Flyfishfred, if you're going to be on bumpy, potholed roads with that stiffly sprung F350, you really need to visit the Airsafe Hitch site. Everything they say is true about the hitch. Lots of horse haulers like them because they save knees and other joints on animals being hauled. In the same manner, the air hitch is the only way to lessen the load on your Airstream on rough roads. I know. I got one.
It looks like you are out of Truckee and that was one of the roughest roads we came across on a trip from Michigan to San diego and back!!! I was amazed we did not break something, for the first time the cushions on the dinette fell on the floor. LUCKY INDEED. So if this is your main highway, I can only imagine the back roads.
I am no expert on these things but do have a working opinion. My TV is a Chevy 2500HD and trailer is a 2006 25' Safari. I bought an Equalizer hitch because I noted so many people liked them at the time of my deal. My trailer doesn't budge an inch with the Equalizer. I don't know how it could be better. But my point is that with a big truck, I'm not sure you need anything at all. I've towed my trailer 50 miles or so to a dealer a few times without the Equalizer bars attached. Driving over the interstate with big trucks passing me, I didn't notice the slightest difference between driving with the full Equalizer set up and leaving the bars off.
Yeah, I bought the Equalizer because I thought there was no sense scrimping on the hitch after I spent over $40,000 on the trailer. But my belief is that you don't need anything at all. I'm not advising that approach. I'm just saying don't worry too much about what you do when you have a big tow vehicle. Maybe buy what's on sale or buy a unit that you think you could rig up or have someone who knows how to rig up the unit you buy. So that's it--don't buy based on functionality because they'll all work for your big truck, buy for financial or ease of installation reasons.
If you look at the bars on the Equalizer hitch and the Dual cam at the same pound rating you will see that the Equalizer bars are twice as heavy and stiff at the tapered Reese bars. That mean the Reese bars will bend more going through a pothole or over and obstruction in the road rather than transmitting it all to the trailer. This make it so the trailer will not be taking as much beating on the front A frame and the Rivets connecting the frame plate in the front of the trailer. I wore through all mine on a rough road 5,000 mile trek thru the maritime providences of Canada with my 31 footer being towed by my stiffly sprung Chevy 3500 dually. Lately I have been towing my 26 footer with the dually without any bars. It seems to work great even at 65 mph in cross winds or trucks passing me.
Yeah, I am thinking with that one ton you really may not need WD. Maybe a light (600#?) Equalizer just for the anti-sway component, ease of use, and low cost...
Bill
__________________
Life is Good-Camping all around New England
The non-Dual cam version of the Reese will accomplish the same thing with more vertically compliant bars and therefore give the trailer a less abusive ride. I have never seen a rig with just a frictional damper but the cheap Reese could be rigged that way without the bars.
Hi moose,
Well over the past 9months i have checked out just about all of the pop-up campers. The alaskan is the best,a classic, like the airstream of campers. For more info check out their website alaskancampers.com.
I haven't purchased it yet, going to order it in Jan (takes 2 months to build) as i don't need it until April. They are the only pop-up that i know of ,that
has a solid upper part (not canvas) and raises hydralically.Great for Bear country. I stopped by the manufacturer last Oct ( they really do not have any dealers) on my way back from fishing BC and talked to the owner for about 2 hours about my special requirements - no problem each one is really custom made. They should be as they start at 25 grand, about $10,000 more than other pop-ups.
Essentially i will do the same as you, drop trailer as base camp then head to isolated lakes with camper and fish (couldn't do that with my 5th wheel,that i just sold). I fish out of a 12 foot porta-boat which i can then leave assembled as it weighs only 100 lbs and easily put it on top of the camper in the down position. I use to place my boat folded up on the side of my larger overhead camper (that i just sold)alongside the jacks but had to break/set it up everytime i shifted camps . Saving 30 min of setup/breakdown time every time i shift camp will be perfect with the alaskan. Best of both worlds !!
I'll post pictures of rig setup when i head out this spring.
fred
.
Hi everyone,
thanks for reply's
My F350 is not a dually, and i will have around a 1700 lb pop up camper almost all the time when i tow the airstream. The camper (roughly the same weight as my last one) really dampens the stiffness and that setup rides quite smooth with it on vrs not on (very stiff). Not really sure what adding the airstream will do but stiffness based on the added camper may not be an issue ?.
I checked out Reese and Equilizer websites (like the video presentation on Equilizers) ,now i at least understand the concept of WD and Sway.
