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Old 08-27-2015, 03:50 PM   #1
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First Timer: Propride hitch with 284BHBE at the dealer?

In about 5 or 6 weeks, I will be picking up my first travel trailer that I ordered through CW.

Having read a bunch of reviews on hitches, I decided to go with the Propride 3P right out of the gate.

Here's my question: All the reviews I've read say it takes anywhere from 3-6 hours to get a 3P hitch installed on the trailer, and it looks like, depending on the trailer, some holes might even need to be drilled to re-position the propane tanks, etc.

Would it be a better idea to borrow a standard WD hitch from someone to bring the trailer to my house, then install the 3P? Or would it be reasonable for me to bring a toolbox out to the dealer and do the installation on their lot?

I'm pretty handy and am not intimidated by the install, just not sure about laboring on the dealers lot for up to 6 hours to get the hitch on?

This is my first trailer (rented one a few years ago), so I'm not really sure about what to expect at the dealer other than having read some PDI checklists, etc.
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Old 08-27-2015, 09:29 PM   #2
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I did the same when we bought our trailer last year, about 3 hours from home. As part of the deal the dealer agreed to instal the 3P for free when I came to pick it up. It probably took them an hour and a half, and they did a pretty good job. I tweaked it after getting the whole rig home then to dial it in before towing loaded.

Great choice though, it's a fantastic hitch!
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Old 08-28-2015, 07:58 AM   #3
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The first time I installed my 3P it took about 3 hours but that's because of measuring everything twice and re-tightening the bolts 2 or 3 times. Since then I've taken it off a few times and it goes on in less then a half hour. I love the 3P, it's expensive but I absolutely love it. I would never tow with another brand.
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Old 08-28-2015, 09:26 AM   #4
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Something you need to check on right now...the Eagles have the rounded fronts with the propane tanks inside the nose...Will the jacks on the 3P be in the way of the cover/tanks? Will there be enough room for the jacks at all? I would make a trip to your dealer with the 3P and see if they have anEagle on the lot you can measure from/compare to.

Other wise, depending on how far you are hauling the new trailer home, I would plan to haul it with no WDH and do the install at home. You can take your time.
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Old 08-28-2015, 09:34 AM   #5
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Once you get it set up, the Pro-pride works great with the 284BHBE. I had the same concerns and called the dealership no less than 6 times to in the weeks prior to pickup to confirm that they would be able to install the Pro-pride. Unfortunately, they had never installed one before and had never seen one before. The installed it completely wrong, upside down and backwards, didn't use a torque wrench even once and did not know how to use a measuring tape and then charged me $500 for it. It was July 3rd when we arrived for our 8:00 am appointment to pick up the trailer. They were still trying to figure out how it went onto the trailer at 2:00pm and they completed their botched installation at 4:30 and insisted that there was nothing wrong with the installation even though any idiot could see that the jacks were not equal distances from the coupler. Was not impressed and still trying to get my money back for the botched installation.


As they screwed up the measurements for the first pieces installed, I had to remove everything and reinstall once I figured out what they had done wrong and sending pictures to Sean at Propride and he was great in pointing out what was wrong with the setup. It took me longer to figure out what they had done wrong than it did to reinstall. If you PM me an e-mail address, I can send you some pictures of the hitch which is now properly installed on my 284BHBE. The battery tray does interfere with mounting the jacks, but one small hole through it and installs fine. You can’t use the maximum distances for the jacks as the propane tank cover gets in the way, but you can install within the specs set out in the instructions and still carefully remove the propane cover without having to remove the jacks each time.

I think if you received the hitch a week before you pick up the trailer and unwrapped everything and pre-assembled any pieces that you can and have it clear in your mind how the installation will go (you tube videos, pictures etc.) you could easily install it in less than two hours. The only difficult part was getting the stinger portion on the truck set to the correct height as this was done through some trial and error but that is not something that would prevent you from pulling a short distance to test and then adjust. Having the height not quite right just reduces the weight distribution effectiveness. For tools, a set of sockets and wrenches, torque wrench, drill and bits to drill through metal (touch up paint if you are concerned about hitch rust where you drilled). A cordless impact wrench really speeds up adjusting the stinger height as there are 3 large bolts. You might need someone to help help you lift the large portion into coupler as that piece is quite heavy. As I said, PM me with an e-mail address and/or I can send you my Skype handle if you want to discuss further and I could probably even try and show you live video over skype if there is anything else you want to look at with my install.

