A poll on WDH w/sway control

Originally posted by riotkayak284 The Anderson looks very interesting. Which model did you get?

After considering it for a long time and hesitating because of the price, I decided it was time to upgrade our hitch from the Equal-i-zer 4-point stabilization hitch to the Hensley Cub. There are pictures in my mods (see link in signature). The principle is that the main body of the hitch stays attached to the R-Pod with two bars keeping the body of the hitch locked tight so the hitch can't pivot on the ball. The hitch has a bar that is put in the TV's receiver and then is backed into an opening on the hitch. Then two cams lock two arms to hold the bar in place. The Hensley site has some good videos showing this process. The hitch is articulated in such a way that the trailer cannot induce sway. Any force on the trailer (large truck passing, for example) can't cause a pivot at the hitch ball, but the force gets transferred in a straight line which, in effect, makes the pivot point the front axle of the TV. However, the articulation makes it possible for the TV to initiate turning. Backing is easy as there is nothing to disconnect. An added bonus is that this hitch is virtually silent! I have not been able to hear any hitch noise with it, even when not using a hitch tightener like I had to do with the Equal-i-zer to reduce some of the clunking. Again, I refer you to the Hensley web site for videos illustrating this.

Hensley is having a special offer to introduce their Swift Arrow and Swift Cub models which use chains and snap-up brackets instead of jacks for the WD bars. However, I got the Hensley Cub with the jacks as with my arthritis, they are easier to work than the chains. The big test will start in about a week when we take off on an extended trip. I anticipate this will be the most relaxing trip yet as my short test drives were enough to let me know that it will work very well for us.

Installation was not the easiest, but once installed, the bar is the only part I need to handle regularly since the main body of the hitch stays attached to the R-Pod. That in itself is a big bonus as the Equal-i-zer was quite heavy.

We use an Anderson WD Hitch. It has WD and Sway control in one. Its nice and quite, can be used in reverse and easily adjusted to get exactly the right amount of drop.

Originally posted by ZuBrew Did any of you that have the Fastway E2 have to move your propane or battery tray?

The L bracket on our E2 WDH sits right in front of the rear cross-brace for the propane tank. This spot is right at 24-1/4" from the center of the hitch ball on our RP-179. I would think that yours is very close to that, if not identical. According to the manual, the distance is recommended to be between 24" and 27", and this fits in that range. Behind the cross brace, it would be a little over 28" (too far). The manual says that if your tongue weight is below 800 lbs, that you could move the L bracket to as close as 20".

At any rate, that is where ours is.

Bring a torque wrench and sockets to fit both the bracket bolts and the bigger hitch bolts.  You can pull the instructions off the WHD sites to see what tools you will need.  And, yes, as Charlie suggests check the tightness after you drive for a while.  You can install it anywhere there is space to work safely.  The street traffic may present some safety issues, so better to pull into a parking lot.  If you do it at the Couch dealership, you could probably pester them for a little advice if you were not sure about something.