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Old 12-04-2024, 12:58 PM   #21
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Name: Cliff
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Texas
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Originally Posted by computerspook View Post
Hopefully you got a little bit of a laugh about the VW bug too.
Would have loved to have seen that in action.
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Old 12-04-2024, 01:31 PM   #22
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Name: Ray
Trailer: scamp
Indiana
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Originally Posted by cwall59 View Post
Would have loved to have seen that in action.
Yeah I never even got a totally find out who did it. Never got to see it either. Just glad nobody was in the reception area and it was after hours. Of course I did it cuz it's after hours I'm pretty sure. But if somebody had been in reception date of ended up dead or very badly hurt. And the second somebody ends up dead or very badly hurt then it isn't funny anymore.

I kind of can see it happening in my mind. ;-)
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Old 12-04-2024, 02:42 PM   #23
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Name: Cliff
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Texas
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Yeah I never even got a totally find out who did it. Never got to see it either. Just glad nobody was in the reception area and it was after hours. Of course I did it cuz it's after hours I'm pretty sure. But if somebody had been in reception date of ended up dead or very badly hurt. And the second somebody ends up dead or very badly hurt then it isn't funny anymore.

I kind of can see it happening in my mind. ;-)
I have seen a picture of an old Bettle with a hitch mounted to the roof pulling a trailer.
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Old 12-04-2024, 03:34 PM   #24
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Indiana
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Originally Posted by cwall59 View Post
I have seen a picture of an old Bettle with a hitch mounted to the roof pulling a trailer.



This apparently was a thing there are also videos of it. Kind of cool. But it also was at least mostly properly engineered. Have to wonder about the power needed to pull much of a trailer, but then again the trailer was like about a 13 footer without the section over the car.
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Old 12-04-2024, 03:42 PM   #25
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Name: Ray
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Indiana
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Originally Posted by cwall59 View Post
I have seen a picture of an old Bettle with a hitch mounted to the roof pulling a trailer.



This apparently was a thing there are also videos of it. Kind of cool. But it also was at least mostly properly engineered. Have to wonder about the power needed to pull much of a trailer, but then again the trailer was like about a 13 footer without the section over the car.


There is apparently at least one homemade version for the modern beetle too. Can't find out if it was ever actually built as more than a prototype. But kind of cool.
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Old 12-04-2024, 04:30 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by giro53 View Post
We use the Propride system on our Bigfoot. Did the install a few years back and very happy with it. A few points though. To install the crossmember we had to modify the battery box. Battery still fits in the same place but had to cut out part of it. Also we do not use the weight equalizing jacks as install8ng them would mean cutting out a fair section of the storage box for 5hem to go thru. We stuck with using Proprides equalizer bars and kept the chain system.
As far as performance it works great. As advertised, no sway even in cross winds. Hitching is a learning experience. Without the jack system installed it is more diffecult especially if you are not straight on. Also be aware that the system will add about 18” to yout total length.
We recently installed a Hensley cub on my sons rig. Although not a Bigfoot I feel the install was much easier and woukd have been easier on the Bigfoot as well. The jacks sit further out making their install less of an issue with the storage box. Would compare the two very closely. Both result in a great towing experience since they use the same theory.
Best of luck. Happy towing.
You probably know this, but in case others do not, Hensley designed both of these hitches. Hensley gave up his hitch name when he left the company for ProPride.
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Old 12-04-2024, 11:29 PM   #27
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Name: Charles
Trailer: Bigfoot
Georgia
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One member (ThomasC) on the BOCI forum installed a ProPride hitch on his 25 ft with a cargo box. Thomas used the Lippert StrapTek system for tensioning the bars. Some metal cutting involved in the battery/propane sheet steel support that hangs down from the frame.

If you are a BOCI member, you can view the thread HERE

There was some fiberglass cutting involved but fairly minimal.

I installed a Blue Ox Sway Pro on my 21 ft model and it works real well.



Charles
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Old 12-05-2024, 04:45 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by cwall59 View Post
Thanks for the input. I went ahead and ordered a ProPride during the sale they have going. Price is still expensive but I think it’s the best hitch out there . My truck will be a 2025 F350 longbed that I have on order . I’m not worried about the TV . It will give me peace of mind if my wife does any of the driving knowing I have the best away control hitch available. Maybe over kill but I think I will be happy. Oh I went gas with this truck, my last truck I just sold was a 2020 F450 6.7 diesel. Best truck I’ve ever owned .

You don't need any kind of WD or sway control with the 1 ton truck.
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Old 12-05-2024, 04:58 PM   #29
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Name: Ray
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Originally Posted by Steve Outlaw View Post
You don't need any kind of WD or sway control with the 1 ton truck.

Yeah for a camper our size very true. But you still might feel it back there and a person not used to a trailer might not be that comfortable. Will not make it any really more stable or safe. But it probably can make it feel that way. And as the original poster said the point was to make his wife comfortable driving and him comfortable letting her.
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Old 12-05-2024, 06:42 PM   #30
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Name: Perry
Trailer: 2016 Bigfoot 25RQ
Lanesboro, Minnesota, between Whalan and Fountain
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Originally Posted by Steve Outlaw View Post
You don't need any kind of WD or sway control with the 1 ton truck.
You're correct that with a 1 ton truck no WDH is needed.

