Andersen WDH - Fiberglass RV
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Old 02-13-2020, 10:22 PM   #1
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Name: Kevin
Trailer: Casita
Oregon
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Andersen WDH

For those whom have this WDH, how well does it help with bounce while traveling on uneven, bumpy roads. I have a Toyota Tacoma pulling a 17 foot Casita. Currently, I use an anti-sway bar, which does it’s job well but nothing for bounce.
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Old 02-13-2020, 11:14 PM   #2
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I don't have an Andersen. I have a Pro Series, which is half the price and works just as well. And as far as I know, the owners of Pro Series didn't desecrate a national monument by carving their initials in the rock face.
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Old 02-13-2020, 11:18 PM   #3
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Kevin,
It sounds like you need better shocks. The best for towing that I know of are the Rancho RS9000 adjustable shocks. When heavily loaded, you can turn them up and when unloaded, return to a soft ride, if you wish. These are better than any factory shock I have ever seen. Better in that they stop low velocity repetitive motion (bouncing or porpoising while towing), and they keep the tires planted on uneven surfaces, such as pavement imperfections on corners, or on dirt roads. It seems most factory shocks are designed for a comfortable ride when unloaded, which is nice for a test drive, but not for towing.

These can be adjusted stiffer and stiffer until the bouncing is gone.

The Anderson hitch is not designed to offer damping, just weight distribution and sway control. In my opinion, it does neither of those things very well.
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Old 02-13-2020, 11:58 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
I don't have an Andersen. I have a Pro Series, which is half the price and works just as well. And as far as I know, the owners of Pro Series didn't desecrate a national monument by carving their initials in the rock face.
Other WDH manufacturers also didn't change their mind on whether the ball should be lubricated, after finding out there was extreme wear going on, or start telling owners to turn off the vehicle's stability control system to compensate for hitch induced instability.

I kept wondering how the ownership of Anderson could have such an immature and knee-jerk response to problems, and an unproven design that required repeated warrantee replacements. Then the owner pulled his little stunt at Corona Arch, and it all started making sense.

When caught and people demanded that he stop, he allegedly sent the kids back to the parking lot to switch the license plates on his vehicle. It seems "sorry" means "sorry I got caught".

I still haven't figured out how the kids knew how to switch license plates, what they switched them too, or why Anderson was prepared to cover his tracks with that tactic. Who goes on vacation prepared to switch their identity if they get caught doing something they know they should not be doing? Then uses the excuse that they were just trying to express their love of family? The whole thing is fascinating.

http://www.sorrywatch.com/they-hate-how-i-show-my-love/
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Old 02-14-2020, 12:18 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Raspy View Post
The Anderson hitch is not designed to offer damping, just weight distribution and sway control. In my opinion, it does neither of those things very well.
Do/did you have one? What do/did you tow with it?
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Old 02-14-2020, 12:59 AM   #6
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Do/did you have one? What do/did you tow with it?
When towing an earlier trailer I had, that needed a WDH, I had a more conventional one. Reese, I think it was. It worked very well and it put up with heavy use.

An Anderson came with my Oliver. It was not needed because I tow with a Ram 3500. No sway control was needed and no weight distribution was needed. However, I have studied Anderson hitches and followed along for years on their usage, mainly by Oliver owners. Why they are used, or purchased, how to hook them up, warrantee problems, why they are so numerous on Olivers, problems related to usage that are unrelated to trailer stability, and the Anderson involvement in all of those subjects. As well as Anderson's approach to things not directly related to the hitch.

It might be time to write a book on the subject. Would it be a comedy, a psychological study, a documentary, or what?
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Old 02-14-2020, 09:17 AM   #7
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It might be time to write a book on the subject. Would it be a comedy, a psychological study, a documentary, or what?
I became interested in the Andersen because our Hymer has a short, pole tongue and is not well suited to typical bar type designs. I loved the Equal-i-zer hitch I had years ago on another trailer. But a clean, functional installation of that style on our trailer is just not possible. Anderson’s friction cone anti-sway design is immune to geometry differences between A-frame and pole tongues. On the face, it is simply better suited to that style tongue than anything else I’ve seen.

I understand people’s polarized views about the company, but it’s been hard to filter honest, experienced product impressions from the subjective feelings about the owner’s antics. For some of us with few to no equal alternatives, that is a separate consideration.

