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This is bad enough in itself but what ever you do don’t and I mean don’t remove the mattress tag!

John - Like Mike, I too was advised to put a couple of drops of light oil around the "cone". In fact, Andersen even sent me a sample bottle of Boeshield "T-9" to try before I finally gave up and got the "new" Andersen. I was told by Andersen's Oliver rep that they use the "T-9" during assembly and it wouldn't have any noticeable effect on the anti-sway properties of the hitch. That doesn't calculate well in my brain, but, with anti-sway on my truck plus the "new" Andersen I simply don't worry about it anymore. Bill

Speaking of the non-WD tongue weight limit, it seems to be an industry standard for ½ ton trucks rather than anything that's been calculated for specific models. That is, if it were calculated individually, you'd expect to see differences between brands, wheelbases, etc. Class IV hitches are supposed to be able to handle at least 1,000lbs tongue weight, so that's not the limiting factor either. I'd love to know where that number came from.

I suspect that the 5000lb is a reverse calculation from the tongue weight limit; i.e., they don't want people doing what John D is by loading up the rear of their trailers just to get the tongue weight down. As for departure angle, there's no limit other than the elastic limits of aluminum and steel. To find your limit, just try different inclines until you bend your frame, then back off slightly. ;) (actually I think you'd bust a few welds before bending the frame - a worthy experiment either way)

I still have the old design. It’s working fine, but Bill says the new hitch is better and it’s only $100 to upgrade so I might make the change. I’m on my second cone, was getting a lot of groaning on the first. It’s been about 18 months with the second cone and no noise. I do use a couple drops of lube periodically as recommended by Andersen. Mike

"New" Andersen would only be understood by those of us that have had it for over two or three years. The "old" Andersen looked to be not much different, but, the angle of the "cone" on the hitch ball was different and (for some) would cause the assembly to make a bunch of noise. Andersen redesigned this and now only sells this "new" design. I've not heard any complaints about it since the redesign. Bill

The Andersen Hitch is an interesting piece of kit. Some hate it, some don’t. I got it because I towed with a 2012 Tacoma for the first six months. When I got my Ram 1500 I continued using it. I got it set up and never change the tension when putting it on or taking it off, I just check to ensure the same number of threads are always showing at the bushings. I check the connection links on the chains, they can loosen. Other than that, I keep it clean and lubed and it works like a charm. We’ve had a few instances of steep grade where there was a difference between the truck and trailer but the Andersen handled it fine. NOTE: I don’t do any extreme off-roading. Mike

Isn't there a rule that states that the person who first has the idea is the person that gets to design and install the idea? Sounds like a busy winter for FrankC to me. Bill p.s. While I understand the problem, there hasn't been a single instance in the last four years where I've felt I was anywhere near an angle that would require me to do anything with the Andersen. Once I got the "new" Andersen it has performed without any issues at all and is quiet too.

Hmm... a small 12v dc motor running through a worm gear reduction system to drive a hex socket on the nut on the chain tensioning of the Andersen hitch.... worm gear system used since it can't be back-driven, no chance of the nuts loosening on their own.....one system on each chain....Being able to adjust the tension of the weight distribution chains from inside the tow vehicle.... sounds like a project for one of the forum members here....

My plan is the same as yours. I have a Ford Expedition EL and the towing limit and tongue weight limit without a weight distribution hitch are right at the limit for a loaded Elite II trailer, so I'm going to get the Andersen hitch just to be safe. I will probably loosen up the nuts in certain situations as mentioned if I get to a big departure angle point.

mdernier, welcome to the forum. From your post, it’s apparent you’ve been doing a lot of prospective and intelligent thinking about your future Oliver, particularly the aspect of towing. That is wise and fun to do. You are going to have the time of your life come April and it will be here before you know it. Your profile does not have any information listed about you or any potential tow vehicle you plan to use. Do you actually need the Andersen system? If your tow vehicle is big enough, it is unnecessary. Personally, I’ve never seen the need for it in ten years of towing two different Oliver’s with four different vehicles.

Welcome to the Forum! I don’t think anyone can really answer that question. I used to worry about over stressing the hitch parts, but in reality after 6000 miles with the Anderson, I don’t think you will hurt anything while driving straight on a smooth surface. I have gone up a very short steep approach to a parking lot from the street that scared me, afterwards. The back of the trailer frame smashed hard into the pavement, but nothing else happened. When you do this, the hitch tries to lift the back wheels of the tow vehicle off the ground. If your TV has limited rear wheel travel and is not full time AWD, you may get tire spin or get stuck. (This is why a guy with a boat and an equalizing hitch takes the bars off before retrieving his boat, so he doesn’t get stuck on a slick steep ramp.) I don’t worry about normal driving with the Andersen...But I do worry about going onto really uneven ground where the trailer will twist east and the TV will go west at the same time. Because the ball wears so weirdly due to the heavy forward load of the chains, you end up with a small canyon worn into the otherwise smooth ball. When you get crossed up in an unplowed field, the coupler will snap out of that groove with a bang and do the same when it pops back in. This is disconcerting and I don’t think it is at all good for the coupler. With the chains loosened up the coupler can move around on the top part of the ball with minimal stress. My policy is to loosen the nuts so that there is zero compression on the bushings when venturing into this sort of situation. The trailer and hitch seem much happier. Ultimately I hope to get rid of the Andersen entirely by shifting my cargo tray to the back of the trailer to lighten the tongue enough to just use a dead weight offroad hitch like member “overland” has..... Carrying a ton of weight up front just makes the Andersen situation worse since the chains have to be much tighter. To those who must use an Andersen, I don’t recomment buying the tongue cargo tray for this reason. I think it is not a good combination.... Did this help? John Davies Spokane WA

Vector, did you ever figure out the problem? I think Bill was on the right track but what I bet they did was connect your custom outlet to the line side of the GFCI instead of the load and that’s why that outlet stayed on. You’re probably right that the GFCI is fried which is why it won’t reset, but of course the other possibility is that you actually have a ground fault somewhere down the line. I’d try unplugging the microwave and seeing if it will reset then, just to rule that out of the equation.