Ram 2500 and Andersen Anti-Sway

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by cmac7203

4. I a pretty sure I read about this, either here or somewhere else. Likewise if not enough threads, the ball gets marred at the front. Searched here and couldn’t find it.

I'm not concerned about it . Have plenty of miles and many more to go .

[thebrakeman]

Originally Posted by cmac7203

Ok, scaled fully loaded and I am dead on at about 16%. Trailer at 8k. Front wheel wells exactly same height loaded as unloaded. I like using WDH anyway because it dampens out the bouncing.

Small issue in keeping with the thread: back of ball pretty marred up after a couple hundred miles. Thinking I have too much tension on the chains?

Thanks for the followup.
I'm not sure what you mean by "same height loaded as unloaded".
Are you saying that the front wheel well height is the same between:
no trailer vs trailer w/o WDH
or
no trailer vs trailer with WDH

[emoney]

Seems like the hitch closure itself would marr up the back of the ball. FUnny, now I have
something else to go pay attention to, lol.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

Thanks for the followup.
I'm not sure what you mean by "same height loaded as unloaded".
Are you saying that the front wheel well height is the same between:
no trailer vs trailer w/o WDH
or
no trailer vs trailer with WDH

That's what i got from reading it , front of truck same loaded using hitch as unloaded with no hitch . well no hitch because it's unloaded . so he was able to achieve is stock front height with the andersen WDH hitch

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by emoney

Seems like the hitch closure itself would marr up the back of the ball. FUnny, now I have
something else to go pay attention to, lol.

Talked to andersen they did not seem worried but are sending me a new ball . of course i have 26,000 miles towing with it . they are top notch when it comes to taking care of their customers . limited lifetime warranty on the hitch

[cmac7203]

Originally Posted by MR.M

That's what i got from reading it , front of truck same loaded using hitch as unloaded with no hitch . well no hitch because it's unloaded . so he was able to achieve is stock front height with the andersen WDH hitch

Yes, loaded with the Andersen WDH set up and the unloaded truck no Andersen, no trailer are the same height.

[Timtation]

Didn't see anyone post the secondary value of the Andersen, no grease on your pant leg or hands.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by Timtation

Didn't see anyone post the secondary value of the Andersen, no grease on your pant leg or hands.

Correct ! No grease , only weighs 60lbs total , no sway period , bounce is reduced dramatically , easy on easy off , mostly silent , great customer service , did i get it all !

[jimmarako]

Originally Posted by MR.M

people say all kinds of things . Facta based on experience from using the andersen and havine close to 80% of TV' TW 1200 lbs the andersen works great. will it distribute as much weight to the front wheels as a standard bar type WDH NO . But it distributes more then enough . no where does any towing rule say you have to keep the front weight the same as before hooking up that TT . over distributing the weight causes more problems then it solves . Many people having sway issues after setting up their brand new equalizer is because they have taken to much TW off the hitch and put in on the front and TT wheels . Having actually used and still in use the /andersen . it works as good if not better then advertised . My Truck sits level if not a bit up in the back . TH is level and no sway no handling problems from 10 to 80 mph . Haven't gone past 80 and it's a speed i don't hit often but have . It's easy to read reviews but it's other story when you have actually use the hitch your promoting or dissing. It's other when you just pass on what you read without any real experience with it . Most people who have hd issues with the andersen where those that had small trucks 150's, 1500's etc and TT that were on the high end 9 to 11 k . I would reather tow with a TV that up to the task and not use a WDH to make it work . once you do that thens when you have issues . JMHO backed by actually using the andersen

MR M, and the others who actually have the Andersen Hows it going? I realize this post is 2 years old now but thats actually good thing. Get to see how people are still liking their setup. I do wish I found this before I ordered my hitch, but thats the way it goes.

Roughly my setup is a 30' trailer with a good 1200 pounds of tongue that I weighed use the bathroom scale method. My trailer's sticker says its 6400 pounds from the factory, so I'm guessing I'm north of 7200 for real. So a good 17% on my tongue. This sounds similar to some of your setups.
I've email Andersen tech support and they seemed to say I would not be able to move 600+ pounds with the hitch (1/2 tongue weight). I'm not that concerned since I have a 2500HD with a 1500 pound allowable tongue weight (with or without WDH).

I was getting way to much porpoiseing, or bounce, with my current setup. No sway. So I'm hoping the Andersen cures that.
Thanks
Jim M

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by jimmarako

MR M, and the others who actually have the Andersen Hows it going? I realize this post is 2 years old now but thats actually good thing. Get to see how people are still liking their setup. I do wish I found this before I ordered my hitch, but thats the way it goes.

Roughly my setup is a 30' trailer with a good 1200 pounds of tongue that I weighed use the bathroom scale method. My trailer's sticker says its 6400 pounds from the factory, so I'm guessing I'm north of 7200 for real. So a good 17% on my tongue. This sounds similar to some of your setups.
I've email Andersen tech support and they seemed to say I would not be able to move 600+ pounds with the hitch (1/2 tongue weight). I'm not that concerned since I have a 2500HD with a 1500 pound allowable tongue weight (with or without WDH).

