Weight Distributing / Anti-sway Hitch

[mstephens]

Originally Posted by Sean Woodruff

Thanks... and since you define all purchases as a problem I'll look forward to providing you with the best solution available to the hitch purchase problem. (I have my tongue firmly planted in my cheek while I type this... )

Ha ha...Well sure. Who would spend a dime on a hitch if it wasn't to solve a problem? To those who insist that this hitch must be bought because it is the safest, I'd simply ask this: What if the price was $10,000? What if it was even more than that? I don't want to invoke an over used term here but "common sense" does come into play. (smiley face here)

[Sean Woodruff]

Originally Posted by mstephens

Ha ha...Well sure. Who would spend a dime on a hitch if it wasn't to solve a problem? To those who insist that this hitch must be bought because it is the safest, I'd simply ask this: What if the price was $10,000? What if it was even more than that? I don't want to invoke an over used term here but "common sense" does come into play. (smiley face here)

Maybe the same people that would spend $70K on camping shelter...

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Sean Woodruff

No, not as standard practice. If a retailer can explain the value they bring to the table I do work with them. But, I'm a "you work for what you get" kind of guy. If a dealer thinks they get a discount because they are a dealer I don't think that works in today's world. Most dealers don't understand the hitch, don't take the time to understand it and lump it in with all the other hitches. They literally want to be compensated for something because they sell something else. I just can't get my head around that thinking. If I called an Airstream dealer and said, "I manufacture and sell hitches and one of my customers wants an Airstream, what's my price?" they would laugh at me.

I don't expect ANYONE to sell a product and not make a profit. I do expect them to SELL the product to make a profit.

Hi, in both cases, the key word is Authorized Dealer. This usually means that they stock an inventory of the product that they sell. And they would most definitely sell for a profit. You are not an Airstream dealer, but many RV dealers could be a specific hitch retailer.

[switz]

What I appreciate is that all this exchange has been civil and interesting to read.

I have been known to enjoy a chocolate ice cream cone. There are many vendors of that flavor of ice cream. Some folks like dark and others like milk chocolate. Some Like Ben & Jerry's and others like Sealtest. There are price points covering a large range. In the end, we purchase the taste we want at the price we are willing to pay for that scoop of ice cream. We can read the marketing label for information or ask others how they like it. But the final choice is up to the purchaser.

There are many threads on this forum that have divergent opinions being shared. Many points of few reflect just the experiences of a particular writer. I would presume that most of the folks here are not engineers with huge laboratories in their back yard to precisely measure results from controlled testing. Experience is the greatest teacher around.

So far in the US, we still have the power to decide how we allocate a personal scare resource - cash. We use cash as a barometer for value we place on the information we receive about a given item and have to decide how much cash we are willing to allocate for that item, considering parameters totally unrelated to the "wonderfulness" of an item.

During one of many of my unpleasant experiences with trailer rentals from Mr "U", I would have given anything to stop the swaying that resulted in jack knifing because the rental unit lacked operational brakes on one side of the car carrier. That problem manifested just after cresting the top of a very steep long hill and starting downwards. Sway control was not offered.

I want to avoid those laundry generating experiences when towing in the future and researched for products that help that type of incident from being experienced again. I based my decision on vendor marketing claims that were reinforced by actual folks experiences, not opinions.

The side topics in other threads relatively linked to the product in question were useful in narrowing the search field to those items without that problematic part.

It is all good folks. Thanks for sharing. I have learned a lot from this thread,too.

[Sean Woodruff]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, in both cases, the key word is Authorized Dealer. This usually means that they stock an inventory of the product that they sell. And they would most definitely sell for a profit. You are not an Airstream dealer, but many RV dealers could be a specific hitch retailer.

I hear you, Bob. I do give dealers the option to buy multiple units at a discount but most do not choose to do that. You can see by the number of dealers for either the Hensley Arrow OR the ProPride 3P how many actually purchase inventory.

[dkottum]

Sean, about RV dealers. They said if I came in for service I would have to leave my truck to move the trailer around (although my dealer will make every effort to avoid/refuse warranty work). Yet they have seen many trailers equipped with ProPride, and have installed them if customers brought it in.

Can't they get a stinger or something to keep in the service department. We live 200 miles from them. I've got the sense they discourage your hitch because they can make more money putting something else on.

doug k

[Sean Woodruff]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Sean, about RV dealers. They said if I came in for service I would have to leave my truck to move the trailer around (although my dealer will make every effort to avoid/refuse warranty work). Yet they have seen many trailers equipped with ProPride, and have installed them if customers brought it in.

