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Trailer sway accident sends driver to hospital
Posted on Wednesday, September 7th, 2016 at 1:37 pm.
Photos by Janine Thomson
Sept. 5/16 – Southbound traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway was closed for approximately three hours on Monday after a vehicle towing a travel trailer rolled.
Trailer sway does not have to occur…
eliminate trailer sway with the ProPride 3P hitch.
Driver taken to hospital as a precaution after TCH rollover – Goldstream News Gazette According to the West Shore RCMP the driver felt the trailer start to sway before it eventually went over. She was transported to hospital as a precaution. Southbound traffic on the highway was closed for roughly three hours as crews cleared the …
2012 Evergreen Ever-Lite 31BK travel trailer towed by Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chevy Avalanche
Posted on Thursday, November 1st, 2012 at 2:11 pm.
Submitted by Brian Dolan
My Setup:
2012 Evergreen Ever-Lite 31 RBK
Past tow vehicle: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee with OEM tow package
Current vehicle: 2012 Chevy Avalanche with OEM tow package
I started my travel trailer’ing in early 2011 with the Ever-Lite, the Jeep and a Blue Ox Sway Pro BXW0750. Once i dialed the weight distribution settings, the ride was pretty good. I did plenty of short distance (100 miles or less) trips as well as a trip from Chicago down to Key West and back in 2011. The setup worked and I was fairly satisfied but realized that I was doing more “white nuckle” driving than I wanted. I got to a point of acceptance but started to realize I should be more relaxed and not worry about every large car/pickup truck and semi passing me and getting the sway I was getting. Even with the settings dialed in, I was still getting some sway and didn’t like it. Who would?
I started looking into something “better” late last year and came across the ProPride and Hensley. After making the decision to go with the ProPride and discussing my setup with Sean, I made the jump earlier this year. I installed it (took me longer than most [2 days] but I took my sweet time and I ran into some minor problems [threading issues with supplied bolts; moving gas tanks) and did some testing to dial in the weight distribution.
My first trip was about a 150 mile round trip and what a difference! Sway was gone, period. Yes, the whole rig would move on occasion but was much easier to control and lots less white knuckle moments on the drive. I’ve now made a couple of more adjustments, tightened bolts, etc and am very happy with the setup. My turning radius has increased because of the extra space between the tow vehicle and the trailer, turning in general has improved, and noise has reduced when turning due to not using tension bars for sway control. A side note: I realized my brake control settings were way off (too low) due to what has been described as the “Hensley bump” but that was quickly remedied. In the end, that was a great wake up call to my misconfiguration of the brake settings.
Now that I have a new tow vehicle, I adjusted the settings accordingly and am still very happy with the full setup.
I happily would recommend this product to anyone that asks. I get a lot of comments about the trailer due to the newness of the brand and now I get a lot of questions on the hitch setup. I’m happy to promote it and love to share with others how it all works. I really have no complaints about the whole process (pre-sales process, purchase, support, etc) outside of a couple of minor things I already mentioned. It did take a little bit of getting used to the hitch process but it’s simply different, not more difficult.
Thank you Sean for a great product! You get what you pay for and this is no different. I am happy I made the investment in your product. Like my headline says, “happy and more relaxing driving” now that I use your hitch.
32′ KZ Travel Trailer towed with 2011 Ford F-150 Super Cab
Posted on Saturday, April 7th, 2012 at 8:42 pm.
Submitted by Arnold and Bonetta Smith
About a year ago we purchased a 32.4’ KZ Trailer pulling it with a F150 super cab 2011 Ford pickup with tow package. The trailer came with the conventional sway bar hitch. After the first trip to Arkansas we were ready to sell the whole thing. The big trucks caused such a sway and suction that it felt dangerous to pull on the interstate. Someone told us about another type hitch that we began researching on line. There were several brands with the basic technology so we called and talked to the mfgs. and compared each one of them. After some time of doing this we focused in on the ProPride hitch 1400. We were provided with very good information and great assistance. We actually had to make a slight adaptation to the hitch for our trailer but all worked out great. We just returned from a trip to west Texas and were more than pleased with the results. No sway or drag from the big 18 wheelers and actually more positive pull control overall. It is much quicker to hook up and disconnect and has a better turning radius . We are very pleased with this hitch and would readily recommend it to anyone. We think now we will keep the trailer.
