Andersen Hitch Refurbishment

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by bolerfan

Another issue is the furnace. The Atwood that was put into our 2013 Escape is no longer being installed in the new 17's. Inside of 2 years we have an obsolete furnace for which even O'Connors doesn't carry parts ( have to order in which is very inconvenient when you are travelling and need service).

All Escape models get the same model of furnace - none of them get the old Everest Star 8012-II any more. The reality of RV appliances is that most parts for most of them are not in stock at any dealer.

[bolerfan]

1) Yes, we have been in touch with Andersen and as my previous post states: received new cone within a week. We have now exchanged emails for the past 3 weeks and I will try again tomorrow. We have been on the road for the past month, so not quite as efficient as dealing with things from home office.
2) Andersen was recommended directly to us at the factory when we put together our order in 2013. Never had heard of it prior.
3) Yes, parts for the Atwood furnace are available by ordering. Not exactly a good situation when you are travelling and on the move. O'Connor's is a huge R.V. Dealer in Chilliwack and they couldn't find the unit in their database until they programmed in the new name and model number by the new owners of the Atwood brand. Two big R.V. dealers in Chilliwack didnot carry parts for this unit. Having said that, it is like any other appliance, many different brands all built by the same factory using the same internal parts so I have no fear that parts will not be available in the near future....At Escape (3 weeks ago) they told us our furnace is obsolete in that they are now installing a completely different unit in the new 17 (redesigned) and when I asked about switching our Atwood to this new unit, said not feasible as they had to redesign the cabinetry and venting outlet to accommodate the new unit they now use.

[gbaglo]

Anybody have a solution to progress?

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Anybody have a solution to progress?

Hi: gbaglo... Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[gbaglo]

Hi Alf.

[cpaharley2008]

Sell it and get a new one...... As far as the Andersen, I stopped there on one of my trips to Osoyoos. Very nice people and they came out to the parking lot and switched my brackets, gratis. May be worth a trip there to fix your issue.

[azjack]

Many miles using the Andersen and I am happy. A year or two ago the friction material was working up and out, I called and was told about 1/2 inch was the time to change it. A new one showed up within the week and I changed it , during our trip this last month I had 1/2 inch again, call company and Tiger(?) said a new material is in use. I received it as soon as we arrived home and I installed it yesterday, this one is off white, it dropped in after I cleaned all of the old red one out. The only difficult part was the "C" clip and the best quality of pliars needed to change it out. I always lube the ball with white lithium grease and have no noise, sway and I can make small adjustments with a quick stop along the hi way.
Jack

[LeonW]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Call them - they are months behind in responding to email.

That is not my experience. I have contacted them twice in the past year. Once when one of us put the washer on the wrong side of the elastomer and once to talk about some wear on the chains. In both cases I had a response in less than one business day.

[KirkB]

Originally Posted by azjack

I called and was told about 1/2 inch was the time to change it.
Jack

Thanks, Jack. Mine is just under 1/2 inch.

Originally Posted by azjack

I always lube the ball with white lithium grease and have no noise, sway and I can make small adjustments with a quick stop along the hi way.
Jack

Did Andersen recommend this? The installation manual on the Andersen web site (assume it is current) says no lubrication of the ball is needed.

I called Andersen, and they said they would send me a new friction cone with the new material. The person I spoke with did not offer an answer to my reseat or replace question, but asked for a photo of my ball mount.

I am a bit surprised at the way they deal with customers. The first time I called, they transferred me to my area rep, whose cell phone had a full mailbox, so no way to leave a message. I called back, they offered to leave a message for my rep, but I got them to connect me to someone else who was on a cell. After describing my problem to this person, they asked me to send them my contact info via text message. Hopefully they will get my message and send a replacement. I think I will reseat the old cone in the meantime.

[Loren & Cathy]

What seems to go wrong with my Andersen hitch is that the chain starts to get real tight on one side and the other side comes loose. I had to replace the cone at around 3500 miles and Andersen quickly responded with a new one.

I like the hitch mainly for eliminating the bounce and sway has never been a problem when towing without the Andersen. Before I head out this fall I am very tempted to grease the cone. Loren