Hitching & Unhitching

[harrysteven]

1. How long can you stay hitched after stopping without causing a problem to the tow vehicle or the trailer: a few hours, a day, three days?

2. Is there a consensus on this forum about the preferred hitch: Hensley Arrow, ProPride, or Pullrite? (I understand the first two are very similar and work on the same principle.)

3. How long does it take to hitch and unhitch, once you're experienced at it?

[AWCHIEF]

1. I really don't think there is a time limit under normal use.
2. Andersen Anti-Sway WD Hitch.
3. Less than 5 minutes for me.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by harrysteven

1. How long can you stay hitched after stopping without causing a problem to the tow vehicle or the trailer: a few hours, a day, three days?

2. Is there a consensus on this forum about the preferred hitch: Hensley Arrow, ProPride, or Pullrite? (I understand the first two are very similar and work on the same principle.)

3. How long does it take to hitch and unhitch, once you're experienced at it?

1. You can stay hooked up until the tires age out.

2. A Reese full sway control hitch has been around for many many years and does a fantastic job. Plus, it's a fraction of the cost of those you mentioned, PLUS, you don't have to be a weight lifter to pick it up, like you must be, with the above brands.

3. Takes less that 2 minutes to hook up, or to disconnect, with the Reese.

Andy

[ROBERT CROSS]

1. Haven't run into a limit...... yet.

2. Whatever the respondent happens to be using at the time, very similar to toe vehicles.

3. Depends on how many adult beverages, how many folks are watching and if the DW is helping.

Bob

[withidl]

Originally Posted by harrysteven

1. How long can you stay hitched after stopping without causing a problem to the tow vehicle or the trailer: a few hours, a day, three days?

2. Is there a consensus on this forum about the preferred hitch: Hensley Arrow, ProPride, or Pullrite? (I understand the first two are very similar and work on the same principle.)

3. How long does it take to hitch and unhitch, once you're experienced at it?

1. Hitched Duration - Unlimited

2. Hitch Type - Hensley or ProPride if you can afford the $$$$; I have the Hensley with over 35,000 miles on it.

3. Hitching Time: For the Hensley, in a rush, 5 to 10 minutes hitching up, depending upon the geography and angle of approach; 5 minutes un-hitching. That being said I try to NEVER RUSH the process.

I have a utility trailer which doesn't incorporate anti-sway or weight distribution which never takes more than 5 minutes.

[Condoluminum]

Welcome to the Forums... Another set of opinions...

1. No mechanical limit.. Practical limit is determined by whether you want to drive off and explore without big silver thing dragging along behind you..

2. Eaz-E-Lift or other Sway/Spring hitches also work well for most people.. If there is consensus here, it may be abour princuples that longer/heavier trailers need better hitches and anti-sway technology than shorter lighter trailers. Longer wheelbase tow vehicles are also more stable than shorter ones for same trailer and hitch combo's..

3. Takes me 15-20 minutes to attend to corner jacks, backing into position, raising and lowering trailer, hooking up and securing hitch, spring bars, cables, chains, breakaway brake line, etc, and then testing for lights and brakes before rolling away.. Double that if you are camped and need to attend to packing up interior, closing up awning, vents, TV Antenna, folding tables, etc...

[tpi]

I'm also going to go with the 15 to 20 minutes to hitch up (with manual tongue jack). If I"m just stopping for a night I try to get a spot big enough I don't have to unhitch. You can leave it hooked up as long as you want, but disconnect electrical cable from tow vehicle. I hitch and unhitch alone. I use Reese solo magnetic telescoping yellow balls (Walmart) to help me align trailer over truck ball before hitching.

[Condoluminum]

Good addition from tpi to unhook the electrical "umbilical" cable, which could cause trailer to draw down tow vehicle battery charge..

I also do some solo hitch/unhitch, and struggled with balls or gizmos on magnets and sticks for alignment.. I recently used 2" vertical strips of colored electrical tape on rear window of Excursion and front of propane tank cover box.. As I back up now, if they're aligned, I know the hitch ball will be under the hitch.. Still takes a check for distance, but means fewer back and forths... (Just be sure trailer hitch is HIGHER than top of ball as you back in, or you could damage hitch or jar trailer.. That's why ours -thanks to former owner - has Bulldog hitch welded to frame instead of stock Airstream hitch...)

[SteveH]

1. I don't think there really is a limit, but if I'm going to be somewhere for several days without unhitching (a rarety), I do disconnect the electrical connector, and relax the weight distribution bars.

2. See Robert Cross' response in post #3 above, but I do use a ProPride which may not be THE best, but it is THE BEST I have EVER USED, and I've been doing this since 1971. (it would be perfect if it wasn't expensive and heavy)

3. Anywhere from 10 minutes on, depending on how much "help" I get.

[purman]

I'm in the process of buying the new Andersen Hitch. suppose to be less than a 1 min to put on and take off. you can read all about it here. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ml#post1157878

Or their web site.

