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Old 05-24-2018, 07:02 AM   #1
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Hitch options for 2016 Yukon XL

I have a 30 foot 2015 Flying Cloud and I tow it with a 2016 Yukon XL with 3/4 rear end.

The dealer installed a Reece hitch and sway bars and the hitch has a drop on it (see picture). Problem: because the hitch is built high in the bumper of the vehicle, it still rides high in the front and at an angle despite drop on the hitch.

Because it rides so high, it also creates a problem when trying to get trailer hitched up for travel. Are there options/actions I can take to get it to ride more level and cut down on sway?
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Old 05-24-2018, 08:09 AM   #2
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take it back to the dealer and tell him to do it right. I'm sure there is a longer drop bar that should be used. JMHO
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Old 05-24-2018, 08:14 AM   #3
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Agreed. Whoever set that up for you is not very knowledgeable. A heavy trailer should never be high at the front. This is a recipe for sway issues on the highway.


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Old 05-24-2018, 09:35 AM   #4
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Yep...👍

10/4 on all said.

Those semi-in bumper receivers have been a problem for some folks ever since introduction, 2007 if I remember correctly.

You definitely need a longer drop. 2.5"-3" more at least. Try and get a stinger that will enable a mid connection if possible. Wiggle room is good.🤗

Pic of one of the first we got at the Store in 2007.

Bob
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Old 05-24-2018, 11:23 AM   #5
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I agree with the other posters. The dealer should have set you up with a deeper drop. When we first purchased our '16, we were towing with a Yukon Denali and because of the "in bumper" arrangement, the dealer got us a beefier hitch with a deeper drop. In the end it benefitted us with also being able to raise the lift gate without scraping the propane cover because the hitch is also longer.
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Old 05-24-2018, 08:09 PM   #6
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Friends don't let friends pull big Airstreams with Reese Sway Control Hitches. The wind caught us in Texas on March 6, 2017. The Reese hitch completely failed. Get a Hensley or ProPride.
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Old 05-24-2018, 11:55 PM   #7
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Ouch! Glad I got my ProPride. This adds to the evidence. Hope you all were ok...
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Old 05-25-2018, 03:58 AM   #8
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Blame it on the faulty...

Sorry, but Reese had very little to do with your accident.

If that were true, think of all who'd be on their side. 😳

Stay Safe.

Bob
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Old 05-25-2018, 10:27 AM   #9
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I agree, Robert, have had zero problems with sway or otherwise for 22 years with my Reese system. Nevertheless, I am so sorry about your accident, Silver Otter. However, from your horrifying pictures, I can not see what, exactly, failed on your Reese. I can see it looks slanted, but, that could have happened when your rig flipped.can you explain? Please.
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Old 05-25-2018, 11:26 AM   #10
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My suspicion is that it started as an uncorrected 'sway event' when the wind caught the trailer and started it swaying. Possibly the Reese hitch setup was unable to dampen the sway sufficiently to maintain control, and it went on to a rollover accident.

In many of these events, instantly getting onto the manual brake controller lever HARD and hitting the TV gas HARD to get the trailer back in tension can help, but the problem is that human reaction time may not be quite fast enough to save the day.

I wonder if a modern TV electronic sway control system could have reacted fast enough to have helped in this or similar situations. A lot of the problem is that the dynamics of a long rig in high winds behind a pickup truck are not that well understood.

I also suspect, even with another type of hitch system, a really strong gust of wind, like you can easily get out in Texas, can overwhelm and roll darn near any rig. I'd love to know if this started as wind-induced sway and got worse, or was it a really hard blast of wind that started a rollover event. I've driven across west Texas multiple times, and the winds can be very treacherous, even with a well-tuned ProPride system (Hensley design) like I have.

Sometimes the only mitigation is to either slow down a lot, or sit out the wind. We sat an extra day on a late fall return trip because the wind was very gusty, hitting 65+ miles per hour out of the north. Sat it out for two days in a KOA, and did not begrudge the time or money it took for the weather to clear. Sometimes it's better to be parked, wishing you were on the road, than to be on the road, wishing you were safely parked...

I'm also not ready to blame the hitch system without a few more details. In any event, it's sad to see the aftermath, but I am hopeful the occupants of the TV had their seatbelts on, and the systems and structures in the truck were able to protect them...bent aluminum is never pretty.
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Old 05-25-2018, 11:57 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver Otter View Post
Friends don't let friends pull big Airstreams with Reese Sway Control Hitches. The wind caught us in Texas on March 6, 2017. The Reese hitch completely failed. Get a Hensley or ProPride.
I am sorry but that accident doesn't look like it was caused by your hitch.
Of course true to form the The overpriced and overated hitch crowd will jump on it and try to scare the bejesus out of everyone.
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Old 05-25-2018, 12:18 PM   #12
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That ain't a pretty picture!!
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Old 05-25-2018, 02:46 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by franklyfrank View Post
I am sorry but that accident doesn't look like it was caused by your hitch.
Of course true to form the The overpriced and overated hitch crowd will jump on it and try to scare the bejesus out of everyone.
Hi ff.

