Need advice on the best anti-sway hitch.

[runtime]

Was checking out the Propride 3P on the Propride site and saw the guarantee I pasted below. At $2,000 cheaper I'm temped to try the Reese Staight line /duel cam sway first before dropping the $$$ on the P3. Any first hand experience withe the Reese straight line... Out there?


Purchase Reese hitches with confidence backed by the ProPride Towing Comfort Guarantee!

If the Reese Straight Line Hitch with Dual Cam Sway Control does not provide you with the towing stability you desire you can apply 100% of the purchase price toward purchasing a ProPride 3P. We have you covered for total towing comfort and stability.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by runtime

Was checking out the Propride 3P on the Propride site and saw the guarantee I pasted below. At $2,000 cheaper I'm temped to try the Reese Staight line /duel cam sway first before dropping the $$$ on the P3. Any first hand experience withe the Reese straight line... Out there?


Purchase Reese hitches with confidence backed by the ProPride Towing Comfort Guarantee!

If the Reese Straight Line Hitch with Dual Cam Sway Control does not provide you with the towing stability you desire you can apply 100% of the purchase price toward purchasing a ProPride 3P. We have you covered for total towing comfort and stability.

The risk averse person in me would carefully parse that “guarantee”. In fact, you COULD apply 100% of the Reese purchase price toward a ProPride. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get your money back from Reese for that purpose - it may just mean you’ll outlay that cash (again) to another company. [emoji3]

Most major brands are likely fine. All have their pros and cons. Know what you’re trying to accomplish, why, and which product meets those objectives best.

Spend the money once. Happy camping!

[DBinSD]

Originally Posted by runtime

Was checking out the Propride 3P on the Propride site and saw the guarantee I pasted below. At $2,000 cheaper I'm temped to try the Reese Staight line /duel cam sway first before dropping the $$$ on the P3. Any first hand experience withe the Reese straight line... Out there?


Purchase Reese hitches with confidence backed by the ProPride Towing Comfort Guarantee!

If the Reese Straight Line Hitch with Dual Cam Sway Control does not provide you with the towing stability you desire you can apply 100% of the purchase price toward purchasing a ProPride 3P. We have you covered for total towing comfort and stability.

They are betting you will not know the difference, most won’t.

Only if you have towed with them BOTH will you know.

I have towed with them and will not tow without my ProPride.

When comparing products / bids. The cheapest will ALWAYS be the most expensive in the end.

[gypsydad]

Reese on my 2006 25' AS worked fine 2.5 years we towed. 2008 25' AS had an Equalizer which broke while backing; one of the stabilizer bars twisted. Dealer in Phoenix had a SwayPro from BlueOX in stock so I went with that. Worked great for the 2 years we had that AS. With our new 2014 25' AS, we went with SwayPro again...no issues for the 3 years we had that AS. I was very happy with the performance over 3 years, keeping the 25' AS in line even in very scary swerving maneuver caused by "wreck-less" driver changing lanes and trying to pass me on the right; I was going 65mph...the SwayPro did it's job along with the F150 sway control; maintained control.

Fast forward; we have had our 2017 28' AS 15 months now with a SwayPro...very happy with the ride and stability. Lots of choices out there...I like the BlueOx. You need to understand the set up and how it works compared to other WDH with sway control options...there are many choices, as you may know; also lots of opinions.....

[runtime]

Isn't the Reese Hitch a Propride Product o r am I mistaken?

[rmkrum]

Reese and ProPride are two totally different companies.

I have a ProPride and flat will not tow anything with an A-frame and ball hitch configuration without one.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Reese and ProPride are two totally different companies.

I have a ProPride and flat will not tow anything with an A-frame and ball hitch configuration without one.

I had a Hensley......it was sold with the trailer.....I went to Reese duel cam , I like it much better...13 31’ Classic with a 17 ram 2500...6.7..coils on the rear

[Hans Grim]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

I had a Hensley......it was sold with the trailer.....I went to Reese duel cam , I like it much better...13 31’ Classic with a 17 ram 2500...6.7..coils on the rear

I’ve got a Hensley on my 29’ and am interested in what you like better about the Reese. I find with the Hensley, the WD doesn’t make much difference as it did on the smaller Ford Explorer that I used to pull with.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by Hans Grim

I’ve got a Hensley on my 29’ and am interested in what you like better about the Reese. I find with the Hensley, the WD doesn’t make much difference as it did on the smaller Ford Explorer that I used to pull with.

