ProPride Blog

Spring bars can change the scale reading, but they don’t change the trailer’s underlying tongue force. For calculating the correct weight distribution setup, measure tongue weight with the bars disengaged; a trailer’s tongue weight should generally fall within 10% to 15% of its total loaded weight. Once the bars are engaged, they redistribute load among the trailer axles and the tow vehicle’s front and rear axles, so those scale readings describe a different load balance.

Sway control matters, but it isn’t the only way a hitch can reduce strain while towing. The benefits of a projection hitch system include helping limit trailer sway, reduce shock and vibration, and manage the forces that contribute to wear on towing equipment. Its effectiveness depends on matching the hitch setup to the trailer and tow vehicle.

A trailer leaves less room for rushed decisions on the highway. Learning how to handle highway driving with a trailer safely means accelerating smoothly, signaling well before passing or changing lanes, leaving extra room before returning to your lane, and allowing considerably more distance to stop. Keep a moderate speed, use the driving gear recommended for your vehicle on grades, check bridge and tunnel restrictions before setting out, and respond to sway by easing off the accelerator and holding the steering wheel firmly.

Your first towing decision happens before you turn the key. The most useful towing a trailer for the first time tips start with confirming that your vehicle, hitch, and loaded trailer are a suitable match, not simply checking whether they

Yes, a tow can take longer during rush hour. In Dallas, a 10-mile tow that normally takes 15 minutes could take 30 to 40 minutes in peak traffic. Towing in rush hour traffic safely means planning for delays and giving yourself room to react to drivers around you.

Unhitching safely depends on unloading the spring bars before opening the over-center latches. To understand how to unhitch a ProPride 3P, secure the trailer, release the bar tension, unlatch both sides, disconnect the chains, electrical connection, and emergency brake cable, then ease the tow vehicle forward.

A practical sway control solution for a Jayco Jay Flight starts with a properly matched hitch and a towing setup adjusted so the trailer rides level and weight is distributed appropriately. Sway control can help manage movement, but it does not make correct setup and loading any less important. The right approach depends on the trailer and tow vehicle as a complete combination.

The best hitch for towing an Airstream with an SUV is one that matches the fully loaded trailer and stays within every limit of the SUV, hitch, and towing equipment. A practical screening guideline is to keep the trailer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) at or below 80% of the SUV’s rated towing capacity.

A sway-control hitch is recommended when a trailer is prone to moving side to side, especially travel trailers and box trailers over 20 feet long. Understanding how sway elimination hitches work helps explain why: different systems resist sway through friction, spring-bar linkages, or a change in the trailer’s effective pivot point. These systems can improve stability, but they don’t correct problems caused by poor loading, tires, or suspension.

The hitch changes where the trailer pivots, and that changes how sway acts on the tow vehicle. A pivot point projection hitch, explained through its geometry, places the effective pivot about 52 inches forward toward the tow vehicle’s rear axle. Instead of pivoting at the hitch ball behind the axle, the trailer’s movement is redirected toward a point closer to the vehicle’s rear axle.