Andersen or equalizer?

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I tow with a 1/2 ton truck with air bags ,Curt WDH and a Curt anti sway bar.. I am not concerned about the minor cost to improve my towing experience . I have been witness to people driving down an interstate at 40 mph with their backend dragging ,trying to maintain control of their vehicle and decided that I will not follow their example. In the scheme of things $500 for a WDH is nothing when compared to a $35K Escape

Can we clone you Steve and replace all the crazies out there?

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by techfan

...the Andersen (note the "e" not the "o") as there may, indeed, be an Anderson leveler out there....

I stand corrected: "e" not "o". My apologies.

Good points about reading the manufacturer's documents. They provide good fuel for more accurate decisions.

[kvermeulen]

I would go with a wdh hitch sized correctly, but get one you can add sway control to later if necessary.

Ken

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by kvermeulen

I would go with a wdh hitch sized correctly, but get one you can add sway control to later if necessary.

Ken

Pro Series has a provision for bolt-on addition of the sway control. On the ball mount casting, right side, there is a boss for a small ball that is the front connection of the sway control. It then bolts to the right side of the tongue. Holes must be drilled.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by dave macrae

I have used both , get the anderson.

Ditto that Dave. Am not going to drag a 21 far on a rough road to need something to control it more from any roll like the Equal-i-zer is purported to do. Don't miss the mess or the weight either.

[hotfishtacos]

I tow my 19' with a 4WD Honda Pilot, 4 batteries in the front box and used to use an Equalizer WDH until I installed custom coil springs and air bags and now I am dead-level with the trailer on the ball of a conventional hitch. Tows fine!

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I tow with a 1/2 ton truck with air bags ,Curt WDH and a Curt anti sway bar.. I am not concerned about the minor cost to improve my towing experience
...
In the scheme of things $500 for a WDH is nothing when compared to a $35K Escape

While some members may have noticed that I am not a huge fan of WDH I certainly agree with this: if a WDH is right for the rig, the price of the hardware is not an important factor in the decision.

[dave macrae]

While the tounge weight of our 21 or our 19 for that matter wasn't a issue although I do have air bags and factory air shocks. The anderson simply makes towing much smoother. I also needed someway of moving the trailer back a few inches so I can open the rear hatch on the Yukon. It makes the entire rig handle as one and feels very stable and smooth, I have towed alot of miles over the years with a standard Wdh hitch and it just isn't as nice.

[Rossue]

Opening the rear hatch on our Yukon is tight- have to be fairly square to the trailer. That would be one advantage of the Pro Series I believe as my recollection is the stinger was longer by several inches than the Andersen.

Wonder if there is any way to have a longer stinger with Andersen.

[Brian B-P]

Moving the ball rearward is bad in just about every way for towing, but if your rig can handle it (which would likely include cranking in a little more WD action) it can fix clearance issues.

Originally Posted by Rossue

Wonder if there is any way to have a longer stinger with Andersen.

Probably, yes. Andersen's weight distribution parts page lists:

3373-A Extra labor fee: custom WD/EZ HD rack w/ 3" extra shank length (add to 3351 or 3353)

Those other part numbers (3351 and 3353) are the 8" drop/rise and 4" drop/rise racks (which include the shank)... so it's not cheap, but it appears to be available.

To explain the part description: the same rack/shank is used for the No-Sway WD hitch system and the heavy duty (HD) version of the "EZ hitch" adjustable non-WD ball mount.

[Rossue]

I agree with you Brian that closer to the TV is better/safer for towing but that Pro Series seemed to be back at least another 5 inches. No?

Spoke with Steve at Andersen; had I spoken with him when the trailer was almost new he would have just traded out for a longer one FYI. He also mentioned stinger extenders, but don't think I will go that route. He did say he would work with me if I wanted to pursue their option.

Think I will probably just live with it- we can open the window at least to get chairs out. Would think ETI could have some options as others may very well be having the same issue- even with truck tailgates.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Rossue

I agree with you Brian that closer to the TV is better/safer for towing but that Pro Series seemed to be back at least another 5 inches. No?

Yes, all the WD systems have bulky heads which push the ball back from the tug, and most have adjustable-height systems that push it back even further. The Pro Series hitch looks pretty typical, and serve as a demonstration that the ball can be at least that far back with acceptable results for at least some users.

Originally Posted by Rossue

Spoke with Steve at Andersen; had I spoken with him when the trailer was almost new he would have just traded out for a longer one FYI. He also mentioned stinger extenders, but don't think I will go that route. He did say he would work with me if I wanted to pursue their option.