However, sway occurs at the ball and doesn't matter if you have a Tacoma or a 450 Ford, sway can happen as easily with either tug. It's the owners option on buying a friction sway control. I don't trust the built-in sway my F150 supposedly has. If I had 15% or more weight on the ball I'd probably not add a sway control device. If I was under 15%, I'd have one.

We had lots of tongue weight on our 2000 Scamp and 2007 Casita's ball, so we chose not to have a sway control device, but it's a gamble that one has to accept the consequences. We have a Sherline scale to weigh the tongue. Our unloaded 2003 Bigfoot 25RQ was under 13% when we hauled it home after purchasing, but we loaded the trailer to have around 15% on the tongue.

Food for thought,

Perry
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Old 12-06-2024, 01:52 AM   #31
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Originally Posted by Perryb67 View Post
You're correct that with a 1 ton truck no WDH is needed.

However, sway occurs at the ball and doesn't matter if you have a Tacoma or a 450 Ford, sway can happen as easily with either tug....

Food for thought,

Perry

You are correct, of course, that the trailer (not the tow vehicle) is the culprit in the swaying issue. I guess I'm too used to advising our Oliver Owners that if you're towing with anything bigger than a regular 1/2 ton vehicle no WD or sway control is needed. We can say that because there has never been a report of an Oliver starting to sway under any circumstances. The small 1/2 ton trucks require a WD hitch if the tongue weight is over 500 pounds and all the OEII's surpass that.


Sorry for the confusion.
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Old 12-06-2024, 12:08 PM   #32
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Do these go on sale every June?
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Old 12-07-2024, 09:21 AM   #33
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Name: Dan
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Originally Posted by Perryb67 View Post
Since you've obviously not looked at how the Blue Ox works you won't understand how it works differently than Equalizer/friction type hitches. When we switched from the E2 to the Blue Ox there was an immediate difference in ride. There is almost no flex in Equalizer or E2 bars, and it's that difference providing an improved ride.
You should try to understand what people are talking about rather than inferring and making allegations about what you think they know; I do know the differences between how they work. I’ve got several degrees in physics so find that kind of thing very easy.

What I see now is that we’re talking about two different things. As I said it wasn’t clear (to me at least) from your first post about this what the basis was for your views on these hitches. Now I see you like the Blue Ox due to the ride quality, I had thought you were talking about the physics statics since you complained about frame stress (I thought you meant trailer frame, maybe you just were talking about the hitch). Fair enough, good to have that clear that your opinion is that the Blue Ox is a better ride.
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Old 12-07-2024, 11:26 AM   #34
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Originally Posted by BigDan View Post
I’ve got several degrees in physics so find that kind of thing very easy.
Since you are still uncommitted, you might want to look at Airstreams. I understand they are aerodynamic and have some active groups online.
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Old 12-07-2024, 11:50 AM   #35
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Name: Ray
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Originally Posted by Steve Outlaw View Post
You are correct, of course, that the trailer (not the tow vehicle) is the culprit in the swaying issue.

Well mostly but the load and the layout of the TV can have some of an effect, especially with regards to the feel. And there are design issues on the TV which can make the problem better or worse -- a little. But you are right the best place to look is the trailer.



Did have one TV for a nonRV trailer which caused me a lot of trouble until I realized that the weight distribution on it caused problems. OK the trailer had some sway, but it was easy to control with properly distributed weight. When someone loaded the back and higher up in the load with the heavy stuff and the front and down lower with with the very light stuff I really had a time because trying to control the sway did not work well. The TV started swaying too. But then again I already knew that it was harder to drive when someone loaded it wrong. But it was like 10 times harder with a loaded trailer on the back and a bad load.


I really had to control my tongue to not say some non Christian words with I found out that they had loaded it that way after I had told them to load it the other way.
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Old 12-07-2024, 05:11 PM   #36
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For what it is worth, we have just traveled from northern IL to Louisiana with our Propride hitch on our Silver Cloud, and I have not screamed one time due to sway, because there was no sway.

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Old 12-28-2024, 04:52 PM   #37
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Name: Tom
Trailer: BigFoot 25B25RT
Massachusetts
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Late to the Party

I see some links to my installation thread, so I assume interested parties have looked them over. I did want to add one thing about the cross bar and cutting the battery box.



You can see from this photo that I cut out more than I needed to.

I had a later thread where I evaluated the tow qualities.

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...5rt-94755.html
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Old 12-28-2024, 10:38 PM   #38
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Name: Cliff
Trailer: In market
Texas
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Thanks for all the input , I think I made the correct choice going ProPride . Hopefully in a few months I’ll have both the truck and trailer. I may haul the trailer home just on the ball and then install the ProPride when I get it home .
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