Happy Camping,
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Old 08-28-2015, 11:27 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by LiftedAWDAstro View Post
Something you need to check on right now...the Eagles have the rounded fronts with the propane tanks inside the nose...Will the jacks on the 3P be in the way of the cover/tanks? Will there be enough room for the jacks at all? I would make a trip to your dealer with the 3P and see if they have anEagle on the lot you can measure from/compare to.
x2. The front of my Eagle prevented the jacks from getting to the needed level. It was suggested I modify the hitch and use chains. Great. Got $2000 gathering dust in the barn. Perfectly happy with my Equalizer. And service yard cowboys can move the trailer around properly!
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Old 08-28-2015, 11:56 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by LiftedAWDAstro View Post
Something you need to check on right now...the Eagles have the rounded fronts with the propane tanks inside the nose...Will the jacks on the 3P be in the way of the cover/tanks? Will there be enough room for the jacks at all? I would make a trip to your dealer with the 3P and see if they have anEagle on the lot you can measure from/compare to.

Other wise, depending on how far you are hauling the new trailer home, I would plan to haul it with no WDH and do the install at home. You can take your time.
This is something I was wondering - the dealer's maybe 2 miles from my house, so is it OK to tow it that far with just a standard hitch ball? There are some mild hills and such on the path, but it's all smooth roads with not much traffic.
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Old 08-28-2015, 12:01 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Ottawasteve View Post
Once you get it set up, the Pro-pride works great with the 284BHBE. I had the same concerns and called the dealership no less than 6 times to in the weeks prior to pickup to confirm that they would be able to install the Pro-pride. Unfortunately, they had never installed one before and had never seen one before. The installed it completely wrong, upside down and backwards, didn't use a torque wrench even once and did not know how to use a measuring tape and then charged me $500 for it. It was July 3rd when we arrived for our 8:00 am appointment to pick up the trailer. They were still trying to figure out how it went onto the trailer at 2:00pm and they completed their botched installation at 4:30 and insisted that there was nothing wrong with the installation even though any idiot could see that the jacks were not equal distances from the coupler. Was not impressed and still trying to get my money back for the botched installation.


As they screwed up the measurements for the first pieces installed, I had to remove everything and reinstall once I figured out what they had done wrong and sending pictures to Sean at Propride and he was great in pointing out what was wrong with the setup. It took me longer to figure out what they had done wrong than it did to reinstall. If you PM me an e-mail address, I can send you some pictures of the hitch which is now properly installed on my 284BHBE. The battery tray does interfere with mounting the jacks, but one small hole through it and installs fine. You can’t use the maximum distances for the jacks as the propane tank cover gets in the way, but you can install within the specs set out in the instructions and still carefully remove the propane cover without having to remove the jacks each time.

I think if you received the hitch a week before you pick up the trailer and unwrapped everything and pre-assembled any pieces that you can and have it clear in your mind how the installation will go (you tube videos, pictures etc.) you could easily install it in less than two hours. The only difficult part was getting the stinger portion on the truck set to the correct height as this was done through some trial and error but that is not something that would prevent you from pulling a short distance to test and then adjust. Having the height not quite right just reduces the weight distribution effectiveness. For tools, a set of sockets and wrenches, torque wrench, drill and bits to drill through metal (touch up paint if you are concerned about hitch rust where you drilled). A cordless impact wrench really speeds up adjusting the stinger height as there are 3 large bolts. You might need someone to help help you lift the large portion into coupler as that piece is quite heavy. As I said, PM me with an e-mail address and/or I can send you my Skype handle if you want to discuss further and I could probably even try and show you live video over skype if there is anything else you want to look at with my install.

Happy Camping,
You are a gem. Thanks so much! Sent a PM.
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Old 09-01-2015, 08:10 PM   #9
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x2. The front of my Eagle prevented the jacks from getting to the needed level. It was suggested I modify the hitch and use chains. Great. Got $2000 gathering dust in the barn. Perfectly happy with my Equalizer. And service yard cowboys can move the trailer around properly!

cekk, not sure whether your model has less room on the A-Frame but by drilling one small hole through the battery support on mine, although it is tight there is room to remove and reinstall the battery cover. I agree the one downside is you can't move the trailer without the stinger portion of the Propride hitch. as the hitch stays inserted in the couple on the trailer. With a one ton dually truck you probably have less concern with sway, but I would be interested in hearing your impressions/comparison if you installed your Propride hitch that is gathering dust.

