Planning not to use WDH, bad idea?

[rostam]

IMO, you don't need a heavy, complex, and expensive hitch for safe and comfortable towing. Nothing wrong with those hitches. I'm sure they are great and work as advertised. But to suggest that not using them compromises safety or towing comfort is just not accurate. Tens of thousands of white box trailers are pulled safely and comfortably all over the country with simple hitches with pickups. Why can't aerodynamic airstream, which has low center of gravity, independent suspension, be pulled comfortably with a simple hitch? If you MUST use the most complex hitch in the market for safe towing, what does it say about towing characteristics of an Airstream?

[J. Morgan]

Why do people buy Airstreams when white box trailers are so much cheaper?

My two Airstreams want to sway above 60 mph. With my Hensley they tow like a dream.

Certainly any trailer can be safe if it is not towed past its safe limits, but like I have said before, I cant drive 55. 🚜




Superat stultitia.

[Ultradog]

Originally Posted by rostam

IMO, you don't need a heavy, complex, and expensive hitch for safe and comfortable towing. Nothing wrong with those hitches. I'm sure they are great and work as advertised. But to suggest that not using them compromises safety or towing comfort is just not accurate. Tens of thousands of white box trailers are pulled safely and comfortably all over the country with simple hitches with pickups. Why can't aerodynamic airstream, which has low center of gravity, independent suspension, be pulled comfortably with a simple hitch? If you MUST use the most complex hitch in the market for safe towing, what does it say about towing characteristics of an Airstream?

Well said.
All this fancy hitch stuff is more about status, fear of towing and a lack of understanding of towing characteristics than anything else. I think there's a bit of comspicuous consumption thrown into the mix as well.
The OP is towing with a ONE TON pickup for cripesakes.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Another 'fact' from the non-user-fancy-status group....

A one ton TV has no effect or control over sway, you may not feel it in a 3500 dually, but it still can happen.... the PPP system prevents sway from starting when properly set up.

"I don't even know it's there" does nothing for safety and may even be a bit dangerous.

...... if you haven't tried it just say it's to expensive and leave it at that.



TETO

Bob

[switz]

Not every tow day is bright and sunny with dry pavement and straight lines.

When the rain is pouring down with gusting side winds, I want as much stability as possible since the traction dynamics have been reduced.

Everyone has the right to make the equipment decision for towing. And living with perhaps any unintended consequences down the road.

I did a lot of reading before buying our first trailer on the tires, tow vehicle and hitch issues that are the most numerous threads here and on other forums.

We made our decisions and had to make changes based upon facts at the scales that were not available before that instant. Life happens an I think I made the best choices for us.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by Ultradog

Well said.

All this fancy hitch stuff is more about status, fear of towing and a lack of understanding of towing characteristics than anything else. I think there's a bit of comspicuous consumption thrown into the mix as well.

The OP is towing with a ONE TON pickup for cripesakes.

You surely do not know the vantage from which I posted my above comments.

Fear in towing?

No.

Joy in towing yes.

Conspicuous consumption?

Nah.

Not really my bag, I am proud of my crank up windows and non power seats.

What I do like is being able to tow at any speed I like with one hand comfortably on the wheel while not being worried that I might not notice the truck that is going to overtake me.

If a person has a trailer that is like either of my Airstreams, (prone to sway), then a "fancy hitch" is a practical matter.

The sway that these trailers encounter has little to nothing to do with the size of the tow vehicle.

I will make a disclaimer however. If I never towed either of my trailers over 60 mph, I probably wouldn't know that they are prone to sway, however, their tendency is obvious at 65 mph.


Superat stultitia.

[rmkrum]

Safety is not fancy.

I have experienced the beginnings of trailer sway. With family and pets aboard the tow vehicle. Not my cup of tea.

I look at it this way, you can do whatever you want with your rig. You assume all the risk, until you get out of control and get in my path. There is where the problem gets ugly.

I spent the money on a good setup for my comfort and peace of mind after a rather disconcerting experience. That's the bottom line where I'm sitting...


Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

[xrvr]

It's too expensive!

[Ultradog]

If a newbie would read all these threads about sway control they would surely conclude that Airstreams have to be the poorest towing trailers out there.
That in itself might lead many to choose some other brand.

[J. Morgan]

I cant speak for other Airstreams, but my two want to sway over 60 mph.

This is just the truth, what other people think of this truth does not change this fact.

But the bright side is that my hitch makes my trailer tow like a fifth wheel.


Superat stultitia.

[moosetags]

If you peruse RV.net and start looking in the travel trailer section, you will see plenty of the same chatter on the issue of trailer sway on every make of SOB out there. This problem is not unique to Airstream.

I have been towing for the last five years with a 2011 Silverado crew cab, long bed, one ton Duramax. I use a Hensley Arrow Hitch System that I have had for ten years, and would not tow without it.

Is a Hensley expensive? Yes. Does it work as advertised? Yes. Are my Airstream and I worth it? Yes.

