New WDH

[Murphie]

Greetings, my first post here.
I just read about a new WDH on the market made by Andersen Manufacturing. In lieu of spring bars they use a chains that transfer the weight to the bottom of the hitch ball. The hitch ball has a tapered shank with a friction material around it which provides a braking force in the event of a sway. I saw this in the latest issue of Trailer Life. I have read many great posts on your forum and there are some very knowledgable people here in regards to towing so I would
Iike to hear your opinions. Thanks in advance

Richard

[Jim-Bev-2363]

Send me a free one and I'll try it out for awhile and report back later.

[Gene]

Welcome to the forum Richard. I haven't seen it .... yet. If you find a link to the hitch it would be interesting to look at.

[JohnB]

Here is a link, I'll be back shortly

Andersen 'No-Sway' Weight Distribution Hitch

John

[JohnB]

Hi Richard,

Welcome to Sunline Owners Club.

No, I have not yet seen this Anderson hitch. It appears almost brand new. I could not find an instruction manual on their webs site. But I did find a U tube video where the factory guy explained it.

Andersen HItches new "No Sway" Weight Distribution - YouTube

After you listen to Mr. Truck for a bit, the Anderson Factory guy starts in. They also have a different type of 5 th ball hitch in that video. This trade show seemed to be more of a horse show as they where mainly talking about horse trailers.

Now to the hitch. Here is a picture of it


The anti sway concept is similar to ones I have seen in Europe but this Anderson one is different. As FYI here is the European one. Campers in Germany - Pic's See the 2nd reply.

The Winterhoff unit creates high spring pressure against 2 brake pads that squeeze against the forged tow ball. The European tow ball is a one piece unit. Not like ours that has threads and a nut under it. The brake pads create high friction at tow ball pivot point.

The Anderson unit has a tapered shank tow ball and the tongue weight pressing down from the TT creates the force to apply to the tow ball with the tapered shank pressing with high force into the hitch socket lined with high friction material. They are creating a drag brake so to speak with the shank of the tow ball. Larger tongue weight = more friction. I wonder how they address towing in the rain where water can get on the friction material and change the coefficient of friction? Is it a large enough change to become an issue?

The part I'm still thinking through is the WD part. The factory guy explains how they are attempting to do this. I'll fill in some pieces he did not mention and some he did. They tighten the urethane springs to create 2,000# of force in the chain. Do not know it that is both chains combined or only one side. Or what loaded tongue weight that lines up with. By pulling on the chain it applies a strong force towards the TT at the bottom of the tow ball and pivots the tow ball in the ball coupler creating a torsional load into the truck receiver through the hitch shank. This is the same concept on a normal spring bar WD hitch however the way they are doing it has a very short lever (moment arm) which is the length of the hitch ball.

The urethane springs brackets are clamped across the TT frame. And it "looks" like a set screw is used to pinch the brackets from sliding forwards. That area my 2 cents is they should of bolted into the frame verses relying on the set screw. If indeed it is a set screw. If the clamp bracket ever came a little loose they have a lot if not lost all the WD as the bracket slides forward on the frame. That sudden action of loose of WD may result in affected TV steering. I know they are probably advertizing no drilling of holes in your frame but for me, I would bolt it to prevent any possible sliding of the bracket.

Between the tongue weight pushing down and the WD chains creating that torsional action on the tow ball and shank socket, they for sure can create a large amount of friction in grip to resist the effects of sway. A question I never yet learned the answer to is; How much resistance do you need to hold back a 20 foot, 30 foot or longer TT from affecting your TV? There then there are many variables in the TV. Wheel base, tires, rear over hang, suspension etc. A question yet to be sorted out is, is the Anderson equal to the Reese DC or the Progress Equal-I-zer? Good question as that is their direct competition.

It is different that is for sure. I need to think more on the WD concept. A traditional 30" long spring bar can create a large torsion twist into the TV receiver to apply WD on the TV. The approx 8" long tow ball is the only leverage in the Anderson unit. Granted if you pull hard enough you can create the the same torsional force. Just the traditional spring bar has a much higher mechanical advantage in doing so.

And then there is the turn and what occurs with WD? On a conventional WD hitch in a turn where the TV is at a slight angle on the road different then the TT axles, the inside WD bar unloads and the outside WD bar handles the total weight of the tongue to keep WD in effect.

On the Anderson unit the torsional load is still present in both chains the same as going forward regardless if the truck and trailer area at an angle to each other. They are putting a higher rotational twist CW or CCW into the hitch shank then the standard WD hitch is in a turn. I have to think some more about if that is a big deal or not.

It has a 1,400# tongue weight rating. WOW, I know my 1,400# TT tongue is one heavy tongue and I have the Reese 1,700# WD bars and the 2 1/2 shank system which is a beast over the standard 2" system. I'm still concerned about the sliding of the urethane shock bracket with that heavy a tongue to use for WD.