I like the comment by Dwight that the reese bars will bend (flex)more easily than the Equilizer which makes sense as the equilizer's bars are square. Sure don't want rivets to fail as Dwight mentioned on his rig so now i see the downside of these hitches.
I'll be doin alot of driving on gravel roads (about all they have in BC) and potholes are always an issue (especially the ones you don't see), so i better really consider this factor.
Equilizer looks easier to adjust and set up, but i'm not sure
Maybe i should contact some tech guys at mfgr's or dealers, i dunno. Thanks Airstreamer67, I'll check out the Airsafe hitch site
fred
Thanx for the info, Fred. You were close on the website, it's alaskancamper.com. We also plan to visit the Alaskan Factory on our next trip to the Northwest. We would want to carry our 15' tandum kayak on the roof of the Alaskan. The yak weighs 70#.
Brian
__________________ SuEllyn & Brian McCabe WBCCI #3628 --- AIR #14872 2005 25' Safari FB (Lucy) with HAHA 2005 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Olivia) & 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Daisy)
Hi moose,
Well over the past 9months i have checked out just about all of the pop-up campers. The alaskan is the best,a classic, like the airstream of campers. For more info check out their website alaskancampers.com.
I haven't purchased it yet, going to order it in Jan (takes 2 months to build) as i don't need it until April. They are the only pop-up that i know of ,that
has a solid upper part (not canvas) and raises hydralically.Great for Bear country. I stopped by the manufacturer last Oct ( they really do not have any dealers) on my way back from fishing BC and talked to the owner for about 2 hours about my special requirements - no problem each one is really custom made. They should be as they start at 25 grand, about $10,000 more than other pop-ups.
Essentially i will do the same as you, drop trailer as base camp then head to isolated lakes with camper and fish (couldn't do that with my 5th wheel,that i just sold). I fish out of a 12 foot porta-boat which i can then leave assembled as it weighs only 100 lbs and easily put it on top of the camper in the down position. I use to place my boat folded up on the side of my larger overhead camper (that i just sold)alongside the jacks but had to break/set it up everytime i shifted camps . Saving 30 min of setup/breakdown time every time i shift camp will be perfect with the alaskan. Best of both worlds !!
I'll post pictures of rig setup when i head out this spring.
fred
.
Hey Fred, you sure are asking all the RIGHT questions up front...way to go! Sounds like you've got a great plan with the AS and Alaskan...you'll be enjoying the backwoods in style and comfort.
We got a porta-bote last year...aren't they the coolest? We still take the kayaks 50% of the time, but some of the bigger lakes up North are perfect for the porta-bote and small outboard. What a great product. Best toy we have purchased since the AS!
Please be sure to stick around and post some pix when you get out there next spring!
Welcome aboard,
Bill
__________________
Life is Good-Camping all around New England
In my continuing pursuit for the perfect hitch setup once again i am shaking my head in confusion. This is really becoming quite comical !!!
I contacted California Hitches who does ONLY HITCHES. They told me that the hitch system i will need has nothing to do with the tow vehicle suspension system, only the trailer tounge weight. They recommend a 1,000# round bar with chain setup (draw tite)and 1 sway control. No reese with dual cams,equilizer, or Hensley, They are old school !!!!!
Help !!!!!!!!
Oh,also Andy told me over in the biclcle rack thread) that i needed only a light setup (reese dual cam 550 pound rating) as my TV suspension system was so heavy duty. So the confusing saga continues. At least i only have to go through about 2 more weeks of confusion before i must finally decide, when i go to pick up my rig.
Fred
In my continuing pursuit for the perfect hitch setup once again i am shaking my head in confusion. This is really becoming quite comical !!!
I contacted California Hitches who does ONLY HITCHES. They told me that the hitch system i will need has nothing to do with the tow vehicle suspension system, only the trailer tounge weight. They recommend a 1,000# round bar with chain setup (draw tite)and 1 sway control. No reese with dual cams,equilizer, or Hensley, They are old school !!!!!
Help !!!!!!!!
FlyFishFred, what you were told is FALSE. One of the factors in your weight distribution IS the tow vehicle suspension. They must have misunderstood something because any hitch professional would know this. It would be interesting to ask them what kind of weight distribution they would recommend for a Freightliner? If they tell you none, you'll know that one of the factors most definitely is the tow vehicle suspension.
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