Best Weight Distribution with Anti-sway

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by cazual6

Too many threads on this matter to find what I am looking for. Mind giving me some pointers on which YOU think is best?

.
What, me worry?

For a 19’ Airstream, you needn’t worry about a propride nor a hensley... unless you’re towing with a bike... then you’ve got some other issues to deal with. Check with CanAm for details on that...

Save your money. Reese, Equalizer, etc. are fine hitches for a small trailer. Main issue with a single axle isn’t so much weight distribution but anti-sway. And that also depends upon what you’re towing with... (think tail wagging the dog scenario...).
.

[dkottum]

If the tail is wagging the dog, you are in, or nearly in an oscillating sway condition. You have a trailer issue, not a tow vehicle issue..

Often people will experience this and will buy a bigger tow vehicle to try to make it better. The problem is in the trailer balance, weight distribution, or the hitch. Get the trailer balanced first, and ensure the running gear is good.

Sufficient weight on the hitch ball is needed, which actually represents moving the center of gravity forward, so the leverage the swaying trailer exerts on the hitch ball is minimized. But not so much weight as to overload the hitch connection.

[cwf]

Have a look at this... gives good visual modeling explanation.

https://youtu.be/v2otJAgYiTo

[cazual6]

Originally Posted by Jaxon

.
What, me worry?

For a 19’ Airstream, you needn’t worry about a propride nor a hensley... unless you’re towing with a bike... then you’ve got some other issues to deal with. Check with CanAm for details on that...

Save your money. Reese, Equalizer, etc. are fine hitches for a small trailer. Main issue with a single axle isn’t so much weight distribution but anti-sway. And that also depends upon what you’re towing with... (think tail wagging the dog scenario...).
.

You've read my previous post? actually, one of my plan I was gonna upgrade to a bigger rig and a new TV, thus I wanted to get a new setup

[cazual6]

Originally Posted by cwf

Have a look at this... gives good visual modeling explanation.

https://youtu.be/v2otJAgYiTo

Great video

[2012FB]

Originally Posted by cazual6

You've read my previous post? actually, one of my plan I was gonna upgrade to a bigger rig and a new TV, thus I wanted to get a new setup

ProPride


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[HD Pilot]

For what it's worth, I have been using the Blue Ox "Sway Pro" for about 8 months now and getting very close to shelling out the $$ for a ProPride. 95 - 98% of my towing experience has been fine with the BO but the other times sway does happen and "white knuckles" are not pleasant. Sometimes it is because I get over 65mph, sometimes strong gusty headwinds and crosswind, sometimes uneven pavement, and sometimes even turning, never real bad sway but enough that forces you to slow down to 60mph or even 55mph to eliminate...

I know some will try to point to how I set it up, but I have tried everything that makes any sense to me with little to no benefit - talked with BO, and have read a ton of Forum Threads. Maybe it's the combo of a F-150 and the 23FB but I think I need something different/better.

[ROBERT CROSS]

All "best" statements made here are an individuals opinion, and as such they cannot be proven as fact.

I use a Hensley, it's not a fact that it's the best, it's just my opinion.
What IS a fact, it eliminates sway.
I can explain that, I cannot understand it for you...I did not understand either...until I towed the AS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw_MqUxDlik

Does everyone need a PPP? Certainly not...

Bob
🇺🇸

[out of sight]

The ProPride is a very nice hitch, an ingenious way to emulate a 5th wheel trailer. The main problem is its cost:

hitch $3,000
installation $1,000
hernia repair, right side $10,000
Hernia repair, left side $10,000

total $24,000

[jaybauman]

Originally Posted by out of sight

The ProPride is a very nice hitch, an ingenious way to emulate a 5th wheel trailer. The main problem is its cost:

hitch $3,000
installation $1,000
hernia repair, right side $10,000
Hernia repair, left side $10,000

total $24,000

Too funny....

