Little old lady needs a WDH

[Minnow]

Hi, Minnow here preparing for another 3 hour tour in my 1720FB. I'm an experienced RV'r, along with my husband we started out in a cargo trailer, then had a truck camper, small Class A gasser, Aliner, 36' DP, fifth wheel and Rpod. I drove/towed everything except the DP. I had an F150 towing that Rpod and it flew down the road without any weight distributing hardware and I was happy passing semis at 70 mph. So I got a bit smug and assumed the 1100 lb increased weight of the 1720 would be a piece of cake. Wrong. My 2020 F150 2.7 Ecoboost is having a bit of trouble with it. I haven't experienced sway or anything terrifying but the trailer feels heavy and the truck is sluggish. So I took it to a CAT scale packed for camping, no water on board but 2 batteries, 2 propane tanks, and front compartment normally loaded. Calculated the tongue weight at 600 lbs, and the steer axle a bit light. The trailer was way under max GVWR. So I've concluded that I need a little bit of help with weight distribution, but not a lot. I've been researching WDH's and now I need to say that I'm widowed, and I'll be traveling mostly alone. I'm of age where I have Medicare, let's leave it at that. I'm in good health, reasonably strong and fit, and want to stay that way. I sometimes camp with another woman who's a bit older than me who has a 1700BH, and she really struggles with the WDH. I don't want to break my back or drop something really heavy on my foot. So, all that to say I'm considering the Andersen WDH. It's praised as being lightweight, quiet, and easy to use. My husband and I used the Andersen Ultimate Hitch on our fiver and it was an awesome kit. So is there anyone who has experience with an Andersen WDH on a wimpy F150 with a 1720?

[creativepart]

Hi and welcome,

There's no need to struggle with a WDH. You simply need to know how to make it easier.

I didn't have an Anderson WDH, which has chains instead of spring bars, but perhaps it's the same, I'm not sure. I had a Husky Centerline WD with anti-swey built in and it worked great. The Husky has spring bars where the Andersen has chains.

The trick to making it a breeze to put on or take off the weight distribution hitch was to use the powered tongue jack. You have the trailer hitch on the ball and latched firmly into place on the tow vehicle and you're all set to lift the bars or springs onto the A-Frame and you use the electric tongue jack to raise the trailer. Doing this raises the bars up higher in relation to the A-Frame and you can easily slide the bars onto the A-Frame's platform.

Sounds counter intuitive, but trust me, it works.

Here's a video showing this on a hitch with bars, not chains. In the video this guy lifts the jack before putting the bars in the hitch - I always used to put the bars in the hitch, then use the jack to raise the truck. Doing it that way you could see the bars raising up and know when they are high enough to easily move into position. You choose the method you prefer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq6jUpEMtmw

[wahoonc]

There are a lot of different hitches on the market. I am a fan of Equalizer because you can swap bars if you need something lighter or heavier as you go. I am not familiar with Anderson. I have used Equalizer for everything from a 10K TT to a 3800# TT. Just swapped the correct-sized bar in.

Aaron

[Ray,IN]

Others have addressed using a WDH. I will guide you to what I think is the most complete and accurate method of setting-up a WDH I've ever read.

[Trax]

The Andersen hitch is a good choice. The hardest part after the initial set-up is just lifting the ball/ball mount if you ever remove it. I believe the Andersen is actually lighter than most brands though. The initial setup is not that difficult either but there is a lot of torque required for the bolts so it may be best to have it installed and set up. I believe Andersen recommends that you loosen the tension nuts when you disconnect but there are several videos that show how easy they are to disconnect by using your tongue jack to lift your tow vehicle just enough the slack the chains. (probably just a few inches at most over normal height). Then you pull the pin the chains drop off and you can lower the tow vehicle and unhook as normal. This is best for a trailer with a power jack. Might be a little difficult with a manual jack. This method also retains your tension as long as the nuts don't loosen when you are disconnected. The other method you would just have to record/remember how far the nuts are tightened on to the threads for when you hook back up. This method is also very easy just adds a couple steps. This method is also more forgiving if you don't consistently light up perfectly (truck to trailer) since when you are installing the nuts to the previous position it will allow for the anti-sway plate to align with the chains and trailer brackets properly. I have always been able to use the jacking method with no problems. I have a different setup but I have a mid-size pickup and a 5500lb camper and the Andersen has worked very well for us. Leaving east out of Rapid City, SD last year we experienced a lot of wind and while I was a little white knuckled I never felt like I wasn't in control.

