Shocking: When Our Hitch Failed at the Worst Moment!

In this dramatic video, our hitch fails at the worst possible time, breaking on the million dollar highway! Watch as we connect with an expert to fix the problem and get us back on the road!
Background:
We are continuing our travel adventure in southern Colorado; working our way over the Rocky Mountains. Today we are on the scenic and at times terrifying, Million Dollar Highway and survive a serious scare. We have equipped our travel trailer with the very expensive Propride hitch, which breaks as we head down the most treacherous section of the road. While truly scary, we were lucky and learn several important lessons. We now have several checks we make before, during and after we pull our trailer. In this video pass the lessons we learned onto you.
0:00 Intro
0;55 Focus
2:10 Headed down the hairpin curves.
4:10 Finding out
4:30 Braydon to the rescue
7:30 The breaks
8:00 The rebuild
12:30 What did we learn?
12:56 Our new check list
13:45 Thank you and next

[@robertenglish6008]

going by the amount of rust around those cracks, they have been there a long time.

[@donhappel9566]

Was going to say exactly that. Definitely not a fresh break - it's been failing for quite a while.

[@kevinsterner9490]

Exactly. I also agree there are much better and less complicated hitches out there

[@sheldonduffy9442]

We were in Ouray in our Class C Motorhome and we were supposed to take the Million Dollar Highway to Pagosa Speings. However, beforehand we drove from Ouray to Silverton in our rental vehicle and I white knuckled it the entire way. I decided that there was NO WAY we were taking that route to Pagosa Springs. We took a route past Telluride that added 2 more hours to our trip. But it was worth it.

[@kenandpattistravels]

Robert I'm really bothered by this point as well. I frequently scape, sand and repaint the parts of the RV that are rusting and this seems to need it more than any other spot. I have come up with a theory that due to the open box design of the part, that water is lying inside of it and it is rusting from the inside out. I am taking the part to welder here in town and to ask them to look it over and to see if we can close off the unit and cover the internal parts of the unit with a solution to prevent rust. The inside of the part is not painted. Again, this is only a theory of mine and I have not quantified this idea, but I do think about it a lot and have read several documents now on how metal rusts and what plays into the oxidation process. Thank you for watching the video.

[@TheWookie_USN]

Holy cow. I was just telling the wife the other day I was thinking of upgrading to a propride. I’ll keep my Blue Ox sway pro. Glad you’re ok!

[@DonFarmer-hq5sw]

That’s a shocking amount of breakage in an expensive hitch 😮.

[@kenandpattistravels]

Agree, I just have to accept the vendors response to the breakage. I do check it now before, during and after towing now. We not seen any other issues. That sort of supports the vendors assessment.

[@kenttalcott8428]

The rust within the fractured welds and the number of failing welds suggests this yoke was pulling apart for at least days to weeks, and maybe longer. The incorrect routing of the chain in combination with the tight turns may have been the straw that broke the camel's back but the yoke was going to fail regardless. Assuming the chain routing was a one-off mistake, I think Propride needs to warranty this part and set you up with a new Yoke at no cost. The mobile welder was a great Band-aid but I would not be inclined to use this part long-term. Thanks for sharing this experience.

[@timothyculliver1993]

Great to see wonderful people out there that want to help others. This is one of the most important things we as RV’er need while we travel. Thank you so much and may God Bless your family!

[@kenandpattistravels]

I completely agree. We're going on 3 years now full time and we've been very impressed with what a wonderful group of people the RV community is.

[@gregmiscvn]

I have the same hitch and love it. It is very easy to use and keeps the trailer straight in the strong cross winds here in Colorado. I did not buy it for extra speed but for easy weight distribution and anti-sway capabilities. I have had it for 4 years and no problems.

[@kenandpattistravels]

Thanks Greg, your experiences are consistent with mine, both before and since the repair. Since this video, we got chased by a storm system that brought several tornados. We were getting hit with side wind burst in the 45 plus range and the trailer stayed directly in-line with the truck. The same holds true for hard braking, the trailer never gets out of line. I don't need the weight distribution with this truck but the that function was critical with the prior two trucks. RAMs ride wonderful because of the rear variable rate coil springs, but that also means a lot of sag when loaded. I could bring the truck back to level which was critical for braking power. Thanks for watching and you live in a beautiful state. Take care.

