Andersen Hitch

[Sandra L]

I am contemplating an Anderson hitch for a 17 B, instead of the equalizer hitch that has worked very well, but has become rather cumbersome for me. I have had poor luck in finding out whether they have a good anti-sway feature, and if they are lighter in weight than those equalizer bars with chains. Initially I perceived that there were some problems with them and figure that by now many bugs have been ironed out.
Is that true?
Any recommendations?

[gbaglo]

Well, there is this:
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/me...53287525d.html

[Rossue]

Had Pro Series with 17B then went Andersen with the 21. LSS went back to Pro Series. Yes the Andersen is lightwe, however is much more difficult to hitch up and unhook IMO.

Also the ball is closer to the tow with Andersen. I can open the tailgate now with Pro Series.

[sclifrickson]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Yes the Andersen is lightwe, however is much more difficult to hitch up and unhook IMO.

Agree with Ross. We had the Anderson in our 17B and the E2 Pro WDH on our 19. E2 is much faster and easier to use.

On a related note, I also highly recommend an electric tongue jack for either WDH option. There is a lot of up down up down with either, which isn’t a big deal if you’re only going out for a weekend at a time, but if you’re traveling a lot, setting up in new places every couple days, and especially if you’re doing it in crappy cold driving PNW rain in the winter, at night, then you really get to appreciate an electric tongue jack fast.

[Dave Walter]

I have an Anderson on my 15B and the ProSeries on my 19'. I really dislike the Anderson and would not buy another. The ProSeries is simpler and easier to use.

[Bea]

Hi Sandra L,

We installed an Andersen WDH on our new 2019 Escape 21.

We are very pleased with the results.

Pros:
* Lighter than other WDHs
* Easy to hookup (IMHO)
* No heavy bars (we struggled with bars on our tent trailer we used for years)
* The chains can be easily removed and stored indoors when the trailer is not in use
* Works great with our Ford Expedition 3.5L. Trailer feels very well connected and no swaying occurs.
* Better ground clearance than other WDH systems
* The ball mount shank has a couple holes now, so it was easy to find a setting that allows our tailgate to open easily (earlier versions of Andersen had some problems providing space for tailgates to open)

Cons:
* For our Ford, we have to turn off the anti-sway feature that is built into the vehicles computer every time we start the engine and tow. (The Andersen manual says to do this - I guess the computer fights the Andersen anti-sway feature).
* After installing the Andersen brackets on the trailer frame, I noticed they moved a little (i.e. rotated on the set screw). Thus for the first couple trips, the chains would start firm, but were a little loose at the end of the tow. Thus you may need to make a few adjustments at first (I ended up using one less chain link).

Bottom-line: We are very glad we chose the Andersen WDH.

[Bea]

One more thought on the Andersen WDH:

We bought ours directly from Andersen's website.

The same unit was available on Amazon.com, but there are reports that some of the units on Amazon may be older and may not have some of the tweaks and improvements that Andersen made for their latest version of hitches.

It cost about $20 more to get the item directly from Andersen, but I wanted to make sure we had the latest and greatest version.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Bea

It cost about $20 more to get the item directly from Andersen, but I wanted to make sure we had the latest and greatest version.

Does it have Ryan Andersen's initials carved into it?

[John in Santa Cruz]

I'm becoming increasingly disillusioned with Amazon. They have a hellacious problem with their 'marketplace' vendors supplying counterfeit merchandise which gets co-mingled with official stuff and sold as 'amazon prime'. they don't seem to care, and only deal with counterfeits reluctantly on a case by case basis, when their entire system is rife with it.

[Rossue]

What kind of products have you found to be counterfeit?

[John in Santa Cruz]

a wide range of stuff. batteries, computer parts, books, tools, you name it.

an extreme case point: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/23/t...ore-books.html

[Rossue]

Can't read it; NY Times wants me to subscribe.

[Dkeen673]

We use an Andersen with our Honda Odyssey TV and our new 17’ Casita. We got this hitch because of high clearance, simplicity, and (mostly) silent operation. The sway control has very good under sometimes extreme driving conditions. The weight distribution feature satisfactorily levels our front wheel-drive tow vehicle (we also have rear air bag suspension). The tension chains are easy to hook up, but the TV may need to be pulled ahead with the trailer a few feet to adjust both chains so that they are equal in length and tension. It is not necessary to unhook when backing up. We are happy that we have an electric tongue jack, as it facilitates hooking, adjusting and unhooking. Last month, after several years of use with two trailers, the Andersen began generating a squealing sound while turning - due, as it turned out to worn synthetic material in the ball cone. Andersen responded to my complaint by promptly supplying new and updated components, cost free.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Can't read it; NY Times wants me to subscribe.

here's a report about the report.
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/6...t-project-zero

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Dkeen673

It is not necessary to unhook when backing up.

It's not necessary to unhook when backing with Pro Series either.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I never unhooked when backing up with my bent-bar WDH (Eaz-Lift Elite, with bars rated at 600 lbs tongue weight)... I did not use a antisway friction bar because I have never felt any tendancy towards sway because I'm careful how I load, and I'm towing with stable full frame RWD (or 4x4 in 2H) trucks.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

It's not necessary to unhook when backing with Pro Series either.

I looked up Pro Series. turns out thats Reese, DrawTite, and a bunch of other brands.

only WDH I found was a 1000 lb tongue weight bent bar that looks nearly identical to my 'Eaz-Lift Elite', only I got a 600 lb version (for my Casita 16 which had a tendancy to pitch up and down on bumps/dips when towed with my Tacoma TRD Off Road and tall all-terrain tires).

[gbaglo]

My bars also 600 lb.

[John in Santa Cruz]

its actually impossible to find the WDH if you go in the front door of ProSeries corporate website. I found a listing for a 1000 lb bar but no other versions.


wow, I just looked at your last picture... you should grease the bars where they fit into the hitch... mine has grease nipples on each bent-bar pivot, I squirted a good dose of green waterproof ball bearing grease in mine when I first got it, and its never looked that nasty.

[Sandra L]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Well, there is this:
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/me...53287525d.html

How terrible! He should have known better to begin with and I wonder if he skated.