Anderson weight dist. hitch with sway control

Olli wrote:
I was going to start a thread on this topic myself.

I am planning on getting Andersen hitch for next summer. We have a small trailer with low TW and some might say it won't need a WDH. I have very little experience in towing TT's, but Andersen hitch looks like a good idea for our miniature set-up.

Good info in the linked search results, but I would like to hear from somebody who is towing small 3500 lbs GWR TT's with this hitch. Is it worth the money or should I spend my pennies somewhere else?

I'm towing a 3750 GWR TT with a RAM 1500 using the Andersen. I've been very pleased with it's performance. Easy to hook-up and disconnect, very quiet and the built-in sway control works very well. It's steady and straight when the semi's fly by and did quite well in some rather strong gusty winds during a trip to southern Utah.

My tongue weight is about 450lbs as measured with a Sherline scale, and loaded trailer is just over 3600lbs per CAT scale. It easily returns 100% of the load to the front axle. Very easy to adjust the WD portion - just tighten/loosen the chains to reach the desired load restoration. I used front fender measurements to adjust then confirmed on CAT scale.

One thing to consider is the potential for the frame brackets to slip a little bit. Most reports I've seen seem to indicate it's not a problem, but I ended up having the frame brackets tack-welded. This is detailed in the manual as the recommended method for dealing with bracket slip.

For lighter weight trailers especially I think it's a good choice - and your back will thank you as well since the whole unit is only 60lbs. Even if you don't need much from the WD I think it's worth it for the sway control.

Works great on 28' TT with 800-900 lbs TW. Tow vehicle has been F-150 and F-350. Super stable in heavy cross winds.

Mine works well with my 26ft TT and my diesel F250.

I was going to start a thread on this topic myself.

I am planning on getting Andersen hitch for next summer. We have a small trailer with low TW and some might say it won't need a WDH. I have very little experience in towing TT's, but Andersen hitch looks like a good idea for our miniature set-up.

Good info in the linked search results, but I would like to hear from somebody who is towing small 3500 lbs GWR TT's with this hitch. Is it worth the money or should I spend my pennies somewhere else?

I used one with a 31' 7300lb TT and a Ram 2500 CTD CC LB. TT had a tongue weight of 900+lbs. The Anderson worked great. With the Cummins up front in the 2500 I didn't need to transfer very much weight. Hitching up the front of the truck only rose about 1/4-1/3" before attaching the Anderson. Handling and ride was better than the EQ 1000/10,000 WD I used prior. And 10x quieter.
I don't think the Anderson would be a good choice for heavy TW TTs and 1/2 ton trucks. But 3/4 ton and up with TW in the 700-900lb range it would be fine IMO.

My last tow with the TT and Anderson was thru the Gorge on I84 out to LaGrande Or. Anyone who knows the Gorge knows how windy it gets. Never had an issue on the trip.

Moosehead05 wrote:
The blue ox was highly recommended by a couple people, I was looking at it online when i came across the Anderson, I don't see how it can transfer weight to the front

The Blue Ox hitch has had quite a few discussions on the forums. Here are the search results over the past year. Be advised that some of the discussions are about the Blue Ox dingy towing systems and not about the TT hitch. Most people seem to like it and I would take a long look at it were I in the market for a new hitch. At least one of the discussions in that link are about how the hitch works and is very informative and interesting. It is an older discussion so is probably way down the list.

Edit: I think this thread is the one I am talking about. Hope it helps you out.
Barney

thanks Barney, lots of info

Click here for many discussions on the Andersen hitch. Please note the spelling of Andersen. If you search using an O in the name instead of an E then you won't get many results.
Barney

The blue ox was highly recommended by a couple people, I was looking at it online when i came across the Anderson, I don't see how it can transfer weight to the front

I researched it along with many other hitch systems. I have been running a Reece Dual Cam for years and it worked very well. Pretty much what I found was that the Anderson doesn't handle heavy tongue weights as well as others do.

I decided to go with Blue Ox Sway Pro when out new trailer arrives.
Hopefully others with actual experience with the Anderson will post in.