I wouldn't use any kind of extender with WD, or with significant tongue weight in any configuration.

This seems to be a cost issue - getting the extended shank is straightforward, but with the extension that's a $300 hunk of steel!

Hensley has a similar challenge because their equivalent part is not adjustable for height, and so is offered in various fixed rise/drop sizes. Every time an owner changes trailer or tug, they may need to change this part. Hensley's solution is to run an exchange program - customers get used parts, but at least they know that and they pay only for shipping and handling, instead of purchasing an additional part.

Originally Posted by Rossue

Would think ETI could have some options as others may very well be having the same issue- even with truck tailgates.

I think just being aware of the extended option from Andersen - so the hitch can be purchased in the configuration best suited to the individual rig - should be enough for ETI, although if they are stocking hitch parts they could stock one extended-shank rack in each drop range.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

True, but the effect of moving weight from the rear of the tow to the front ( and to the trailer ) is to level the tow vehicle.

Yes, one effect of WDH is to tilt the tug toward nose-down, which is probably toward more level than with the trailer and no WDH.

Originally Posted by gbaglo

All an air bag does is prevent the rear from dropping.

Almost - air bags (or other spring additions) also stiffen the suspension. Yes, as far as leveling is concerned they only affect the rear height. Since the front height changes very little due to the trailer weight, this is likely all that is needed for leveling. As always, spring modifications or additions do not change the loads carried by the axles.

Based on measurements of the RAV4/Escape 17' photos (from rim to fender lip) the application of the WDH compresses the front suspension by 0.38% of the wheelbase or about 10 mm, and lifts rear by 1.4% of the wheelbase or about 37 mm. The front height change is not significant to leveling.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by kvermeulen

I would go with a wdh hitch sized correctly, but get one you can add sway control to later if necessary.

• If the WDH hitch chosen has substantial friction for sway damping built-in, I see no reason to want provision to add another frictional device later.
• If the WDH hitch chosen is a basic bending spring-bar design with no particular sway damping feature, then it makes sense to have mounting provisions to add a frictional sway damping device later... but this is just a mounting hole in a wing of the WDH head - don't they all have that?

[Bobbito]

No, not all WDH have a mount for an anti-sway bar. Some don't have the wing. With our stick trailer we chose one with this feature and ended up buying the anti-sway part later. Once we got 10 ply (equivalent) truck tires on our Tundra we no longer needed the anti-sway. Prior to that the anti-sway was essential.

[Ellentob]

Originally Posted by hotfishtacos

I tow my 19' with a 4WD Honda Pilot, 4 batteries in the front box and used to use an Equalizer WDH until I installed custom coil springs and air bags and now I am dead-level with the trailer on the ball of a conventional hitch. Tows fine!

I tow my 19 with a Honda Ridgeline and use only a conventional hitch. One thing I would recommend is, if buying a new tow vehicle, is to get one with a factory installed tow package. We did this and the truck came with beefed up suspension, heavy duty brakes, oil cooler and light harness. Towing is level and easy. No sway and no struggle with any extra equipment.

[Oregonian]

I've been following this thread with interest. I will be towing a 21 with my 2014 Ram 1500 truck. It's a 4x4, Crew Cab, 6'4" bed, with the Hemi motor and factory tow package. I was leaning toward just a standard ball hitch due to the ample length an towing capacity of my truck. I ended up ordering the Andersen hitch from ETI primarily to mitigate trailer 'bounce' due to the stiff suspension of my truck. This will be my first trailer and I haven't picked it up yet so I can't give any first-hand reports yet.

[Loren & Cathy]

Originally Posted by Oregonian

I've been following this thread with interest. I will be towing a 21 with my 2014 Ram 1500 truck. It's a 4x4, Crew Cab, 6'4" bed, with the Hemi motor and factory two package. I was leaning toward just a standard ball hitch due to the ample length an towing capacity of my truck. I ended up ordering the Andersen hitch from ETI primarily to mitigate trailer 'bounce' due to the stiff suspension of my truck. This will be my first trailer and I haven't picked it up yet so I can't give any first-hand reports yet.

I kind of have the same setup in my GMC and Reace looked it over and recommended the Anderson for the same reason. To eliminate "galloping" as he put it though I am more concerned about crosswinds. Loren

[Oregonian]

I agree, when spending a fair amount of money on options for both aesthetics and functionality, I can't begrudge the extra money for an option that truly is safety related.

[BCnomad]

Looks like I chose wisely in also ordering an Andersen.