The unofficial pp users guide...

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Zigidachs

To help with hitching, one can paint the stinger with bright orange paint a the flat face of the receiver as well, so you have a bull's eye, so to speak, and an "arrow" to insert…..makes the hitching less problematic.

Hi, Orange paint, "Arrow"; Sounds like we are talking about some other brand of hitch.

[dkottum]

We're all different on desire for exact weights. We use a half-ton Ram reg cab with almost nothing in the bed but hoses, chocks and such because we don't have anything else to put in it. The bikes are on the back of the trailer. We travel lightly in the trailer.

I don't weigh it but use truck fender well measurements setting w.d. near the original attitude. That's about 6 to 6 1/2 inches on the jacks.

[dznf0g]

One other item which makes a PP or HAHA easier to slip in. With the spring tension completely loosened, the head tilts upward with ease while backing the stinger in. Whether you have tilt adjusted in the stinger, or it is a bit tilted due to slop in the receiver and gravity, if you stop just before the stinger enters the box and adjust the tongue jack so the stinger enters barely below the top lip of the box, it will slip in more easily. If the stinger is too low, even centered, many times the lower edge of the stinger will dig in and bind on the bottom of the box.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

One other item which makes a PP or HAHA easier to slip in. With the spring tension completely loosened, the head tilts upward with ease while backing the stinger in. Whether you have tilt adjusted in the stinger, or it is a bit tilted due to slop in the receiver and gravity, if you stop just before the stinger enters the box and adjust the tongue jack so the stinger enters barely below the top lip of the box, it will slip in more easily. If the stinger is too low, even centered, many times the lower edge of the stinger will dig in and bind on the bottom of the box.

Good idea. I will remember to try that. AS I think about it, I'm embarrassed I never thought of it.


Ken

[kuski]

Hi All,

While I don't own an AirStream (yet - one step at a time!), I have found this forum to be the best resource to learn about the ProPride Hitch. I'm new at trailering and hitches, so I have no reference to what to tweak next.

I'd like to know:
- From looking at my setup, the backend is sitting low still. What items do I want to tweak at this point?

-WD Pressure Adjustment (I have the 1400 bars)?
-Stinger Height Adjustment?
-Stinger Angle Adjustment (add/remove washers)?

I'm just not sure where to start to level the rig out.

- How much pressure on the WD bars is too much? Local folks commented that the bars are suppose to be level, but I've seen ProPride pictures where the WD bars are bent up towards the frame? Is it OK to put lots of pressure on the WD bars to the point that the bars are bent towards the trailer frame?

- Any redflags on my setup?

I'm getting my CAT scale done this weekend to check everything out, so looking forward to learning how to get the most our of my PP.

Many thanks all, K.

[ghaynes755]

K. from the looks of your photos I would try dropping the stinger one notch. You are correct that the front of the truck is high. Besides doing the scales, most accurate way, did you measure from the ground to the bottom of both wheel well openings before hitching and after hitching. You should be able to get the front back to that same measurement. Also to check level on the trailer measure bottom of the a-frame in the front and bottom of the frame in the rear to the ground.

See the posting where I uploaded my excel file. Basically you can fill in the blanks after you go to the CAT scales. Plan to do multiple weighings where you change the heights of the jacks. If you can, take the whole crew that will be riding in the SUB when you go on a trip. If the scales aren't busy pull on, do multiple weights with adjusting the jacks from a high position to all the way down (bars unloaded) all without moving the truck and trailer. Then you can pull off, drop the trailer and do the truck weight. Hardest part of this is jumping back into the drivers seat before they trigger the scale . Good to stop and talk to the weigh master to let them know what you are doing and to give you a moment to get back into the cab after you push the talk button. First weigh is usually $10 and all of the others are $2. Found out that the original weigh ticket is good for re-weighs for 24 hours.

[kuski]

Thanks Gary - I actually grabbed your Excel file last night and put in my SUVs numbers. Using it as my template for the CAT Scale numbers this weekend. Very useful file.

I'll try dropping the hitch bar this weekend prior to the scales and try to get it more level.

QUESTION: You said the most accurate way is to use the scales, but i'm not sure what i'm suppose to measure against? I have my max Weight Ratings for my truck, but not sure how that helps me determine where I want to be with my load (other than not above). Does that make sense?

[ghaynes755]

One of the things you are trying to do is to get the weight of the Tow Vehicle front axle when the truck is setup for towing without the trailer (one of the steps in the excel file) and then with the WD bars engaged adjust the jack height so that you are back very close to that same weight with the trailer hooked up. Example TV only front axle 3500#. TV hooked up, jacks at 4", front axle 3000#. 6" jack, front axle 3400#. So 6" would be better than 4". Front end to light which may lead to steering control issues.

Beyond that you are also looking at how the trailer looks? Is it level. I guess in a perfect world the trailer would be level, the front axle loaded would match the unloaded weight, and the wheel wells would be close to the original measurements. I got lucky with my new truck. First weighing after setting stuff up the front axle with and without the trailer hooked up was the same weights on the scales.

Caveat that I am still trying to understand all the parameters myself so looking for correction from the old hands if I got this wrong.