This new hitch is for sure unique. It has some nice features just have to learn more on how effective it is in all the same towing conditions.

Hope this helps and thanks for passing this along. Always interesting in learning new things about towing.

John

PS. Richard, out of curiosity how did you find us here? Do you have a camper?

[Murphie]

Hi John,

Thanks for your great reply. The other day after reading about this trailer hitch on the February issue of Trailer Life I decided to google for more info. This is how I found you guys. I was impressed with the explanations of the hitches you gave and thought that your forum mirrored my interests. So here I am.

About 15 years ago we bought our first trailer. Wilderness 19LN. Bunk model. Young kids at the time. The kids would fall asleep in our arms around the camp fire. You guys know about those times . This year we purchased a 2011 Jay Feather select 28u. We also upgraded our truck and now am thinking of getting a better hitch. The hunt is on.

I spend time at the Jayco owners forum and would like your permission to post your thoughts about this hitch there. I'm sure others would enjoy reading some of the post here as well. I think we as a group of people are very similar. Just happen to have bought different trailers..

We will talk some more.

Cheers. Richard.

Your welcome to check out our my posts there.

[Murphie]

Hi John ,

In the jayco owners forum the post about the Andersen hitch is mentioned in the first grouping under general topics. They have a towing section as well but wanted to give it out to more people who may not go to the towing section.
If you read my posts I was thinking along the same lines as what the salesman had mentioned. I agree with what you have written as well. The one thing that I wonder about is the torsional force in a turn. I would think the force would increase on the outside chain and decrease on the inner one. The triangular plate is attached to the bottom of the tapered ball shank and in a turn the collar with a bolt thru the shank would turn the triangular plate putting more force on the outside chain. I could be missing something but would that not be correct?

[Jim-Bev-2363]

Hi Richard,

When I first read your original post it looked like someone spamming the site. I apologize for my glib response.

I did look at the "new hitch", videos and other posts. I'm not so impressed with it as a viable choice compared to the spring bar hitches.

The technical issues with the chains aren't as important to me. Other things like endurance, ease of repair and ease of use mean more to me. The brake shoe at the base of the hitch ball would seem to be in need of often replacement and I doubt the ability to control sway as well as my current sway bars since the tension is not adjustable. The adjustments required by that wear are outside my ability or desire to do. The chains will stretch needing replacement as well as the locking nut used for adjustments. Wear on other parts will require more repairs and adjustments that I don't care to do. The simple to use, easy to replace parts, of the spring bar hitch make me happier each day I use it. If a problem does arise I can handle the part replacement with ease. I can see my WDH lasting a lifetime of use where I cannot see the Andersen unit going so long. If it did I would have put more continuing costs in replacing parts due to normal wear. Parts that will have normal wear without being abusive.

The Andersen has less weight, less quality and less value for the money. The manufacturer could sell for much less money and still make a profit. I would only think of buying one if I had to tow with a compact car where the total weight must be a consideration instead of money spent. Until then I'm sticking with my old, heavy, squeaky hitch and sway control.

[Murphie]

Hi Jim,

No problem with your response I took it for what you meant it to be. This hitch is bit of a head scratcher. That's for sure. I'm not sure I would want to retention the chains every time. I need to buy a new hitch for our trailer and having seen this I wanted to put it out there for others so I could hear there opinion. I did email the company and it appears everything is warrantied for a lifetime except if a part rusts away due to age from what it sounds like. There are parts of this hitch I do like. Namely like Reece dual cam the hitch will apply more force to bring the trailer back in line the more it gets out of line.

[Jim-Bev-2363]

Richard,

I question that the "the hitch will apply more force to bring the trailer back in line". The friction brake at the base of the hitch ball only increases when downward forces increase, as in braking. Therefore when in a awkward position the increased downward forces will apply more brake which will tend to hold the trailer out of the centerline position, not return it to centerline. Yes, the wheels trying to align along the centerline may overcome this static position caused by the braking action on the hitch ball, but returning does not appear to be a natural action of the hitch as claimed.

With the spring bar hitches the downward force on the chain will cause any off center force to pull that downward force off center. The natural position of the spring bars and their weighted position is to return to that downward position and toward centerline. This is a natural action of the hitch on the trailer frame to help pull toward centerline by forces applied to the hitch. If this natural centerline position were not being pulled against there would be no perceived strain against the hitch during turns. There is no such resistance to turns in the new hitch.

The manufacturer can give many free parts for the life of the hitch system for the money they charge. Will they pay for labor or those parts worn by natural use? I still would worry about the hitch chain popping or brackets slipping with every driveway I'd go in/out. It just seems Mickey Mouse. The spring bar system may break but I feel safer from what I feel is sufficient load design.

