Who has upgraded their Andersen to the latest version?

[markncall]

Thanks, just what I needed.

Mark

[Geronimo John]

On 7/7/2019 at 7:04 AM, KWRJRPE said:

Also, is it possible to tighten the chains too tight?  I am at five threads showing and the chains are mighty tight.  No give at all.

For my 2005 Sequoia TV, I used seven threads as I needed to toss weight forward to reduce excessive squat as much as possible. 

For my 2019 F-150 Super crew, I only need three threads and my axles TV axles are weights are good, and squat with the Anderson at three threads reduces squat from 2 1/2" to just 1 1/4".    

With the Beast (F-150) and Ollie fully loaded for boon docking (Full fresh water), full 36 gallons of fuel, one driver, and connected with Anderson in play at three threads, here is what the truck scales say for each axle(s):

              The BEAST                             OLLIE

            Front   3,000               Axles                 5,350  (Ollie tongue weight included in truck numbers.)

            Rear    3,550               Truck                 6,650

            Truck   6,650               Actual GCW    12,000

                                                Max GCW        16,200

                                                Under GCW     4,200 POUNDS UNDER MAX

 

 

[Geronimo John]

In 2018 I purchased Hull 342 with the 2 5/16" Bulldog/Anderson.  With my F-150 the set-up worked in such a way that if my truck and trailer were in line, I could open the tail gate without damage to the gate.

This past spring, I upgraded to the new version.  It is taller in the saddle, and as a result my tail gate can not be fully opened.  The bulldog release now hits the tailgate just below the camera.  

Tried to adjust the drop hitch level, but there is a "dead zone" between drop hitch up and drop hitch down.  No go.  Only way to fix it is to buy a new 2" drop hitch without a dead zone.......  

Any F-150 owners have a better solution?

Thanks

GJ

[Jim and Chris Neuman]

Geronimo John

Had the same issue with our 2021 F150 FX4 crew cab and 2021 Legacy II.  As set up by Oliver the gate would hit the hitch were it allowed to drop all the way down - we never let it do that but it was inevitable if I left it alone.  We had some minor porposing on some poor roads at speed and fixed that with a set of air bags on the truck.  When pumped up to 40# or so, they lifted the back of the truck up about 2" - high enough that I inverted the receiver hitch 180 degrees and reinstalled the ball bracket so that it dropped the hitch down enough to bring the trailer back to level. 
Adjusting the hitch only took a couple minutes and solved both problems ... porposing issue largely eliminated, gate no longer hits hitch and trailer is back to level.

 

[John E Davies]

5 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

In 2018 I purchased Hull 342 with the 2 5/16" Bulldog/Anderson.  With my F-150 the set-up worked in such a way that if my truck and trailer were in line, I could open the tail gate without damage to the gate.

This past spring, I upgraded to the new version.  It is taller in the saddle, and as a result my tail gate can not be fully opened.  The bulldog release now hits the tailgate just below the camera.  

You used to be able to buy an “extended” rack, it added 3” to the length of the part that plugs into the receiver. That is what I did with my LC200 to provide tailgate clearance, that was about spring 2018….. You might check with Andersen to see if it is still offered, even though it is not shown on the website, there might be some leftover stock, or they might even build you a custom one. Since this is a problem with a very common tow vehicle, it seems like they should offer that part, since it is a 100% fix. They are in Idaho Falls ID, stop by there with a mess of doughnuts. That works wonders….. It would not hurt to ask for their assistance.

https://help.andersenhitches.com/faq/can-you-build-a-custom-weight-distribution-hitch-to-fit-my-receiver

https://help.andersenhitches.com/

Or if you have a local welder or steel fabricator that you REALLY trust, have him make one. It is a simple matter to cut off the old shank, and weld on a longer one plus vertical gussets.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[John E Davies]

Alternatively, you could change the coupler so it doesn't have that shin knocker latch. 

https://www.etrailer.com/Straight-Tongue-Trailer-Coupler/Bulldog/BD028444.html

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Rivernerd]

On 11/17/2021 at 10:11 PM, John E Davies said:

You used to be able to buy an “extended” rack, it added 3” to the length of the part that plugs into the receiver. That is what I did with my LC200 to provide tailgate clearance, that was about spring 2018….. You might check with Andersen to see if it is still offered, even though it is not shown on the website, there might be some leftover stock, or they might even build you a custom one. Since this is a problem with a very common tow vehicle, it seems like they should offer that part, since it is a 100% fix. 

For our Elite II scheduled for delivery summer 2022, I also would like to have a longer tongue, or, alternatively, a longer drawbar adding at least another 3" between the hitch receiver and the trailer ball.  So, I called Andersen today to inquire whether they will custom fabricate a longer drawbar for their weight distribution hitches, like the one they used to offer.  Answer:  NO.   

The person I spoke with confirmed that Andersen used to offer a longer drawbar, but not any more, because it was determined that it reduced the GTW rating "too much." 

I noted that the drawbar that is included with the #3350 WD hitch I plan to purchase includes two hitch-pin holes, one about 1.5" inboard of the other.  See photo below.  I asked the Andersen rep if it was o.k. to use the inner hole to increase the receiver-hitch ball distance by that 1.5".  I was told that is fine, and is indeed the reason there are two holes, but that Andersen is not comfortable making or selling a drawbar that is any longer, or has any more holes.  So, if I don't like the TV rear bumper-to-Elite II A-frame distance once I pick up the trailer, I may be paying for custom modification of the Andersen stock drawbar, with the reinforcing gussets John Davies suggests, to ensure an ample GTW rating. 

[mossemi]

This picture is for reference purposes only.  Both drawbars are Andersen products.

Mossey