Propride hits the market

[Over59]

Doesn't this give you less ground clearance under the hitch than a reese? Looks like the bar needs to be lower to make room for the head.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by owheely

We're putting never seize on all bolts just in case and going back over the bolts with torque limiting extensions tonight.

IMHO
Forget the anti-seize on anything that needs to be torqued.

[TinShack]

Originally Posted by Sean Woodruff

Yes, you have to release the tension for the hitch bar to unhitch out of the front of the hitch. They create quite a load inside the hitch head when distributing the weight.

Sean, That adjustable hitch bar makes much more sense than the fixed bars that Hensley offers. Will the ProPride hitch bar fit a Hensley hitch?

[Jim Clark]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

IMHO
Forget the anti-seize on anything that needs to be torqued.

I am not so sure that is a good idea. I just installed a high performance clutch and aluminum flywheel using ARP (Advance Racing Products ) bolts which are very high end quality bolts designed to keep the flywheel inside the bell housing. ARP provides a special high end lubrication to use when installing their bolts. When you use the ARP lubrication the torque specifications are lower because it is so smooth you get less resistance than when using standard oil or anti-seize. Takes less torque to stretch the bolt. You want a nice smooth turn on those nuts with no galling to get an accurate torque reading.

Dry vs Wet torquing is addressed here.http://www.intermotive.net/Tech%20Ti...20Jan%2008.pdf

It really comes down to the recommendation of the manufacture of the equipment you are working on.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Yeah I know, I'm a little "old school".

But like Dad said.."nothing bad will happen, if you keep it clean and dry"

[owheely]

First off we're back safe and sound from a 5,000 mile cross country trip. Couple of observations / experiences I'd like to share. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND I HAVE NO PRIOR TOWING OR WD HITCH EXPERIENCE other than the total 112 hours recently logged. I will discuss my experiences on how the hitch worked from the time we left until we returned. With that said, my navigator has vast experience as a passenger in a similar sized AS with a Reese WD hitch and she said that the towing Pro Pride hitch experience was vastly different that what she was used to. She didn't feel sway and was able to relax and enjoy the ride. Really she was amazed at the lack of sway. HITCHING: Going back to the day we left, we were hitching up for the first time and it took two of us about 2.5 hours. After scratching our heads we finally decided that the hitch bar angle needed to be decreased to match the angle of the main hitch unit. After that it went right in without any problems. We were very pleased and excited, but decided not to unhook until we had plenty of time to figure out how we're going to hook up again. CHAINS: About 15 miles down the road after fueling we heard a metal sound that was different so we immediately stopped and found that an old saftey chain had broken due to the need for a bit of increased travel. We purchased the extension kit, but the chains were too long if used with the old chains too so we decided to keep the old ones as the chains are supposed to hang about 1 inch lower than the main hitch unit. We stopped to repair the chains by adding some links that screw close and didn't have anymore issues with chains. The extension for the emergency cable wasn't used, but the electric was used and held up with a bungie cord. At a truck stop on the way back I found that the emergency cable was caught under one of the main hitch bolts and was way too tight so it too was held up out of the way with bungie cords and no more problems. Going out was enjoyable although I did feel movement a bit via some speeding trucks and 50 mph winds through esp through Kansas. Listening on the radio the big trucks were calling in bc they were also being blown around. There were some major storms / tornado watches and red radar. NOTE: KEEP notes on the height of the spring bar jacks and note the hitch performance. This will provide the same performance again. Mine seemed to work the best when the spring bars were raised 3 2/16 inches. UNHITCHING: We finally arrived and unhooked without any issues. Father in-law noticed a crack in the top plate of the main hitch unit later in the week when we were thinking about hooking up again. We have no idea when it happened as the towing experience didn't change at all from the time we left until we stopped. I was very pleased that Sean overnighted a new main hitch unit which was installed without issues the next day. We assumed that perhaps the crack was due to a weld not penetrating. It happens to the best of us. I'm far from a welding expert, but I'm wondering if all welds are or should be x-rayed prior to being shipped. HITCHING Part II: We hooked up with the new main hitch unit and this time it only took 1 hour. We finally figured out that the main hitch unit was angled down due to it no longer being supported. A jack was used to raise the main hitch unit to the proper angle which again allowed the hitch to slide right in. NOTE: I'm thinking it would have been easier to hitch if the WD bars were cranked up a bit to hold the main hitch unit up. DRIVE HOME: So on the way home the sway was a bit more pronounced. The straw that broke the back on the second day coming home (about 500-700 miles / day) was a significant amount of sway when passing a truck at 75 around a bumpy turn with high winds from the slower moving truck on a windy that day coming off of a bridge. I thought I was going to flip the whole rig, but feathered the gas AND manual brake lever to straighten us out again. After that I was a bit more careful and a bit slower. Lucky? Did the hitch save us? It one of the most scary moments of my life. I'd like to think that the hitch saved our lives? Seriously! That's why we bought it. CRANK UP WD BARS: SO on to the third day coming home, I really cranked up the WD bars and I must say that the towing experience was significantly better than even the trip out. I didn't notice trucks until they were in my mirrors. The navigator also mentioned the lack of sway after the WD bars were tighter. The remaining drive home was quite enjoyable. The reason I tightened the WD bars is that I remember talking to a friend who has a HAHA and they had a similar experience with a little sway (I never got pushed around just felt movement) until a couple of guys in a campground helped them correctly tighten their WD bars. I would really like to play around with a formula to get to the correct spring bar tension based upon the WD bars and the tongue weight to ensure that I have it set correctly in the future. UNHITCHING Part II: Upon returning it was a challenge to get into position to unhitch. The AS tongue jack couldn't be lowered without hitting the WD bar due to the angle of the truck in relation to the trailer. Now I'm wondering if I could have straighted (moved) the hitch just a hair (it needed about 1/4 inch to get the foot in place) by moving the truck forward say 2 inches while holding the manual brake lever. Upon thinking about it more I know that the problem was that the trailer brakes weren't connected when I backed up the last time which caused the WD bars to be in the way. It's easy, I just had to think about the unhooking directions to see where I went wrong. Sean has detailed hooking and unhooking steps that work well when followed correctly. I think that we're going on another little trip in a couple weeks so I'll let you know more afta afta.

