Comments on Andersen Hitch

[theeyres]

I just had my first extended trip with the Andersen Hitch and thought I would report my very unscientific impressions being so many people have wondered about it. My trailer has a hitch weight of approx 650# empty, so maybe up to 900# loaded...guesses only. I haven't weighed it. I pull with a 2500 diesel so have pretty stiff springs and actually pulled the trailer on several trips with no weight distribution. At first it was fine but as we kept adding stuff I noticed the front end of the truck getting lighter and lighter and bouncing around a lot. When we took a longer trip with a bunch of stuff in the truck bed and more in the trailer I knew I needed help. In times past we have had an Equal-i-zer with bigger trailers and I loved it. I still think it can't be beat--but when we started snow birding I really got tired of dealing with the heavy bars and having to do a lot of up and down with the tongue. It gets old if you have to do it every day or two.

So went to the Andersen and my first impression was great. It took a few on and offs to get the hang of it. I finally ended up tightening the chains to 3 1/2 turns and that seemed to do the trick. I will try 4 next time just to see if I can feel any difference. It seems like it really did take the bounce out of the truck better than the Equal-i-zer, but that may also just be because I have less tongue weight and a 3/4 ton truck instead of a 1/2 ton. And it really was a cinch to put on and take off--much easier for this ol' 74 year old. No grease, no bars or chains to store, no noise. Finally, it was very easy to install and there is just little or no fine tuning like other systems: no ball tilt, not have to find the right height for brackets, no big tug of war.

I like it.

[CHIEF MK]

When we bought our new Passport a month ago, the dealer had 2 WDH's to choose from. The Anderson was more expensive, and being a newbie I let the parts manager talk me into it. At this point I wanted to be as safe as I could.

I have made three short trips, all of them on very twisty steep rough roads, Interstates and last week a major wind storm. All total about 1700 miles on the hitch so far. As far as I know it's working, because pulling this trailer in any of these conditions has been a breeze. I really like it so far, but then again I have nothing to compare it to. All I can say is it works for me.

[theeyres]

Glad to hear it's working for you, Chief. I'm happy, too, so far. Like I said in the first post, my only comparison is the Equal-i-zer and I sure was happy with that except for the hassle in hooking and unhooking.

[PT RV`er]

I`ve been checking out the website on this hitch and I was curious how you adjust for sag on the rear end or how you throw more weight on the front end. Is it really as simple as setting the ball 2in above the level line of the RV?

[CHIEF MK]

Well the dealer set mine up, and I haven't changed it since. I am thinking about going over the instruction's soon. The way it is set up now I doubt that I would be able to improve how well my Pickup and Trailer tow. If it ain't broke theory.

[theeyres]

Setting the ball 2" or whatever is just to get the trailer level. To throw more weight on the front truck axle you just take another turn on the nuts with the crescent wrench. It is a very simple adjustment. I started with three threads showing and went to 3 1/2 and that seemed perfect. These are the nuts you tighten each time you hook up the trailer. You can throw more weight forward or backward each time you hook up until you get the perfect combo. That may not make any sense unless you watch the video really closely.

[TerRox]

I'm really impressed with this WDH. Pulling 6800lb, with a half ton down the freeway during nasty gusting cross wind and feeling the hitch handle the sway instead of me was as they say "priceless". It's quick to hook up and quiet as promised too.

[Waldo_2001]

I have one and I did like it when I was towing a lighter trailer. I could just never get the WD adjusted enough with the new camper to get it to tow well at all. Anderson is a great company (I carry the line were I work) and there customer service is top notch. Oh well I am very happy with my new setup and if anyone is interested I have my setup for sale.


James

[AlbertaRvMan]

I also have this and so far I really like it. After towing a few hundred km, we had no sway or bounce.

My dealer set it up and he said (as well as the instructions) to only have one thread showing.

I also contacted anderson for a spare shackle and washer, they sent me to of each for free. Great customer service.

[theeyres]

I also have this and so far I really like it. After towing a few hundred km, we had no sway or bounce.

My dealer set it up and he said (as well as the instructions) to only have one thread showing.

