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Old 01-03-2016, 12:07 PM   #1
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Please help with hitch selection

I have a 2010 Tundra and will be purchasing a 2016 Roo 23DS. Do I need a 2 or 4 point hitch? Will the extra weight of the 4 point WDH hitch offset any advantage to redistributing the weight?


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Old 01-03-2016, 12:44 PM   #2
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We currently use an Equalizer 4 point hitch to tow our Rockwood Windjammer 3029w. It performs beautifully, but is very heavy. I would consider the Anderson WDH on your trailer as it is much lighter and has a very innovative design. I am so impressed with the Anderson hitch that I might switch with my Equalizer just because of the weight and the ease of unhooking.
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Old 01-03-2016, 02:51 PM   #3
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Buy the 4pt., it's not that much more.
Buy from RVW, best price and free shipping.
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Old 01-03-2016, 09:48 PM   #4
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Another vote for the Andersen. Great hitch that is the lightest on the market with its design as well as being extremely quiet, greasless ball, no adjust backing up and easy setup. I have an Equal-i-zer hitch as well and prefer the Andersen due to these reasons although both perform extremely well!
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Old 01-04-2016, 06:17 PM   #5
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I am running a Trekker by Eaz-Lift WDH on my 2010 F150 pulling a Roo 23 IKSS. Could not be happier. No sway whatsoever, nice level setup and no disconnecting to back up. I like that it does not use chains so it is very quiet. Also, you can disengage the sway component if you want without taking anything off. It has these large bolts/caps to turn the sway on and off. I will loosen them for very tight turns when backing.

I did a 5000 mile trip last summer with no problems on freeway or mountains. Hitch weight about 600#, trailer weight about 6000#, truck capacity - tow 9800#, tongue wt. 1200#.
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Old 01-04-2016, 06:31 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by GaryHowe View Post
We currently use an Equalizer 4 point hitch to tow our Rockwood Windjammer 3029w. It performs beautifully, but is very heavy. I would consider the Anderson WDH on your trailer as it is much lighter and has a very innovative design. I am so impressed with the Anderson hitch that I might switch with my Equalizer just because of the weight and the ease of unhooking.
We have used the Andersen and would not recommend for heavy TT and 1\2 ton trucks. We had to swap it out for the blue ox to be comfortable driving. That being said it does work well with smaller units. Its easy to store, hitch\unhitch and adjust.
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Old 01-04-2016, 07:16 PM   #7
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I have a 19' Cherokee 19RR and just ordered the Fastway Trunnion for an 800# tongue weight and 8000# trailer. Best price I could find was Amazon @ $353

I towed this trailer for a year without a WD hitch and it was fine. But I figured it couldn't hurt to use a WD hitch with some type of sway control as I head out west this year.
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Old 01-04-2016, 09:45 PM   #8
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I appreciate all the feedback so far. Would love to hear more.


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Old 01-04-2016, 10:58 PM   #9
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Uhdah camping I am curious to know the problems you had with the Anderson? What was your tow vehicle and trailer you were using it on. This is the first I've heard of someone complaining about the Andersen. I use a Ram 1500 1/2 ton with the 23ikss and the hitch is great. Just as good as the equalizer that I used to use. Thanks.
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Old 01-04-2016, 11:38 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Mikewcrook View Post
Uhdah camping I am curious to know the problems you had with the Anderson? What was your tow vehicle and trailer you were using it on. This is the first I've heard of someone complaining about the Andersen. I use a Ram 1500 1/2 ton with the 23ikss and the hitch is great. Just as good as the equalizer that I used to use. Thanks.

mikewcrook,

So you have towed the exact same combo with both hitches? Roughly how much do both hitches weigh? I'm finding misleading info on the Internet. Is the Anderson just better because it is lighter/cheaper or better performance? Thanks for the assistance.


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Old 01-04-2016, 11:46 PM   #11
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Please help with hitch selection

Uhduh is being realistic with his opinion. I have had issues with my purchase of Anderson and I have had to make some "upgrades" to get it to where I am comfortable driving. I have a high tongue weight (950) and with my squishy suspension, I added sumo springs to help get my ride more level. I cannot transfer all the weight back to my front axle but I am comfortable where I am now. Also with the higher tongue weight, I had to weld support brackets to hold the frame brackets in place as no matter how tight the brackets were, they still "walked" forward making it very unstable and scary. Click image for larger version

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Now- I love my Anderson now that I have made adjustments to fit my needs. A vendor of mine bought same trailer and picked up a 250 to pull it and he is thrilled with his Anderson- no issues at all.

We are just relaying experiences and if you are using a 1/2 ton, an Anderson may be a better unit under 750 loaded TW.

Oh yea- my teenaged daughter can hook this up with no issues!

