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Old 03-09-2015, 04:53 PM   #1
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Told to remove ProPride for service!

I took my new 2015 in for a list of service issues and was told that I would need to remove the ProPride for them to move/service it. I explained I could leave the stinger in and still no go. After nearly 30 minutes of arguing I finally convinced them to let me position the trailer in front of a bay door and they would then work on it outside. Luckily it is supposed to be nice for a few days.

This is very surprising and disappointing to me.

Any others run up against this at your Airstream Dealer? I never imagined I would have to remove it for service. I thought Hensley and ProPride are pretty common hitch assemblies especially at an Airstream Dealer!
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Old 03-09-2015, 04:57 PM   #2
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I would asked to see the manager, then told them "I guess you don't want my business, my future business or the business of all my friends once I get done telling everyone you can't handle a simple hitch. Here's my cell, call me when you decide to accept my business, I'm going over to your competition right now to see if they'll service me better"

And then left.

I'm sure they'd get over their objections.
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Old 03-09-2015, 04:58 PM   #3
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You need to find some else to service your Airstream. If the dealer that you took it to can not handle your hitch (no matter what kind it is), I would not trust them with my Airstream as they are most likely incompetent.

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Old 03-09-2015, 04:59 PM   #4
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Yes - this can be a problem. If they have a service vehicle/truck with a hitch receiver, they should be able to accommodate by using your gear. I have the added problem of having the full 2.5" bar (not the 2" to be used with the receiver sleeve) which was even a problem at the Mothership though they ordered something from Sean and had it FedEx'd so they'd have it for the rest of our visit and anyone else who has a 2.5" ProPride.
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Old 03-09-2015, 05:22 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by moosetags View Post
You need to find some else to service your Airstream. If the dealer that you took it to can not handle your hitch (no matter what kind it is), I would not trust them with my Airstream as they are most likely incompetent.

Brian
It is warranty work and they are the only Airstream Dealer in Denver. I don't feel like I should need to take it out of town or out of state to have warranty work done without removing the ProPride.
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Old 03-09-2015, 05:53 PM   #6
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I have gained a bit of a nick-name at the service counter ..... "The Guy with the Squirrely Hitch".

Over the years I've given a Hensley "Hookup Training Session" to our service centre at least 3 times - mostly it seems to work - but sometimes not - the sometimes issue is that the folks I spent the time showing how to work with it haven't necessarily been the folks who were there when the trailer needed to be moved ..... and then it became fairly obvious to me that the tool of the day became a sledge hammer.

I've worked to address the issue the same way you have - schedule the appointment and position the trailer so it can be worked on outside - or esle be there during the service to move it around ..... ain't perfect but it's a lot easier on the hitch .....

It would be nice if Hensley (and ProPride) fabricated an attachment to permit easy jockeying by those who aren't familiar with the hitches.


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Old 03-09-2015, 06:29 PM   #7
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It is warranty work and they are the only Airstream Dealer in Denver. I don't feel like I should need to take it out of town or out of state to have warranty work done without removing the ProPride.
I would call JC and tell them of this situation, and see what they have to say about it. Of course, you can do as you feel necessary, but I wouldn't trust them with my Airstream.

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Old 03-09-2015, 07:04 PM   #8
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It is warranty work and they are the only Airstream Dealer in Denver. I don't feel like I should need to take it out of town or out of state to have warranty work done without removing the ProPride.
And to that extent you shouldn't have to remove your ProPride.
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Old 03-09-2015, 08:01 PM   #9
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While ProPrides/Hensley are popular they are probably a small fraction of the total WD hitches found on our Airstreams.

I made an adapter hitch. Basically a receiver extension with a Ball Hitch mounted to it.

But that said, the chances of them damaging you trailer while moving it go up dramatically in my opinion. Had major damage done to mine with a storage facility that does in and out, like a car valet.

The owner was doing the move and failed on this occasion to anticipate the swing of the head and rammed the rear corner into a wall.

It is very different trying to move with a forklift/etc using a PP/Hensley hitch vs. everything else they have experience with including SOB's since they are simply a ball hitch.

And yes the dealer you went to told me the same thing.

Now reality is that dropping the head really isn't that hard if you have the time. But it is a pain in inclement weather.

The factory has the experience. And the way they restrict the movement of the head is by putting a vice grip on each side so that it can't swing.

I asked Sean last year about offering something and there wasn't much interest. If I had to guess the exposure to someone doing what my storage lot did is just to great.

So with the guys you went to it's either have them let you back it in, set it outside or drop the PP. And I'd bet they will be inflexible.
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Old 03-09-2015, 10:51 PM   #10
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Last time I needed service, I handed the TV keys to the manager, he backed the AS into the service bay, let me disconnect, and pulled my TV clear of his service area. No issues. A good and reasonable Airstream dealer.

Personally, I don't want them trying to move my AS with their forklift and too small a ball.

Of course, as a good and reasonable customer, I picked up the AS within 20 minutes of being called and told it was done, since there was no way they could move it without the stinger. I'm a bit sad they had to move out of my town to another because of freeway widening.