[@flyovercounty1427]

I ran a ProPride on a 06 Dodge diesel towing a heavy 30ft Roughneck travel trailer. It handled wind and large vehicle bow waves like on rails. It was only a sumbitch to hitch up when there was an audience. One time in the empty desert I backed in and there was a soft bump. “Oh no!” I whined, thinking I had knocked it out of alignment…I get out to look and I had hit it so perfect I could close one of the latches by hand. “Hahahahaha”, I said…

[@tomrunning357]

For safety reasons I would replace this hitch. Welding can creates stress and changes the hardness of the metal around the welds. Though the welds are strong the metal around the welds changes its original strengths. This is what caused its failures in the first place.

[@TIREDOFEVIL]

As I watched the video. I couldn't help but notice the beautiful scenes from that area. I moved on from my class A and went a bought a 30-foot bunkhouse camper and am looking for some areas to take my two fur babies and enjoy my time before the sand runs out of my hourglass, looks amazing out there.

[@kenandpattistravels]

Thank you for your compliment. You and I are signing from the same sheet of music then, I agree completely with that objective. The entire Colorado Basin is amazing and my favorite place to head to every year. I think you'll enjoy our Top Ten parks video from 23, it shows the places we enjoyed visiting most. I broke it into two videos to avoid being to long, the first shows parks entirely from that area.

[@MB-dx8pu]

Rayden and his crew are wonderful people

[@kenandpattistravels]

Yes they are. He drove at least an hour to get to us and when he saw the work was far more than expected, he just rolled with it and did a great job. Not to mention he was very reasonably priced. I am very thankful he and his crew exists.

[@waltfriedrich7631]

I have been rving since 1985 and I'm sorry but I have never seen a more complex poorly designed and built hitch. Do yourself a favor and replace it with something simple. To this day IMHO the original Reese chain drop trunnion or bar hitch with dual adjustable friction hitch is the best.

[@kenandpattistravels]

Thank you. I'll look at your suggestions, although we are now leaning towards purchasing a fifth wheel soon, and leaving this hitch setup behind completely.

[@natemartinez4595]

Its a torsion hitch homie, designed to absorb shock. Just because you don't know what it is or you're stuck in 1947 doesn't mean it's poorly designed. Design one better, you could probably make money. But you can't, so instead you make an ass out of yourself 😂😂😂😂😂

[@waltfriedrich7631]

@@natemartinez4595 look at the thin steel...piss poor welding it's junk. It absorbed the shock by tearing itself apart. Just because it's new doesn't mean it's better.

[@waltfriedrich7631]

@@natemartinez4595 oh it's you that's the ass "homie"

[@genehart261]

I was thinking the same thing. Reese or Eaz-lift.

[@vicpetrishak7705]

Carry a couple small chains and chain binders for unseen circumstances . Even with a 4X4 and a chain would help to secure an axle with a broken spring to a nearby repair shop .

[@kenandpattistravels]

That is an amazingly great idea! I will do exactly that. We carry a bunch of straps currently, but the chains would withstand situations like that you describe. Thank you.

[@laurakilmer8652]

Never heard of a mobile welder. Wow You lucked out with this Hero. !!!

[@SegoMan]

How do you think "Metal Pipelines" get glued together??

[@donhappel9566]

common enough in heavy equipment and commercial/industrial situations. And I'd put a lot more faith in that welder's work than the original.

[@kenandpattistravels]

@@donhappel9566 Complete correct and I agree. His main industry was supporting the farmers and their equipment in the region. When things break in the field sometimes you can't move it. Did you notice their spraying the grass in the area with water to prevent fires. This family knew what they were doing.