.....for one thing with the Hensley, you had to be at the same level ,sideways and length ways...to hook up..real often I had to drive the pickup up on blocks. on one side to be level .....we park at a lot of places where the ground is unlevel every which way..now at a fairgrounds...it is unlevel every direction..no problem hooking up with the Reese..we have 7800 on the axles and 10050 on the ball...17 2500 ram...6.7...went to Nova Scotia, 3200 miles now drifting home....

[Hans Grim]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

.....for one thing with the Hensley, you had to be at the same level ,sideways and length ways...to hook up..real often I had to drive the pickup up on blocks. on one side to be level .....we park at a lot of places where the ground is unlevel every which way..now at a fairgrounds...it is unlevel every direction..no problem hooking up with the Reese..we have 7800 on the axles and 10050 on the ball...17 2500 ram...6.7...went to Nova Scotia, 3200 miles now drifting home....

I had problems with it originally, then got used to using the tensioners on each side to twist the head left, right, up and down. Usually worked, although there were a couple times I had to get pretty radical, including one time totally dismantling the hitch to attach it to the TV. It is a lot different from hooking up my boat trailer. Thanks for your insight. The HAHA is original to the AS so 25 years old, so looking. Hope you enjoyed NS. Drift careful.

[Oldhip]

What is the current conventional wisdom about using a Andersen wd hitch and demco coupler on 20x BC?

[vwii]

We bought a Husky hitch. Good reviews on Amazon and we're pleased with how well the FC tows with it. No swaying, etc. We did have to get it adjusted at an RV dealer for a level tow, and to get it torqued enough.
Husky 32218 Center Line TS with Spring Bars - 800 lb. to 1,200 lb. Tongue Weight Capacity (2-5/16" Ball) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W919FL8...ing=UTF8&psc=1

[rbs]

Pro Pride is the best, but it's more money. If you are going to be pulling a lot, go with the best. They are built by a company who goes way beyond the normal when dealing with any issues, questions, concerns or help, they are a role model for customer service. You'll only cry once, they are the best

[Rich Jenkins]

As stated above a few times, "best" is a pretty subjective word. But it seems like the OP just wants some information, so he can decide how to "do it right the first time" on a 30' AS with a 2500 truck. I sympathize, because we were in the same boat a few years ago when we bought our 30 Flying Cloud from Colonial Airstream.


With that: We did 50K miles in two years of extended travel with our 30FC+ProPride hitch, towing with our 2016 Ram 2500. It was an extremely stable rig.

Pluses for the Propride:

- Zero sway; the rig was rock solid at all times and all speeds.

- The customer service from Sean at ProPride was outstanding.

- The cost was at the top end of available hitches.

- I could drop the tail gate while hitched up.

- The adjustable weight distribution system meant I could account for load changes each time.

Minuses for the Propride:

- The truck to trailer alignment angle for hitching up was very small.
This got better with practice, but I still needed to be pretty straight. I also painted the hitch opening edges white, making a bright colored "box" that was easier to see on the backup camera to guide the stinger in.

- Unhitching required carefully adjusting the trailer elevation to make sure the stinger released.
This got easier after I learned to grease the stinger, and hit the "sweet spot" of power jack elevation vs. truck.

- The hitch extended the entire combined rig length by a foot or so.
Not a huge problem, it just meant my truck + 30' trailer was even longer.

- The stinger was both heavy and awkward to remove from the receiver.
Although you could drive the truck with the stinger inserted, it really did stick out a lot, and I almost always opted to remove it from the truck. It was pretty heavy, though.

There was definitely a learning curve with the ProPride. When we picked up our new rig from Colonial in November, we stopped overnight at Cherry Hill Park in MD. We almost were unable to detach the truck from the trailer to go eat dinner; it took us forever in the cold biting wind to get disconnected the first time.


We recently bought a used 2018 23' FC FBQ. I'm towing it with my Ram 1500. The FC came with a 6,000# Equal-i-zer hitch.

Pluses for the Equal-i-zer:

- Hitching and unhitching can be done at a very wide range of truck to trailer orientation.
You can drop the trailer on the ball at almost any angle.

- Slipping the W/D bars up and over the L-brackets is quick and easy

- Customer service has been fantastic.
I received personal communications from the CS department after I had a few setup questions. I also received (for free) new stickers in the mail for the head and W/D bars to replace the severely worn ones on my hitch, since I was repainting it in a few areas.

- I have an option to leave the stinger in the truck, driving around at camp.
Yes it sticks out a bit, but I've not had a problem per se, I try and back in to spots when possible, to reduce the risk of someone hitting the ball when it's on the truck.

Minuses for the Equal-i-zer:

- Changing W/D setup requires either removing/inserting washers into the head (removing 320 ft shank bolts) or removing four 3/4" nuts to move the L-brackets up or down.
I'm still dialing in the hitch, but I don't see adjusting it on a regular basis.