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Old 03-09-2015, 10:54 PM   #11
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I will also call Sean tomorrow and maybe if a few more of us complain he will come up with a way for the service centers to feel comfortable moving the trailer with the ProPride installed. I'll look at it a bit when I get it back to see if anything jumps out. For now I guess I'll do all the moving for them.
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Old 03-10-2015, 05:27 AM   #12
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Pin this into the pp?
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Old 03-10-2015, 06:50 AM   #13
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Even at airstream dealers, they are rare - just start going to their websites and search their parts availability. I checked hitches throughout the local all-airstream park near Roanoke Virginia during the two separate weeks I spent up there last summer and counted, amongst 60-70 in and outs, one hensley, two proprides, and the rest were ball hitches by vast majority.

In my local RV storage yard, across about 300 units, one hensley, no proprides.

If I chose to use a non industry standard hitch, I would expect to face non industry-standard issues. This is one of them - and its THE reason I am not using propride or hensley at the current time since my storage yard needs to move my trailer without notice authorization if needs be.
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Old 03-10-2015, 07:07 AM   #14
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I can not understand why this issue is being treated like rocket science. I have been to a number of dealers with our Airstreams with the Hensley arrow in place. All it took for these dealerships to handle my Hensley-equipped trailer was a 2" receiver on their tug and using my Hensley hitch bar.

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Old 03-10-2015, 07:24 AM   #15
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Our dealer in PDX has no problem moving our unit with the PP in situ...but they ask that we leave the stinger to help them move the AS...no problem. (Airstream Adventures NW-located in PDX, Seattle, Boise, and Fairfield)
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Old 03-10-2015, 07:27 AM   #16
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Our Airstream dealer hasn't had an issue with the hitch, but the guy who owns the indoor storage facility freaks out when we call him about storage/pick-up. He also calls it the "squirlly hitch". My husband has to back our Airstream into the storage unit and go pull it out when we need it.
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Old 03-10-2015, 09:14 AM   #17
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Quote:
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I can not understand why this issue is being treated like rocket science. I have been to a number of dealers with our Airstreams with the Hensley arrow in place. All it took for these dealerships to handle my Hensley-equipped trail was a 2" receiver on their tug and using my Hensley hitch bar.

Brian
I think the initial issue is probably the guy on the tractor - if he or she hasn't seen one before the first inclination is to try and slide the stinger into the tractors 2" receiver while it is still on the hitch head ...... very quickly leads to a lot of frustration, abuse of the hitch and some comedic entertainment to those watching ...... then ..... of course ..... blame ..... directed towards the hitch ..... and ultimately finds it's way to the owner of the trailer ....


Jay
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Old 03-10-2015, 09:42 AM   #18
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I think the initial issue is probably the guy on the tractor - if he or she hasn't seen one before the first inclination is to try and slide the stinger into the tractors 2" receiver while it is still on the hitch head ...... very quickly leads to a lot of frustration, abuse of the hitch and some comedic entertainment to those watching ...... then ..... of course ..... blame ..... directed towards the hitch ..... and ultimately finds it's way to the owner of the trailer ....


Jay
This brings me back to my earlier statement. "Are these the folks you want working on your Airstream?" If they can't figure out how to hook the trailer up, they will probably do a bang up job at fixing the refrigerator.

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Old 03-10-2015, 10:44 AM   #19
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I take my Airstream to Airstream Adventures NW in Boise and they treat the issue as it should be - a very simple one. I leave my stinger with them. They use a vehicle with a 2" receiver to move the A/S as needed. I agree with many of the other responses - if the dealer can't deal with an issue this simple, I wouldn't trust hem with anything, not even torqueing a lug nut!
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Old 03-10-2015, 10:52 AM   #20
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Quote:
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I took my new 2015 in for a list of service issues and was told that I would need to remove the ProPride for them to move/service it. I explained I could leave the stinger in and still no go. After nearly 30 minutes of arguing I finally convinced them to let me position the trailer in front of a bay door and they would then work on it outside. Luckily it is supposed to be nice for a few days.

This is very surprising and disappointing to me.

Any others run up against this at your Airstream Dealer? I never imagined I would have to remove it for service. I thought Hensley and ProPride are pretty common hitch assemblies especially at an Airstream Dealer!
I have taken my trailer to the local Airstream dealer as well as to an independent shop specializing in high-end coaches.

In both cases I've warned them ahead of time and in both cases they have asked me to park the trailer in a location where it can be worked on in place without any need to move it. The local Airstream dealer is accustomed to Hensley hitches and on the last visit or two did ask me to leave the stinger in case they had to move it. They move trailers around the yard with a skid loader equipped with a receiver hitch, so they can swap balls and stingers.

Some service yards have skid loaders with a permanently mounted ball in the bucket, so there's no place to attach the stinger.

I would imagine that, at most places, for most repairs done during temperate weather, it would be possible to work something out so the trailer doesn't have to be moved.
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