Those that have used Anderson Ultimate Hitch

[davisenvy]

I'm in a dilemma between an Anderson Ultimate Hitch vs the regular FW hitch. Not trying to start which is better type thing. Has anyone had an Andersen and gone back to a regular hitch? I'm in a situation where the Andersen is too tall for my FW/ truck set up. They can convert the Andersen hitch for the flat bed to fit my truck, but it will cost me another $500 after I trade my current hitch back in. I have never towed with a regular hitch so this is why I'm asking.

Basically is the Andersen towing experience that much better to warrant the up grade, or pocket the $500 and look for a regular FW hitch on Craigs List.

[davisenvy]

Just a side note for other Jayco HT owners out there. Don't trim the fiberglass to get to the very top hole. There is a metal plate keeping the kingpin from going into the very top hole. I found this out by cutting out a 2" section that exposed the plate. Surprised Jayco didn't know about this when I called them on Friday and asked them about it.

[Me_Again]

davisenvy wrote:
I guess I have to decide weather the 1.5" I'll gain from the new hitch is worth $300. I'm a little concerned lowering the hitch point might cause some bed rail/kingpin clearance. Then if I do rotate the coupler, I might run into cab/nose cone issues. I have decided to trim the fiberglass around the kingpin to give me another inch. That and the spring lift will give me 3 inches closer to level leaving the nose 2 in high.

Again you are not accounting for the fact that the axles are not at the very rear of the trailer. Your gain will be more than you think. Not as much as my little 20' board example, but better than what you are figuring. If you look at the actual distances you could compute it closer. Chris

[Sport45]

davisenvy wrote:
I guess I have to decide weather the 1.5" I'll gain from the new hitch is worth $300. I'm a little concerned lowering the hitch point might cause some bed rail/kingpin clearance. Then if I do rotate the coupler, I might run into cab/nose cone issues. I have decided to trim the fiberglass around the kingpin to give me another inch. That and the spring lift will give me 3 inches closer to level leaving the nose 2 in high.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

[davisenvy]

I guess I have to decide weather the 1.5" I'll gain from the new hitch is worth $300. I'm a little concerned lowering the hitch point might cause some bed rail/kingpin clearance. Then if I do rotate the coupler, I might run into cab/nose cone issues. I have decided to trim the fiberglass around the kingpin to give me another inch. That and the spring lift will give me 3 inches closer to level leaving the nose 2 in high.

[N-Trouble]

Me Again wrote:
So raise it on the springs first before spending money and see where you are at.

If you have a 20' board that is 5" off level, then raising the center of the board 2.5" will make level, assuming the high remains stationary.

Some people are installing the bolt on version of Correct Track, which raises the trailer.


http://www.lci1.com/correct-track-ii

Chris

Axles are not centered front to back so this logic wont hold true for any trailer. He will have to go higher than 2.5" at the axles to truly get level.

[davisenvy]

Me Again wrote:
So raise it on the springs first before spending money and see where you are at.

If you have a 20' board that is 5" off level, then raising the center of the board 2.5" will make level, assuming the high remains stationary.

Some people are installing the bolt on version of Correct Track, which raises the trailer.


http://www.lci1.com/correct-track-ii

Chris

There is a lower hole on my shackle for the leaf springs. If I drop to the lower hole it will raise my trailer 2". By doing this it might correct more than 2" out of the 5" that I'm trying to achieve?

I store my FW on a level concrete pad. I measured the skirt, front and back, and also check with an actual level. My measurements are withing .25" accurate.

[hbillsmith]

davisenvy wrote:
The trailer is high 5 inches from the rear to just behind the nose cone. I'm measuring from the the skirt on the FW. I'm going to raise the FW 2 in and lower the nose 2 in.

Not sure if this would make any difference, but when I was measuring to level mine, I made sure I was parked on a level pad (new KOA as I recall) and then I started at the rear end of the frame and moved up a couple of feet, at that point I measured from the ground to the bottom of the I-beam frame (too many skirts are warped or not even). Then I went to the front of the frame about a foot or two just before the point where the trailer rises up to the nose. There I did my second measure.

I tow 2 inches off level. You can't really tell by looking but my measure confirmed. It tows fine. My concerns on off level were that I might put more weight on the back axle and cause the back tires to overheat or wear more. I use a TMS and check frequently. After about 12,000 miles towing, I have experienced no issues and the tires report even temps (subject to which sun side they're on of course). Other concerns were that the slight off level could contribute to bucking and chucking and that has not been the case (perhaps because of the tight fit of the Andersen, couldn't say for sure though).

I've read others opinions that 2-3 inches is OK. My experience is the same.

[Me_Again]

So raise it on the springs first before spending money and see where you are at.

If you have a 20' board that is 5" off level, then raising the center of the board 2.5" will make level, assuming the high remains stationary.

Some people are installing the bolt on version of Correct Track, which raises the trailer.


http://www.lci1.com/correct-track-ii

Chris

[davisenvy]

The trailer is high 5 inches from the rear to just behind the nose cone. I'm measuring from the the skirt on the FW. I'm going to raise the FW 2 in and lower the nose 2 in.

[Me_Again]

Again, if you are saying the trailer is off 5" on its total lenght, then you will not need to raise it 5" at the axles to level it. Chris

[davisenvy]

I decided to lower the spring mounts giving me an extra 2 inches. With the truck loaded with the FW the truck squats 2 in. About 8.25 inch between rear of bed rails and the under side of the FW nose. I can't raise the pinbox any more because the fiberglass on the nose won't allow it. I do have one more hole to adjust up. As is, fully hooked up the FW is nose high 5 inches.

My plan is to get the new hitch to lower the nose around 1.5 inches maybe 2 in. Lower the springs giving me another 2 in. This leaves me with 1 inch nose high. I'm going to call Jayco today and see if it will void the warranty to cut the fiberglass to allow the king pin to go up the rest of the way. That would be the last inch to level.

Andersen said that if I had pinbox clearance issues, like hitting the bed rails I can switch the coupler on the pinbox around so the ball is behind the pin and it would give me more clearance.

[Sport45]

davisenvy wrote:
I have the pinbox up as high as the FW will allow and I'm still towing nose high by 5 inches.

Were you able to raise it that last bit? In your other thread you mentioned you had another set of holes left but something was interfering with using them.

You could also consider lowering the truck if you are dead set on not raising the trailer.

[Me_Again]

davisenvy wrote:
Chris, forgive my ignorance, but what are the jack plates?

My plan is to go down some in the front and up some with the leaf springs. This should get me pretty close to level.

Spring mounts! Chris

[wvcampers]

I tried the Andersen and have gone back to my Reese. My trailer did not tow well with the Andersen. The trailer was continuously moving around, the truck was moving too. It was not comfortable driving. I have no movement with the Reese.