I was getting way to much porpoiseing, or bounce, with my current setup. No sway. So I'm hoping the Andersen cures that.
Thanks
Jim M

I've had the andersen in use now for 6 yrs at least 36,000 miles and wouldn't trade it for any other WDH . Andersen is great to work with . Last yr asked for new braking material and found out they up-graded the ball,braking material the receiver the ball sits in that is now capped to help protect the braking material . sent me a whole new set up for nothing and paid for return shipping for the old style unit . My TW is just under 1200 like 1150 and tows great . no need for bars and grease you won't be disappointed

[hobienick]

I've been using my Anderson since March of this year. As you can see in my signature my setup is pretty light. Once I got it dialed in everything rides level and is very comfortable. I am very happy with it.

[MR.M]

On another note bouncing or porpoising is a non issue . you will hit roads where the bumps or joints between slabs will cause a wild ride the andersen minimizes that but nothing will eliminate that . regular roads as regular as can be the unit tows great . There is a bridge or 2 heading into memphis from 55 where it's a woop-de do ride across can't imange how bad it would be with other WDH's with bars that exaggerate the bouncing .

[jimmarako]

Originally Posted by MR.M

On another note bouncing or porpoising is a non issue . you will hit roads where the bumps or joints between slabs will cause a wild ride the andersen minimizes that but nothing will eliminate that . regular roads as regular as can be the unit tows great . There is a bridge or 2 heading into memphis from 55 where it's a woop-de do ride across can't imange how bad it would be with other WDH's with bars that exaggerate the bouncing .

Thanks. The odd thing is my bounce is not only from obvious things. Usually things like pot holes, bridges,.... calm down quickly. My problem is cement roads, even ones that look nice. The truck will start bobing and it can go on for many miles. Sometime my wife can't even read her book because she says its moving too much. I mainly drive in PA. They must use cheap cement that it develops "ripples" or hills and valleys in it.

Jim M.

[BigH]

Originally Posted by jimmarako

Thanks. The odd thing is my bounce is not only from obvious things. Usually things like pot holes, bridges,.... calm down quickly. My problem is cement roads, even ones that look nice. The truck will start bobing and it can go on for many miles. Sometime my wife can't even read her book because she says its moving too much. I mainly drive in PA. They must use cheap cement that it develops "ripples" or hills and valleys in it.

Jim M.

Unfortunately there isn't anything odd about your experience...nice looking cement roads can induce this oscillation because they have a slight dip at the 'joints'. This affect is tied to wheelbase and speed. There is a section of newer concrete not far from me with these dips and I can barely feel it on a motorcycle or the car but the truck (empty, loaded or towing) is pretty bad. I just slow down. We were talking about this section of road at work not long ago and two coworkers with half tons said the same thing. -I've also encountered this in other states.

I don't use a wdh so I can't say if that will have any influence under those conditions.

[ardakota]

I have had my anderson 4 almost 2 years I pull 6900# with a toyota tundra. I am totally satisfied with the WDH. One thing I did notice you get more bounce if you have it too tight. My setup works with 4 rounds of the nuts if i dont have my harley in it and 4.5 rounds with the bike. If I leave it on 4.5 without the bike it will bounce more. I also measured squat it looks like I get about 1.5 inches squat in the rear using this setup and the front end stays the same height as if it were unloaded. So with these numbers the truck is pretty much level when pulling my camper so I am happy with that. And the lightness of the unit is the deal maker. I do not want to have to lug a big heavy hitch and after watching the people I camp with have to have 2 people to put their big heavy hitches in their receivers I am glad i found the Anderson. They marvel at how easy I hookup and can pull my whole setup off the truck and stow it in a small tote.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by BigH

Unfortunately there isn't anything odd about your experience...nice looking cement roads can induce this oscillation because they have a slight dip at the 'joints'. This affect is tied to wheelbase and speed. There is a section of newer concrete not far from me with these dips and I can barely feel it on a motorcycle or the car but the truck (empty, loaded or towing) is pretty bad. I just slow down. We were talking about this section of road at work not long ago and two coworkers with half tons said the same thing. -I've also encountered this in other states.

I don't use a wdh so I can't say if that will have any influence under those conditions.

Bounce may not have been the right term Bounce means more then once . with the andersen you get the initial hit but recovers like the shocks on your truck so one bounce before the next hit

[jimmarako]

Thanks all for the help and suggestions. I'll be heading out in 2 weeks with the new setup (still in transit). I'll be going over some of my know problem areas so I'll get two chances (coming and going) to see how it goes.

Jim M.

[Rolling Chaos]

Originally Posted by MR.M

That remark on the Andersen being only good to 600TW is BS .

It is total B S. Your right. The small set up is 1400 and the larger set up is 1600 lbs hitch weight. I have towed with mine for almost 5 years and it has performed flawlessly. It has gone through 3 travel trailers. None were less than 800lbs and one pushed near 1000 lbs. It is simple to set up, hitch up and unhitch.
I bought this for the ease of use and set up. No heavy bars to work with and strain to put on.

[Jimer]

I am down sizing from a fifth wheel to a small travel trailer. 3075lb, 413lb TW. Geo pro 19fsb.
I will be towing with a Chevy 2500HD Duramax
“Big Truck Little trailer”
Would the Andersen hitch be a good fit?
Any other advise would be great.
Thanks

[Rolling Chaos]

Originally Posted by Jimer

I am down sizing from a fifth wheel to a small travel trailer. 3075lb, 413lb TW. Geo pro 19fsb.
I will be towing with a Chevy 2500HD Duramax
“Big Truck Little trailer”
Would the Andersen hitch be a good fit?
Any other advise would be great.
Thanks

The Andersen would work like a charm for you. You'll have to look back to make sure your towing something with that set up.
That's my 0.02 cents worth.