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Old 01-05-2016, 05:30 AM   #12
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Have read many threads about the issues with the Andersen hitch. Seems as though it has a loyal following even though it many times has to have modifications done & even at that does not really get the job done. I could not see dealing with these issues when by purchasing another hitch I have none of these issues & it works great. JMO, but why buy something that really doesn"t work very well.
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Old 01-05-2016, 06:29 AM   #13
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I traded out my equalizer 4 point with Husky centerline ts. Same setup as Equalizer but not as heavy and bulky. Will really put it to the test in two weeks when we head to Florida. Equalizer kept punching and snapping safety chains.
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Old 01-05-2016, 10:41 AM   #14
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Pill Billy yes I have towed the same combo with both hitches as well as two different half tons. So I can compare apples to apples. The andersen weighs about half that if not less than the equalizer which for me was a huge selling as I have a very bad back. As for the performance, I used the equalizer for 2 years prior to getting the andersen and have used the andersen for three years now, the performance on both is great with no noticeable difference in sway control. The andersen uses a different concept to get the job done but does it extremely effectively. I was sceptacle about it when I first purchased it but it works just as well as the equalizer once properly adjusted. Hondaman and Papa GLS, most everyone has initial setup issues with all wdh equipment especially if it's their first hitch. I actually had the same "walking" problems you did but simply drilled a pilot hole for the set screw in the frame rather than welding the brackets to the frame. The instructions actually recommend both of those methods to prevent walking. Again, the importance for me was the weight issue because of my limited ability with lifting heavy weights. Both hitches perform very well and you would be happy with either once they are properly setup for the situation they are being used. Also remember that the wdh itself adds to the tongue weight so if that's a concern then the andersen definitely helps save a lot on tongue weight. Good luck with your decision!
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Old 01-05-2016, 10:50 AM   #15
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Mikewcrook
See what you are saying about the weight of the hitch. Mine is pretty heavy, but do not have to do any welding or drilling & no set screws. Guess that's why they make so many different hitches.
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Old 01-06-2016, 01:48 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Mikewcrook View Post
Uhdah camping I am curious to know the problems you had with the Anderson? What was your tow vehicle and trailer you were using it on. This is the first I've heard of someone complaining about the Andersen. I use a Ram 1500 1/2 ton with the 23ikss and the hitch is great. Just as good as the equalizer that I used to use. Thanks.
My first TT was smaller less than 750 lbs tongue weight with big tow nissan titan. Andersen worked great for that unit. Then I upgraded to the Rockwood 1100 lbs. tongue weight with titan could not keep it from swaying. Tried everything from air pressures helper springs balancing the load in TT. Nothing I did made a difference. Called Andersen, they told me to tighten up chains more. I did that and just about pulled the adjuster nut though the washer. That wasn't any better to boot. Switched to Blue Ox problems went away. I would have liked to try Andersen with my F250, but sold it.
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Old 01-06-2016, 02:05 PM   #17
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I wanted to love the Andersen hitch, but I have a 6000lb dry TT and I woried about 2 things after reading many many reviews and posts:

1)Lack of ability to transfer enough weight to the front axle.
2)Too much pressure on the locking plate of the hitch causing it to break off.

Based on those concerns I went Blue Ox and am very happy with it. Added benefit above the equalizer of being quiet. The rocking mechanism to hook it up is very easy for me to do and I have a 2 level lumbar fusion in place.
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Old 01-06-2016, 02:52 PM   #18
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on the Blue Ox. Simple, clean, quiet, back up without disconnecting anything, doesn't damage any chains, don't have to weld anything to trailer frame or drill any holes for set screws. Don't know why so many people have a problem with this hitch; it works great.
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Old 01-06-2016, 03:59 PM   #19
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Thanks for the honest response on the Andersen. I have not heard a lot of complaints so I was curious. I have a 6200# fully loaded trailer with 820# tongue weight pulling with a Ram 1500 and it works great with the weight distribution as well as the sway. Never had experience with the andersen and that much tongue weight. Good to know for a future heavier trailer. I cant imagine how much pressure has to be applied to actually break off the locking plate. Hmmmm. Anyway, thanks for the response.
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Old 01-06-2016, 04:15 PM   #20
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mikewcrook,

So you have towed the exact same combo with both hitches? Roughly how much do both hitches weigh? I'm finding misleading info on the Internet. Is the Anderson just better because it is lighter/cheaper or better performance? Thanks for the assistance.


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I have towed the exact same truck and trailer combo with both an E2 and an Andersen. The Andersen wins hands down on ease of use, weight (approx. 50 lbs total) and sway control. The E2 could transfer more weight, but that was not necessary with my setup.

The E2 might also be more durable, but I managed to break mine and eventually replaced and sold it. It was a solid hitch and the dealers seem to love to send you home with them. I assume because of the price

I have used many other hitches in recent years. Each has positives and negatives, but every single one takes time and some effort to get it dialed in.

The Andersen mounting does allow for two small welds or the set screw, but they are not required. I went with the welds later because my mounts "walked" about a 1/2" in nine months. The moral there is; It takes a long time (miles) to make that necessary, but I found it prudent in the end.

Andersen did change/modify/update/upgrade some of their parts (including the washers, springs and anti-sway material) to address a couple of issues stated in this thread. I have all the upgraded components (free under warranty) and love the way the hitch works pulling my 6500+ fully loaded TT.

Yes, you need to account for the hitch weight in your payload calculation, but it won't offset the reason W/D is required. The E2 and E4 are extremely similar now. The W/D is needed to not over tax your truck hitch receiver. IMO the weight difference is likely a wash between the E2/Eqaul-i-zer and an Andersen. The Andersen weighs less and the Equal-I-zer can move more.
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