- There was initially some rubbing noise in turns (per the friction 4-point design) in normal operation as the bars slide on the L-bracket supports.
I noticed this was lessened after I'd retorqued the 15/16" spring arm socket nuts to the specified 60 ft lbs.

- There's no "box" to visualize in the backup camera.
What I'll likely do is put a vertical strip of white reflective tape on the hitch ball to help make it stand out even more in the view as I back in the truck. But this is pretty small cheese; my wife was pretty surprised that literally the first time I backed the truck up to the trailer, I was within 1/2" of the coupler.

Towing, it seems to work pretty well. As to hitching/unhitching, the Equal-i-zer takes maybe 1/3 of the time we spent futzing with the ProPride.



Both are good hitches; it's great we have so many options to choose from that work well.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by runtime

Was checking out the Propride 3P on the Propride site and saw the guarantee I pasted below. At $2,000 cheaper I'm temped to try the Reese Staight line /duel cam sway first before dropping the $$$ on the P3. Any first hand experience withe the Reese straight line... Out there?


Purchase Reese hitches with confidence backed by the ProPride Towing Comfort Guarantee!

If the Reese Straight Line Hitch with Dual Cam Sway Control does not provide you with the towing stability you desire you can apply 100% of the purchase price toward purchasing a ProPride 3P. We have you covered for total towing comfort and stability.

I went from the Hensley,to the Reese duel cam …many miles I like it

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Llando88

As stated above a few times, "best" is a pretty subjective word. But it seems like the OP just wants some information, so he can decide how to "do it right the first time" on a 30' AS with a 2500 truck. I sympathize, because we were in the same boat a few years ago when we bought our 30 Flying Cloud from Colonial Airstream.


With that: We did 50K miles in two years of extended travel with our 30FC+ProPride hitch, towing with our 2016 Ram 2500. It was an extremely stable rig.

Pluses for the Propride:

- Zero sway; the rig was rock solid at all times and all speeds.

- The customer service from Sean at ProPride was outstanding.

- The cost was at the top end of available hitches.

- I could drop the tail gate while hitched up.

- The adjustable weight distribution system meant I could account for load changes each time.

Minuses for the Propride:

- The truck to trailer alignment angle for hitching up was very small.
This got better with practice, but I still needed to be pretty straight. I also painted the hitch opening edges white, making a bright colored "box" that was easier to see on the backup camera to guide the stinger in.

- Unhitching required carefully adjusting the trailer elevation to make sure the stinger released.
This got easier after I learned to grease the stinger, and hit the "sweet spot" of power jack elevation vs. truck.

- The hitch extended the entire combined rig length by a foot or so.
Not a huge problem, it just meant my truck + 30' trailer was even longer.

- The stinger was both heavy and awkward to remove from the receiver.
Although you could drive the truck with the stinger inserted, it really did stick out a lot, and I almost always opted to remove it from the truck. It was pretty heavy, though.

There was definitely a learning curve with the ProPride. When we picked up our new rig from Colonial in November, we stopped overnight at Cherry Hill Park in MD. We almost were unable to detach the truck from the trailer to go eat dinner; it took us forever in the cold biting wind to get disconnected the first time.


We recently bought a used 2018 23' FC FBQ. I'm towing it with my Ram 1500. The FC came with a 6,000# Equal-i-zer hitch.

Pluses for the Equal-i-zer:

- Hitching and unhitching can be done at a very wide range of truck to trailer orientation.
You can drop the trailer on the ball at almost any angle.

- Slipping the W/D bars up and over the L-brackets is quick and easy

- Customer service has been fantastic.
I received personal communications from the CS department after I had a few setup questions. I also received (for free) new stickers in the mail for the head and W/D bars to replace the severely worn ones on my hitch, since I was repainting it in a few areas.

- I have an option to leave the stinger in the truck, driving around at camp.
Yes it sticks out a bit, but I've not had a problem per se, I try and back in to spots when possible, to reduce the risk of someone hitting the ball when it's on the truck.

Minuses for the Equal-i-zer:

- Changing W/D setup requires either removing/inserting washers into the head (removing 320 ft shank bolts) or removing four 3/4" nuts to move the L-brackets up or down.
I'm still dialing in the hitch, but I don't see adjusting it on a regular basis.

- There was initially some rubbing noise in turns (per the friction 4-point design) in normal operation as the bars slide on the L-bracket supports.
I noticed this was lessened after I'd retorqued the 15/16" spring arm socket nuts to the specified 60 ft lbs.

