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Old 02-01-2017, 04:11 PM   #1
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2017 30' Classic
Bluffton , South Carolina
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Towing Without My ProPride Hitch

I towed our International 27 last week about 300 miles plus, back roads and interstate both , after taking off my Pro Pride that has been on since she was new. With no issues.
As a matter of fact I could hardly notice any difference other then I couldn't let my tailgate down all the way.
We are preparing to sell her and had someone interested that had their own hitch was the reason I removed ours.
I still plan to put our pro pride on our new rig. But was just wondering are there people out there happily towing with the regular ball hitch?
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Old 02-01-2017, 04:35 PM   #2
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Not me, I like full steering, braking and handling with our truck. Weight distribution hitches are the best thing to happen to bumper pull trailers, and the Hensley/ProPride design are the best thing to happen to weight distribution hitches.

Unless you have a big truck and can't sense a problem until it's too late.
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Old 02-04-2017, 08:31 AM   #3
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I tow on the ball using an Andersen hitch. I have a F-350 single wheel and tow a 30' classic at 8000 # and love it. We have towed just about 40,000 mi in the last 18 months. I still have the original Atwood coupler too.
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Old 02-04-2017, 10:04 AM   #4
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And there you have it. Your lovely trailer tows quite well .... until .....
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Old 02-04-2017, 10:16 AM   #5
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I'll wager that 95% or more of the public is towing without a ProPride or Hensley hitch and doing it safely.

Even experts like CanAm regularly recommend and install the classic EazLift, which is an elegantly simple and effective hitch proven by more than 50 years of service.

Normal rigs do not need a $2000 hitch to tow a travel trailer, and this should be especially true when one has the Best Towing Trailer on the Planet.
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Old 02-04-2017, 11:12 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Airstreamer67 View Post
I'll wager that 95% or more of the public is towing without a ProPride or Hensley hitch and doing it safely.

Even experts like CanAm regularly recommend and install the classic EazLift, which is an elegantly simple and effective hitch proven by more than 50 years of service.

Normal rigs do not need a $2000 hitch to tow a travel trailer, and this should be especially true when one has the Best Towing Trailer on the Planet.

Yea butt...........
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Old 02-04-2017, 11:24 AM   #7
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Too many are being guilted into spending money on dubious accessories, when being cautious and alert will suffice. Save your money and buy whiskey.
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Old 02-04-2017, 11:54 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by franklyfrank View Post
Yea butt...........
What?
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Old 02-04-2017, 12:15 PM   #9
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Mt Pleasant , North Carolina
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Too many are being guilted into spending money on dubious accessories, when being cautious and alert will suffice. Save your money and buy whiskey.
^^^ what he said.
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Old 02-04-2017, 12:20 PM   #10
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Towing with Pro-Pride

I picked up our new 25' FC near Plant City and towed it home to Apollo Beach, FL on the ball behind my F150 on I-4 and I-75. Winds 20 Kts out of the west and speed 65mph. My vehicle and the trailer swayed considerably with semi's passing at 70mph. I could not imagine towing without some weight distribution and sway bar system. I have the pro-pride now and don't have any experience with other systems to compare it to. Very please with it.
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Old 02-04-2017, 12:52 PM   #11
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I had a Hensley and found it difficult and aPIA sometime to hitch up. I now tow with aEZ lift and no problems.

I agree with some other posters don't be scared into spend more than you need ask your dealer or better yet call the factory

Just my 2 cents
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Old 02-04-2017, 02:06 PM   #12
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I think the OP was asking if anyone out there was towing with (just) the ball hitch? I would not want to do that even if the trailer was level because of the loss of sway control. This is my number one concern so I went with a hitch with built in sway control.

Now, there are lots of options out there and this is where these threads usually end up. Mine is better than yours. Mine is more expensive than yours. Mine comes with all kind of claims while yours might not. And so on.....

Lots of choice, lots of options, lots of people with lots of experience and they don't all use the same one! Amazing, huh?
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Old 02-04-2017, 02:23 PM   #13
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Hitch Wars Again?

Quote:
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Too many are being guilted into spending money on dubious accessories, when being cautious and alert will suffice. Save your money and buy whiskey.

I like this post!
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Old 02-04-2017, 03:35 PM   #14
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I tow on the ball only with two sway control devices. No WD.
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Old 02-04-2017, 06:21 PM   #15
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New to Airstream and towing a bumper pull. I ordered a 2017 FC 25 FB Twin with 16" tires, twin A/C and it's at the dealer waiting to be picked up. I also purchased an F 350 SWD diesel with every tow option available + the new Super Duty has been specifically set up for towing without the need of anti sway hitches etc "according to Ford". I've made the investment and willing to purchase the safest hitch system that suits my application. My question to all....with a 1 ton set up with heavy duty 3" hitch and computer controlled anti sway do I really need the additional ordeal of an anti sway hitch....be it Pro Pride or anything else?
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Old 02-04-2017, 06:30 PM   #16
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That's a good question LoneStar1 (you from Tejas?) I've read somewhere to turn off sway control on the TV if your hitch has anti-sway. I think the reasoning is that they're working against each other which results in the truck not being able to get a good read on what to do/compensate for. I'm sure others with more experience will be able to say for sure.

Dave
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Old 02-04-2017, 06:44 PM   #17
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Middletown , California
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I could never tell any difference if I had the equalizer bars on or was just bare ball but that's with an old, lighter 31' and a 3/4 ton PU. I do try to keep the speed down around 60mph just in case I have something unexpected happen. If I was having sway problems I would try and find out why and fix the problem but a fancy hitch would be a few steps down the fix list. I don't like that those hitches move the ball back so far and lengthen the whole distance to the trailer behind the rear axle, that just looks wrong to me. If I saw a road test where a projection point hitch greatly increased the speed through a slalomum course or let the TV pull the trailer out of a slide then I'd want one. Has anybody ever played on a skid-pad with a trailer? I'd bet you would bend some metal but I would like to see testing and if a fancy hitch really made a difference! I have always wondered what the limits of control of my truck and trailer are but hope I never have to test them!
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Old 02-04-2017, 08:25 PM   #18
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Granbury , Texas
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I tow on just the ball...not one issue. I have towed several hundreds of thousands of miles like this with various heavy trailers in all sorts of conditions and never used anything but the ball.

What is the trick? No trick really...just buy the right truck for the job.

Ever see a Airstream delivery vehicle? Towing on the ball.

If you have a light weight tow vehicle and heavy trailer then yes get a good weight distribution hitch.

If you have enough truck you won't need to distribute the weight with those heavy bar hitches...now you might add a sway control but I don't even need those.

My truck...Ram 3500 MegaCab SWR 4x4 Cummins / Aisin.
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Old 02-04-2017, 08:36 PM   #19
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I tow with an EzyLift, and two friction bars. Noisy in turns but what the hay, they work.
My Reese dual cam worked alright, on the 25 ft. but was mounted wrong on the 30' and didn't work. so I have The Ezy'l.
I am not able to mount the Reese, due to stripped holes in the frame, so I have it 'on the market'. EECCCH!
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Old 02-04-2017, 11:39 PM   #20
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I agree with avionstream: wild turkey-101
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