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Ron

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  1. "This video is the best one I've found that explains the design and theory behind both the weight distribution and anti-sway control. " Thanks, that video does explain that the only sway control feature incorporated into the design is the tilt of the head which causes a differential tension in the two tension bars when the truck and trailer are not alligned. Since this added tension would be nearly all in a vertical force vector I'm skeptical that it would really do much to correct the sway in a dynamic situation. And, I'm not sure why they think this feature is unique since all the hitches I'm familiar with have this tilted-head feature. They also sort of claim that if sway does does occur the fact that there is no friction feature in the tension bars allows the trailer to move back into alignment with the TV. Actually this happens with the friction-tension-bar systems also because the tilted head of , e.g., the Equal-i-zer and others, forces the bar on the "inside" of the "turn" to have much higher friction, and the bar on the "outside" of the "turn" to have much less tension, than when the system is in the normally aligned position. Anyway, I hope this system works out well for you.
  2. Thanks for reporting back on your experience with the Blue Ox. As I said in a prior post on this thread I still can't see any design feature of that hitch that would work to mitigate sway. I tried to find a technical explanation of how/why it "eliminates sway", as they tout in the marketing literature, but I fail to see any explanation. I've been using the Equal-izer system for over 10 years and have never felt unsafe driving it in any wind conditions. I don't have specifics on winds and direction but about the only time I recall pulling off the road because of wind was a couple occasions when I saw commercial semi trucks doing the same. Regarding the 750# rating of the hitch; that just barely allows you to have 10% of the gross trailer weight on the hitch. If you intend to full-time with this trailer you might find yourself loading it to nearly its full capacity. In my experience you'll get better/safer handling with 12% to 15% of the weight on the hitch. I wouldn't doubt that the Hensley hitch is probably the best you can get but it is far more expensive than the Equal-izer and for the size/weight of our trailer I've never felt the need for anything better than the Equal-izer.
  3. How many of your clients took your advice - how many lost their "nerve" and sold near the bottom?
  4. Were you investing in stocks 30 years ago? Below comment is extracted from Eddie Elfenbein's weekly email: October 13, 2017 “In business, competition is never as healthy as total domination.” – Peter Lynch This Thursday will mark the 30th anniversary of the 1987 market crash, or “Meltdown Monday” as it’s come to be known. On October 19, 1987, the Dow plunged 508 points. In percentage terms, this was a loss of 22.61%. In today’s terms, that would be like a loss of more than 5,000 points! Three decades later, the 1987 crash sill ranks as the biggest one-day percentage loss in history. It’s nearly double the second-biggest loss, which came in October 1929. With the modern “circuit breakers,” this record may never be broken. If the S&P 500 falls by 20% nowadays, the exchanges shut down for the day. I often hear stock market “experts” predicting that another 1987 is about to come our way. I always think to myself, “oh, so you’re predicting another 1,000% return over the next 30 years.” Yes, that’s what the Wilshire 5000 did measuring from the market close on the day of the crash. And if we include dividends, then the index is up more than 2,000%. The fact is that the 1987 panic was a great time to buy.
  5. I suspect the someday we may see less demand for oil but I'm personally convinced it's not going to happen anytime on the immediate investing horizon. Demand is still steadily increasing but supply from cheaper sources in recent years (fracking, tar sands etc.) have had a dramatic effect on the economics of the oil industry. But ever since oil was discovered these things have gone in cycles and every cycle brings out the prognosticators who make convincing arguments that "things will never be the same again. When I was still in high school I remember reading about imminent "peak oil" being touted by many scientific "experts". I remember when gasoline prices were so high just a few years ago how many experts said we'd never see gasoline below $3/gal again - I bought it this week for less than $2/gal. Bottom line in my opinion is that NO ONE can predict how these things will evolve. Just invest with the best knowledge available at the time and mostly ignore people who try to predict what will happen several years down the road. It might be fun to speculate but it generally does not lead to profitable investing. No matter which side of an argument one takes he can find "experts" who will confirm his own opinions.
  6. Sort of what I expected too. Moving it to them increases your AUM which, after EJ gets its cut will reduce your 3% annuity to, I'm guessing, 1.5% to 2%. Maybe not so attractive from that standpoint - but that's what is happening to all of your investments managed by EJ.
  7. It sounds like you are already paying Edward Jones for financial advice - have you asked your advisor the same question? What's his/her advice?
  8. Today the Dow 30, S&P500, and Nasdaq all hit new record highs. Ten years ago today they did the same thing .... before they started a very major decline. I remember that time quite well. We had just sold our house and started our full time life. Our investment portfolio was "underwater" for a number of years. An interesting article brought back the memory today: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4088809-10-years-gone
  9. "Are you still in"? If you are fearful we're in a "bubble" or have jumped out already it's always good to take a look from "60,000 feet" for a different perspective. I ran across this interesting article today: http://www.ciovaccocapital.com/wordpress/
  10. Thanks for reporting back on your decision. Please let us know later how you like it. ----ron
  11. I looked into the Anderson a year or two ago. I can understand how it might be very effective controlling sway but the geometry of the chains in tension horizontally vs. having vertical tension as with most other weight distributing hitches convinced me that it would not be nearly as effective as the Equalizer for weight distribution. Some internet research and conversations on other forums confirmed my suspicion.
  12. I'm curious how satisfied you are with your Blue Ox hitch. It just isn't intuitively obvious to me how its design really does much in the way of sway control. Do you have any evidence that it prevents sway as good or better than the Equal-i-zer? Also, have you been able to transfer a large percentage of the hitch weight with their spring bars? I've been towing with an Equalizer for over 10 years and I'm pretty satisfied with it. Through quite a bit of experimentation I've been able to "dial-in" all the adjustments and get rid of all the irritating noises. Also, I've found the company really stands behind their product. They are very responsive when I have questions and they've replaced several parts that have failed free of charge regardless of the age of the unit. I do not have any problems with sway using this unit.
  13. RV, I'm sorry you took my post as being mocking of you. That's really not what I intended - it was intended only as a little levity. I also wish you well. You've been doing great with this investment and your instincts with Musk and his endeavors have been spot-on. I don't think you've mocked me or anyone else on this site and I'll try to be much more careful in the future. ---ron
  14. Yes it's always an interesting read for me too. The conversation has wandered a lot from the original topic over the years but it was interesting to read that original post. According to my calculations the items brought up in that original post have performed as follows: Dow Jones Ind. avg: Up 57.5% (if you include dividends it's up about 70%) Tesla: Up a whopping 918% Gold: Down 26.2% Silver: Down 61.2% Maybe that's why we're not hearing from the original poster! Lesson: Listen to RV - put all you money in TSLA - stop worrying about "the market"! ---ron
  15. I don't think what I posted was irrelevant. At any give time you can find any number of "experts" with totally divergent interpretations of how various financial issues will affect stock prices. There are always those who see only gloom and doom. Once in awhile they're right and they never let you forget it. You might look at my post as an attack on Stockman that is irrelevant but if you "do read him for his knowledge and perspective on how the macro-economy works especially concerning the FED and its influence on the financial sector or industry and stock market." then he is probably influencing you own decisions and assumptions. My point is that I'd rather be influenced by someone with a better track record than Stockman. After all, Stockman probably used his "knowledge and perspective" to guide his own decisions when running all the failed funds with which he was associated.
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