[slowmover]

Safety Chain thread (post #49)

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ins-30021.html

Formula to work with WDH. You'll want weight scale tickets of:

TV, solo, both axles
TV & TT, hitched, all axles separate (tandem on TT as one number)
Tongue weight. There is a backyard way, I just do it on scale; trailer level. One pad with tongue on jack, one pad with trailer axles; see next post.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...sis-19236.html

WDH, and above formula applied

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f238...ers-17984.html

You'll also want a tape measure to take some numbers down when the rig is hitched up to apply formula[s].

[TROPHYJIM2]

Did a round trip to the Jersey AirStream Park over the holidays. Everything continues to be perfect with this hitch in my opinion While at the park several of the ole boys came to inspect the Propride as word spread thru the campground. The top 2 comments..... 1. This unit has a nice paint job!!!!!...Wheres the orange!!!! 2. Everyone likes the adjustable part of hitch and wants to get one for their existing Hensleys. Some folks are aware this hitch can be had for about 500 bucks less than the Hensley.....and wouldn't hesitate to buy a Propride after seeing it in the wild......if they didn't already have a HaHa. Current Hensley users wouldn't be ready to trade their tried and true HaHa's in for this hitch considering them probably equal in performance.

Jim

[Dwight]

I wonder if the two hitches are closer to the same price if you factor in that the Hensley Arrow is shipped "free" and the ProPride shipping is "added" to the cost.

[Sean Woodruff]

Originally Posted by TROPHYJIM2

Did a round trip to the Jersey AirStream Park over the holidays. Everything continues to be perfect with this hitch in my opinion While at the park several of the ole boys came to inspect the Propride as word spread thru the campground. The top 2 comments..... 1. This unit has a nice paint job!!!!!...Wheres the orange!!!! 2. Everyone likes the adjustable part of hitch and wants to get one for their existing Hensleys. Some folks are aware this hitch can be had for about 500 bucks less than the Hensley.....and wouldn't hesitate to buy a Propride after seeing it in the wild......if they didn't already have a HaHa. Current Hensley users wouldn't be ready to trade their tried and true HaHa's in for this hitch considering them probably equal in performance.

Jim

Glad to hear it Jim!

Originally Posted by Dwight

I wonder if the two hitches are closer to the same price if you factor in that the Hensley Arrow is shipped "free" and the ProPride shipping is "added" to the cost.

Unless it is a recent development the haha company has charged to ship the haha for at least 3 years now. Years ago it was shipped FREE (ie.- hidden in the price of the hitch). Even if it was shipped free it is only a matter of less than $200 at the most.

[Hensley Ron]

Actually, we do some package deals that include shipping. There's about 4 different options.

[Dwight]

The last Hensley I bought had the "free shipping", but that was back in '02. I didn't know the policy had changed.

