Andersen hitch

I have one and its does what it says: quiet, easy to set up. My tongue wt is 525lb and the Trailer is about 6000#. I do think I need a new sleeve and you don't want to grease the ball.

I've never read anywhere that the Anderson is not a wd hitch. The only criticism I've seen directed at them is they don't transfer enough weight to the front on very heavy trailers with 1,000 lbs or more tongue weight. When we bought the bigger trailer I looked hard at the Anderson but determined I had too much tongue weight. Other than that they seem to be fine on the lighter trailers from which they get great reviews

Yes, he does post very long rambling opinions, most of which I ignore. But, stating unequivocally that the Andersen is not a WDH, was so wrong, I felt I had to say something
I’ve had the Andersen on 2 TVs and 2 campers with probably 20k miles or so, all over the country.
Some people just have to blather, I guess.

It doesn't work in his mind because he doesn't understand how it is designed to work.

I've ran Andersen no-Sway hitches on three different tow vehicles and two different trailers over a 4+ year period and I can tell you that they absolutely do work and I've never had any issue with them. I have used traditional load bar WD hitches over the years as well.

If you have a heavy trailer with a tongue weight over 1k lbs, then an Andersen No-Sway is likely not a good application, anything less and they work wonderfully.

So the "expert" on the other thread who is spewing misinformation is either inept or a troll or both.....

ajriding wrote:
The other thread poster was not so smart if he said it was not a WD hitch. That's exactly what Anderson hitch is, the clue is the chains and springs that do exactly what a WD hitch does. Those dumb post are best ignored.

I have only read bad things about the Anderson, glad you have it working for you.
The bad things are that the hitch does not actually turn after using it many miles. Too much weight on the hitch puts too much stress. Maybe it needs to be greased up before each use. I do not know. Yes, less weight would certainly cause less wear so that might be why yours still works as new while others, with heavier tongue weight, toss them in the trash.

How much articulation is possible with this hitch? When the truck goes up an incline and the trailer is still on flat ground this puts maximum tension on a WE hitch, stretching the spring. Do you think Anderson can "spring" as far as the bar style ones?

I have seen used ones cheap, but my trailer is light, so was thinking maybe it would work for me.

Never had a problem with the hitch turning, nor have I heard of the issue. I still have the original friction sleeve in it and have been all over the country with mine; Florida to Utah, Arizona, Tennessee several times and more. Articulation has never been a problem for me. I've had it in some situations similar to what you described with no issue. The only time I ever came close was in Arizona when I entered a gas station with a VERY steep and short entrance from the road. There I slightly scraped the bottom of the bars on the hitch assembly where the urethane absorbers are. No damage to anything except for some scratches. I think I would have hit no matter what hitch I had.

Like I said, I am extremely happy with the hitch; but I do have a fairly low tongue wait. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

I can’t imagine the Andersen not turning at any time. If it couldn’t turn, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to make a turn while hitched.
You certainly don’t want to grease it as that is where the anti sway takes place. It definitely can’t be turned by hand. In fact, you don’t grease anything. I don’t miss the mess at all.
The only problem I have had with it is the brake material started to rise out of the cone. Maybe an eighth of an inch or so. I contacted them and got a new sleeve in the mail a couple days later. It took only a couple minutes to change out.
There are no springs on an Andersen. There are 2 large urethane bushings that the chains go through via a steel rod.
After 6 years or so, I am perfectly happy with it.

ajriding wrote:

I have only read bad things about the Anderson....

The bad things are that the hitch does not actually turn after using it many miles. Too much weight on the hitch puts too much stress. Maybe it needs to be greased up before each use.

I do not know.

Like I said, the worst "reviews" are from people who have never used one.

The other thread poster was not so smart if he said it was not a WD hitch. That's exactly what Anderson hitch is, the clue is the chains and springs that do exactly what a WD hitch does. Those dumb post are best ignored.

I have only read bad things about the Anderson, glad you have it working for you.
The bad things are that the hitch does not actually turn after using it many miles. Too much weight on the hitch puts too much stress. Maybe it needs to be greased up before each use. I do not know. Yes, less weight would certainly cause less wear so that might be why yours still works as new while others, with heavier tongue weight, toss them in the trash.

How much articulation is possible with this hitch? When the truck goes up an incline and the trailer is still on flat ground this puts maximum tension on a WE hitch, stretching the spring. Do you think Anderson can "spring" as far as the bar style ones?

I have seen used ones cheap, but my trailer is light, so was thinking maybe it would work for me.

We've used the Andersen Hitch for over 6 years now and am very pleased with it. I think it is accurate to say that the Andersen is not suitable for cases where a LARGE amount of weight distribution is required. However, my trailer has about a 600 lb tongue weight like you, and it is terrific. For people in a similar situation as ours, the Andersen is a great choice. It does provide weight distribution as well as great sway control and bounce attenuation. I can tow without any type of WDH but it is so much nicer with the Andersen. I wouldn't tow without it.

GrandpaKip wrote:
On another thread, it was posted that the Andersen hitch is not a weight distribution hitch and should not be used on a vehicle that requires one.
When hooked up without it, my truck drops 2” in the rear and raises about 1” in front.
When hooked up with it, the front is within 1/4” of unloaded and the rear is down 1”. This basically levels out the truck, which sits tail high when unhitched.

There are tons of positive reviews of the Andersen hitch from those who actually own and use one. There are some negative comments from people who have never had their hands on one. They will not make an inadequate tow vehicle into a towing monster. They are quiet, lightweight, effective hitches (as you noted). I really like the way they control "porpoising" as we travel over bumpy highways.

The latest recommendations from Ford and GM products do not "require" 100% front axle weight restoration as some on here still believe.