[dwightdi]

In reviewing the Anderson system, to me, it would seem the shorter lever arm that the chains operate with would result in much higher linear forces on the A frame and front surface of the trailer ball to accomplish the same torque on the ball and lower spring hooks to give the same forward shifting weight effect. The wear area on the lower spring hooks must be very substantial to spread the stress out over a broader area to minimize wear.

The individual links in the chain may have some relative motion (and are under high stress) so fretting corrosion or wear might occur on the chain links. The spring function, which must occur when the truck and trailer encounter either a dip or a bump, must be provided by the stretching of the chain. I am not sure what that spring rate is and they do not state it. It would seem the chain must be specially engineered to act as a spring and its spring rate should be available in different stiffnesses, so as to not make the truck/trailer too rigid. You would need a lower spring rate chain spring to make the total rig more flexible and not abuse the trailer. You would need a heavier weight chain with a higher spring rate to provide the maximum weight transfer for a high tongue weight.

Do they specifically design the chains with rounder links or are the chains supposed to stretch to provide the spring function? Do they offer a selection of chains to handle various tongue weights?

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by purman

I'm in the process of buying the new Andersen Hitch. suppose to be less than a 1 min to put on and take off. you can read all about it here. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ml#post1157878

Or their web site.

Jason, I don't know about "less than a 1 min" but it takes me a lot longer to crank my trailer up and down than it does to actually hook-up or un-hook my Andersen WD Hitch.
Not going to get sucked into an engineering discussion about the system here. There are already enough threads that have gone that way. All I know is that it just plain works as advertised for my TV and trailer combination.

[Kamiak]

Originally Posted by harrysteven

1. How long can you stay hitched after stopping without causing a problem to the tow vehicle or the trailer: a few hours, a day, three days?

2. Is there a consensus on this forum about the preferred hitch: Hensley Arrow, ProPride, or Pullrite? (I understand the first two are very similar and work on the same principle.)

3. How long does it take to hitch and unhitch, once you're experienced at it?

(1) Based on my experience, most sites, even in commercial parks, require some degree of front/back leveling, and I prefer that the leveling involves raising the tongue slightly, while remaining hitched. My unscientific presumption is that springs don't like steady weight on them for prolonged (undefined) periods. From my unscientific perspective, it's one thing to go bouncing down the road with nearly a 1,000 pounds of tongue weight on the tow vehicle, but another thing to apply that weight in a static position. So, my preference is to at least lighten the load on the tow vehicle, bars attached (within limits), while striving for the desired "level". I seldom remain hitched without taking at least some of the weight off my tow vehicle, even overnight.

(2) I have an older Draw-Tite WD system and can't comment on the high-priced options.

(3) I'm not sure what you mean by hitch/unhitch, i.e. the whole setup, stabilization, hookups, etc., or just the pure hitch /unhitch. I'll assume the latter. If totally disconnected, stabilizers up, it takes me only a minute or two to position the ball under the trailer coupler, and then maybe 5 minutes to complete all connections, chains, electrical, etc. It's hardly a lengthy process with my setup...say 10 minutes tops for everthing. The whole camp setup/takedown from a multi-day stay is different question.

[c_lewis77]

Originally Posted by Condoluminum

Good addition from tpi to unhook the electrical "umbilical" cable, which could cause trailer to draw down tow vehicle battery charge..

yes, if you leave the TV hitched, unplug the umbilical when you are setup. It will run the TV battery (ies) down. especially if you are boondocking.
(I discovered this by accident )

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, harrysteven.

Originally Posted by harrysteven

1. How long can you stay hitched after stopping without causing a problem to the tow vehicle or the trailer: a few hours, a day, three days?

You can stay hitched as long as you like; I usually only stay hitched, while traveling, at one night stands. [over nighters]

2. Is there a consensus on this forum about the preferred hitch: Hensley Arrow, ProPride, or Pullrite? (I understand the first two are very similar and work on the same principle.)

These are all great hitches; I'm very happy with the type/brand that I have.

3. How long does it take to hitch and unhitch, once you're experienced at it?

I never timed how long it takes and don't care to; I want it done right with no mistakes. Or, it's done when it's done, and not a moment sooner.

[Friday]

I would add that if you are staying hitched for an extended period, that if possible you don't have too much weight or lift once you level the trailer. Ideally, you'd want the tow vehicle suspension to be back to a neutral spot when the trailer was level. If you leave any spring compressed (or stretched) for long enough, you are going to loose tension.

In the same way, you don't want the back end of your truck lifted off the ground of you need to jack up to get level... that's a lot of load on the jack and coupler...

Lots of good hitches... budget is one factor, your setup will determine what will 'work well' vs. what is 'best'.

I have a backup camera on my truck so that makes it easier for one-person hooking up... but, once you do it a few times you'll get the hang of it. There are various hitching-aids out there... magnetic flags... tongue guides... It's still nice to have a spotter anytime you are going backwards.