[uwe]

Originally Posted by owheely

HITCHING: Going back to the day we left, we were hitching up for the first time and it took two of us about 2.5 hours. After scratching our heads we finally decided that the hitch bar angle needed to be decreased to match the angle of the main hitch unit. After that it went right in without any problems.
HITCHING Part II: We hooked up with the new main hitch unit and this time it only took 1 hour.

Why would it take so long to hitch up? Are you including the hitch installation time? I guess I don't quite understand.

[Mexray]

I read here about this new hitch, and can't help wonder if all the 'bother' of installing, hooking, unhooking, added tongue weight, to say nothing of the much higher initial cost is really 'worth' it?

Believe me I have no Axe to grind against the manufacturer, I'm sure they make a good product...and I'm not connected with any other hitch makers in any way, myself...

I've been towing with a Reese 'type' WD hitch with a friction slide bar for years, and have never had any bad 'sway' problems. About 10 Min's to hook/unhook is all it takes...and yes, you need a bar for the chains - but the bar makes a handy 'tire thumper' for a quick check to see if there's a low tire on the trailer...also good to keep the admiring herds away from our AS...

Sure, I don't tow much over 55 MPH however, and like to take it easy on my equipment, tires, suspension, TV wear, etc., and a conservative speed is far easier on the nerves...I also don't go out on the road when stormy weather or high winds are a factor...why take a chance when you don't have too!

I guess if it gives one an added sense of security, go for it, otherwise use the stuff that's worked for many, many years on thousands of trailers...

[Sean Woodruff]

Originally Posted by Mexray

Sure, I don't tow much over 55 MPH however, and like to take it easy on my equipment, tires, suspension, TV wear, etc., and a conservative speed is far easier on the nerves...I also don't go out on the road when stormy weather or high winds are a factor...why take a chance when you don't have too!

If your aren't going to tow with a 3P this is the best one paragraph sway reducing advice I have read on the internet. All forums.

[uwe]

Originally Posted by Mexray

I read here about this new hitch, and can't help wonder if all the 'bother' of installing, hooking, unhooking, added tongue weight, to say nothing of the much higher initial cost is really 'worth' it?
................
I guess if it gives one an added sense of security, go for it, otherwise use the stuff that's worked for many, many years on thousands of trailers...

You're not a candidate for this hitch, then, at least not in your mind.
So many variables, and too much misinformation make this a difficult choice at best.
I don't think there's a standard answer to the question of the value of such a hitching device. What makes me look twice are first hand owner statements, from people that have actually used it and improved their towing experience.
I was on the fence for one for a while, but towing the same trailer with my new vehicle vastly improved my tow safety. Now it would be a luxury, where before I was longing for a more stable tow experience.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by uwe

Why would it take so long to hitch up?...

placing the ball UNDER the cup only involve 2-3 points of orientation....

placing a long square stinger INTO a long square receptacle requires more effort at alignment...

last time i counted there were 5-6 physical dimensions to this process and a couple of existential ones too ...

and for folks who FORCE it or haven't yet learned the simple keys,

it can take a-while....

otoh once ya learn it can be very quick and relatively easy.

i do it alone in just minutes (that reads sorta kinky right?)

Originally Posted by uwe

... Now it would be a luxury, where before I was longing for a more stable tow experience.

no doubt the new 'burb has improved your towing experience significantly....

and perhaps these hitches are considered a 'luxury' item by some,

and the endless debates on "is it worth it" or "is it necessary" may never end...

for me, KNOWING that the trailer will track in a very precise manner on multilane roads,

on curves and in ANY traffic or weather conditions removes the 'luxury' tag...

and the RELAXED towing experience added by the contraption is priceless...

often we look in the rearview mirrors to sort out WHERE the trailer is,

but using the 'luxury hitch' i always know where and how the trailer is tracking...

so, i look back for clearance issues but primarily to watch where EVERYONE ELSE is...

but hey uwe, u have scanned the this thread, right ?

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ide-26279.html

cheers
2air'

[TROPHYJIM2]

Hey Air! Actually I thought I'd have a tuffer time with the stinger ......but really I havent found the transition all that difficult yet...........that said I haven't found myself in very challenging situations so far mostly flat ground, ect as we get used to this.

Jim

[ROBERT CROSS]

BUMP...

Where are all the PP's?

[krlajwvater]

With a hensley or propride hitch you can hitch up just as fast as a reese, if you under stand how the hitch works. you can hookup at any degree angle or straight if you like. most people think you can only hookup straight.