Advice on hitch and sway control

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by SCOTTinNJ

The tow vehicle has to be aligned to get unhitched, no? What moves things out?

Hi, the first thing most people do is to level their trailer as soon as it is unhitched.

[SCOTTinNJ]

I assume you are being cheeky. By the same token the last thing they can do before backing in the receiver is realign the vertical axis.

[1965 mustang]

If you don't take enough pressure off the bars with the jacks, you will have problems hitching. The head unit on the propride has a lot of movement both side to side and up and down (tilt). But you have make sure the pressure is off. I think the propride Is designed better than the arrow and doesn't have the problem of the bars bending or breaking as mentioned earlier. I'm not saying it's the best system, it's impossible to try them all, but the pp works good for us. I get the truck backed up close, then I let my wife drive as I guide her back, this helps in tough situations. It's true the WD bars get in the way of the tongue jack when unhooking at a sharp angle . Like mentioned before, everything has it's drawbacks. I use a floor jack in the driveway for this problem, however I haven't encountered many camp sites that I couldn't deal with.



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[Guyel]

Originally Posted by Guyel

Just purchased a new 2015 FC Twin from Tampa RV today. They offer the Reese hitch and sway control system. I have a 2013 Ford F150 super crew Ecoboost with tow package for a TV. After reading the forum on hitches and sway control I'm really at a loss as to what to purchase. The F150 states it has a sway control as standard feature but I don't know if this is all I need to tow the 25' FC?? Any comments on this subject?

Does anyone use the Reese system or is there one that is considered the best?

Sold a 40' Tiffin Class A several years ago and I used a Blue Ox to tow a Honda CRV for over 38000 miles but sway control was not needed.

Thanks

Thanks to all the input from AS forum members. I had been a member of the Tiffin motor home forum for years and I can see the similarity of the AS forum. I found the Tiffin forum extremely helpful and you all have already been very helpful. Thanks you all

Guy

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by featherbedder

I watched a hensley/propride try to hook up at a forums rally, it took 1/2hr. or more because tv was not level to let stinger in, after much banging pushing AS back, he finally put leveling blocks under low side of tv. I don't think it did much good to tv & AS as much as he hit trying to hook up, so I will stay with my old style dual cam hitch as never had trouble hooking up in 45 yrs.

When I got the Hensley I knew right away that I needed to be smarter than the hitch.
It took about two hours in an empty lot over two daze and three camping trips, that was 8 years ago, and I'm still smart enough to PPP.

A couple O'rings helped a lot, along with the yellow hitch'n rods and yearly maintenance.

BTW....the 'shin saver' was added after two "cheese & crackers got all muddy's"

Bob

[boondockdad]

Originally Posted by Silvery Moon

Until we started using the "sway bracket jackets" and also lubricating the pivot points as recommended by the manufacturer, our Equal-i-zer was noisy. Now it's utterly silent, which has been a pleasant and welcome change.

That's great, but I remember there was some back and forth on the forums about 'sleeving' or 'lubing' those little "L" brackets; since they primarily provide the friction for the hitch's anti-sway.

Did you notice any difference in performance?

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by boondockdad

That's great, but I remember there was some back and forth on the forums about 'sleeving' or 'lubing' those little "L" brackets; since they primarily provide the friction for the hitch's anti-sway.

Did you notice any difference in performance?

I used to run an EQ, and I called them about this. The L-bracket contact with the bars provides little to the friction sway equation. The lion's share of the friction comes with the bar interface at the head end (I forget what they call it) . That's why it is essential to keep it's bolt torqued to the proper spec on a regular basis. BTW, those surfaces should be cleaned and lubed as well....but it is the torque and resultant friction that make the EQ "work".

[boondockdad]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

I used to run an EQ, and I called them about this. The L-bracket contact with the bars provides little to the friction sway equation. The lion's share of the friction comes with the bar interface at the head end (I forget what they call it) . That's why it is essential to keep it's bolt torqued to the proper spec on a regular basis. BTW, those surfaces should be cleaned and lubed as well....but it is the torque and resultant friction that make the EQ "work".

That's interesting. So, you could say the Equal-i-zer isn't a "friction" anti-sway hitch? The torsion bars, "L" locks, and frame brackets are only providing weight distribution- and the anti-sway 'magic' is happening in the geometry?

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by boondockdad

That's interesting. So, you could say the Equal-i-zer isn't a "friction" anti-sway hitch? The torsion bars, "L" locks, and frame brackets are only providing weight distribution- and the anti-sway 'magic' is happening in the geometry?

It's friction, just not as heavily on the L-bracket end as at the head end. The L-bracket end provides WD, for sure, but that lifting force is transmitted to the TV and the front end of the bar/head interface. That torquing force, combined with the tightening of the big bolt on the head and bar, provides a very tight interface on that pivot point. Even with lube in place. It has been some time, but I recall that torque spec to be 60lb/ft. I used to go to 75 lb/ft for more resistance. I also found that wear in that surface interface dictated a re-torque at about every 5000 miles. (cleaning too)

[Rocinante]

For our EQ hitch we don't lube the L-brackets, just drop sway bracket jackets in there and we're good to go. We used to lube that point, but what a mess!

We lube the pivot points as directed. Thanks for the reminder on the proper torque for the bolts at the pivot points, we'll check that to be sure it's right.

There's definitely friction at the pivot points, as this is where significant leverage comes into play from the WD bars. As we ease the rig off the tongue jack and the truck settles down evenly under the weight, some pretty significant forces come into play - focused at that pivot point and directed through the hitch to the truck.

If you don't lube the pivot points properly, you'll find out soon enough. It'll sound like zombies and demons have suddenly possessed your hitch, you'll draw stares from hundreds of yards away every time you make a turn, and you'll come close to deciding something awful is wrong with your hitch and you're not safe to tow. Don't ask how I know.

Overall handling with or without lube on the L-brackets didn't really feel any different, though the sway bracket jackets have been a real blessing for neatness, convenience and quiet performance. We've been very happy with our EQ hitch thus far. Oh, and we have the 1,000 pound bars.

[Tao]

Am I correct in assuming you speaking of replacing the default Airstream tires with 16" LT tires?

If so, is there any brand that folks have found to be the best for traction and blowout prevention?

Originally Posted by MacPDX

According to this logic, every owner should upgrade:
1. To 16" LT tires, because they never experience blowouts
2. To a one ton dually, because it tows better

It's only money after all.

There are numerous hitches that when setup properly, with conservative driving habits, will provide the same experience. Reese, Blue Ox Sway Pro, Equalizer, just to name a few. Not everyone needs or can afford the most expensive.

The most important thing is the setup.