New Andersen WD hitch

[JBarca]

A fellow camper bud showed me this. It's new and different.

Anyone using one?

Andersen WD hitches

A U-tube video with the factory guy explaining it. You have to get past MR Truck doing his intro. Interesting 5th wheel hitch too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvM7mCnqmwo&feature=related

It looks like this



I'll hold my comments for a short while to not cloud your thoughts. Ideally we can find someone here using one to quiz them on it.

John

[Ron_Gratz]

Oh no!!!

You really didn't use the b*** word -- did you? :E

Ron

[rexlion]

atreis wrote:
The ONLY advantage I can see to the Anderson over a Hensley or ProPride (that's bought and paid for) is weight. But really, if you needed/wanted a Hensley or PP enough to actually pay for one, switching to an Anderson seems ... unwise ...

Also, there would be no "Anderson bump" equivalent to the "Hensley bump." Not that I am equating the two hitches, though!

[JBarca]

Ron Gratz wrote:
Here's a very informative thread, A new Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH), on the Lance Owners of America forum.
This one has some excellent "engineering" data. :B

Be sure to read the exceptional presentations by Bruce H. who also has contributed to our thread under the same user name.

Bruce has measured, and presented in graph form, the relationship between urethane spring compression and spring load.
His results show 1/4" of compression produces about 1200# of load per spring.

Ron

Ron,

Thanks for the link. I fully agree Bruce H.'s report is outstanding!! He is taking the extra steps to totally try and under stand his hitch and we commend him for that. Way to go Bruce!

1/32" = approx 300# of chain force. On his smaller setup these fine adjustments can make a large difference.

It would be interesting to see if that somewhat linear relationship he has seen from 0 to 1,200# of urethane spring force held that constant on a tongue weight of 1000 or 1,400#.

John

[Ron_Gratz]

Here's a very informative thread, A new Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH), on the Lance Owners of America forum.
This one has some excellent "engineering" data. :B

Be sure to read the exceptional presentations by Bruce H. who also has contributed to our thread under the same user name.

Bruce has measured, and presented in graph form, the relationship between urethane spring compression and spring load.
His results show 1/4" of compression produces about 1200# of load per spring.

Ron

[Ron_Gratz]

Here is another Andersen WD Hitch thread on another forum.

But only one person seemed to have anything new to add.

Ron

[Clanton24V]

carringb wrote:

atreis wrote:
The ONLY advantage I can see to the Anderson over a Hensley or ProPride (that's bought and paid for) is weight. But really, if you needed/wanted a Hensley or PP enough to actually pay for one, switching to an Anderson seems ... unwise ...

The Elastomer bushings will provide some spring damping which the VPP hitches do not provide. The Anderson also has a greater turn angle.

I love the turn angle of the Andersen hitch makes parking the trailer so much easier.

[carringb]

atreis wrote:
The ONLY advantage I can see to the Anderson over a Hensley or ProPride (that's bought and paid for) is weight. But really, if you needed/wanted a Hensley or PP enough to actually pay for one, switching to an Anderson seems ... unwise ...

The Elastomer bushings will provide some spring damping which the VPP hitches do not provide. The Anderson also has a greater turn angle.

[atreis]

The ONLY advantage I can see to the Anderson over a Hensley or ProPride (that's bought and paid for) is weight. But really, if you needed/wanted a Hensley or PP enough to actually pay for one, switching to an Anderson seems ... unwise ...

[Ron_Gratz]

JBarca wrote:
Folks are actually talking about giving up a Hensley or a ProPride and going to the Andersen:h. That's different.

Yes, some seem to be equating the anti-sway potential of the Andersen hitch with the anti-sway potential of a Hensley Arrow or ProPride. I think anyone who switches from a 4-bar linkage hitch to the Andersen friction system would be making a big mistake.

They seem hung on the forces on the coupler latch right now. Well, for those that see the forces on the latch that is. Not everyone has made it to that point yet.