Just wondering, how are you qualified to proclaim that the PPP hitch systems are overrated? Have you ever used one?

Until you use one you just can't appreciate the benefits.
We spend how many k's on the trailer and go cheepcheep on the hitch, makes no sense.

Proud member of the OAOHC kroud.😂

Bob
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Old 05-25-2018, 09:48 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver Otter View Post
Friends don't let friends pull big Airstreams with Reese Sway Control Hitches. The wind caught us in Texas on March 6, 2017. The Reese hitch completely failed. Get a Hensley or ProPride.
The pics don't look like a hitch failure. I think the high winds just got you. I suspect that a Hensley or ProPride hitch would have left you in the same condition. No hitch can prevent roll over from very strong cross winds.

The pics also show a temp plate on your TV. That implies that it is new to you and begs questions about hitch setup and experience with that vehicle. (Although i doubt this had any part in this incident.)

I have been using Reese Dual Cam sway control systems for 40 years, in west Texsa wind and other places, and Reese handles wind as well as any hitch. And I have sat out wind a few times because I did not like the odds.

Hope all is well with you and you get back on the road with good equipment that suits you.

Abe
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Old 05-26-2018, 06:48 AM   #15
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I’ll keep saying it. If you need weight distribution then you need a bigger truck.
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Old 05-26-2018, 06:51 AM   #16
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Just switch this week from a Reece Dual Cam 1200 with Airsafe to the Pro Pride 1400, I will give my impressions down the road. I do see the difference in rear mirror when hitting depressions in the road, Airsafe would restrict bounce, anyway will give impressions after this season of Airstreaming.
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Old 05-26-2018, 09:09 AM   #17
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Sorry to hear about the wreck. Back to the OP, we tow with the same vehicle, you’ve already gotten the correct advice - you need a longer drop bar. You could get one yourself and lower the ball, but if the setup is new to you, better to have the dealer get it right. Right is a level rig as you’ve already noted.
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Old 05-26-2018, 12:21 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS View Post
Hi ff.

Just wondering, how are you qualified to proclaim that the PPP hitch systems are overrated? Have you ever used one?

Until you use one you just can't appreciate the benefits.
We spend how many k's on the trailer and go cheepcheep on the hitch, makes no sense.

Proud member of the OAOHC kroud.😂

Bob
🇱🇷
Should I ever experience any scary unstable situation using my Blue Ox I will look for something better. However if you read my post I actually had a hands on experience with high speed crash avoidance and my uncomplicated reasonably priced Blue Ox performed flawlessly. As scary as it seemed it was a non event. So I can reassure you with full conviction that I will never hang one of those contraptions on the front of my AS. As I stated previously, my 2017 Classic came with a Pro Pride installed. After finding and reading the 23 page installation instructions I told them to remove it and I installed my Blue Ox in its place.
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Old 05-27-2018, 08:54 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by franklyfrank View Post
Should I ever experience any scary unstable situation using my Blue Ox I will look for something better. However if you read my post I actually had a hands on experience with high speed crash avoidance and my uncomplicated reasonably priced Blue Ox performed flawlessly. As scary as it seemed it was a non event. So I can reassure you with full conviction that I will never hang one of those contraptions on the front of my AS. As I stated previously, my 2017 Classic came with a Pro Pride installed. After finding and reading the 23 page installation instructions I told them to remove it and I installed my Blue Ox in its place.
Well I can understand that...it took me two daze of study to understand the haha, but 'ya know what....I got it.👍
Now, 30min every Spring and it's re-installed. Guess I've learned how be smarter than the haha and I'll never 'hang' anything else. 😂 TETO

Sweet Streams.

Bob
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Old 06-27-2018, 08:09 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver Otter View Post
Friends don't let friends pull big Airstreams with Reese Sway Control Hitches. The wind caught us in Texas on March 6, 2017. The Reese hitch completely failed. Get a Hensley or ProPride.
Otter, you were quite vague as to the details of your Airstream accident. To me, it looked like hitch failure occurred during the accident, rather than causing the accident. Excessive straight wind shear can be very high in West Texas and the Panhandle. Even the best hitch will not prevent sway if you get hit broadside by an 80mph wind.

Attached is a map of US average wind speeds, and West Texas has high winds along.

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