[carpedatum]

I use an Anderson WDH with our F150. Our trailer is a 2327TB so there is no question - we need the WDH.

Good news: it is lightweight. Also not difficult to work with once you learn a few tricks.

Bad news: It is not particularly quiet. I don’t notice it on the road, but at slow speeds with the windows down, e.g. at the campground, it squeaks. I am pretty sure it is the bushings. It hasn’t bugged me enough to do anything about it, but I had hoped for less noise.

The tricks:

Get a long ratchet (by this I mean 3 feet) and deep socket to replace the cheesy home-made aluminum socket that comes with it. The most laborious part of working with this thing is tensioning the chains, and you can make that MUCH easier with the right tool.

Watch their installation video as many times as you can stand to. It isn’t long but it is specific and much better than the written instructions.

Order of operations matters a lot. For some reason it took me forever to get it through my head - secure the hitch with most of the tongue weight still on the jack, then tension the Anderson, then take the weight off the tongue jack, then deal with the chains and electrical. At the destination, reverse that exactly and take it easy on your tongue jack. I have been sloppy and stupid a couple of times, and have bent two tongue jacks in the process. But, I am newbie and doubt that someone with your experience would struggle so.

So far I have been pretty happy with the Anderson. The hardest part of working with it is that last turn while tensioning the chains - a long ratchet takes the pain out of that.

[Minnow]

Originally Posted by Trax

The Andersen hitch is a good choice. The hardest part after the initial set-up is just lifting the ball/ball mount if you ever remove it. I believe the Andersen is actually lighter than most brands though. The initial setup is not that difficult either but there is a lot of torque required for the bolts so it may be best to have it installed and set up. I believe Andersen recommends that you loosen the tension nuts when you disconnect but there are several videos that show how easy they are to disconnect by using your tongue jack to lift your tow vehicle just enough the slack the chains. (probably just a few inches at most over normal height). Then you pull the pin the chains drop off and you can lower the tow vehicle and unhook as normal. This is best for a trailer with a power jack. Might be a little difficult with a manual jack. This method also retains your tension as long as the nuts don't loosen when you are disconnected. The other method you would just have to record/remember how far the nuts are tightened on to the threads for when you hook back up. This method is also very easy just adds a couple steps. This method is also more forgiving if you don't consistently light up perfectly (truck to trailer) since when you are installing the nuts to the previous position it will allow for the anti-sway plate to align with the chains and trailer brackets properly. I have always been able to use the jacking method with no problems. I have a different setup but I have a mid-size pickup and a 5500lb camper and the Andersen has worked very well for us. Leaving east out of Rapid City, SD last year we experienced a lot of wind and while I was a little white knuckled I never felt like I wasn't in control.

Thank you, this is really valuable information. I have a really good torque wrench and a friend of my husband's can help me install it, but yes, 150 lb-feet is a lot of torque! I'm going to try it.

[Minnow]

Originally Posted by carpedatum

I use an Anderson WDH with our F150. Our trailer is a 2327TB so there is no question - we need the WDH.

Good news: it is lightweight. Also not difficult to work with once you learn a few tricks.

Bad news: It is not particularly quiet. I don’t notice it on the road, but at slow speeds with the windows down, e.g. at the campground, it squeaks. I am pretty sure it is the bushings. It hasn’t bugged me enough to do anything about it, but I had hoped for less noise.

The tricks:

Get a long ratchet (by this I mean 3 feet) and deep socket to replace the cheesy home-made aluminum socket that comes with it. The most laborious part of working with this thing is tensioning the chains, and you can make that MUCH easier with the right tool.

Watch their installation video as many times as you can stand to. It isn’t long but it is specific and much better than the written instructions.

Order of operations matters a lot. For some reason it took me forever to get it through my head - secure the hitch with most of the tongue weight still on the jack, then tension the Anderson, then take the weight off the tongue jack, then deal with the chains and electrical. At the destination, reverse that exactly and take it easy on your tongue jack. I have been sloppy and stupid a couple of times, and have bent two tongue jacks in the process. But, I am newbie and doubt that someone with your experience would struggle so.

So far I have been pretty happy with the Anderson. The hardest part of working with it is that last turn while tensioning the chains - a long ratchet takes the pain out of that.

Thank, I really appreciate this. My husband built race cars so I have some really good tools and a friend of his will help me with the initial installation. I've ordered the hitch, so wish me luck!