[@terryayers7549]

having a mobile welding service for many years ,,I can say put the baby in the truck or tailor and get in there with him or her. you dont know how much pressure you put on the tech try to figure out what is the and safest way to make the re[pair.esp with a baby right on top of the tech trying to get his plan in action...JUST STAY OUT OF THE WAY IF HE HAS A QUESTION HE WILL COME TO YOU,

[@racer1412]

agree with what you say but in this case it appears the mother and baby are with the welder, the owner makes a statement he believes she and baby were there to keep him out of repairers way lol

[@michaelguerin4618]

You should replace what had to be welded as soon as you can, with something stronger or better go to a welding shop and have them make you one that is solid steel, because when you weld on it , its now weeker on both sides of the weld because of the heat of welding, and is no longer strong enough to do what it was made to do, and really wasn't strong enough to begin with,

[@armslength2618]

Time to get a true gooseneck trailer and build your RV on top of it. Just take the hairpins a little wider afterward.

[@kenandpattistravels]

The dually is new, this was a first trip in it. The plan is to pick up a fifth wheel and we've spent the past two months deciding what we want, now it's a matter of finding it at a good (that's a relative term) price.

[@thereplacementfordisplacement]

As a Colorado native I don't give drop-off's on the side of the road a second thought but definitely understand the fear visitors have. All our family from outside CO are petrified. Now you can abuse the hitch again and it will not break but probably tear your trailer up. I was leaving work one early afternoon and noticed an overloaded truck towing a travel trailer that also looked overloaded, lots of tongue weight. It looked so bad even though it was all newer stuff I thought about saying something as I went by on the roundabout. They followed me to my turn out of roundabout and up a small hill. He gunned it to try to catch me I guess and even though I clearly slowed for a massive speed bump he didn't slow as much. Basically I heard a huge crash and metal dragging on the pavement. They had broken their frame right in half at the start of the camper. Trip and season destroyed by ignorance. Maybe they got away with it before but it let loose at the best time rather than at speed.

[@kenandpattistravels]

I do agree that a lot of how you feel about driving in the mountain is what you are exposed to on a regular basis. We recently stated at Fort Mountain state park in Georgia. You might not recognize the mountains there, compared to your rockies, being that these aren't even over 3000 feet! However, the roads were very narrow, much more so that the 550. The downside of the road had no edge beyond the tar, and on the opposite uphill side, there was a deep ditch for water drainage. So the lanes where tight to begin with. We had numerous cars coming across the yellow line, as they were looking at their phones, or messing with the radio, or just driving to fast for conditions. However, it was a much intense ride, than what we went through on the 550, as we constantly had to dodge the wonderers. Besides, the views were nothing compared to those of million dollar highway.

[@henryford2736]

First of all you have a dually you shouldn't be using weight distribution. The sway control is designed to keep the trailer in straight line on the freeway at high speeds. In the mountains curvy roads and low speeds you need to disconnect the sway control so the trailer can turn freely. I use Camco R6 hitch with sway ON/OFF for this very reason.....

[@carymcnutt7455]

Leave the welder alone

[@SegoMan]

We enjoy talking to the customer as we charge by the hr.

[@frankmosuch6798]

Thank goodness disaster was avoided. Is ther going to be some discussion wbout the hitch failure?

[@sigurdhaugdahl1593]

I'm going to venture to say that because of the truck that you use and the size of your trailer you do not need that hitch

[@KVMerry]

Go around that hwy like the locals

[@davehiebert7061]

Yours is not the first Propride Hitch I've seen with a yoke failure. From the amount and kind of cracks in your yoke I do not believe that they were all caused by incorrect chain routing. (I would think quality issues with the welding and or steel) I would be having a discussion with Propride and at least insist in a new yoke. I run a Hensley and I believe the strut system they have is superior over the Propride Yoke and more easily repairable should something happen. I did turn too sharp once and the safety shear bolts did their job. I was able to do the repairs on the side of the road in under an hour with only hand tools.

[@jeffgunner1195]

Our family tows with 3 Hensleys and 1 propride.... I'm gonna keep a close eye on the propride yoke....

[@vhehn]

I drove it twice last year. Really scenic but not that big a deal.

[@donhappel9566]

I've done that road by bike (meaning Triumph Speed Triple, not some pedal-thing) and and 4x4. And yeah, it's very scenic but nothing crazy regarding 'danger'. God help us I hope they never put up a ton of guard rails and spoil the views. And while I would never tell somebody they can't go there, I at least hope you used the pull-outs to let traffic by. Nothing worse than being stuck behind an ultra-slow moving RV on a great twisty road!

