Getting hitched right the first time

[wsomach]

Greetings!

We are getting our 28' Flying Cloud in a couple weeks.

We will soon have our F250 XL gas truck to tow it.

Next we need a hitch. Our driving style will be super careful, not in a hurry. Safety is of paramount concern for us. We will be traveling generally with good weather. So Southern U.S. in the winter progressing North only in late spring/early summer and then back South as we get into Fall and then finally the next Winter season. So avoiding driving in snow or ice. In fact we plan to try to tow the trailer as little as possible in very inclement weather of any kind.

Our Airstream will be our home as we will live and work full-time as digital nomads. And so we want to protect it with the best equipment we can.

I've read many posts about hitches and trailer sway and weight distribution come up a lot. In my research so far, there seems to be a wide gradient of price ranges for hitches.

Names that have come up in my research are Pro Pride, Hensley, Reese and Andersen. I know there are many more.

Pro Pride & Hensley seem to be the most expensive of the ones I've come across in the forum at around 3K. But they seem to be very highly reviewed and recommended when it comes to eliminating trailer sway. 3K is a lot of money for us. But if the adage goes "you do get what you pay for" with hitch packages and these two are really a cut above all others, we would certainly invest in one of these to protect our most valuable assets on the road.

Since we are newbies, we also need advice on who should install the hitch so that it is set up correctly. There are people who do it DIY. But being newbies, we might want to go to an expert. Should we be having Airstream do it when we pick up the trailer? Or go to a hitch retailer?

We want to make the right choice the first time on this. Any advice would be most gratefully appreciated. Thank you!

[JohnandDonna]

We use a Blue Ox and have no problem towing our 30' AS.

[Piggy Bank]

I think based on what you have written that you should research the pivot point hitches like the pro pride and hensley until you understand how they differ from a more typical weight distribution anti sway hitch like an equalizer.

I also think based on your rig and your continuous driving vs weekenders, that if I were in your situation I would pay the additional money for the pivot point hitch. You certainly have adequate payload with your tow vehicle.

We have a Tundra and a 27 and don't have any payload to spare. We tow successfully with an Equalizer and for our needs it is very suitable. But were I to have your rig and your usage and conservative risk profile I would probably prefer the pivot point hitch.

That being said, if you really think that you simply won't drive ever if it's really windy, or rainy, then you may prefer the ease of the Equalizer. But if you have never traveled in the midwest, you have no idea they continual cross-winds that you will encounter.