Brian

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Ultradog

If a newbie would read all these threads about sway control they would surely conclude that Airstreams have to be the poorest towing trailers out there.

That in itself might lead many to choose some other brand.

For whatever it's worth - when I was a newbie and searching for answers about hitches - I left the forums thinking the AS is actually the best towing trailer out there due to aerodynamics, low ground clearance and suspension. However, I also interpreted what I was reading to suggest that despite that fact, things outside the control of a driver (or design of the AS) could still lead to a sway event.

What I REALLY wanted was the PullRite trailer hitch. Doesn't get any simpler - a half circle under the truck bed with an arm that pivots at the rear axle and rides the semi-circle (like an old horse and buggy setup). Sort of an "upside down 5th wheel". Unfortunately, they stopped making them (they seem to have moved in to the actual 5th wheel market).

Next best thing as far as I could tell was something that virtually projected the pivot point forward and thus the "fancy" hitch purchase. It's only "fancy" because of the engineering it takes to do what it does. No conspicuous consumption motive whatsoever - nor am I an "evangelist" for the product. But I know what I was trying to accomplish and why I bought what I did. I'm happy with my decision - I trust you are happy with whatever you're doing.

Seems the OP was asking questions to make up his own mind and did just that. Everyone's mileage varies....

[909kenu]

Originally Posted by rostam

IMO, you don't need a heavy, complex, and expensive hitch for safe and comfortable towing. Nothing wrong with those hitches. I'm sure they are great and work as advertised. But to suggest that not using them compromises safety or towing comfort is just not accurate. Tens of thousands of white box trailers are pulled safely and comfortably all over the country with simple hitches with pickups. Why can't aerodynamic airstream, which has low center of gravity, independent suspension, be pulled comfortably with a simple hitch? If you MUST use the most complex hitch in the market for safe towing, what does it say about towing characteristics of an Airstream?

Originally Posted by Ultradog

Well said.
All this fancy hitch stuff is more about status, fear of towing and a lack of understanding of towing characteristics than anything else. I think there's a bit of comspicuous consumption thrown into the mix as well.
The OP is towing with a ONE TON pickup for cripesakes.

This is my gut feeling also. It's hard to weed out information that is pertinent for my situation. My shifted load and wreck in '91 was with a '87 1 ton regular cab long bed Chevy. In '91 we purchased an extended cab DRW 8' bed Chevy, In '95 Crew Cab DRW 8' bed GMC, '03 Crew Cab DRW 8' bed GMC. Got rid of all the toys and was just towing equipment for our plumbing company with '05 GMC extra cab utility box DRW 10' bed. We have also 08 2500 crew cab SRW utility bed Duramax, we purchased for towing but it can't even carry its own weight (material/supplies) even with added over load springs and air bags. Not to mention overloaded tires that require bi annual replacement.

Learned a lot towing different trailers, loading, securing (hahaha) and with just time on the road towing. I don't claim to have experienced every situation because I haven't. So, I continue to try and learn.

Then come all the pictures of the wrecked Airstreams with 3/4 or 1 ton trucks, so why? Wind, passing semi's, driver error, magical shape of trailer? Now, I always look at people's connections to the TV. Talking about trucks as TV, most do without....unless it's an Airstream. Why?

One of my reasons/thinking is they were towed by cars. The tongue weight is light, and after camping (Argosy at least) the water shifts from front to back end. You lose the 10-15% weight at the tongue unless you adjust loading.

I have a Hensley scheduled to arrive Monday. I probably will replace the axles, along with the rims and tires (Upgrading to 16") before I install the HA.
If there is no difference or I absolutely feel I don't need it, look for it in the classifieds.

[Rocinante]

And there we have it - the OP has decided what to do about their hitch sitch, going with a Hensley. Happy towing, we all look forward to hearing about your experiences with it!

No further discussion needed, really.

[slowmover]

The truck will benefit from the HA more than the trailer.

[NWRVR]

The AS dealer set my 2008 Range Rover HSE with a Blue Ox SwayPro when I bought the AS and I never had any incidence of sway, but I don't tow faster than 60MPH so maybe any WD/sway hitch would perform the same for me. When I upgraded my TV to a F350 Power Stroke diesel crew cab long bed I didn't really need the WD but felt the sway control was worth using the BO, not withstanding the Ford built in electronic sway control, and returning one-half inch to the front of the TV wasn't a bad idea either. The BO is easy to hook up, it's quiet, has no restrictions on backing up and allows nearly 90 degrees angle to the truck when maneuvering into a camp site. I'm happy.

[PKI]

Originally Posted by NWRVR

-- snip -- Blue Ox Sway Pro -- snip -- I'm happy.

It is a good solution if you find the force projection hitches to be either too heavy or too expensive. Our dealer included the BOSP with the trailer sale. Choice of Equilizer or Blue Ox. We are happy too. Thanks for sharing your experience. Pat

[barts]

Please note that improper loading will not be remedied by any sort of hitch. Maintaining a proper fraction of the trailer weight on the tongue is the SINGLE most important factor in controlling trailer sway.

- Bart