Happy camping,
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Old 09-01-2015, 10:40 PM   #10
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This is something I was wondering - the dealer's maybe 2 miles from my house, so is it OK to tow it that far with just a standard hitch ball? There are some mild hills and such on the path, but it's all smooth roads with not much traffic.
Without a load of gear in it, your trailer will likely be good on weight on your TV, go for it. The important thing is electric trailer brake IMHO. I drove mine home about 30 miles w/o WDH or even any trailer brake as I didn't own one. Wasn't the smartest thing but I used it a few times before getting a brake controller installed (!) just drove pretty conservatively and my TV has excellent brakes. And I've used it for about a year now and just got a WDH, so they are nice for best performance, but you're making too big of a deal about it for a short drive.

You'll be enjoying that rig soon. Lots of good info here, I'm still newer and reading stuff.
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Old 09-01-2015, 10:49 PM   #11
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Without a load of gear in it, your trailer will likely be good on weight on your TV, go for it. The important thing is electric trailer brake IMHO. I drove mine home about 30 miles w/o WDH or even any trailer brake as I didn't own one. Wasn't the smartest thing but I used it a few times before getting a brake controller installed (!) just drove pretty conservatively and my TV has excellent brakes. And I've used it for about a year now and just got a WDH, so they are nice for best performance, but you're making too big of a deal about it for a short drive.

You'll be enjoying that rig soon. Lots of good info here, I'm still newer and reading stuff.
Good to hear. With that in mind, I'm thinking I'll drive it home without a WDH and do the install next to the house where I have easy access to pretty much anything I might need.
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Old 09-01-2015, 10:50 PM   #12
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Thanks for all the photos Steve - that's a big help and a load off my mind!

I just got the shipping memo for the 3P this afternoon, shows up on Tuesday!
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Old 09-05-2015, 08:08 AM   #13
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Nice! Post up lots of pics of the install!
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Old 09-05-2015, 12:11 PM   #14
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Just 2 cents here and something to consider and be prepared for. The 3P and the Hensley Arrow are both outstanding hitches in their own respects. However, even though they have been out for a while now, they are not industry standard. Many dealerships and service yards do not know how to set them up, and more importantly, many dealership and service yards will not work with them.

What this means is some cekkk eluded to. Most dealerships and/or service yards for the TT industry utilize forklifts or 'tugs' to move their TT's and/or 5ers around their yards and in and out of maintenance bays. Often times these tugs/forklifts utilize a "hitch sled" set up with the common TT ball and/or 5er king pin set in place on a permanent basis instead of utilizing a standard 2 inch receiver like your TV has. Therefore, when getting your TT serviced, they may require you to leave your 'stinger' with them (which technically is not a big deal) or in the worse case, leave your entire TV so they can move your TT around their facility.
I found out my dealership did not necessarily like my Hensley Arrow, so I got a standard WDH with sway bars and sent the Hensley back and received a full refund.
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Old 09-05-2015, 04:30 PM   #15
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I am considering buying White Hawk from RV Direct, Des Moines. I would like them to install ProPride. If they agree, is there a risk that (if they do not have experience with that kind of hitch) they will not set it up correctly, i.e. it will not work 100% as it should? It is 1,800 miles one way from my place, so I would like to make sure everything would work correctly on the way back...
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Old 09-05-2015, 05:45 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ottawasteve View Post
but I would be interested in hearing your impressions/comparison if you installed your Propride hitch that is gathering dust.

Happy camping,
My impression was that it would be a good hitch for a SRW TV pulling a TT with a more or less box shaped front end, especially if hooked to a TV with a shorter wheelbase. But I'm not convinced it would be worth the difference in price between it and a Blue Ox or Equalizer, the two I'm familiar with, in most cases.

There is also the inconvenience of the hookup method. I found it more difficult to back into the hitch than backing a ball under a coupler (for those not familiar, think of backing a knife into its sheath), particularly with the TT level, but the TV on an incline. Now, that might be because DW and I have hooked up our several non-RV trailers for years and have more experience with that set up.

I also was unable to move it with my tractor due to the absence of a coupler, as were dealers, who used forklifts, but the front end would then swing way too much to suit me. The manufacturer promised a device to overcome that problem was coming, so that may no longer be a problem, just another expense.

