Andersen WD Hitch

[Bhamm1]

Shame you are so far away. I have a good WD hitch that we used to pull our casita when we had it, with a Ford Flex. Moved to a 25' Bigfoot, and changed hitches due to much more weight. If anyone is close to Plano, TX and need a WD hitch, it is real cheap.

[tractors1]

Another Andersen fan. When properly installed (including the adjustment to put the tow front wheel wells at the same height as prior to hitching up the trailer) it is very simple to use, has no greasy requirements, and quite effective at both WDH function and anti-sway.

[Carol and Mike]

I’ve been using the Andersen for about 4 years with my Oliver. I’m also a fan. It’s easy to use and effective. Glad I have it.

[Lhunter]

I have had 3 tow vehicles setup by Andy. They do an amazing job and take you out for a test drive after they are done. The process takes several hours but IMHO it’s more than worth it. They use a conventional wdh hitch system with tapered bars. I recommend reading his articles.

[Rzrbrn]

I used an Andersen WDH on my Casita. Unfortunately I welded it on. It began to have problems similar to those listed at the Oliver Trailer forum, noted below, so I stopped using it. I now have a much larger Big Foot (27' long) and I use a Blue Ox Sway Pro.

On the Oliver forum there seems to be a number of people that are having problems with the Andersen WDH:

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/for...visited-sorry/

[rdteeler]

Originally Posted by Evirk

Hi folks-
We have a new to us (2018) Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe. Towing with a 2007 Dodge Dakota 4WD. New Curt Class 3 hitch. Got some significant sag. So looking at WD hitches. The Andersen that Casita sells is a bit pricy and is quite different from other WD hitches for sale. Looking for some opinions about this design vs more traditional WD hitches. Also wondering about the anti-sway claims. They make a convincing argument in the video presentation. But I’ve been led astray by good marketing in the past so I’m shall we say skeptical? Is it worth the extra money?

I tow a 2013 Casita spirit deluxe with a 2006 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner.I was having the sag issue once I loaded the truck down and hooked up to Casita.I solved the problem .I bought helper springs for 400.00 installed it did Not only help with sag but also with sway.I use a curt sway bar and that is it.

[Carol and Mike]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

I used an Andersen WDH on my Casita. Unfortunately I welded it on. It began to have problems similar to those listed at the Oliver Trailer forum, noted below, so I stopped using it. I now have a much larger Big Foot (27' long) and I use a Blue Ox Sway Pro.

On the Oliver forum there seems to be a number of people that are having problems with the Andersen WDH:

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/for...visited-sorry/

The Andersen Hitch is an option from the Oliver factory when ordering a trailer so there are a bunch of Oliver owners with the Andersen. Most are happy with the hitch. There are a few that aren’t, like in the thread quoted above but some of those issues are resolved when the owner understands how to use it. Customer service from Andersen is outstanding. Mine started to groan after a couple of years and I emailed them about the problem and they sent me a new hitch, no charge.

[Steve Outlaw]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

I used an Andersen WDH on my Casita. Unfortunately I welded it on. It began to have problems similar to those listed at the Oliver Trailer forum, noted below, so I stopped using it. I now have a much larger Big Foot (27' long) and I use a Blue Ox Sway Pro.

On the Oliver forum there seems to be a number of people that are having problems with the Andersen WDH:

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/for...visited-sorry/

That thread is over two years old and I believe Andersen has remedied these issues.

[Rzrbrn]

Originally Posted by Steve Outlaw

That thread is over two years old and I believe Andersen has remedied these issues.

No, Andersen has not. I still use the Andersen on my Casita and have the same problems.

[Carol and Mike]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

No, Andersen has not. I still use the Andersen on my Casita and have the same problems.

You mention problems but don’t say what they are. What problems are you having?

[Rzrbrn]

Originally Posted by Carol and Mike

You mention problems but don’t say what they are. What problems are you having?

Please see post #25. Click on the website noted. Same issues. No point in my listing the problems again. I am thinking that people that use the Andersen WDH have no experience with other WDHs. Maybe if they would try something else they would see the difference. On the other hand, if the Andersen is good enough for you, that is all that matters.

I will be selling the Casita, with the welded on Andersen WDH, this spring, so I don't really want to spend time dwelling on this unit. It served me well. I just want to point out to folks that are new to the game that there may be a better WDH if they care to research it, or at least try out various WDH types.

I am now using the Big Foot with the Blue Ox Sway Pro. It is easy to hitch to, I can back up, and I only attach it to the TV once a season. All I can say is that when comparing the two, I wish I had put the Blue Ox on the Casita instead of the Andersen. I also have the Rock Tamers attached to the Blue Ox and while it does add to the weight of the hitch the combo has not been difficult to slide in and out of the receiver.

[topgun2]

Rzrbrn -

I am one of those people that have used another WDH other than the Andersen. I towed over 30,000 miles with an Equalizer and (so far) about 25,000 miles with the Andersen.

By far, the Andersen is the better system - in my opinion. While Andersen did have some problems a couple of years ago, for at least the past 18 months or so those problems seem to have been solved with great service from the factory - all you had to do was let them know you were having problems.

Even though Olivers do not have a problem with "sway" it is nice to know that this feature in still there in the event it were to be needed in an emergency. My Andersen is silent - not a peep - no bars scraping or growling. Bouncing over bridge expansion joints is virtually eliminated as opposed to enhanced with the old "spring bar" type systems. And I don't have to handle those heavy dirty bars anymore. The Andersen takes no more time to hitch up than the Equalizer did - in fact most often it takes less time. Finally, I also can back up without doing anything to the Andersen - no problem.

[Rzrbrn]

You should try a Blue Ox Sway Pro, noticeable difference in my opinion. Each to his own. The Casita pulled great without a WDH, so having an Andersen did not do much, if anything other than peace of mind. Probably pulled 25K miles with the Andersen, then last 2K miles I did not have it attached and noticed no difference. Yes, it may be that in an extreme situation it might be better than nothing, but I never encountered that situation.

[Defenestrator]

I'm using a Swaypro on a 25RQ and so far so good. Definitely good resistance to deflection. I am a bit concerned though, in that it doesn't seem to have any sort of friction damping (or an altered pivot center like the Hensley/Propride)