?
