babies_dadeo
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Re: Andersen No-Sway Experience
There we have it. All the numbers are there. Hopefully it is understandable, I had to collect it from multiple trips across the scales and from multiple excel files. An incredibly inferior trailer design pulled by an almost equally inferior tow vehicle and connected by an obviously unsuitable hitch . . . So am I to take from your comments that you believe Open Range makes an "incredibly inferior trailer design" and that the Sierra SLT Duramax 2500HD is an "almost equally inferior tow vehicle"? Thank you for your polite and kindly expressed opinions, Your thoughts are noted. "Experience" (anecdote) might be helpful . . but it is beside the point. And the point is in minimizing risk. I run the oilfield. Want me to relate the number of drivers I see who fail to maintain proper fifth wheel lubrication, both in Oversize/Overload and Haz-Mat? Who need not speak/write English to be licensed to do so? Your "experience" speaks no more loudly than theirs, sir. Bad practice is just that. So you ignore numbers in your job as you do with your personal rig? My experience? Bad practice? After 15 years involved in trucking both offroad and OTR, do you not think I have seen my share of destroyed equipment? bridge strikes, dropped loads, broken axels, rollovers etc? I have seen more wrecked trucks and injured workers then I care to remember. Shall I count up the hours I have spent dealing with DOT on overweight, over-dimension permits and unit configurations? The hours spent at scales moving fifth wheels and adjust boosters and jeeps? I am in no way saying that I "know more" then anyone else who has been through the same experiences. All I am saying is that I feel my "experience" gives me an understanding of moving loaded equipment from point a to point b safely and efficiently and that I believe I have sufficient "experience" to drive said equipment, and express "opinions" on the matter of towing. Do you believe that when I was assembling all the pieces of this rig, that I did not run all the numbers? Believe my I did, extensively. Any person who wants to responsibly and safely pull an RV needs to aware of all the factors surrounding the operation of that equipment, TV, Trailer and Hitching Equipment. My earlier posts were not intended to add to the numbers debate and negativity that goes on with almost every towing thread that appears on here. Indeed, I leaned away from the actual numbers with the intent of staying out of the numbers game. I merely made an effort to offer my own experiences and personal thoughts on what this particular piece of towing equipment is like to use. I believe I have thorough understanding of what the intent of this forum is and I would like to thank you and 2 or 3 others for clearly and in such a polite and outgoing manner explaining it to me. Happy Camping (Season is almost over up here but I hope as many of us as possible have used or will continue to use their RV as intended and gotten out of the city to spend quality time with friends and family)708Views0likes0CommentsRe: Andersen No-Sway Experience
Truck and trailer weights KG LBS Truck alone (Scaled): Steers 2100 4620 Drives 1400 3080 Total 3500 7700 Trailer alone (Scaled): Tongue 430 946 Axles 3630 7986 Trailer GVW 4060 8932 Trailer GVWR 4386 9650 Remaining Allowable 326 718 Hitched weights (Scaled) Steers 2030 4466 Drives 1870 4114 Trailer 3640 8008 Total GCW 7540 16588 Allowable GCVW 11113 24500 Difference 3573 7912 Truck GVW 8580 Truck GVWR 10000 FAWR Unhitched Steers 2100 4620 Hitched Steers 2030 4466 NO WD Steers 1960 4312 Restoration # 70 154 Restoration % 50.00% Hitched, (Scaled, NO WD) KG Steer 1960 Drives 1950 Tongue Weight 0.10591133 10.59% Allowable axle weights Lbs Front 5200 Rear 6200 Current axle weights Front 4466 Rear 4114709Views0likes0CommentsRe: Andersen No-Sway Experience
Hi All... As a an answer tocampigloo, Yes the hitch does an amazing job at reducing the porpoising effect. I was not going to "Go here" but... I had an opportunity to pull my setup with a Blue Ox round bar system I picked up used, (1000 lb Bars) and a friction sway control bar. Same roads as I normally travel, same weather conditions... For starters, the sway control bar is currently in a ditch north of Saskatoon where I threw it in disgust after pulling over in a road side pull out to put my Andersen back on. I will comment no further on friction sway control bars other then to say Andersens system is LIGHT YEARS ahead of these steel sticks. On to the round bar system... FAWR: On the scales my front axel weighs about 20 to 40KG more with the Blue Ox. It did take more weight off the drives and lift the rear end of the truck a little more then the Andersen (approx. 1/3 to 1/2 inch?). Honestly I do not remember the exact numbers and did not write em down as I knew I was getting rid of the round bar hitch anyhow. (explanation forthcoming). And before anyone asks yes I drained all the air out of the bags prior to weighing) Driving impressions: If I had never towed with the Andersen I would tell you that the Blue ox did just fine(which fundamentally, it did). The differences between driving with one then the other are mostly subtle, but in a couple of cases not so subtle. I found that on roads where the driving surface is not smooth and there is a lot of rocking side to side the blue ox liked to transfer the trailer rock to the truck. You go over the bumps, then the trailer goes over and it is like the trailer tries to rock the truck again. Not an issue from a control standpoint, but not pleasant (DW says it makes her car sick). The anti bounce... This is where the Andersen shines. Any of you who have read my comments previously have heard this before... The Andersens ability to settle the nose of the trailer back in behind the TV is a god send. The round bar just seemed to amplify the up and down motion of the trailers nose and continued the see saw effect even after the bump, train tracks are where it is most noticeable, (again, see car sick comment above). More subtle is the connection feel between the TV and the TT. The Round bar absolutely "connected the two". Whereas the Andersen lets the trailer ride along behind you a little more. I am personally a lot more comfortable with the Andersens feel. It's like I