Help deciding please

[slowmover]

Please use the PP thread and read up on how to set WD properly (past installation). Every rig, no matter the hitch, needs to be dialled in for best performance. Several owners give examples of using weight scales to this end.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by anniemaine

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and opinions. I have decided to spend the money and go with the ProPride. I know I will just feel more confident and safer with the upgrade.

Thanks again, Annie

When you order your ProPride, you will probably talk to Sean Woodruff, the owner. There are different size weight distribution bars available for this hitch. Tell him what trailer and tow truck you have and he will recommend the proper size bars. Trust him, he's been producing these hitches as well as working for the rival company Hensley for many years and knows what he doing.

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by anniemaine

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and opinions. I have decided to spend the money and go with the ProPride. I know I will just feel more confident and safer with the upgrade.

Thanks again, Annie

You might also want to read this thread in case you change TV ...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f238...es-107012.html

[msmcv51]

Originally Posted by anniemaine

I was advised by Colonial AS when considering a 25' Int'l that a Propride or Hensley was over-kill. I later bought a 2011 27' Int'l which came with a Reese (w/sway control bars). My first time towing from NJ to Maine went well, with no swaying or towing issues (TV is 2011 Tundra v8 5.7L w/towing package) .

But because I'm completely new to AS and towing, and have a minute or so of experience, I'm still unsure. I want to be as safe as possible, I also want a hitch system that has some redundant safety, in case I make a newbie mistake...I won't see my AS fading from view in my side mirrors as I'm heading down the road!

So I'm again asking for your wisdom to help guide me. I'm on the road late October traveling to Austin. Do I see how the Reese does or should I appease my nervous Nelly, who says I could run into conditions I couldn't handle, and upgrade to a Pro or Hensley? What do you think?

Thanks AD

The best advice I could give anyone is never ever for the driver to push the rig past the drivers ability to safely handle the rig. Going to fast per the road and weather conditions is most likely the cause of most accidents. Yes some mechanical failures do cause some accidents. In the movie Cars there is a line that goes " years ago people hit the road to have a good time, not to make good time". I have been passed by R.V.er's towing at 65 to 80 mph. If we all slow down to say 55 to 60 it is much easer to enjoy the view and arrive refreshed.
Now with all that said, I prefer the Andersen hitch with a quick-bite coupler and a F-250 V10 tow vehicle.

[steve.thomps]

For what it's worth, I'm a newbie too and here's my experience:
Bought a 2000 Airstream Excella 30ft, used Hensley, pulled by my F150.

First two trips Hensley worked great, no sway.

Parked at an awkward angle at a campground, then unhitched.
Three days later, hitched back up, drive out of site, several large popping sounds. Check the Hensley, one of the sway bars had unscrewed itself, disconnected, fallen to the ground. Other sway bar completely crushed.

I can't believe that that a $3,000 hitch could fail so dramatically. Yes, yes, I know, it's the users fault, should have checked and made sure the bar was still was tight, etc., etc., blah blah blah. I'm an idiot, go ahead and laugh...

Ya know what thought, I'm not digging it that that piece just would come apart like that so easily - and then cause $100's of dollars of damage to the hitch.

I'm looking for something simpler, more "fail safe", less complicated. I'm looking for something that doesn't take two people 15-20 minutes just to hitch up. Anderson ? Equalizer ?

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by windvale

I'm looking for something simpler, more "fail safe", less complicated. I'm looking for something that doesn't take two people 15-20 minutes just to hitch up. Anderson ? Equalizer ?

Having towed various travel trailers and four Airstreams since 1976 all over the U.S. and back and forth across the U.S. three times, I have been pleased with both the Reese Dual-Cam Sway Control and the Equalizer brand weight distribution hitches.

I believe that it is critical that the owner understand his or her hitch, how it functions, and how to set it up properly, no matter what brand of hitch they may choose.

I want a hitch that I can hitch and unhitch quickly and efficiently. I will not bad mouth the Hensley or the Propride, but I know owners who never unhitch because they find hitching up so challenging with the "stinger" type hitch.

My current Airstream came with an Equalizer, which I was going to replace immediately with a Reese Dual Cam. But I liked the equalizer so much, I kept it.
We've towed this Airstream with this Equalizer all over NM and AZ including Albuquerque to Mesa and back three times. I have been very favorably impressed.

[steve.thomps]

Originally Posted by Alumaholic

My current Airstream came with an Equalizer, which I was going to replace immediately with a Reese Dual Cam. But I liked the equalizer so much, I kept it.
We've towed this Airstream with this Equalizer all over NM and AZ including Albuquerque to Mesa and back three times. I have been very favorably impressed.