Hensley Arrow Hitch | ProPride 3P Hitch | Former Arrow Owner Recommends 3P Hitch
Posted on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 at 1:17 pm.
Submitted by Farrel Droke:
2012 Ford F150 SuperCab 4×4 with the Max Tow Package (11,200 lb towing)
2004 Airstream International 28 (GVW is 7300 lb, hitch weight is 900 lb.)
A bit of personal background: I’m a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Mechanical Engineering program (1979) and, until recently, a registered Professional Engineer in five different states. (Since ‘retiring’, I’ve let my licenses go dormant.) I’m also the holder of US, Canadian, and European patents. I was the Chief Engineer for a firm that prepared technical instructions for the Department of Defense.
I’m also one of a handful of people who have personally owned both the ProPride 3P and the Hensley Arrow. So, here is my evaluation of the differences and similarities of the two designs:
1. FUNCTIONALITY – Both designs perform sway control in the same manner by forcing the effective or virtual pivot point of the trailer connection far forward of the actual hitch ball. Both of my applications were with a short-bed Dodge 3/4 ton diesel truck with a very short distance between the axel and the bumper. Essentially, with both hitch designs, my trailers pulled as if they were 5th wheel trailers with the hitch connection directly above the truck differential. Functionally, both hitches performed identically. ADVANTAGE – EVEN
2. MAINTAINABILITY – My application of both designs were on Airstream trailers. The Arrow design required periodic adjustment of the strut bars in my application due to subtle changes associated with the hitch ball movement. In addition, much care is required with the Arrow when replacing or adjusting the spring bar bushings. The bushings must be inserted the correct amount to prevent damage to the pins. The 3P is directionally controlled with the yolk bracket and the sway bars are held in place by hardened disks. ADVANTAGE – 3P
3. INSTALLATION – The 3P does not require holes to be drilled in the frame of the trailer. ADVANTAGE – 3P
4. HOOKUP – The stinger design on the 3P has a more generous opening in the hitch making alignment easier. ADVANTAGE – 3P
Overall, I’m recommending the ProPride 3P hitch to all of my friends. The advantages I’ve listed plus the price advantage makes it a better buy.
Trailer Towing in High Winds with ProPride 3P
Posted on Saturday, July 30th, 2011 at 6:16 pm.
Submitted by Scott Phillips – Billings, MT
Just got back from an awesome trip. This is the second outing since getting the ProPride. I wanted to share two experiences I had that further cemented my decision to buy the hitch.
As usual the trailer with the ProPride hitch towed incredible. I went up and down several mountain ranges including the Continental Divide. The trailer never even hinted about swaying even in the strong side winds we encountered (more on that later). Then I was approaching a stop light that had just turned green. The speed limit was 55. The light turned red again as an emergency vehicle switched it and then turned its siren on. I had to do an emergency stop. I mean 55 to 0 now. The trailer stayed right behind the truck rock solid. Never felt out of control.
As mentioned earlier, we encountered some stiff side winds (50+). Having driven motorhomes and travel trailers before, I can honestly say it never acted like a travel trailer. The effect of the side winds was more like driving a motorhome. Trailer and vehicle would get pushed as one ( no sway), however nothing as bad as a motorhome. It never required white knuckles or even a hint of concern. However on the same road, we came across another travel trailer on it’s top as was the towing vehicle. A guard rail kept them from falling off the cliff. By the position of the vehicles, it was clear the trailer had begun to severely sway, and the driver lost control. Right then I knew I was happy with every penny I spent on the ProPride.
ProPride 3P Hitch – It’s worth every penny!
Posted on Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 at 1:20 pm.
Submitted by Larry Darling
I finally got away and my wife, two dogs, and two cats made our maiden voyage in our 23 foot airstream with an installed ProPride hitch. We drove from northern Nevada to Central Texas and on the fourth day I got into a tight situation on a freeway in Austin, Texas. At highway speeds above 60 mph, we encountered a full stop traffic pattern upon topping a hill. I had an empty lane to my left and just enough time to pull hard in that direction. Had I not purchased and installed a ProPride hitch, I would have, at best, put six automobiles together and /or flipped my trailer. The ProPride hitch took the maneuver without loss of control for a nanosecond. I cannot thank you enough for your design and manufacture of this great travel aid. Before the ProPride, my trailer would sway at down hill speed over 55 mph, but now I have full control at much higher speeds.