Since its advertised strength is reducing sway, it was probably foolish of me to go with it when I'd be pulling with a DRW.

Hope that is helpful.
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Old 09-05-2015, 06:29 PM   #17
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I am considering buying White Hawk from RV Direct, Des Moines. I would like them to install ProPride. If they agree, is there a risk that (if they do not have experience with that kind of hitch) they will not set it up correctly, i.e. it will not work 100% as it should? It is 1,800 miles one way from my place, so I would like to make sure everything would work correctly on the way back...
I would think there is a risk if they do not have experience with that type of hitch. If you are traveling that far, I would assume you have time to watch them install it or at least make frequent checks while they do it.

Do yourself a favor and watch the videos on YouTube regarding set up and use. Don't watch the comparison videos, they will drive you nuts. The designer of the ProPride hitch used to be the vice president at Hensley. With that said, it is not hard to figure out where he got the idea for the P3 hitch... Obviously, he changed it enough not to infringe on "stealing the design". Both hitches are virtually the same. It's like the truck argument; the better of the two is the one that works best for YOU.
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Old 09-05-2015, 07:03 PM   #18
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I was really considering the ProPride hitch when we got our first TT earlier this year. I was set to buy one but then I realized the issue for service places not being able to move the trailer around because there is no ball receiver. I emailed Sean to see if he had or knew of an adapter because, in my case, the storage place I use also moves the trailers in and out of storage and requires a ball setup. He never replied to that inquiry so I assumed there was not a solution.

I ended up going with the Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch. Of course, I think the Pro Pride hitch cannot be beat for stability, but I've been extremely impressed w/ the Blue Ox. To me, it seems somewhere in the middle between a 'sway reduction' (Equalizer style) and a 'sway elimination' (3P/Hensley style). I think they call the Blue Ox style 'sway prevention.' It seems to do a surprisingly good job at keeping sway to a minimum and the great thing is when you disconnect, there are only two small brackets left on the frame.

Anyway, in researching hitches, I came to realize everyone has a preference so it's just my 2c for anyone looking around for options.
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Old 09-06-2015, 07:38 AM   #19
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To those who bought a traditional hitch because they were concerned the dealer couldn't move their trailer if service was needed...really? Our dealer tried to pull the "We have never seen one, our tractor won't hook up to it" line. I said you DO have trucks...you pull campers to the shows! They then called the service tech who was going to work on our camper and I showed him how it works. He was more than interested in it and had no problem using the shop dually!

I agree with a dually truck, the Propride or Hensley are probably overkill.

To Bono...take wrenches and/or sockets to fit all the hardware and be sure to check the nuts and bolts on your way home. The only real setup is the stinger height and angle. The camper will be empty so once you get home and loaded up you may need to re-adjust anyway.
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Old 09-07-2015, 05:36 AM   #20
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Okay, I was trying to find the strand where someone talked about a "wiggle" and I was thinking it was in a Propride strand. (Was on my phone and thought easier to reply on computer). So this is not the strand but thought you might find this interesting anyway.
Mocad: I have a Blue Ox on my WhiteHawk 21FBS and I have an extremely difficult time getting all of the tension off it to disconnect; almost raise TV off ground. The conjecture is that there's something about the way the Blue Ox has two stabilizing components and both put pressure on the ball. And that frame is different on those units, receiver is more "up" or something. Plus the trailer has now been lowered 3 times; dealer simply set it up too high so that did help. So a combination of my inexperience and the dealers with that system probably all contributes. Anyway, the tension bar finally got me and I ended up in the emergency room.
In the process of thinking about a different WDH, I finally decided to "put out" for a Hensley or Propride. I hesitate to put this conversation here because the guy at Hensley I talked to really hesitated on answering me; he did not want to mudsling but I asked the question as to why I would go with a Hensley rather than a Propride (other than the modification needed to TV) After stammering around a bit, he finally said the model Propride is using was a hitch they had developed that they had finally rejected. I can't find my notes from that conversation now but I'm almost certain that he said it sometimes had a wiggle and they never could engineer it out so they discarded the design. So maybe ProPride has addressed that issue now or maybe it's the same hitch. The guy who does Propride was a sales rep for Hensley, not an engineer. Just informational for what it's worth. And even if it does wiggle sometimes, it's probably still a very good system. I am getting a Hensley installed this week and will cross my fingers I can hitch on my own!
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