Excellent feedback Alumaholic ! Many thanks !

The Equalizer does look pretty good in those YouTube video's they got out there. Looks simple and relatively straightforward. I'm probably going to check one out.

Anyone have any experience with an Anderson pulling a 30ft Airstream ?

[polarlyse]

I pull a 2001 Excella 30'er. I had an older weight dist. hitch that came with the trailer when we got it from a friend. I think it was a Reese but not sure. It towed fine and we put 8-10 k miles on it. My only complaint was that the bars were heavy and inserted into their sockets from the bottom and had a tendency to fall out on washboard roads. It happened to me 2x in one trip and to my friend also. Our former trailer ( also 30') had an even older hitch with the trunion type bars. Never had any issue with them. Now with this one I went to the Anderson. I like it and plan to do the quickbite coupler conversion soon. It still has the troublesome original coupler that has worked fine for me.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by windvale

For what it's worth, I'm a newbie too and here's my experience:
Bought a 2000 Airstream Excella 30ft, used Hensley, pulled by my F150.

First two trips Hensley worked great, no sway.

Parked at an awkward angle at a campground, then unhitched.
Three days later, hitched back up, drive out of site, several large popping sounds. Check the Hensley, one of the sway bars had unscrewed itself, disconnected, fallen to the ground. Other sway bar completely crushed.

I can't believe that that a $3,000 hitch could fail so dramatically. Yes, yes, I know, it's the users fault, should have checked and made sure the bar was still was tight, etc., etc., blah blah blah. I'm an idiot, go ahead and laugh...

Ya know what thought, I'm not digging it that that piece just would come apart like that so easily - and then cause $100's of dollars of damage to the hitch.

I'm looking for something simpler, more "fail safe", less complicated. I'm looking for something that doesn't take two people 15-20 minutes just to hitch up. Anderson ? Equalizer ?

POI...There are no sway bars on a Hensley.
The WD bars are not screwed in. If installed properly they do not fall out.
It pays to familiarize yourself with anything that costs 3k.
I was a complete haha rookie when I installed ours 7 years ago. Went thru the manual more than a few times before venturing out.
At first hooking up alone took at least 25-30min...5 trips later no more than 10-15, can be even quicker with DW's help. I'm not usually in that big a hurry anywho.

Couldn't be more pleased using the HaHa, I'm sure the PP folks feel the same.

I can understand simpler, but sometimes it comes at a price I'm just not willing to pay.......sway.

Bob

[steve.thomps]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

POI...There are no sway bars on a Hensley.
The WD bars are not screwed in. If installed properly they do not fall out.
It pays to familiarize yourself with anything that costs 3k.
I was a complete haha rookie when I installed ours 7 years ago. Went thru the manual more than a few times before venturing out.
At first hooking up alone took at least 25-30min...5 trips later no more than 10-15, can be even quicker with DW's help. I'm not usually in that big a hurry anywho.

Couldn't be more pleased using the HaHa, I'm sure the PP folks feel the same.

I can understand simpler, but sometimes it comes at a price I'm just not willing to pay.......sway.

Bob

Bob, congrats. You're obviously a far more intelligent and vastly superior human to me.

[LFC]

I don't have a $3000.00 hitch and I don't experience sway with my $250.00 hitch...

but then again I might be a far more intelligent and a vastly superior human because I didn't waste $3000.00 on a hitch.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by windvale

Bob, congrats. You're obviously a far more intelligent and vastly superior human to me.

Thanks'....but it's not true.
Just a dumbie who "wasted" 3k on a hitch and took the time to lurn it.

Bob

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by windvale

Excellent feedback Alumaholic ! Many thanks !

The Equalizer does look pretty good in those YouTube video's they got out there. Looks simple and relatively straightforward. I'm probably going to check one out.

Anyone have any experience with an Anderson pulling a 30ft Airstream ?

We have used Equal-I-Zer, Andersen, and ProPride.

The Equal-I-Zer is an excellent weight distribution hitch with limited sway control and stiff weight distribution bars. A good buy, especially if your use is limited such as weekends. But then is so Reese and others. And it's all subjective, this is just my thoughts.

The Andersen is fraught with inadequate design, good sway control that cannot be released and becomes a deficit on slippery roadways, does not have the leverage to distribute enough weight but for only very lightweight trailers such as Casita.

ProPride is an updated Hensley (not that there is anything wrong with Hensley, the patent expired), its linkage design prevents the trailer from moving out of straight line with the truck, unless the truck steers it. No sway possible. Not only that, it completely changes the day-to-day towing experience. Sidewinds, trucks passing feel similar to no trailer attached.