[JohnB]

Hi Richard

Out doing what all good campers do, camp! LOL

Great winter camping weather this weekend.

Be back Sunday night to type more

John

[Murphie]

Jim, So... What your saying is you don't even want me to send you a free one now?
Your a tuff sell. Btw did you happen to notice that for Canadians they are two hundred dollars more. That should make you feel better about your dollar now.

Getting back to the hitch. You bring up some good questions. There are a lot of variables to consider with this hitch given a sway situation. I can't speak with any authority on this topic. The coupler may not stay at the same point on the ball in a sway. Given that ,the triangular plate may load up one chain more than the other in a sway. I like the Reece dual cam but I don't want to discount this hitch because it's new or because it looks different. Need more time to think about this and will talk it over with my son who recently took some physics courses.

[Sunline Fan]

I've got good overall first impressions of this. While it may not be perfect in the current stage, I see this as a product that could come of something. Here are some of my initial impressions.

The good, IMO:
- First off, the cost. Most aftermarket hitch manufacturers these days have a hard time competing with Reese/Draw-Tite in terms of price. This system, from what I saw on the website, assuming it's complete, costs less than my Dual Cam system did.
- I like the simplicity of it.
- I like how the chains rotate with the trailer turning. This means no bar binding, no excess pressure on one particular side of the frame rail, etc. Richard, this would be the perfect system for the Sunline T-2499, which has suffered from frame/tongue issues, particularly because one side gets overloaded from a spring bar in a tight turn. The Dexter frames you guys have on Jaycos probably won't have to deal with that, but not stressing the steel beyond the designed capacity is good regardless.
- The rubber tensioner thing in the back seems to work a lot like the Dexter Ez-Flex. A very good system that helps to eliminate bounce, and I can see this would really help for weight distribution so the trailer/tow vehicle wouldn't have as much bucking after going over like railroad tracks or something. It seems like it would be a very smooth system.
- I like how the nut tighten adjustment gives really unlimited tension possibilities in the spectrum, unlike the standard spring bar with cut and dry links to choose from.

My concerns:
- Like John, the bracket design concerns me. I understand that they'll be under less pressure than spring bar lift brackets would be under (since spring bar brackets can essentially take double the weight), but it still is a concern to me. We broke a lift bracket once in a tight turn on a ~1700# tongue weight trailer. It was a scary situation, fortunately at slow speeds though. Even if it didn't break, a little movement to change the weight distribution still concerns me.
- The rubber bushings are a concern for heavy tongue weight trailers. Like John experienced with his Ez-Flex, they had a bad batch of rubber one time that caused the rubber to crack badly and almost fail. Was it partly related to the rubber parts being overloaded even though the component was rated for the weight? We'll never quite know unless the problem returns again.
- Is it true these rubber parts will be exposed all the time? That could lead to failure, and while it would be under warranty, what would a failure be like? Would the owner live to or have a trailer still around to get the warranty parts on. Very few of us in the big picture are anal enough to check those kinds of things before going on the road. Granted, for someone to break out of the norm and buy this hitch, they probably are in that select "1%", if you will, and will probably be more likely to watch those parts and perform maintenance.
- It looks like the hitch would be installed each time using a socket. How would one know to get the same tension on each side? Count the full revolutions? I mean, with the typical Reese, it's pretty night and day. I guess Hensley owners have similar experiences, but they are able to mark lines where they need to tighten to. This seems like it would be hard to see lines, well without just using a wrench to be able to see the threads. I suppose this could be solved by including a deep socket with some sort of slider/adjustment screw/plate thing so that the operator would tighten until the adjustment thing bottomed out on the end of the threaded rod.
- I'm not quite sure how effective the sway control system would work. I'm assuming Andersen's goal is to improve on the current products and maybe compete on a Hensley level, but I only see this improving on a friction sway and still being less effective than a dual cam system. So by that, this system seems like it would be effective for trailers under like 26' and then become less effective after that.
- Is the aluminum hitch head necessary? Steel would be a lot cheaper, but then again, it would probably rust inside and cause the friction brake and/or the hitch head to get chewed up quicker. I guess it just follows Andersen's other product lines like the Rapid Hitch too.

I'd be willing to try one out...

Jon

[Murphie]

Great critique Jon, from the YouTube video they have on their website it appears they give you a ratchet with a collar. I was wondering if it was used for the purpose you suggested. Another interesting point you make is about the length of trailer this may be suitable for. It's rated for 14000 lbs which seems hard to imagine, yet the same urethane spring pad is used for all sizes. If a guy could take this hitch for a spin and put a trailer into a controlled sway and see how well it performs compared to another hitch it would be easier to judge. Not something I'm prepared to do with a new trailer. I wonder if hitches have to pass a certification? Just wish there was more to judge this by outside of speculation.