Boondock towing
We tow a 20' camper using a Fastway e2 WD/anti-sway hitch. I've had so much trouble with it in tight turns on steep terrain that I'm looking for a better solution. Because this isn't a long or heav...
Forum Discussion
Thanks all for the discussion. I'm reconsidering my options.
I really do *not* like having to disable the WD/SC. Yes, it's 'easy', but it's more time consuming than has been acknowledged:
1. Divert to where you can do the task away from traffic.
2. From storage, retrieve the "booster post" for the tongue jack and center it under the jack.
3. Use the wonderful-but-slow electric jack to lift the hitch sufficiently.
4. Pop the bars and stow them.
5. Retract the jack.
6. Stow the booster post.
7. Clean your hands before returning to the driver's seat (I always forget gloves, d'oh!).
8. Exit the work area and return to your intended path.
And when it comes time, you do it all again to re-install the bars.
Now, I ain't in such a big hurry you understand, but those bits of time start to add up. A full cycle of disabling the WD/SC and later re-enabling it takes at least 10 minutes; way longer if Step One isn't easy. I tell ya, if I have to do that more than once or twice a day, as seems likely, I'm gonna start hatin' on that hitch! ;-)
And the need to disable your WD/SC can arise quickly. Somewhere on some road, you either:
A) decide to disable it because you think at some point ahead it'll get hairy, and just do it in a convenient place (at the risk of wasting your time if it turns out the disabling was unnecessary); OR
B) forge on hoping you *won't* have to do it (and risk winding up doing it in a difficult or dangerous situation, or not doing it and causing trouble at the hitch).
I resent having to closely monitor the terrain--worse yet, predict it--to please a finicky hitch. I'd rather just enjoy the day.
@SteveAE: Thanks for introducing me to the Hensley hitch. I expect they're rather spendy; when they send you to a dealer to get pricing, it's like "if you have to ask, you can't afford it." And hooking it up looks very weird, maybe it's just different. But I definitely like the proposition of not having to dink around with the hitch whenever the going gets rough.
The problem with the e2 is that the brackets holding the spring-bar cradle arms slip against the frame in "extreme" situations. "Extreme" for instance, is reversing course by backing around a fork in a narrow road; one fork heads down, the other up, tilting the TV and trailer in opposite directions while maximally articulated. And believe me, they are torqued just shy of crushing the A-frame.
Finally: Just to be clear, I'm farm-raised and I read the manual: I know what to grease (and when) and what not to grease. Also, my TV is an overstuffed SUV, but welding a chunk of pipe on the side of the A-frame was a great idea for stowing the out-of-service spring-arms! I'll definitely do that if I decide to suck up my whining and do the disable/enable shuffle with my e2.
I really do *not* like having to disable the WD/SC. Yes, it's 'easy', but it's more time consuming than has been acknowledged:
1. Divert to where you can do the task away from traffic.
2. From storage, retrieve the "booster post" for the tongue jack and center it under the jack.
3. Use the wonderful-but-slow electric jack to lift the hitch sufficiently.
4. Pop the bars and stow them.
5. Retract the jack.
6. Stow the booster post.
7. Clean your hands before returning to the driver's seat (I always forget gloves, d'oh!).
8. Exit the work area and return to your intended path.
And when it comes time, you do it all again to re-install the bars.
Now, I ain't in such a big hurry you understand, but those bits of time start to add up. A full cycle of disabling the WD/SC and later re-enabling it takes at least 10 minutes; way longer if Step One isn't easy. I tell ya, if I have to do that more than once or twice a day, as seems likely, I'm gonna start hatin' on that hitch! ;-)
And the need to disable your WD/SC can arise quickly. Somewhere on some road, you either:
A) decide to disable it because you think at some point ahead it'll get hairy, and just do it in a convenient place (at the risk of wasting your time if it turns out the disabling was unnecessary); OR
B) forge on hoping you *won't* have to do it (and risk winding up doing it in a difficult or dangerous situation, or not doing it and causing trouble at the hitch).
I resent having to closely monitor the terrain--worse yet, predict it--to please a finicky hitch. I'd rather just enjoy the day.
@SteveAE: Thanks for introducing me to the Hensley hitch. I expect they're rather spendy; when they send you to a dealer to get pricing, it's like "if you have to ask, you can't afford it." And hooking it up looks very weird, maybe it's just different. But I definitely like the proposition of not having to dink around with the hitch whenever the going gets rough.
The problem with the e2 is that the brackets holding the spring-bar cradle arms slip against the frame in "extreme" situations. "Extreme" for instance, is reversing course by backing around a fork in a narrow road; one fork heads down, the other up, tilting the TV and trailer in opposite directions while maximally articulated. And believe me, they are torqued just shy of crushing the A-frame.
Finally: Just to be clear, I'm farm-raised and I read the manual: I know what to grease (and when) and what not to grease. Also, my TV is an overstuffed SUV, but welding a chunk of pipe on the side of the A-frame was a great idea for stowing the out-of-service spring-arms! I'll definitely do that if I decide to suck up my whining and do the disable/enable shuffle with my e2.