EDIT: yes, I’ve seen the pole tongue adaptor brackets for bar type designs.
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Old 02-14-2020, 11:20 AM   #8
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Trailer: Casita
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Thanks everyone for the info. I was only interested if the Andersen WDH helped dampen bounce or porpoising. Sounds like not, so not worth the additional cost. I have no issues with weight distribution or swaying with my current setup. Not sure it is bad enough to pursue adjustable shocks but will consider.
Thanks again!
Kevin
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Old 02-14-2020, 11:40 AM   #9
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Not sure it is bad enough to pursue adjustable shocks but will consider.
Bilstein shocks are another good option if you don't want adjustables. Not likely they're any cheaper though.
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Old 02-14-2020, 12:12 PM   #10
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Kevin, how old is your Casita? If it is an older model, your axle may need replacing and that may be the source of some of your bouncing. I know it made a huge difference on my Boler but it was a 1979 with the original axle when I bought it.
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Old 02-14-2020, 12:57 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Kevin Probst View Post
Thanks everyone for the info. I was only interested if the Andersen WDH helped dampen bounce or porpoising.

My Pro Series makes a noticeable difference with regard to bounce and porpoising. That's not just an Andersen attribute.
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Old 02-14-2020, 03:07 PM   #12
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I’ll check into the pros series. My Casita is not that old. 2014.
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Old 02-14-2020, 04:34 PM   #13
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I’ll check into the pros series. My Casita is not that old. 2014.

Or any other.
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Old 02-14-2020, 04:39 PM   #14
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I tow with a Taco and love my Andersen WDH. It is very effective on stopping the porpoise factor on both my Casita 17LD and now my Escape 21.


The earlier generation did have problems with the friction material (cone) crawling out of the holder, whereas the later design with the cone hold-down ring on the top has zero problems. It will not completely stop a Casita from bouncing, however.



It does fantastic with a dual axle rig - much of which I attribute to the lower tire pressures with 4 tires vs 2 tires, plus the Escape weighs 4200 lbs loaded for travel.


From a purely engineering point of view I consider it quite an elegant design to do both the WDH function and sway control.
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Old 02-14-2020, 05:50 PM   #15
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Thanks tractors1. I may just take a chance and go with a Andersen then. I wouldn’t expect anything to completely stop the bouncing. Unfortunately, it sounds like the guy who owns the company is a jerk but there is nothing else quite like it out there. Casita seems impressed, they sell it as an add on option.
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Old 02-14-2020, 07:26 PM   #16
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Thanks tractors1. I may just take a chance and go with a Andersen then. I wouldn’t expect anything to completely stop the bouncing. Unfortunately, it sounds like the guy who owns the company is a jerk but there is nothing else quite like it out there. Casita seems impressed, they sell it as an add on option.
If you're near Portland you're welcome to stop by and take a look at mine. Andersen replaced my original version with the latest version at zero cost to me (including shipping.)
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Old 02-14-2020, 08:01 PM   #17
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It seems the only ones critical of the Andersen WD system are those that don't have one. I really like mine and it definitely helps "porposing". Additionally, they have outstanding customer service.
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Old 02-14-2020, 08:22 PM   #18
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I've only been critical of paying twice as much as necessary for the same outcome and of an Andersen executive defacing a national monument.
I do know of a member of the Escape forum who had an Andersen and went back to the Pro Series he had before.
As with anything, posters are unlikely to have purchased and tested everything on the market, but they have formed opinions, which they offer.
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Old 02-14-2020, 11:40 PM   #19
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Had the Andersen and it was a hassle compared to Pro Series I had with previous trailer. While it works, the hassle is having to hitch up square or go through one arm contortions to square the triangle plate in order to attach the other chain. I.E. hitch up one side and drive in opposite direction to square the triangle plate. Also, my chain guides were eaten away, and also started getting very noisy. This was after 20K miles within two years. I also believe it wore my coupler and had to replace that. The Pro Series is the easiest to use and most effective and economical WDH IMO.
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Old 02-15-2020, 06:17 PM   #20
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Something that helped eliminate my constant bouncing when towing.

Kevin,

The bouncing/porpoising was a constant irritant for years. Last year I installed an "Roadmaster Active Suspension kit". A tad bit expensive, easy to install and the different is unbelievable. Something to look up...
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