- There's no "box" to visualize in the backup camera.
What I'll likely do is put a vertical strip of white reflective tape on the hitch ball to help make it stand out even more in the view as I back in the truck. But this is pretty small cheese; my wife was pretty surprised that literally the first time I backed the truck up to the trailer, I was within 1/2" of the coupler.

Towing, it seems to work pretty well. As to hitching/unhitching, the Equal-i-zer takes maybe 1/3 of the time we spent futzing with the ProPride.



Both are good hitches; it's great we have so many options to choose from that work well.

Great review's; thanks. Your comments on the PP are what I have observed when a "neighbor" happens to be using. Hook ups take a while, especially when your new to this set up. Alumalina this year, guy next had a "new to him" 27' with a PP he was talked into purchasing when he got the AS. He told me the "start up" frustration he had just gone thru. When he was leaving on Sunday, I watched him with 2 other "helpers" futz with his PP for 45 min before they got it hitched up, and then the bars were hanging only a few inches from the ground. He had a new Ram 2500 also.

I get the comments about the ride/feel of the PP being one unit. I am happy with the Blue Ox performance and set up.

[Martee]

Old thread, being resurrected.
My opinion is that most towing hitches perform quite well, when properly setup with the trailer. Setup is definitely different for every combination of tow vehicle and Airstream trailer. So make sure your hitch setup is expertly done by an experienced person.

The ProPride definitely takes a longer learning curve. I would recommend first timers use another more simpler hitch for their first year, before moving into the ProPride world. My first experience with ProPride was a disaster. It was hard to align for hookup, and with the lower ground clearance, I managed to damage everything when it grooved the pavement. I limped home at 25mph with a severely damaged hitch.

That same day, I ordered a Reese SteadiFlex with dealer setup from etrailer. Now, it's extremely easy to align and hookup. No issues with sway after 50,000 miles towing.
I am towing a FC25FBT, and with the high tongue weight of this model, sway is already minimized. I still have the ProPride as a backup hitch.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

Great review's; thanks. Your comments on the PP are what I have observed when a "neighbor" happens to be using. Hook ups take a while, especially when your new to this set up. Alumalina this year, guy next had a "new to him" 27' with a PP he was talked into purchasing when he got the AS. He told me the "start up" frustration he had just gone thru. When he was leaving on Sunday, I watched him with 2 other "helpers" futz with his PP for 45 min before they got it hitched up, and then the bars were hanging only a few inches from the ground. He had a new Ram 2500 also.

I get the comments about the ride/feel of the PP being one unit. I am happy with the Blue Ox performance and set up.

PPP Hook-up's are as hard as you make them, took us 5 trips.
Even I can outsmart an inanimate object.

Bob
🇺🇸

[AlbertF]

You asked, so I'll tell you what I would buy.

Eaz-Lift with the 1200 lb tapered round bars plus friction sway controls. Don't forget to buy the left hand sway control as well as the right hand. You should be using two with a larger trailer.

The key advantage of the tapered round bars is more vertical travel in situations like entering gas stations. There's less stress on the truck's receiver and on the trailer frame. The tapered bars are also progressive and effective over a wide range of tongue weights, and provide a better ride.

I use 1000 lb bars with a +/-600 lb loaded tongue weight, and they work very well.

Setup is critical. Use lots of washers, so that the hitch head is tilted back about 15 degrees.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by AlbertF

You asked, so I'll tell you what I would buy.

Eaz-Lift with the 1200 lb tapered round bars plus friction sway controls. Don't forget to buy the left hand sway control as well as the right hand. You should be using two with a larger trailer.

The key advantage of the tapered round bars is more vertical travel in situations like entering gas stations. There's less stress on the truck's receiver and on the trailer frame. The tapered bars are also progressive and effective over a wide range of tongue weights, and provide a better ride.

I use 1000 lb bars with a +/-600 lb loaded tongue weight, and they work very well.

Setup is critical. Use lots of washers, so that the hitch head is tilted back about 15 degrees.

Guess I still shake my head when I hear/see this recommendation? Why the "extra" friction sway devices, when a good WDH with SC works great when set up properly? Too many of us have great success with a varity of WDH with SC, especially can vouch for the Blue Ox...3rd AS I have used the BO and the antisway has served us well in emergency maneuver situations as well as on the highway with windy conditions over 12 years now.

Only issue I see with the PPP that folks seem to agree on, is hooking up on an incline and ground clearence. I don't have those issues with the BO. As for the friction bars, extra cost for what reason? Set up your BO with Anti Sway adjusted properly, and you are fine. Why would you pay for an Eazylift and need to add "many washers" and friction sway bars also?? Crazy!