ProPride 3P with 35 Cardinal and Lifted Ford Excursion
Posted on Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 at 12:34 pm.
Submitted by Chad McCammon – Washington
I felt I would post my recent experiences with the ProPride Hitch and can try and answer any questions that come up. The ProPride Hitch is more expensive than conventional WD with sway control but does seem to work extremely well. We recently sold a 2005 Cardinal 31BH 33.5’ dry weight 7400lbs and 780lbs tongue (actual tongue scaled at 1100lbs loaded). On the Cardinal we ran the Reese dual cam hitch and it did perform well on that trailer, but the hitch was sold with the trailer. We just purchased a 2012 Sabre 32QBTS 35’ dry weight 8200lbs with 1100lbs tongue (actual very lightly loaded scale weight 8600lbs with 1300lbs tongue). We decided to opt for the ProPride Hitch for the larger trailer as we plan to keep it a long time and will be towing close to our max.
A few weeks ago I drove our 2005 Excursion from WA to IN to pick up the new Sabre trailer. I installed the ProPride 3p Hitch at the RV place in IN and hit the road to tow it the 2200miles home. It took about 2.5 hours to install and adjust. The installation went very well and I just needed to move the propane tanks forward a little bit to have clearance for the leveling jacks. I did hit a truck scale on the way home and things checked out well. I will probably hit the scale again at some point when the trailer is fully loaded to make final adjustments (crank the WD jacks up and down as needed). Prior to my trip I asked some questions to Sean with ProPride. Sean is extremely responsive, knowledgeable and helpful. I wanted to make sure the hitch would work on my lifted tow vehicle and that I would have all the tools needed to install.
Now for the 2200 mile road trip home. I took it easy the first 100 miles to get a feel for the new trailer/hitch and make it through Chicago (start of rush and rough highways) and then later picked up the pace. Immediately the trailer felt good behind. The first thing I noticed is how little I felt the trailer on the rough highways I was on. I could barely feel it was back there. It tracked very well and would just follow the direction that I pointed the TV. Chicago had a lot of road construction on the interstate in which you had to go from road to road on detours. The transitions were narrow, rough and traffic was moving fast. The trailer just tracked right through these transitions following the TV without any hesitation or negative feedback.
Once on the open interstates my average speeds were between 65 and 70 all the way home. It was a one hand on the wheel experience the whole trip. I encountered all kinds of road surfaces, semi trucks, mountain passes, strong head winds and side winds. At one point my EGT gauge was real high and climbing and at first I did not know why. Then I saw a flag standing on end and realized I was going into a 20mph head wind. The trailer was tracking so well and using speed control I did not realize it (nothing in the scenery to give me any clues). Later I encountered 25mph side wind with gusts to 40mph (gusting hard enough to blow chunks of tire blow outs off the highway). This side wind with gusts was the only time I felt like I needed to pay close attention to everything around me (definitely not white knuckle). In these winds I would just anticipate when it would hit full force and when it would drop (underpasses, hills, etc.). All it took was steering the TV and the trailer would follow. While in the 25mph side wind I was on a two lane highway in South Dakota cruising 65mph and was about to meet 3 semis all doing 70mph drafting off each other. First thought was hang on and be ready. Amazingly all I felt is a wind push from each semi and the trailer was ROCK SOLID. It may have pushed me 4-6”, I was amazed. Not one time on the trip did I experience any sway. I was very lucky in the weather and only encountered compact snow and ice for about 50 miles on a flat section of highway in Montana. It was comforting knowing that this is probably the safest type of sway control to use on icy roads as it is not friction based (friction based could cause losing control).
I am done rambling for now. I hope this may help those of you wondering about the hitch.
Brake Controllers At ProPride Hitch
Posted on Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 at 12:40 am.
Brake controllersare extremely important when it comes to towing! At Pro Pride Hitch you can find the best deals on brake controllers. ProPride Hitch offers nothing but quality products that will stand the test of time. If you need anything to do with towing, Proprdie Hitch is the place to go. To view their entire collection visit www.propridehitch.com.