Anderson hitch

[hardrock]

Anderson Hitch has accepted our invitation to attend the 2018 Oliver Travel Trailer Owners Rally at Lake Guntersville, AL.  For those that have Anderson Hitch on your Oliver, a technical representative will be available to address any concerns and offer technical advice.  All vendors will be at the Pavillon ear the lake.

 

I hope to see you at the rally!

 

Coy E. Gayle

 

Chairman 2018 Oliver Travel Trailer Owners Rally

 

 

[Rumline]

That really burns me too (I had other words but we'll go with "burns") and I hope he suffers some consequences for this.  However if I refused to do business with every company whose CEO or whomever does or says things I disagree with I would have to live in a hut in the woods.

[Overland]

I think your Ollie would make for a very nice hut.

[Raspy]

I think your Ollie would make for a very nice hut.

 

 

That's funny, but it makes sense.  While boondocking, we don't have to do business with companies we don't like.  That's part of the reason we go camping-to get away from it all.

 

It may be unfair to beat-up on Anderson, but I see some parallels to his company.

 

I've never been a fan of Andeson hitches and have discussed that position here.  Questionable design and knee-jerk responses to questions or problems that just doesn't make sense, or are unsafe.   It's an unproven design that requires the public to do the beta testing.

 

Now, he's so sorry about the graffiti, but at the time, according to the witness, refused to stop doing it and sent the kids down to the car to "change" the license plates.  What?  Does he keep spare license plates handy and tools for the kids to change them?  I don't know anyone who is honest, that is prepared to do that.

 

Sounds like he's in over his head on a couple of fronts.

 

I feel kinda sorry for the folks that think they have to buy that hitch in order to make their Oliver safe to tow.   A large extra expense that is completely unneeded in most cases, and a questionable design.

[ScubaRx]

I first saw the Andersen Hitch at a rally in TN and brought the idea back to Robert Partee at Oliver.  He and I talked about how it could be mounted on the trailer and Oliver bought one to see if it could be adapted to fit.  They decided that it was a good product and began to offer it as an option.  I don't own an Andersen Hitch.  That is a personal decision I made after careful consideration of my needs.  The aforementioned accusation against Ryan Anderson near Arches NP is apparently true.  This personally bothers me, but whether it has any relevance on ones decision the purchase his hitch is, of course, up to each individual.

 

Just so you know, Corona arch is not within the National Park system, it lies outside Arches NP.  It is located in Bureau of Land Management land however, so it is still protected under the federal government.

 

There will be an Andersen representative at our upcoming rally.  Whoever this person will be should not have to suffer because of his or her bosses actions.  Let's be sure not to take out any animosity toward that individual.

[John E Davies]

I tend to react more toward corporate stupidity rather than CEO stupidity. Mr. Anderson sounds as if he is a clueless jerk. I probably would not like him if I met him in person.

 

Will I get rid of my hitch? Nope, not for such a dumb act as this. I hate vandalism, big or small, but I am not going to get unglued over it.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Overland]

Just so you know, Corona arch is not within the National Park system, it lies outside Arches NP. It is located in Bureau of Land Management land however, so it is still protected under the federal government.

 

I'm not sure how that lessens what he did.  He's a grown man, teaching his kids that they're privileged enough to get away with defacing public monuments.

 

There will be an Andersen representative at our upcoming rally. Whoever this person will be should not have to suffer because of his or her bosses actions. Let’s be sure not to take out any animosity toward that individual.

Well, if someone had been planning a lynch mob, I think that should be called off.  Otherwise, people who are paid to represent a company are paid to answer questions about their company's, and by extension, their CEO's, ethics.  Particularly if it's a tightly held 'family' company, I'd be interested to know how they plan to react.  And if people think it's wrong to place Oliver in the uncomfortable position of having those kinds of questions asked at their rally, I'd say that as a promotor of their products, Oliver should be the one asking the questions.

 

So yes, it's easy for me to say I wouldn't have their hitch on my truck because I'd already made that decision since I don't think it's a very good hitch.  But you'll have to allow me a certain amount of smugness for a moment about my decision.  BTW, I'm not someone who investigates every company I buy from, but I do try to make ethical buying choices when I can.

 

Which makes me ask the question, what would I say if it were an Oliver in this situation?  Honestly, I don't know.  I wouldn't be happy about it, that's for sure.

[Mike and Carol]

What the CEO did is disturbing.  He appears to be trying hard to make up for it.

 

I’ve been happy with my hitch. When it started to groan they sent me a new sleeve. I couldn’t remove the ball to put the new sleeve in so they sent me a whole new assembly. No charge. As far as I’m concerned they are responsive and stand behind what they sell. Mike

[Spike]

Wow. I just spent some time checking out this incident. Check out this article (URL below) if it is still available.

 

If you click on the link to Ryan Andersen's letter of apology in this article, you can read (and write your own) responses to it. I sense that the "sympathetic" responses are fakes. Also note that another arch in Utah has been vandalized with the name "Andersen." Note that this guy was asked to stop but didn't and then told his teenage kids to change the license plates on their vehicle. (Who carries extra plates for purposes like this?)

 

Ryan Andersen's "apology" rings false. So does his claim that he did this on the spur of the moment. He is only worried, in my view, about the consequences he and his business will face. There has been a recent rash of vandalism to national parks and other publicly owned natural sites. It needs a strong response.

 

If one business deserves a boycott for ethical purposes, it is this one. I hope Oliver Travel Trailers does the right thing.

