Does your repair shop have a problem with your ProPride or Hensley hitch?

[russingr]

I live in Dallas, and dropped off our Airstream for repairs at Vogt RV in Ft. Worth, and drove home. As background, Vogt is an Airstream dealer and has quite a few new Airstreams for sale on their sales lot. Our Airstream has a ProPride hitch that I had installed by another shop a couple of years ago.

About an hour later, the service guy called, and asked if I could come back and take the male part of the hitch from my TV and insert it into the female part on the trailer, so that they could move the trailer. I told him I was unable to return at that time, and he asked if he could uninstall the hitch to move the trailer. I told him that was acceptable, provided that he reinstalled it when the work was complete.

Several days later when I returned to pick up the trailer, they were having difficulty reinstalling the ProPride hitch on the trailer. It took perhaps an hour for them to finally reinstall it. After that was completed, the service manager told me that I would need to remove the hitch the next time I brought the trailer in for repairs. I told him that I had not installed the hitch myself initially, and that I didn't wish to uninstall it and reinstall it to have repairs done at his shop. I asked if they didn't often see ProPride hitches on Airstreams brought in for repairs, and the service manager said he had never seen one brought in before. One service tech that was in the conversation said that he had seen only one previously, but that it had been several years ago. Bottom line I am not welcome at Vogt RV with a ProPride hitch.

Have any of you with with a ProPride or Hensley run into this before? At Jackson Center they are well equipped to deal with this by attaching a simple adapter bar (only takes a minute or two) and off they go.

I was just amazed by Vogt's lack of familiarity with the hitch, and wondered if others have had a similar experience, and how you dealt with it. Thanks.

[slowmover]

You're right that it's inexcusable. These hitches have been on the market more than twenty years. And the previous dealer (Roger Williams) had no problem at all, they were a shop renowned for quality Hensley installations.

Call Airstream. Bitch that the shop at Vogt needs to come up with an adaptor for use with customer trailers. It sure ain't rocket science. AS needs to do some handholding (furnish a description/diagram to help Service Mgr feel stupid) and a boot to his backside as Vogt owes you an apology for their ineptitude.

Or, more diplomatically, tell doofus to call AS, Can Am and Colonial himself.

[rmkrum]

As a point of fact, The ProPride website has an adapter and locking plate combo available so a ProPride-equipped trailer can easily be moved by a repair shop with their standard ball on a forklift trick, or a regular tow vehicle. The dealer should get off their butt and go obtain one...

From my point of view, I have left the ProPride stinger for a repair shop, or let them use my TV to park my AS in their bay. Removing the ProPride so they can service my unit is flat not going to happen...I'll go elsewhere if that idea is even floated. I've got mine finely tuned, and I'm not interested in some uninformed tech pulling it apart...and putting it together wrong.

I'm also fairly sure Hensley Manufacturing has a similar adapter available...Vogt (and any other volume dealer) needs to have the proper equipment to deal with these hitches properly.

This kind of silliness is one of the many reasons I do as much of the work on my AS as I can by myself...aside from the fact that I do a better job and cost a lot less!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

To answer the original question, no, I do not believe my dealer (Colonial) has a problem with either a ProPride or a Hensley hitch. They were willing to install and adjust either of them on the trailer when I bought it.

They don't sell them, but they are more than willing to work with them / work on them. My guess is that they would rather not deal with the "boy, that costs a lot, how about throwing it in for free" nonsense that would come with selling them. Equally it could just be an inventory based decision. I never really investigated their logic.

Bob

[pteck]

As much as I like the VPPs, you guys are acting a bit entitled no? It's obviously a niche application and product. With as loud as the supporters are on this board, you'd think the whole world has come around to buying a $$$$ product.

The fact that Vogt doesn't have the right gear to support the Propride, is likely not going to affect their business one bit, as it's obviously so few and far between for their clientele. If the use of VPPs increase, then yeah, they should certainly invest in the equipment. They are a business after all, and their decisions are based off of sound business decisions.

Until then, this is good awareness for the owners of VPPs to be cognoscente that not all dealers are equipped. And that you may want to check whether that's the case and be prepared.

[DeltaRon]

Same problem here in Atlanta. We only have one dealer, Southland RV, and they always complain when I call for service. I’ve also called multiple dealers in the southeast to have it reinstalled; no luck finding anyone. Only place I’ve found is 1,400 miles away, Colonial!

[billrector]

I've heard others complain about Vogt's lack of flexibility when dealing with these hitches.

[Bigventure]

It all very easy. Just leave the stinger in the hitch. They can deal with the square shank. They cannot deal with the special female socket on the hitch.

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by billrector

I've heard others complain about Vogt's lack of flexibility when dealing with these hitches.

That would contradict that they've only seen one other one.

[Countryboy59]

CanAm installed mine, so I assume they can move it. They also delivered it to me, with a minivan, and had more than one Hensley stinger in the van with them.