Hensley/ProPride is the best tow money you can spend, you will know why first time you use it. (By the way, hitching/unhitching is a 5 to 6 minute exercise if you take a few minutes to learn, and the hitch stays on the trailer.)

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by dkottum

We have used Equal-I-Zer, Andersen, and ProPride.

The Equal-I-Zer is an excellent weight distribution hitch with limited sway control and stiff weight distribution bars. A good buy, especially if your use is limited such as weekends. experience. Sidewinds, trucks passing feel similar to no trailer attached.

Hi, well in my opinion, my Equal-I-zer brand hitch has worked great for nine years now. The only sway that my trailer ever had was caused by an Earthquake while parked in my driveway. I have towed in zero degree weather, well over 100 degree weather, in rain, wind, on snow and ice without incident. I have towed in 13 Western States and 3 Canadian Provinces. My trip to Alaska was over 10,000 miles and for 50 days; I would hardly say that my use was limited to weekend trips. I'm happy that on your third try that you finally found a hitch that you like, but your comment about the Equa-li-zer being limited to weekend trips is unfounded and way off base.

[Gene]

When you are thinking about getting an RV, no one tells you about the less enjoyable parts—sewer, frozen water hoses, heavy hitch parts, grease, maintenance, more maintenance, spending lots of money. It is all about having your own bed, a fridge full of goodies, eating outside under the stars (with an occasional bear), satellite TV, beautiful women and handsome men with perfect children and Spot the dog (who wags his tail all the time and never begs).

After Spot bites the kid in the next site—that kid who pulled his ears—then you have to think about unhitching, if only to take that nasty kid to the emergency room.

All hitches take some time to learn and the time to unhitch or hitch gets better with experience. None is especially simple or quick to do if you want to get out of there in a few minutes in the morning, or unhitch and go to a restaurant in the evening. It is the nature of the beast. I never time it because all that would do is make it a job with a guy with a stopwatch timing me.

Our Equalizer is simple in design and has worked very well for almost 50,000 miles and 6 years. It is forgiving—set up badly by the dealer, it worked quite well until I got around to setting it up right, and then it worked even better. I wish the hitch head and bars didn't weigh so much, there was no grease and it was enjoyable to hitch and unhitch. It is better than dealing with the sewer.

I'd rather some magic connector did it all for me at the push of a button on the dashboard. Even better, I drive a sports car and my servants bring the trailer and have it set up when I get to a campground—I'll miss the bathroom right behind me though. The Quickbite is interesting, but I'm ok with what I have and there are plenty of things to spend more money on.

By the way, the OP was going to buy a ProPride, so the decision has been made and we can renew this on another thread.

Gene

[John&Vicki]

Note to self: Don't post about hitches because they are a religion here. And never let anyone know I have a Blue Ox.

Poppy

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by dkottum

We have used Equal-I-Zer, Andersen, and ProPride.

The Equal-I-Zer is an excellent weight distribution hitch with limited sway control and stiff weight distribution bars. A good buy, especially if your use is limited such as weekends. But then is so Reese and others. And it's all subjective, this is just my thoughts.

Bob, you're right it is an "excellent weight distribution hitch and a good buy" as I said. The point I missed conveying, but intended, was if you are only towing weekends why spend big money on something else. I've got my reasons for changing but that's for another thread.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Birdmaestro

Note to self: Don't post about hitches because they are a religion here. And never let anyone know I have a Blue Ox.

Poppy

BLUE OX?!?!?!? Them's fightin' words!!! ;-)

[andreasduess]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Hensley/ProPride is the best tow money you can spend, you will know why first time you use it. (By the way, hitching/unhitching is a 5 to 6 minute exercise if you take a few minutes to learn, and the hitch stays on the trailer.)

Completely agree. It took me 10 minutes the first time, five minutes the second time to hitch up. Not because I am in any way more intelligent than others, simply because there isn't much to it.

If you're worried about a Hensley being too complex a hitch, don't be. Hitching and unhitching is a simple, straightforward process, especially if you have a backup camera installed.

Somebody already said it somewhere else in this thread, but it bears repeating: given the amount a new trailer cost, the TV cost and the value of the lives of the passengers, not getting the best possible hitch seems like a strange place to save a couple of bucks.

[ROBERT CROSS]

.......it's not arguing when it's done on a 'puter.
You cyber-bully mine and I'll cyber-bully yourz.

I put the peanut butter on one slice and the jelly on the other. Argue that.

Bob