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Jammer · 01-11-2010, 01:47 PM

I am expecting to take delivery a new 30' classic later this winter. I have selected the Propride as my preferred hitch.

My local Airstream dealer has never heard of these hitches and suggests that I would in fact be quite happy with the much cheaper Equ-i-lizer hitch, which they stock and which his shop guy knows how to install (In all fairness, they mostly sell motorhomes, 5ers, park trailers, and shorter trailers and it's 500 miles to the nearest hill or canyon).

Should I:
1) Have him put the Equ-i-lizer on the trailer and see how many months I make it before I uprgrade
2) Load up the battery drill, torque wrench, grease gun, 3/4" drive socket set, 5' pipe, extra nuts to use as spacers for the propane tanks, and other implements of destruction into the pickup bed and take delivery early in the day so that I can install the PP myself in the dealer's parking lot
3) Bring the Propride hitch to them in a box and pay his shop guy $120 an hour or whatever the rate is to read the instructions and try to figure it out
4) Put six bags of dog food in the back of the bedroom to take some weight off the tongue and drive home at 45 MPH with it sitting on the ball so I can install the Propride in the comfort and privacy of my own shop, and with the benefit of impact wrenches, cutting torches, and other somewhat less portable instruments of mechanical mayhem
5) ?????

Ag&Au · 01-11-2010, 02:09 PM

I have a Classic 31 with the pro pride hitch.
I opted for your option 4 without dog food.
However, I have a 3/4 ton pickup and only had to drive about 15 miles to home. With no weight equalizing the hitch on the truck dropped about 2" from no load to the full trailer tongue weight.
I used an Equalizer hitch with my last TT. I would not recommend it. The weight equalizing portion is very rigid and the friction type sway control is not nearly as effective as the Propride. You will find the ProPride installation fairly straight forward and the customer service outstanding.
Regards,
Ken

BillTex · 01-11-2010, 02:16 PM

With your truck you hardly need WD...save yourself $2k, hook up the Equalizer ($399 delivered to your door), and hit the road.
You can do a lot of camping with $2k...

If you were towing with something less of a TV, I might say otherwise, You have plenty of truck...and little to worry about...

Nothing against these high price hitches...but you don't need one...

B

2airishuman · 01-11-2010, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammer

I am expecting to take delivery a new 30' classic later this winter. I have selected the Propride as my preferred hitch....Should I...

depends some on the weather and how cold yer pp gets...

are there bolt torque adjustments for below zero nuts? i expect so.

ASK to use their covered shop/in door service bay area and do it your self.

u are after all giving them a BIG CHUNK of moolaa.

it's a diy and one could tow it home on the ball, and do it.

but buying/installing something ELSE first is wasted time/money,

also a great first trip towing with a pp on the way home with opportunity to TWEAK things...

several of us have diy'd it here, so this thread may help you...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ide-57179.html

the tool requirements are minimal, there is nothing to DRILL or weld or cut on a classic install.

join us in the pp collective/brain trust and post'em up!

otoh had IF the trailer won't be used again till it warms up,

wait and do the install in june or july...

cheers
2air'

unsui · 01-11-2010, 02:22 PM

I expect delivery of a 30' Flying Cloud in early February. Have a propride on order for the unit. I spoke at length to Propride-they tell me it was designed on a Airstream 30" and is a bolt on. No cutting or drilling. They recommend the 1400# bars when towing behind a Tundra. Hope it goes as planned. I will let you know.

Ag&Au · 01-11-2010, 02:33 PM

One other thing, this thread will likely turn into a pro-con discussion of inexpensive vs expensive hitches. There are at least a couple dozen of those threads here already. If you are interested in that just search for ProPride or Hensley.
However I felt that if am am putting a great deal of money into the trailer, why would I scrimp on the hitch that ensures my safety.
Regards,
Ken

2airishuman · 01-11-2010, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillTex

...but you don't need one...

B

i agree with B.

and ken and i are just WASTING money on contrivances we don't need.

but B, u don't need a stream either...

sleep in a tent, crap in a bucket, cook on an open fire...

and haul it all in a utility trailer strapped to yer truck with a chain!

'dat camping!

cheers
2air'

Jammer · 01-11-2010, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillTex

With your truck you hardly need WD...save yourself $2k, hook up the Equalizer ($399 delivered to your door), and hit the road. You can do a lot of camping with $2k...

If you were towing with something less of a TV, I might say otherwise, You have plenty of truck...and little to worry about...

Nothing against these high price hitches...but you don't need one...
B

I have an older K2500, 1997, before the runup in GCWRs. By the book it is barely adequate. Nonetheless, I agree that it is in most regards completely sufficient for the task at hand, in part because I believe that the near-doubling of pickup truck towing ratings has not been accompanied by an equally large increase in the size and strength of relevant truck components.

I ride motorcycles and have been doing so for over 20 years. I wear a helmet. I have been in two minor motorcycle crashes on the road, and the helmet did not prevent injury in either case. The statistics say that I will probably never be in a motorcycle crash where the helmet will make a difference in the severity of any injury. Nonetheless, I continue to wear a helmet, with some ongoing expense, and at the cost of a certain amount of hassle while preparing to ride.

In the same sense the PP is, with my setup, not strictly necessary. I believe that my particular combination would, under most conditions, actually be quite stable with just the WD bars and no sway control devices at all. The Equ-i-lizer, the cam-operated hitches from various manufacturers, and the PP/HAHA provide incrementally greater levels of quite probably unnecessary management of sway.

I expect to have this trailer for about 20 years and to pull a modest but not insignificant number of miles each year. At some point in those 20 years, it is likely that I will have a tire failure and a failure of the trailer brakes. At various points there will be other drivers of my rig whose confidence and reflexes are not the same as mine. I believe that the PP reduces the risk of a serious crash under these and other conditions.