Can't they get a stinger or something to keep in the service department. We live 200 miles from them. I've got the sense they discourage your hitch because they can make more money putting something else on.

doug k

Yes, they can get one or use the customer's stinger. The problem is that they have a fork lift with a hitch ball on the forks. They could just as easily have a fork lift with a 2" receiver tube that works with the hitch bar locked into the hitch head.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Sean, about RV dealers. They said if I came in for service I would have to leave my truck to move the trailer around (although my dealer will make every effort to avoid/refuse warranty work). Yet they have seen many trailers equipped with ProPride, and have installed them if customers brought it in.

Can't they get a stinger or something to keep in the service department. We live 200 miles from them. I've got the sense they discourage your hitch because they can make more money putting something else on.

doug k

I left my truck with the dealer right after I bought the trailer. In my case it turned out OK. Since then I have analyzed the hitch mounting more closely. I am now convinced that I can remove the hitch head with the bars intact and leave the jacks and bracket that holds the yoke in place on the trailer. Therefore the whole process should only take 10-15 minutes. Doing it this way keeps the installation adjustments intact. In my case the dealer is only 10 miles away, so I can leave the hitch at home. If that was not the case I could easily remove it at the dealer and put in the back of the truck. In no way, do I want the dealer I use messing with the hitch.

Ken

[JimGolden]

Just one little tidbit I'm going to throw out here....

Economic discussions aside; everyone is arguing er discussing the merits of their favorite brand of anti sway weight distributing hitch....well I would say we are ALL winners here because we are ALL using one of some reputable brand or another.

Compare this to the guy you see going down the road with the 36 foot brand X hitched to the ball of his half ton truck where the whole rig looks from a distance like a capital V with the hitch shank 2" off the ground and the truck's headlights pointing upward at the sky.

It's kind of like fighting over who makes the best seatbelt for our car. I like Simpson, you like Sparco.... The fact that we're using one at all puts us ahead of the game.

Numbers don't lie, and if you want to really get it nailed down, you should do what Rednax has mentioned in this thread and others about going to the scales and weighing every axle with varying degrees of weight distribution cranked in as well as without it, and varying the load of the vehicles (bed vs the trailer, etc). With that, you KNOW.

But, you can get it acceptable by just measuring ride height and playing around with the variables that way as well. You won't KNOW for sure, but you'll have it close.

It's all varying degrees of goodness; starting good (basic WD) and getting better (precise measurements of fender heights) to best (scale measurements of each axle).

But my point is that in this entire thread, we're all fighting er civilly discussing which flavor of goodness we like over the others. It's kind of like we're already 90% toward safety/greatness by doing it at all and we're all talking about our preferred method of grabbing the last few percentage points.

To summarize: The fact that we all use Weight Distribution and Anti Sway (to the gent with the 19' vintage unit with the 4" frame...you probably don't need much weight distribution with that one anyway because of the low tongue-weight unless you're towing it with something really small, but anti-sway is always good) puts us on top to begin with. The rest is just fighting over who gets the peak of the mountain and who stands 10' below it. The guy with the V rig going down the road is 5000' below in the valley...

Kinda reminds me of arguing over who has the best brand of parachute....

Oh yeah, I really am an engineer....have a P.E. in Mechanical Engineering. We could throw enough math at this to bore everyone to tears, but it's all good

See you all on the road, riding level!

[Inland RV Center, In]

A dealer as well as a distributor, are usually required to have a inventory on hand, of some sorts, so that at least some of the time they can make an immediate delivery or shipment.

That is just they way typical business is done.

A "non-stocking" dealer, is usually a wannabe, that wants to make a little extra profit, without any investment, which seems to be a new breed.

That in itself, might be OK, but normally a dealer must also make a financial investment with an inventory.

A distributor, by simple definition, also carrie's a stock level.

But, that's not always the case, especially with a few higher priced RV replacement parts, as they are ordered, only when sold.

Anybody can sell, but not everybody is willing to make the financial investment required to be a stocking source, which in turn, backs up the distributor and manufacturer.

Can every part a manufacturer has be stocked by a dealer. No way, is that even possible or necessary.

They work togther, as a team.

Andy

[Inland RV Center, In]

Jim.

Not everyone uses a load equalizing hitch.

A few folks think it's a big waste of money, because they have a truck for a tow vehicle.

Safety, unfortunately, is not in everyone's vocabulary.

That same person though, would never have guts to be a pilot, when they kick safety to the curb.

Freedom of choice, I guess.

Andy

Andy

[Sean Woodruff]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

That is just they way typical business is done.

One of the many reasons I have always been Atypical.

At a point in time dealers offered some value in the supply chain.

That value has turned into "I DESERVE a discount because I am a dealer."

Most dealers "push" what they have always known rather than researching and understanding the options available for the customer.

I think an understanding of the various products available, and how they work, should be the minimum requirement for a professional dealer. It has nothing to do with if the product is sitting in a box at their location. That ship has sailed in today's world.