I also contacted anderson for a spare shackle and washer, they sent me to of each for free. Great customer service.

I don't quite get what you are saying about only one thread showing. When I tighten up the chains, if I had only one thread showing, the chains would still be totally loose with no equalizing on the truck. When I tighten up I now have four threads showing. What am I missing?

[AlbertaRvMan]

I don't quite get what you are saying about only one thread showing. When I tighten up the chains, if I had only one thread showing, the chains would still be totally loose with no equalizing on the truck. When I tighten up I now have four threads showing. What am I missing?

I think your probably right and am questioning my dealer... The manual is located at
http://www.andersenhitches.com/uploads/WD%20Hitch%20installation%20manual%202013%20sm.pdf

I will probably give Anderson a call for an explination.

[GMcKenzie]

I have one and I did like it when I was towing a lighter trailer. I could just never get the WD adjusted enough with the new camper to get it to tow well at all. Anderson is a great company (I carry the line were I work) and there customer service is top notch. Oh well I am very happy with my new setup and if anyone is interested I have my setup for sale.


James

Is it not that effective towing a heavier trailer? I need to upgrade my setup and was thinking about Andersen. My trailer is about 8200 lbs loaded.

[cjm]

my trailer is 7800 loaded and i love the Andersen. The secret for larger trailers is to ensure you compress the "bumper" sufficiently. I have 8-9 threads showing when loaded.

I have a 24" ratcheting breaker bar and it is a breeze to hook up.

[Waldo_2001]

Per Anderson if I use an additional washer at the bushing I can compress it up to 3/8". After doing that it did help a little. I would still get to much rear side to side action in the trailer. It never pulled the truck around but it just made driving above 50mph no fun. After switching to a Equalizer E4 I noticed the truck had less lift in the front and I don't have hardly any trailer movement at 65. Like I said the hitch is nice and light weight but for whatever reason with my 7500 pounds and 850 tongue weight it just did not do it for me.

James

[Dustin40]

I have one on a 13,000 lbs toy hauler works great. I make sure the trailer is level or within an inch lower on the front of the travel trailer. Equal/proper weight on both trailer axles is the idea. Be patient set it up right, every trip is loaded differently.
Dustin

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[tirnanah]

I have the andersen with my 323BH. After towing it back from Seattle to Fairbanks, I was very impressed with it. We hit about every condition I could think of on the way home short of actual snow (I'm pretty sure there was some sleet at one point) from a couple hundred ft above sea level to about 4,500 ft according to my GPS. Crosswinds, head winds, tail winds, the trailer hardly ever budged at all.

I did weigh everything before I left Tacoma, and I'm about 200 lbs under the GCW on my truck (loaded with shopping from the lower 48. Don't get a vehicle down there very often, so we stocked up on things that are harder to get :) ). I was a little tongue/rear heavy on the truck coming back, so about 200 lbs over rear axel weight, but the trailer was sitting nice and level. I checked tire temps and hub temps on both the rear of the truck and the trailer on the way back, and after recording them for 3 days, they all stayed very constant, so nothing seemed to be running hot... Even on the rough places coming up, the trailer never really moved a bunch.

My only thing is that I wish I could raise the back of the truck up a little further then it comes with the hitch, but after sending an email to Andersen (who, by the way, answered it late on a Sunday night. I was impressed), they say their weight distribution won't pick up the rear end like others do and it's normal. I wish I had access to CAT scales in Fairbanks or Anchorage so I could more good scale numbers on it :(

As far as towing for me, it worked great for me, but I also have no other comparison as this is my first travel trailer setup. I'm going to keep messing with it and see what I can do with it!

One note from Andersen, if you do decide to compress the bushings to 3/8" (they said the weight transfer is the same from 3/8" to 1/2", so no reason to push it further), they recommended adding a second washer past the nut so that the washer doesn't concave due to the pressure. I just picked up some nice stainless steel extras at my local hardware store.

Sorry for the book post! But I hope it helps someone.

Thanks,
Doug

[BirchyBoy]

That thing seems so simple when compared to my Equalizer. It works well, but it's a pain to connect/disconnect.