[kuski]

Thanks again Gary - I'll update this thread with my CAT Scale results so others can learn too Looking forward to tinkering with some real numbers....

[kuski]

Hi All - to assist other people's learning process I'm attaching my CAT scale numbers and Gary's spreadsheet calculations. Based on these numbers, 7.5 inches of height on my WD bars seems like the magic number to me....correct me if I'm wrong.

I'll also followup this post with pics of my final setup and some questions.

GARY: Many thanks for sharing your info and spreadsheet - really helped the process and I hope my data helps others too.

[kuski]

I lowered my stinger and angled it slightly with 2 washers to match the angle of the receiver prior to hooking up. Then when i apply 7.5" on the WD bars it evens out, which i think is what it's suppose to do.

OBSERVATION/QUESTION: Seems like a have a bunch of pressure on the WD bars with them at 7.5, and I assume this isn't over-stressing the propride hitch? New to trailering so not sure if something looks off....

If something looks off let me know.

The ride at 7.5" was FANTASTIC. I can see myself getting a bigger tow vehicle down the line (3/4 ton), but I'm within specs so comfortable with where I'm at. Look forward to getting it on the road now.

[ghaynes755]

Kuski it looks like 7" would also work. Don't know that the tilt is bad but most seem to have the stinger parallel to the ground, perpendicular to the part that goes into the car. Easy way to check if you need that much tilt is to remember as you get ready to unhitched that the jacks only need to be lowered until the tension bars are loose. That would make the head more level since it wouldn't have as much up tilt on the front. Your photo looks like the jacks are all the way down.

Maybe ask Sean to take a look at your photos and data in an email for his comments.

[lsbrodsky]

On our just completed trip I encountered a problem unhitching that I had not encountered before. Twice I could not unhitch without dragging the trailer. I have had the hitch a year and never had that problem, using the tongue moving independently method of determining the height for unhitching. Both of these times I swear the tongue moved independently but the truck would not pull clear. I destroyed two chocks in the process.
I contacted Sean and he suggested I not lower the wd jacks all the way, just until they are loose. I have also precisely measured the height of the receiver from the ground, on the truck, and will use that measurement for unhitching now. I am home so it will be a while before I try again.
Larry

[dznf0g]

Larry, sometimes the stinger sticks mechanically to the box interior. two things will help (in addition to verifying you don't have spring bar tension in play):
1) coat the stinger ramps occasionally with a dry lube or silicone. Mountain bike teflon chain lube is my favorite for this, as well as for the stabilizing jack screws.
2) Pull the pin on your breakaway switch before popping out of the box. The trailer won't move.

[lsbrodsky]

Hey Rich, good thoughts, thanks.

Larry

[lsbrodsky]

Here is what I did today when I unhitched at home. Worked like a charm!
I had measured the top of the receiver to the ground with the truck disconnected and marked that height on the PP latching wrench. So first I set the trailer jack to achieve that height at the top of the receiver with the trailer connected. Then I cranked the wd jacks down until they were completely loose and added another inch. This was not all the way down. I disconnected the chains, etc. and pulled right out.
For me, the correct height for the top of the top of the receiver is 15 1/4 inches.

Larry

[kry226]

I always set the Rotochoks before un hitching. Even in some awkward angles/situations, the trailer stays put.

[ghaynes755]

For me Rotochoks are the first thing after stopping and the last prior to leaving.

[cwf]

When I first got the PP, I had trouble hitching up, too. So, I looked closely at the 'stinger'.. and found the leading edges were very acute.. a hit with a flat file on all corners helped a LOT. Next, adding the silicone spray... and when properly aligned.. fits great! The silicone also does not build up from my experience.. so, no goopy stuff to get on my clothes or hands... just a light, easily removed road grime..

Adjusting the PP WD jacks is key to set the 'pitch' of the PP socket...to align with the stinger.

There were times that things were, uhm... less than on the level at some RV sites.. I had to 'adjust' one WD higher than the other on one occasion. Another time, I had to raise the tongue as the stinger began entry, then transitioned some of the load as I backed up... several times in and out of the drivers seat.

Yes, the PP has a 'learning curve'... but, I swear it saved some serious damage on at least a monthly basis... over 6000 miles on it now... and still getting the job done.

I grease the WD's at beginning of day and again if I pull over 6 hours. Getting the grease in with the little hand pumps is a hassle.. I will be 'upgrading' to a better one soon.

On a side note.. I used some Boeshield on the surfaces.. repels water nicely.. does leave a bit of a 'waxy' coating, but is easily removed if you want shiny shiny... and no rust.

[ShinyPete]

Shiny Pete is in the process of getting a ProPride hitch installed. I have been satisfied with the Blue Ox BXW1000 that we bought last fall to go with Pete, but always said if I could find an affordable Hensley or ProPride, I would buy it. I got the chance last week thanks to Craigslist and a very nice man in the Winter Haven, FL area that had a 3 year old PP on another brand trailer that he sold. Good for us!

Pete is at his summer home in Crystal River for 2 months, so it will be early August before I actually tow with the PP, but I'm working on install now. I have read every post in this long-running thread and mostly am posting so I am subscribed. Will update in August when I can't stop smiling after towing................