-

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Jim.

Not everyone uses a load equalizing hitch.

A few folks think it's a big waste of money, because they have a truck for a tow vehicle.

Safety, unfortunately, is not in everyone's vocabulary.

That same person though, would never have guts to be a pilot, when they kick safety to the curb.

Freedom of choice, I guess.

Andy

Andy

Very well said !!!

[mhilley]

I probably should start a new thread but I thought this was along the same subject. I have a Reese anti sway and one of the spring arms keeps jumping up on the cam surface and will stay there until I release the tension and take the spring arm off the cam arm. The cam arm is starting to wear on the top surface. I have called Reese many times and don't have a resolution. They say
"try this", "try that". Try standing on your head, etc. Has anyone seen this problem?

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by mhilley

I probably should start a new thread but I thought this was along the same subject. I have a Reese anti sway and one of the spring arms keeps jumping up on the cam surface and will stay there until I release the tension and take the spring arm off the cam arm. The cam arm is starting to wear on the top surface. I have called Reese many times and don't have a resolution. They say
"try this", "try that". Try standing on your head, etc. Has anyone seen this problem?

The Reese Dual Cam hitch is problematic because of the way it works as you already know, and at best is just a half step above most friction sway control systems. And then, if it's not adjusted perfectly, simply does not work well.

If you want to solve you hitch problems and totally eliminate even the potential for sway, get yourself a ProPride. I know they are more money, but what is your rig's value, and your family's life's value? I know they are that much better because I used to use a Reese, even spent extra money on different bars per Andy's advise to no gain.

[orange kayak]

Didn't have hours to read this whole thread so I'm sorry if this information has been covered. We bought our 2011 19' Flying Cloud about 6 weeks ago and have towed about 1000 miles. Dealer installed (recommended) 10K Equalizer hitch on our 2012 Honda Ridgeline. Handled great until an incident this past weekend. After making a sharp right turn from a stop the steering was off. I suspect the drivers side bar somehow bound up and I had to hold the wheel at about 10 o'clock position to maintain forward motion. Eventually corrected. Having read many posts on the forum I wonder if I'm overhitched? If I got 6K would I be underhitched? How would I determine this without buying and using another whole hitch setup? Brand new to RVing. I know there are as many opinions as people on this forum but would appreciate being hearing them. Thank you!

[StreamNTyme]

Hmm..
Anti-sway does NOT mean it eliminates sway!
You can not say they are the same. Many companies say their hitches are anti-way but only two companies eliminate sway. Anti sway is good until it surpasses its limitations. Hensley and Pro-pride. Period.

[orange kayak]

This wasn't sway, tho. It was 50 miles and included two stops. Tire inflation was good. Road not rutted. Seemed to correct when I backed up at another stop.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by orange kayak

This wasn't sway, tho. It was 50 miles and included two stops. Tire inflation was good. Road not rutted. Seemed to correct when I backed up at another stop.

I used to have an Equal-I-zer hitch. However to be honest, I don't remember in detail the exact mounting scheme. All hitch systems however have a physical limit that restricts how sharp a turn you can make. If that degree of turn is exceeded, either something is damaged or forced out of adjustment. It sounds like the latter happened in this case. As you towed it further the rearward force eventually put it back into line again. I would suggest you examine your hitch for any bent components. If all is OK, then figure out a systems to keep from making too sharp a turn.

As far as I'm concerned it sounds like you have a good, appropriate hitch for your trailer and TV.

I'm sure someone, with more knowledge than I, will come along here soon.

Ken

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by orange kayak

Didn't have hours to read this whole thread so I'm sorry if this information has been covered. We bought our 2011 19' Flying Cloud about 6 weeks ago and have towed about 1000 miles. Dealer installed (recommended) 10K Equalizer hitch on our 2012 Honda Ridgeline. Handled great until an incident this past weekend. After making a sharp right turn from a stop the steering was off. I suspect the drivers side bar somehow bound up and I had to hold the wheel at about 10 o'clock position to maintain forward motion. Eventually corrected. Having read many posts on the forum I wonder if I'm overhitched? If I got 6K would I be underhitched? How would I determine this without buying and using another whole hitch setup? Brand new to RVing. I know there are as many opinions as people on this forum but would appreciate being hearing them. Thank you!

I'm not familiar with your hitch (barely familiar enough with mine) but my ProPride was installed by the dealer (their first) and a couple things were wrong. One was the location of the head which wasn't even left to right on the frame. That turned out to be an easy adjustment and once adjusted, the porpoising problem I had experienced went away. Someone with more knowledge of your hitch might be able to tell you what pieces can be adjusted (perhaps a bolt was loose and that shifted your hitch on the sharp right turn).

Good luck!