Actually, you can save your thousand dollars and do a self-install. Go over to YouTube and watch an unintentionally hilarious video by a guy named Steve B who documents his Propride self-install. If he can do it, anybody can....and as a bonus, you'll learn lots of things to NOT do during the installation!

[rmkrum]

I installed mine with the assistance of 18-year old daughter to just hand me tools and read the directions again. Used a bottle jack and a floor jack to lift and hold the heavy bits. I was 68 years old at the time. No hernia either.
Just read the manual before you try to install it. No one will confiscate your ‘man card’ if you do so.

[Michael_Wild]

Originally Posted by out of sight

The ProPride is a very nice hitch, an ingenious way to emulate a 5th wheel trailer. The main problem is its cost:
total $24,000

lol Awesome reply!

[rodsterinfl]

I also installed mine. It was good for me to do so as I learned about the hitch. I have read the MANY write-ups on the ProPride on the forum. I will say that it certainly stopped my sway and makes the trailering experience a great one. The ONLY negative I have is that I struggle with the unhitch/rehitch when there is not a straight-shot situation. I have recommended the hitch to many people.

Like everyone else, I wish the hitch were less expensive. I have spent over half of what I paid for the entire trailer on updates and accessories including the hitch.

[rmkrum]

I don’t know where ‘out of sight’ got that number. My ProPride cost around $2,400 or so. Must be a serious typo. Overall, it was sturdier and considerably less expensive that a similar system from Hensley Manufacturing.

I did ask for, and receive a prompt substantial ‘ex-military’ discount from Sean.

[ghaynes755]

Turns out that outta sight is out of mind. Admitted on another PP thread he doesn’t have/had a PP. Troll?

[rmkrum]

Possibly some one with a strong opinion accompanying a lack of specific knowledge. It happens.

[ROBERT CROSS]

.....the negative initial cost thing.
How much have you spent on the AS itself with all assorted 'gotta haves?
The safety of you and yours, and fellow travelers should be at the top of the list.
Our haha has cost $230/yr so far and is going down every year.
The learning curve is there for sure, the design requires it. But it's not difficult and once a routine is established it becomes second nature.
The installation? Study the manual, familiarize yourself with the terms and parts, anyone can do it with a basic tool kit, and as noted above, you will learn a lot about the design and maintenance of the hitch itself.

Plus... it's just more fun towing with a PPP...😂

Bob
🇺🇸

[Mollysdad]

How did this devolve into all the PP fans lining up?
Best is subjective. Best value? Best hitch to show your friends?
Best money saver?
"I never have sway with my PP."
"Great, I never have sway with my Equalizer, and I have $3000 extra in the bank."
"Don't come crying to me when your Airstream flips over."
"I promise I won't."

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

How did this devolve into all the PP fans lining up?
Best is subjective. Best value? Best hitch to show your friends?
Best money saver?
"I never have sway with my PP."
"Great, I never have sway with my Equalizer, and I have $3000 extra in the bank."
"Don't come crying to me when your Airstream flips over."
"I promise I won't."

We are all free to rationalize as we see fit....This is the interweb after all, a fact free zone.😂
Only opinions allowed.👍



Bob
🇺🇸

[SteveSueMac]

Threads evolve. OP started this in 2016 - and in all that time I’ve forgotten now - what did you end up with Cazual6? I remember you started an experiment with bikes that you learned you wanted to do a different way. What hitch did you end up with and do you like it? Why/why not? Did you start with one and go to something different?

“Best” is dependent on an incalculable mix of your planned use, your goals, objectives, and constraints.

Short answer to this from any individual is almost always “the thing I’m using now” [emoji3]

Ask “why?”. If they can’t tell you their rationale or the parameters that were important to them, discount the advice. The value isn’t in the brand selected, the value is in understanding the thought process, context, and individual questions that led to the conclusion...

Oh, and get a ProPride [emoji3] (sorry, that’s obligatory dad-joke level comedy in these threads)