ROBERT CROSS · 01-11-2010, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammer

I have an older K2500, 1997
I expect to have this trailer for about 20 years and to pull a modest but not insignificant number of miles each year. At some point in those 20 years, it is likely that I will have a tire failure and a failure of the trailer brakes. At various points there will be other drivers of my rig whose confidence and reflexes are not the same as mine. I believe that the PP reduces the risk of a serious crash under these and other conditions.

I weighed the purchase of the haha, rationalizing the pro's & con's endlessly.
(this was all pre pp) I finally came to the same conclusion, it all boils down to piece of mind, safety, yours and fellow travelers. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with your pp choice.

One plus that was not readily evident...I gained a very good co-pilot, DW now shares quite a bit of the driving.

Is it a 500mi trip home? If you have stinger that's workable and travel with nutt'n in the coach, it would probably be funner in your own shop.

But then again you could take the opportunity to educate the selling dealer on the merits of real sway control.

Good Luck

Jammer · 01-11-2010, 04:20 PM

My drive is around 75 miles.

I suppose I can opt for a combination of options 2) and 4) by putting the LP tanks and cover in the pickup bed which would reduce the amount of fussing around necessary. I see that Airstream wants the lug nuts tightened after 5 miles with a torque wrench so that's coming along anyway.

ROBERT CROSS · 01-11-2010, 04:31 PM

2 & 4 go for it...

Take some zip ties with you, had the plug fall out on our trip home from the dealer, plastic plug just wouldn't stay locked.

Stream Safe..

Wingeezer · 01-11-2010, 06:10 PM

When I bought our Classic 30 (actually 31') I towed it home from Ohio with our 1/2 ton and a conventional equalizer hitch.

In a pinch I could have lived with it, but I figured I am at a stage in my life where I might as well do things right for once and not cut corners!

Traded the 1/2 ton for a 3/4 ton diesel, and swapped the equalizer for a Hensley.

Very happy I did both!

I'm not that familiar with the pro pride but doubt it is any more difficult to istall than the Hensley - i'm sure Sean would tell you.

If it were me, I would go for it, and I would take tools to install at the dealer's place if you are not sure of their abilities or if they are reluctant.

Surely they would at least lend you tools if you forget something!

Doing it this way, you will know it is installed correctly and develop a good understanding of your new hitch which may well serve you later.

Well, that's what I'd do anyway!

Brian

triplenet · 01-11-2010, 07:27 PM

Today I went thru what you are asking.

I bought a used 25', had a local RV service pick it up and install my Hensley in his shop. They billed me 3 hours time for pickup and installation. I have a 1,000 mile tow to home and chickened out on installing in the snow and cold!
Drove 200 miles this PM in snow flurries. Wasn't planning on snow and slush on maiden voyage, and am real glad I made those decisions on hitch and installation!!
Good luck.
Bob

Jammer · 01-11-2010, 07:46 PM

I appreciate the comments. Keep them coming.

Having grown up in rural Minnesota I have fixed all kinds of stuff in below zero temps and blowing snow. Last year the starter went out on my pickup in January while I was out and about plowing snow with it and I wasn't about to pay to have it towed so ended up replacing the starter right there in the snow. PP shouldn't be as difficult as that, at least.

tslanier · 01-11-2010, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

i agree with B.

and ken and i are just WASTING money on contrivances we don't need.

but B, u don't need a stream either...

sleep in a tent, crap in a bucket, cook on an open fire...

and haul it all in a utility trailer strapped to yer truck with a chain!

'dat camping!

cheers
2air'

Ditto 2Air
I can only speak for my own experience but there is no comparison having the Hensley and I'm sure PP as well compared to the Reese Equalizer with the trailer attached directly to my TV. Been both ways and would never go back!

dkottum · 01-11-2010, 09:50 PM

Jammer, we bought our Airstream from Shorewood RV last spring, a 20' Safari and tow with our 2006 Tundra. An excellent combination. We have traveled and camped with this 3 months now and are very happy with both. The dealer was excellent, but when I brought up the idea of a Hensley or Propride (they never heard of Propride) they said the Equal-I-Zer was all I needed, $700 installed. They also said if I needed maintenance there I would have to leave the tow vehicle to move the trailer, and the Hensleys were a pain to hook up. Well, the Equal-I-Zer keeps things steady 99% of the time, but I have found some uneven (rutted) road surfaces that were uncomfortable, to say the least. I am thinking of getting a Propride now. That's my experience. If you want an Equal-I-Zer, I have one like new for a good price.

Jammer · 01-11-2010, 10:15 PM

I really do like the guys at Shorewood, even though they still haven't heard of Propride. :-)

I'll be interested to hear how you like the PPPPP once you switch. The interesting thing to me is that even people who are relatively happy with their friction hitches all seem to like the haha and ppppp much better.

xonvldz · 01-12-2010, 12:56 AM

towed my first a/s 28 safari with a reese dual cam.dealer recommended the hensley with the 31 classic.with the longer heavier trailer it was great advice.now that ive towed with the hensley i would not go back to anything less.makes my travels with this setup pretty much stress free.

ROBERT CROSS · 01-12-2010, 06:01 AM

Kinda like sex.....once youv'e tried it, you never want to go back to the alternative .

SteveH · 01-12-2010, 07:39 AM

I recently bought a ProPride after messing around for a year trying to get the performance of a Reese Dual Cam to the point where I was satisfied with it. I'm glad I bought the ProPride, even though I only tow a 25 footer.

I say go for it, however you get it installed...you will not be disappointed.