raisin

I'm not OP but my peferred tire michelin m/s 2 jumps right from P metric to E range with nothing in between. Sure I could get another brand but I have had them and was totally sat. I wish they made a "C" range. I think thats why others end up with "E" range to.

modexi

I picked up some Firestone Destination A/T 275/65r18 E load tires today. I haven't put the trailer on them yet, but with 200lbs of tools in the bed and 176lbs from the old tires, running on 45PSI, the ride was great. A little firmer than it was before, but way more planted. The rear suspension is sagging a bit under that weight, so I ordered a set of Air Lift 5000 Ultimate airbags to install. Adding the trailer probably needs more help than the WDH itself can provide since the truck already rakes under the bed load.

I also pulled all of the instructions for setting up the WDH with airbags, and will go through them once I have everything installed.

I run 5* tunes on my truck, so I use the SCT to adjust the tire size for speedo/odo/etc. I've done that since day one with the General Grabber AT2s.

Bill_The_PA

I've done some reading on this subject and I believe you can get E rated tires in that size from Cooper. They are aggressive enough yet offer a smooth ride. My cooper AT3 are C Rated But I'm Ok with that. Originally I wanted E rated but for that time I'll be with a heavy trailer I didn't want less tread and a ruff ride. Do your research as you can loose 1-3/32 of tread with a E rated tire.



Cooper AT3. LT275/65/18. C Rated.

modexi

We pulled the trailer home without any incidents on the E rated tires and Air Lift 5000 Ultimate air bags... but after a lot of consideration, I bought a ProPride 3p hitch online this morning. I'm not willing to risk the safety of my wife, dogs, other people on the road, tow vehicle, or trailer, and plan on going on a 5000mi trip early next year. I'm looking forward to our next time out!

Wannafbody

I think the difference in ride can be attributed to the more aggressive tread blocks moreso than the extra steel plies.

smokeywren

Good for you! That's the best hitch available today. But it requires a lot of exacting work to get it installed and dialed in exactly right. Follow the install instructions to the letter. Don't hesitate to contact Jim Hensley at ProPride if there's any question about his high-priced but wonderful hitch.


ProPride says you can install it in a couple of hours, but it took me two long days to get it ready to hit the road. One problem was my tongue jack had been moved back to allow the F-150 tailgate to clear. Long story short, I had to remove the tongue jack, install the hitch, then install the tongue jack in a different location. Another problem was the safety chains on the trailer tongue were not nearly long enough, and the design of the chains was such that they could not be simply unbolted and new chains and hooks bolted on. So I bought extra length of chains, towed the TT to my local welding shop, and let the pro do whatever cutting and welding needed to be done. I cannot blame the problem with the chains on ProPride, but it was frustrating working on the problem


After I finally got it installed and adjusted, it's wonderful. I've towed with it from Midland to Blanco in the Hill Country, then to Austin and finally back thru the Hill Country to home in Midland County. Next is a much longer trip from Midland to daughter's house near Knoxville, TN, then to granddaughter's house near Kings Bay Navel Submarine Support Base near Jacksonville, FL. (Her hubby is some sort of engineer for nuclear subs.) Then home. That should give that ProPride hitch a good workout.

xcntrk

Sounds like you're all hooked up now!!! E-rated tires, air-bags, and (arguably) the best tongue drawn hitch on the market :thumb up:


Just make sure you get it all dialed in properly to net the full benefits of each component. Some of those upgrades may mask issues with others, such as air-bags compensating for not having enough WD dialed in on the P3, etc. I would suggest using the truck scales to determine how much WD to dial in. With the P3 having the weight jacks controlling distribution, it's difficult to gauge how much you're applying. Once you know the proper distribution (based on scales) you snap a quick measurement of how high the jacks are, then always return to that position each time you hook up. Also you may have to mess with the adjustable shank to obtain proper ride height and leverage for WD adjustments. Good luck!

modexi

In a matter completely unrelated to this thread, I grew up in Midland and now live in Pflugerville!

I'm looking forward to the Pro-pride. I had a lengthy conversation with Sean there yesterday, who suggested I go with the 1400lb bars instead of the 1000lb ones because I'll be in the neighborhood of a 950lb tongue weight when loaded, put the stinger drop bar on the lowest setting due to the measured height difference between my truck and trailer, empty the air bags and set up the WD based on measured fender heights. Go down 2" in the rear but change no more than 1/2" in the front. Then pump the airbags up to take half of what the rear dropped (if 2", then 1") out. At least until I can make it to a scale!

modexi

I installed the ProPride 3P over the weekend and took it for a test drive.

The roads were wet as it had been raining all day, and the wind was low, but gusting to about 15mph from time to time. I reached a top speed of about 75mph when driving around, and it was much more stable than at 65mph on the old Eaz-Lift, even if conditions were dry. My wife in the passenger seat noticed this as well. I usually tow about 65mph, but knowing it is still going to be stable at higher speeds is sure comforting.

I drove to a relatively isolated stretch of highway and slammed on the brakes at about 45mph to imitate an emergency maneuver. That would usually result in the rear of the trailer trying to come around to kiss the front of the truck, but it tracked perfectly in line behind me. Absolutely amazing! I tried this at slower speeds first.

I can't wait to get it out on a longer trip in the near future, but am completely blown away by the results so far.

xcntrk

You mean the "Hensley Bump"? Mine does it on occasion. It's not that dramatic and is caused from the trailer and tow-vehicle stopping at different rates. You get the same feeling when reversing the trailer as well.