[@bobmartens1089]

Thats been a fairly common issue with your hitch BS with that expensive set up😢

[@bmcga1]

So the chain was routed wrong? This isn't a propride issue. They say about 10 times in the manual how to route the chain. You can just reorder that yoke and have it drop shipped.

[@kenandpattistravels]

Thank you William for watching the video and pointing out that the manual does mention chain routing. Although my manual only mentions this once (perhaps my version is older than yours) Here is what it says: Route your tow chains..UNDER the Main Hitch Unit and BETWEEN where the Spring Bars insert in the bottom of the Main Hitch Unit. When you are straight in line with your trailer the chains are the longest they ever need to be. When routed properly they should hang about 1” from the bottom of the Main Hitch Unit. Perhaps you stopped watching prior to the end of the video, but I do in fact state this same thing and I show what a set of properly routed chains should look like. I also show a couple of other points to check to ensure the unit will operate as designed. The later part of the video also shows that the Yoke was rebuilt and is now far more reinforced than the original design, so I don't need to purchase another one. thank you again.

[@bmcga1]

@@kenandpattistravels Yeah I'm sorry I wasn't trying to accuse you of misleading people about what broke the hitch, I was responding to other commenters. Perhaps it's not mentioned that much in the manual. I've watched a lot of pro-pride videos and they stress it pretty heavily in those so much so that I always check my chain routing. In fact I just never remove the chains from between the WD bars.

[@Utah_Mike]

How heavy is the trailer?

[@kenandpattistravels]

Good Morning Mike, sorry for the slow response to your question. Our Arches video took me forever to complete. Our trailer is a Grand Design Imagine 2800BH, empty they weigh about 6400 empty and have GVWR of 8500 lbs. We were probably in 7500 to 8000 pound range at the time of the video. Our first truck was a half ton, which this trailer was at the end range of what that truck could pull. It pulled fine, stopping was horrible. This was the maiden voyage for this truck.

[@natei3518]

I am pulling my 26' Jayco (~6,500 lbs dry and 7,500 lbs rolling) with my 2022 Ram 3500 HO. Why are you using a weight distribution hitch anyway with a similar sized setup? I quit using mine when I read that in some instances, mine being a fair example, a WDH may actually do more harm than good. Remember, a WDH shifts some weight off of the rear TV axle to the trailer axles and front TV axle. It also places a bit of stress on the front part of your trailer frame. Many reasons I don't use the WDH; With ~4,000lb payload capacity and air bags, I am no where near max on my truck, my truck pulls that trailer straight off a regular hitch as if nothing is back there, and I don't have to worry about tight corners or severe dips. Just a question, and wondering if y'all have ever considered removing the hitch and tried towing without one?

[@kenandpattistravels]

Great questions, the many responses asking similar questions have opened my eyes to removing the hitch and let the truck do the work it is capable of. I say remove, because the weight distribution function in this hitch also positions and aligns the received for the stinger. I did need the WDH with the 1/2 ton and 3/4 RAMs, the variable rate coil springs are really soft for the first four or five inches.

[@2-old-Forthischet]

Are there signs that don't recommend trailers on that road?

[@kenandpattistravels]

I love your choice for a profile picture! There are no signs that say you can't drive the road, Trucks are required to keep their speed to 40 MPH coming down the hill. Statistics for the road tell the story, it has very few accidents, typically 40 per year, however, within those 40, there are around 8 deaths. So when something happens, it can go very badly. Frankly the area is so beautiful, it's worth the effort it takes to drive it.

[@ATLJonathanH]

That is a dangerous place to allow your baby to interfere. Exercise some judgement and get your child away from that hitch.

[@kenandpattistravels]

Hello Jonathan, I realize there is some confusion about the young child. That is the welders family. The mother is right there with the young child. It was quite hot that day and we brought them into the RV for the majority of time that the work was being done.

[@harryburns9397]

The road didn't do anything. You just didn't take care of stuff the way you should.