[KJRitchie]

Purchased my 2008 Classic 25fb from them in 2013 when they first became an Airstream dealership. They pretty much deal in Equalizer when they sell a trailer . When they move a trailer they use a small tractor with a ball. Airstreams are just a small part of their sales, SOBs are their main sales. I guess that is one of the cons of owning a Hensley or ProPride.

Kelvin

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by pteck

As much as I like the VPPs, you guys are acting a bit entitled no? It's obviously a niche application and product. With as loud as the supporters are on this board, you'd think the whole world has come around to buying a $$$$ product.

The fact that Vogt doesn't have the right gear to support the Propride, is likely not going to affect their business one bit, as it's obviously so few and far between for their clientele. If the use of VPPs increase, then yeah, they should certainly invest in the equipment. They are a business after all, and their decisions are based off of sound business decisions.

Until then, this is good awareness for the owners of VPPs to be cognoscente that not all dealers are equipped. And that you may want to check whether that's the case and be prepared.

Seriously? How difficult is an adaptor to make to avoid damage to a $150,000 trailer? It isn't. It's cut and weld. Something any RV service facility could do fifty years ago. What the older hands gave as a project to the new guy. To check his math.

I have several stingers. I'd leave one installed. And tell an Airstream dealership to get off their cans and come up with one for the future.

It's telling their lack of VPP sales inventory and ignorance of how to deal with it makes them other than well-prepared for this market. This is the most talked about hitch type since before the Internet got rolling. And AS owners most likely to own one.

Vogt apparently thinks that selling tons of mohos makes them "knowledgeable". Ha!

Their failure, and to blame me for their labor cost, isn't acceptable. It's basic a shop will have (or acquire) tools to do the work. Blaming a customer for their own shortcomings is unreal.

[J. Morgan]

If it took them an hour to reset your hitch, I have to question their abilities. #JustSayin

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

If it took them an hour to reset your hitch, I have to question their abilities. #JustSayin

An hour to re-install a hitch like that, after never having had to deal with one before, and likely with no installation instructions, is not unreasonable. How long did it take you to install your ProPride hitch?

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by overlander63

An hour to re-install a hitch like that, after never having had to deal with one before, and likely with no installation instructions, is not unreasonable. How long did it take you to install your ProPride hitch?

I have a Hensley, setting the frame bracket and all the first time maybe two hours, but once the hitch has been installed, taking it off is a matter of releasing the ball socket, loosening the struts, and pulling 6 pins.

Putting it back up is the opposite. I have a hard time understanding how it would take a group of “mechanics” a second more than 15 min to reset the hitch.

On reflection, I pulled my Hensley off for inspection one time after CWF found the bearings rusty on his hitch, 5 minutes to take it down, and MAYBE ten minutes to put it back up.

Frankly, if I owned an RV repair facility, I would be too embarrassed to tell my customer that it took my mechanics an hour to do a 10 minute job.

[Bgibbs]

This Pro Pride issue has been discussed many times on this forum. I bought our trailer from Vogt and they installed an Equilizer hitch. They are very competent at installing this hitch. If you have an out of the ordinary piece of equipment on your trailer, it is your responsibility to make the dealer aware of it ahead of time and if they don't have the special tools or equipment, either find a dealer that does or supply them with what is needed. You can't expect a dealer to have the equipment and expertise to deal with every possibility.

[pteck]

Originally Posted by slowmover

This is the most talked about hitch type since before the Internet got rolling. And AS owners most likely to own one.

Wow, really eh? Just because you declare it so?

It's niche within a niche. I often find myself there too with many things, like my cars and toys, because that's what I like, for me. Awareness of that goes a long ways to head off issues.

Similarly, you'd think Lexus would be prepared to handle all their models. I asked for "AHC shock fluid" at the parts counter, and the parts guy was just absolutely lost. Sent me to the shop foreman, who again was utterly confused and said we don't replace fluids on shocks. I was prepared and showed them the maintenance schedule document, and part number, and said just order it. Parts guy was hesitant as he couldn't believe there to be such a thing, but of course, a nice tin can come a couple days later. They gave it to me without so much a word. Of course, I wasn't about to let them service something they insisted was a unicorn. Only thing I hoped to lend them was an awareness. I'll let the next guy in the same niche, possibly many many moons later, be the guinea pig.

[m.hony]

Couldn't you simply leave the stinger, too?
That seems easy enough.

[John Geisen]

I have a Hensley hitch. Installed it myself with no issues. When needing to repair our Airstream my dealer in south west Florida never mentioned anything when I dropped it off while writing up the ticket. As it turned out they needed to move the Airstream about an 1/8 of a mile to another part of service and were unable to do so because of the Hensley hitch which I would have removed if they had requested it. As it turned out some of my service was not able to be performed because they were not able to move our trailer. Go figure. -John

[KWN306]

My dealer is not equipped to deal with a Pro Pride. I just leave the truck attached to the AS to get my AS serviced.