have more control over the TV and the trailer is just riding behind me, as opposed to having to control both units at the same time. I am betting that to most of you this makes little sense, but if you have run with a No-Sway or driven a tractor-trailer (Semi) you will probably know what I am referring to. Even outside of the bigger bumps that gentle ongoing porpoising that often happens when pulling a trailer is no where near as pronounced with the Andersen (Again see car sick comment) For me, with my particular setup, The Andersen delivered a substantially more relaxing and drama free towing experience then did the Blue Ox and for what ever reason, DW does not get car sick with it like she did with the Round Bars. The Andersen is not a "poor performing WD Hitch" It is a "Different performing WD Hitch". I think TomG2 and I are on the same page here with this piece of equipment... If you are in a situation where you require a hitch that will remove a substantial amount of weight from the drive axel, this is just not the right hitch for ya. Assuming you have an appropriate TV and want a hitch that is quiet, clean, simple and makes the towing experience more pleasurable, not just for the driver, but for the family as well, maybe the Andersen No-Sway is right for you. Each of us needs to make the right decision for us in our own situation. If what you feel is right is laying out spread sheets and comparing products mathematically, Go for it, give er, all the more power to ya. I did enough math to know that I am well within what my equipment is rated for. Beyond that, I would rather trust the actual towing experience. Maybe that is learned from my years of driving Tractor-Trailer and pushing Rigs, but for me, it works. Happy Camping (and towing)708Views0likes0CommentsRe: Towing without a W/D, 7K trailer, Ram CTD 3/4 ton
wintersun wrote: With the GM 3/4 and 1-ton trucks no weight distributing hitch is needed or advised and they can tow up to 13,000 lbs. with a ball hitch. The frames on these trucks are considerably stronger than with smaller trucks, SUVs, and automobiles. Check the towing guide from the manufacturer as it should state for your model whether or not a WDH is needed. X2 as long as the truck and hitch are rated for it, I would say be a little caution for the first while then go for it514Views0likes0CommentsRe: Odd question on trailer pitching
hbillsmith wrote: I've been using an Anderson WDH for a little over a year now. It's design is slightly different than the other WDH's and as with anything, there are those that like it and some that don't. I used to get porpoising when I just used a single sway-bar, but with the Anderson chain/neoprene compression design, I never do now. Barring going out to get an Anderson, just adjusting your speed will usually handle it. Yep x2 here. Even on ugly secondary roads in Southern sask my Andersen has done an admirable job of controlling it. I am not saying it never happens, it is just that the hitch allows the trailer to settle back down behind you. Greatly reduces the drama associated with porpoising. The easy answer is slow down. Speed can be huge contributor to the effect.444Views0likes0CommentsRe: Which Anderson hitch?
Get the 8. When I picked up mine I had the choice and was going to just go to the 4 but figured what if I switch trucks? As it is I sit at a 2 inch drop all the time but that is with this truck. If I was pulling with the dodge 3500 I used to have I am betting I would need another inch or 2 of drop. Just my opinion but I would rather have the flexibility. Btw congrats on the new trailer and on deciding on an Andersen. I pull the combo in my signature with one and love it. If you have any questions about it feel free to pm me. Happy camping!180Views0likes0CommentsRe: Andersen No-Sway Experience
Howdy all. Just back with another lil update... I am coming up on 8000 km with the little hitch that could. I just finished a 1200 or so km trip to and around jasper. Fantastic trip! amazing scenery. Good company (wife and kids). Great campground (Whistler, just outside of Jasper Town site). And yep, nice easy predictable pulling. As a note, I had to play around with the setup on the hitch a bit this trip to make up for the air bags. The bags were originally not installed for the trailer, but rather for truck stability with the loads I carry on the back of it for work. But... What I ended up with was a hair under 6 threads on the bushings, (maybe 1/8 inch compression), and right around 25 Lbs in the bags. What this gives me is about 1/2 inch drop at the rear fender, and I am guessing a 16th of an inch rise at the front fender. (little enough that it is tough to gauge with a measuring tape) Keep in mind, this is with about 500 lbs of work tools I did not want to take out, a bunch of fire wood, the bike trailer, people, fuel etc. I admit, I loaded a little heavy for this trip. Anyhow, once again the duramax pulled it like a champ and the little Andersen performed as well as ever. It got a bit of a workout this time as there was a fair side wind and a lot of tractor/trailer traffic. One thing I like more and more abut the Andersen is the Anti-Bounce aspect of it. I do a lot of traveling on secondary highways that can be like a roller coaster and the trailer seems to just settle in behind me and follow along. Anyhow, Hope everyone is well and life is treating you good. Happy camping.174Views0likes0CommentsRe: Lippert StrapTek WD setup
I just love how open minded, receptive to new ideas and, over all, positive people on here are... Or not... This to me seems like an interesting new take on torqueing up your bars. Todays ratchet straps have seriously high working load limits and stand up extremely well to the elements. It would be quiet, easy to hook up. I like it, don't get me wrong I am not trading in my current hitch. I can see where having the same amount of torque on each side would be a bit of a pain if not on reasonably level ground. I wonder if perhaps it does not matter quite as much as it would with chain because there is an engineered degree of stretch with a strap. (one of the reasons they are the preferred method of load securement in the heavy haul industry. Anyhow, neat idea, I will look forward to hearing from some actual users.377Views0likes0Comments
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