[@SyEnsability]

Pro-pride is expensive. Too bad they don't understand Quality. Don't buy their excuses and blame shift. They are lying if the company says they haven't seen breaks. They should have seen a bunch break in their own testing to understand the product. Otherwise, they're just a fly-by-night expensive junk company. I'm glad you're ok, and I'm disappointed in pro-pride.

[@terryayers7549]

My final thot,,,,throw that fancy hitch in the scrap bin and go buy a regular hitch for the rig, I used one for years with no problems.

[@kenandpattistravels]

Thanks Terry, we are in negotiations to move to a 5th Wheel and leave the hitch behind.

[@Spiederia]

Junk that hitch and get a Curt. Way simpler and pulls great.

[@H-RutherfordHill]

Cummins*

[@kenandpattistravels]

Yes Sir! So far so good. We are seeing about 10 to 11 MPG towing, and 15 MPG mixed. We have the 4:11 gears.

[@garygrow8373]

The dramatic music is annoying.

[@BlackWolfTransport]

Wait you’re pulling that thing with a dually and using a weight distribution hitch …. Why. You definitely do not need all that

[@kenandpattistravels]

Great observation and question, it truly is an embarrassing overkill for that trailer. The reason is this is the truck-trailer is a progression of purchases and this is going to be the (according to Patti) last truck we buy. When we first purchased the trailer we had a truck, a half-ton. This trailer was within the tow and cargo weight capacities of that truck, but it struggled to control and stop the trailer. The hitch, which is still on the trailer, helped with the control, but stopping wasn't fixable. I looked to replace the truck, which was in the middle of the COVID shortages and used trucks where in short supply and cost as much and some times more than new because you couldn't find a new truck. We stumbled upon a 3/4 ton gaser (the availability of diesels at that time was almost non existent, or WAY over-priced) which which could pull the truck with ease, but STILL struggled to stop the trailer coming down the mountains. This trailer has always had minimal braking capacity. (10 inch by 2 inch drum). RAM also has coil springs in their 3/4 line and this makes them kind of soft, so the weight distribution was still really important. This past spring RAM seemed to really want to sell this truck and offered it with a 20k discount and we jumped on it. The hitch has simply come along with the trucks. We do plan to move up to a 5th wheel this year (or next) and this truck has the capacity for anything we want to choose. I do credit the truck with keeping us safe here, as it was still solid in the hairpin turns when the hitch snapped and when floppy. Sorry for the long response, but it was a great question and deserved a complete response.

[@RalphERo824]

​@@kenandpattistravelswhy a fifth-wheel? With all the breaking frames that are on KZbin. Buying a fifth-wheel is asking for more trouble. Stick with what you have. Get rid of that hitch and go simple. I have a 2021 Ram 3/4 ton and tow with it. Tires on this truck were junk from factory. I upgraded them and have no trouble towing all over the mountains here in West Virginia. I have been as far as the mountains of Tennessee and as far north as Pennsylvania, the side next to New York. No issues with the truck or my simple hitch. It is the Reese hitch and no weight distribution bars. Just the receiver and insert with 2 5/16 ball. Set your brakes a bit tighter for big mountains and no trouble happens. Stay safe out there. Oh I am a tractor trailer driver too.

[@francikaa1]

Never saw that thing before. That's a lot of complexity and failure point added(material failure, user installation and operating error, more stress on the towing vehicle's hitch receiver) for more towing speed, and counteracting loading your trailer improperly. In Europe they solved this problem by you are restricted to 60 mph when you are towing something, even if it's just a dirt bike on a trailer. Also if you don't have a CDL like heavy truck license, and a heavy trailer license, you are limited towing weight is the maximum of 1650 pounds or 750 kg. That's including the trailer,and the load on it. No trailer sway at that speed. Also some steep downhill sections on motorways are limited to 40 mph if you are towing something. This product is a result of the lack of oversight by the government or DOT, or police.

[@RalphERo824]

I cannot phathom why you are using such an expensive piece of junk. Those intricate hitches are all show and dangerous. Keep it simple people. The simplest hitch is built strong and is best suited for towing. All the claims of easier towing is a gimmick to get you to buy that hunk of metal. Those engineers have no comprehesion of real world stresses. Those weight distribution and resistant hitches are just for show and get people to spend lots of money. You bought it and got taken.