Andersen No-Sway Experience
Over all I give the Andersen a thumbs up. Initial install is simple and quick. Its ability to move weight forward on your rig is surprisingly good. It pulls well and handles sway about as well as coul...
Forum Discussion
Hi all, Sorry I have been gone and not paying attention to the goings on with this thread... For starters, please, do not turn this into "That Thread" Any of you who have read through some of the Andersen threads on other sites should know what I mean.
I just sat and did the math and so far I believe I am about 4000 km on this hitch and it continues to impress me. I will try to answer some of the concerns I have heard. One of the biggest ones is the hitches inability to transfer enough weight on heavier trailers. I have not actually seen a lot of pull behind travel trailers bigger then mine. I am a hair under 37 feet tip to tail, and about 9000 lbs total trailer weight. I end up with about 11% tongue weight. As I have mentioned, I am set up so that the front of my truck picks up about 1/8 inch, the back drops a hair under 1.25 inches and I have .18 inch compression on the springs. I asked Andersen about max compression and they say they have tested them to 1/2 inch compression. So to answer the question that I know a number of people are thinking... Do I actually transfer 100% of the front end weight back to the front end with this hitch? Nope. Do I care? Nope. As I have said and will continue to say. the hitch makes the truck and trailer feel connected, I have good control, no steering wander, no under steer, etc.
Now here is my thought to the critics... I pull with a 2500 duramax... if I wanted to pull this trailer with an f150 that technically is "rated" to pull it, would this hitch perform as well? I sorta doubt it. But would I try pulling this trailer with a 1500/150 pickup? Not on your life. Get real. prior to ANY discussion about weight transfer performance we need to ensure that we are comparing apples to apples. And I am sorry if I offend anyone here but asking a 1500/150 to pull like a 2500 or 3500 is nonsensical.
The "forces" in the hitch. At last inspection, after lets call it 4000 km, half of it on, umm, lets say "not so great" Saskatchewan secondary highways both the ball and coupler mechanisms appear as new with no unusual wear or markings. I don't know what else I can say there.
Does the sway control aspect of the hitch work? In my belief, Yes, as well as any sway control hitch on the market not counting Hensley... As I explained in my original post... Can you feel the trailer back there? yep. Does it sway? From time to time in specific road conditions? Yep. Am I happy that the hitch is controlling the sway and allowing me to drive safely? yep. I have Driven highway tractors with loads as heavy as 250000 lbs and 130 ft long. I have pulled (with a pickup) a variety of trailers over the years from 8 ft utility trailers to 43 foot oilfield 5th wheel tool trailers. I have NEVER pulled a trailer I could not feel to some degree or another. I guess I just wonder what peoples expectations are. It is a huge, heavy brick shaped sail. and you want a little piece of steel or a pair of chains or whatever to actually fully control what it does behind your truck? If anyone ever comes up with an actual for real 100% solution they need to patent it quick because thousands of commercial trucking companies will be all over it!
And I feel almost silly saying this, but I read on another forum about a user who did not like the hitch because "as soon as he got over 75mph with his (27 foot long) trailer it started to sway".
Really? I mean, really?
I can not and will not dignify that kind of stupidity with a response..
Anyhow all of my venting aside. I have played with the setup, tried tweaking it here and there. but really, It just works, plain and simple. There is zero snapping creaking and groaning, the trailer stays behind my truck, it allows me to feel in control of the rig as a whole, I don't have to unhook anything to back into a site, coupling and uncoupling is a breeze. All and all, I am a happy and satisfied user.
I just sat and did the math and so far I believe I am about 4000 km on this hitch and it continues to impress me. I will try to answer some of the concerns I have heard. One of the biggest ones is the hitches inability to transfer enough weight on heavier trailers. I have not actually seen a lot of pull behind travel trailers bigger then mine. I am a hair under 37 feet tip to tail, and about 9000 lbs total trailer weight. I end up with about 11% tongue weight. As I have mentioned, I am set up so that the front of my truck picks up about 1/8 inch, the back drops a hair under 1.25 inches and I have .18 inch compression on the springs. I asked Andersen about max compression and they say they have tested them to 1/2 inch compression. So to answer the question that I know a number of people are thinking... Do I actually transfer 100% of the front end weight back to the front end with this hitch? Nope. Do I care? Nope. As I have said and will continue to say. the hitch makes the truck and trailer feel connected, I have good control, no steering wander, no under steer, etc.
Now here is my thought to the critics... I pull with a 2500 duramax... if I wanted to pull this trailer with an f150 that technically is "rated" to pull it, would this hitch perform as well? I sorta doubt it. But would I try pulling this trailer with a 1500/150 pickup? Not on your life. Get real. prior to ANY discussion about weight transfer performance we need to ensure that we are comparing apples to apples. And I am sorry if I offend anyone here but asking a 1500/150 to pull like a 2500 or 3500 is nonsensical.
The "forces" in the hitch. At last inspection, after lets call it 4000 km, half of it on, umm, lets say "not so great" Saskatchewan secondary highways both the ball and coupler mechanisms appear as new with no unusual wear or markings. I don't know what else I can say there.
Does the sway control aspect of the hitch work? In my belief, Yes, as well as any sway control hitch on the market not counting Hensley... As I explained in my original post... Can you feel the trailer back there? yep. Does it sway? From time to time in specific road conditions? Yep. Am I happy that the hitch is controlling the sway and allowing me to drive safely? yep. I have Driven highway tractors with loads as heavy as 250000 lbs and 130 ft long. I have pulled (with a pickup) a variety of trailers over the years from 8 ft utility trailers to 43 foot oilfield 5th wheel tool trailers. I have NEVER pulled a trailer I could not feel to some degree or another. I guess I just wonder what peoples expectations are. It is a huge, heavy brick shaped sail. and you want a little piece of steel or a pair of chains or whatever to actually fully control what it does behind your truck? If anyone ever comes up with an actual for real 100% solution they need to patent it quick because thousands of commercial trucking companies will be all over it!
And I feel almost silly saying this, but I read on another forum about a user who did not like the hitch because "as soon as he got over 75mph with his (27 foot long) trailer it started to sway".
Really? I mean, really?
I can not and will not dignify that kind of stupidity with a response..
Anyhow all of my venting aside. I have played with the setup, tried tweaking it here and there. but really, It just works, plain and simple. There is zero snapping creaking and groaning, the trailer stays behind my truck, it allows me to feel in control of the rig as a whole, I don't have to unhook anything to back into a site, coupling and uncoupling is a breeze. All and all, I am a happy and satisfied user.