Yes, some seem to understand that the chains are under tension but fail to see how that force is applied to the A-frame.

And one person who posted today still cannot understand how the ball is restrained from yaw rotation relative to the coupler.

Ron

[JBarca]

Thanks for the link Ron. Just read all 7 pages. They need some pics and or diagrams to help explain it verses words.

Folks are actually talking about giving up a Hensley or a ProPride and going to the Andersen:h. That's different.

They seem hung on the forces on the coupler latch right now. Well, for those that see the forces on the latch that is. Not everyone has made it to that point yet.

I have not checked the Forest River forum in a while if Andersen ever posted WD data verses axle weights. Will see if the AS forum will get an answer on the latch question.

[Ron_Gratz]

Those who are interested in the technical aspects of the Andersen WD hitch might be interested in reading

The Andersen WD Hitch User Thread

So far, the posts are primarily technical discussion with reports from a couple users included.

Lots of interesting opinions on how the Andersen hitch works.

Ron

[Ron_Gratz]

Bruce,

Thanks for an excellent presentation of heights, weights, and spring compression.
The load transfer results are in very good agreement with both theory and other scale data.

The numbers show a consistent load transfer to the front axle of 60# per 1/16" of compression.
That indicates the 1/4" of compression reported to have been suggested by Andersen would correspond to a front axle load transfer of about 240#.

Renojack's recent measurements indicated a front-axle load transfer of 360# with a compression of 13/32" (assuming an unloaded spring length of 2-15/16".
This corresponds to a load transer of 221# per 1/4" of compression. So Renojack's indicated value of 221# per 1/4# agrees well with your 240#.

Based on this small amount of information, I would guess that an Andersen WD hitch would adequately compensate for front-axle load removed by a 400# tongue weight if the spring compression is to be limited to 1/4".
I it would be good if Andersen's could let us know how much compression is acceptable.

Ron

[Bruce_H_]

The uncompressed length of the springs on my Andersen hitch are 2 15/16 inches.

When I developed the table that I shared on this forum on March 11, I had assumed they were 3 inches. Since the compression figures were developed by subtracting the compressed length from 3", they are off by 1/16".

Last March I determined that the best compression for my lightweight rig (Honda Pilot 4WD, Lance 1575 trailer with gross weight of 3500 lbs) is a compressed spring length of 2 7/8". Turns out that is a compression of 1/16", not the 1/8" I thought it was.

The new corrected table is below. The amount of WD per spring compression setting makes more sense now, IMO.

Sorry for the dumb error.

Bruce H.

[renojack]

I will check on the uncompressed length today when I drop the trailer. I would guess 3". I have asked again for Anderson to provide the other answers you are requesting. At one time Anderson said compress 1/4 " or 120 ft lbs.

In my last conversation the rep basically said if it rides good go with it. The instructions pretty much say the same thing. The instructions show example drawings of good and bad scenarios showing drawings of sagging tongues, level truck and trailers, high tongues and saying " After hundreds of installations we have found that it is just as effective to basically "sight level" the tow vehicle and get it as close to level as you can by tightening /loosening the tension nuts. Trying to get the tow vehicle to be perfectly level is NOT necessary- you just don't want to be too extreme....we have illustrated some good and bad examples below."

There is no discussion of scaling (weighing) the finished installation or axle weights other that a warning to adjust loads or adjust tension to obtain level units.

Personally, I am super happy with the results and the way it drives. It looks like I am not going to be able to acheive total restoration of the front axle weights. I think that my last WD must have been horrible on distribution (even though all was level) based on the performance of this unit as seen / felt from the driver's seat.

[Ron_Gratz]

renojack wrote:
--- It seemed that even if I had a deeper socket I could not have gotten more compression. The urethane spring is now compressed to 2 17/32".---

Is the 2-17/32" the length of the sping after it is compessed? If so, what is the uncompessed length?

Do the instructions give any indication of the maximum amount of compession which can be achieved?

Do the instuctions give any indication of the maximum chain tension which can be achieved?

Ron