 

https://www.ktbs.com/news/national/east-idaho-family-facing-backlash-for-reportedly-defacing-corona-arch/article_c48df4c8-2fc4-5f0e-b0f4-d987a2ea9b2e.html

[ScubaRx]

ScubaRx wrote:

Just so you know, Corona arch is not within the National Park system, it lies outside Arches NP. It is located in Bureau of Land Management land however, so it is still protected under the federal government.

I’m not sure how that lessens what he did. He’s a grown man, teaching his kids that they’re privileged enough to get away with defacing public monuments.

 

Sorry if anyone took my statement to indicate that I was attempting to mitigate or justify his actions.  It was only that some of the sources I read gave the impression that it was inside the National Park.

[Spike]

I have thought more about this incident and have revisited comments on the thread accessed by the link that I mention is in the article. These comments are in response to Ryan Andersen's "apology" and request for people to help him "make it right." (There are some quite interesting comments, by the way, on this page. Many folks ask questions, such as Why does he carry around different license plates and Does he always get his kids to change them when he commits a crime? The only response to them so far seems to be a canned one, perhaps written by his lawyer.) I added this comment on that thread:

 

"I have thought more about what you can do--after you have caused so much damage to a monument of the American people, your children whom you have given such a bad lesson (who may see your example as a message that they can selfishly and dishonestly disregard the rights of others), and the other employees of your company.

 

"Some folks have pointed out that the damage you have done to the reputation of your company and the inevitable boycott of your company will hurt innocent employees. You can avoid causing this future pain and suffering to others by resigning from the company and turning it into an employee-owned business.

 

"How about that? If you really realize how wrong this was, how much damage you have done to others, and you really want to make amends and avoid causing more pain and suffering to others, start this process now.

 

Otherwise, I and others will know that you care only for yourself, and the only reason you are apologizing is to avoid as many of the consequences of your actions as you can--actions, I need to add, that cannot be blamed on a "spur of the moment" mistake. A person who would do this as an adult with his children watching and then get his children to change license plates (again, I ask, what kind of guy carries around plates for this purpose?), reveals a character that should not be trusted to run an honest, legitimate business."

 

I hope that OTT will refuse to do business with Ryan Andersen. I hope that his company can survive without him, and that his employees will not have to suffer from his crimes. I hope Ryan Andersen does the right thing.

[Overland]

The license plate thing is definitely the weird part, given that he hasn't denied it.  Like you said, who carries a fake license plate around unless you're planning to do something wrong???

 

So I do appreciate his apology, but I also have to wonder if he's not just well practiced at giving them.

[DavidS]

I am one of the few Ollie owners with those Utah license plates, but sometimes I cannot believe what jerks some of my fellow Utahns are. Five years ago a scout leader decided to destroy one of the rock formations, called hoodoos or goblins, in Goblin Valley State Park. These a-holes videotaped the event and posted it on Facebook. You  can see the video

, and one news report here. Apparently they were sentenced to a year of probation and a fine.

 

We are currently camping in Southern Utah near Monument Valley, and the area is of such inspiring beauty I cannot understand why anyone would want to deface it.

 

 

[Raspy]

David,

 

We're thinking of heading down to Monument Valley from Northern Nevada soon.   Do you have any suggestions where to camp?

 

John

[Try2Relax]

I preferred Valley of the Gods, which is just down the street from Monument Valley. My profile boondocking photo was taken HERE

 

This spot is close/on to the road, but only two cars came by in the few days I was there, there are others that are completely away from the drive area.

[DavidS]

I agree with Randy. Right now we are at Gouldings, a very nice but very expensive commercial RV park that is very close to Monument Valley. A few days ago we camped in Valley of the Gods, which was the nicest campsite I can remember. BLM land, so free. Our site was HERE, quite close to Randy's site. I will post some pictures when I get home.

[Overland]

Thanks for the tip - those look like ideal spots.

[KarenLukens]

Anderson hitch?, no thanks, Anderson Levelers?, no thanks. The Blaylock's are better. Oliver should just dump Anderson and if they show up to the rally, make sure Ryan brings a dunk tank with a lot of baseballs.

 

[topgun2]

OK, once again - there are obviously those of us that do not like Andersen products and those of us that do like them. The Blaylock's are better? Maybe and maybe not. I will do my utmost to treat ANY attendee at our OWNER'S RALLY with the same courtesy and respect as I give to any other.

Bill

[Rumline]

Reed, can you get the Blaylock jack in between the front and rear tires? Like if you were going to jack up both tires with two units.

[topgun2]

Rumline -

Since Reed has not answered, I can only offer this: I think that the Blaylocks will not fit between the two tires on the Elite II. The regular Andersens barely fit and the Andersens(the larger model that is sold as a "jack") that are more similar to the Blaylocks will not fit between the tires either. Of course both the Blaylocks and the Andersens could be shortened but since the Blaylocks are made out of aluminum they would be a bit tougher to cut. The Blaylocks are roughly twice the weight of the Andersens and cost a bit more than the Andersens. Note that since I've never owned the Blaylocks I can only comment relative to what I've read about them.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[DavidS]

Instead of the Andersen Levelers, I bought the Camco 44425 Levelers. They were cheaper than the Andersens, and they are shorter (11 inches vs. 15.5 inches) which makes for easier storage. And they fit between the two tires for use with both wheels.

 

Using John Davies' excellent instructions, I installed a bubble level on the front of my Ollie. With the bubble level and the curved levelers, it was a snap to level the trailer!