Hitch Itch?

[Cougarfan]

I have the Andersen Hitch and I do love it. I believe I paid around $350 for it 2-3 years ago. I could no longer lift the heavy traditional weight distribution hitch. I installed the hitch myself so ordering online or directly from the manufacturer (located in Idaho) might be the best deal. The company is a dream to work with. I've called them a few times with questions and they call me right back and walk me through whatever issue I have. If they come out with an improved part for the hitch, you can just call them and they will send you the new improved part at no charge.

The hitch works very different than a traditional WDH so there are a few things you need to know:

1. If you get it, have the brackets for the trailer welded to the A-frame of the trailer. I was towing through Seattle when the brackets slipped and I lost all weight distribution and sway control (oh yeah, there is more to this story). When I got back I found someone to weld the brackets to the frame. I have had stress-free towing since then. I can drive the truck with one hand on the freeway with little to no issue when a semi truck passes me. I have a 28' trailer and have NO sway. None.

1. NEVER use grease with this hitch. Never. Ever. It will not function correctly if you put one ounce of grease anywhere.

There is a ton of information out there on the Andersen. For the trailer you're looking at, I actually don't think you need one. You could get by with a simple friction sway control BUT your van didn't come with a tow package so maybe it does need one. OR the dealer is just trying to make money. I would wait until you find the trailer you want and then determine, based on the weights, whether you need the hitch or not, or if a traditional WDH would be a better match. I towed my Jayco with a Ram pickup that only had a 3500# towing limit. I only used a friction sway control and had no issues.

I am happy to sing the praises of the Andersen all day long. The biggest complaint most people have is that it doesn't transfer enough weight back to the front axle. I can see where that might be a problem if you are towing a trailer at the very limits of the available payload of your tow vehicle. You will run out of payload WAY before you reach your maximum towing capacity. I'm sure the payload in the van is sufficient for anything you are looking at. The Andersen is perfect for my combination.

As far as the pricing of the trailer going up over night, well, I think they jacked up the price for the show so they could offer a "great deal" to some unsuspecting customer. You happened to be looking at the right time to catch that. I liked going to the shows when I was looking for a trailer because there are often multiple dealers with a variety of manufacturers to look at.

Happy to help any way I can.

Laura

[Cougarfan]

I'm thinking that I might go back to Sacramento to the RV show. The unit that the Sacramento dealer had on their lot was. . . it needed a bit of clean-up, if you know what I mean. I'm wondering if maybe the units they (say) they will have at Cal Expo will be flawless, and if there might be a "show special" or two to be found.

To go, or not to go, that is the question. Truthfully, I am feeling a bit burned by my experiences of yesterday, but since I am a glutton for punishment, I might just go there anyway. Who knows what other make and model that I might like (besides the stinkin' Jayco) that I might find there?

What do you all think?

Thanks!

Anne

I wouldn't settle for something that you are not 100% satisfied with. Be it the trailer or the dealer.

Laura

[Azusateach]

Anne, I’m sorry to hear that Harp’s doesn’t do hitches anymore. But I KNOW that either Rachel or Joel can guide you as to the proper type of hitch for your van and the trailer you end up with, and probably tell you who they’d recommend to do the work.

Give them a call before you head to U-Haul, please. And tell them that Laura Maydahl told you it’s okay to bug them. I love those guys to death, and they’ll never, EVER steer you wrong.

Laura

[SoCalGalcas]

I believe a Friction Sway Control is all I need on my little trailer. Contacting an RV place here in SD, they will install it for $125. Part costs $80. Thats what I will be going for. Part needs some welding, so I cannot instal it. lyn

[snowball]

Annie
look at a trailer by Keystone...called a dang can't recall now saw it on the road coming
down and wanted to remember its name but it has escaped me so sorry
sheila

[Colliemom]

Annie, one other thing to keep in mind. The towing capacity of your van is for an empty van. Every pound of weight you add in the van, deduct from that trailer towing weight. Best rule of the thumb is leave a 1,000 pounds less than the actual weight rating. That way you don’t overload. In other words, deduct your vans cargo load capacity from it’s trailer towing capacity, leave a 1,000 pound or so leeway in there and that will tell you the max loaded trailer you can safely pull.

[MelissaD]

Annie, one other thing to keep in mind. The towing capacity of your van is for an empty van. Every pound of weight you add in the van, deduct from that trailer towing weight. Best rule of the thumb is leave a 1,000 pounds less than the actual weight rating. That way you don’t overload. In other words, deduct your vans cargo load capacity from it’s trailer towing capacity, leave a 1,000 pound or so leeway in there and that will tell you the max loaded trailer you can safely pull.

Hello,

Since you have modified this van I would start with a trip to the truck scales to find out what your actual weights are. Then you need to open your driver's door and look for the sticker which list's tire pressures and axle ratings. You need to find the GVWR or gross vehicle weight rating for your van. GVRW - actual weight = cargo capacity or how much hitch weight your van can carry. You probably used up a good portion of your cargo capacity when you customize your van. You also need to find out how close you are to the rating of your front and rear axles as most of your customizing probably is carried on your rear axle when the trailers hitch weight will be carried. The WDH will help move some weight "forward" to help equalize and level the van but you need capacity to begin with.

Limiting factor for towing since you customized your van will be hitch weight which runs about 15% of the loaded trailer weight. So a 5,000# X 0.15 = 750# hitch weight.

Your looking at a Class 4 hitch receiver (2" square tube) to be mounted on your van which is rated for 10,000# trailer and 1,000# tongue weight. Standard equipment on most trucks these days. Class 3 and 4 both use a 2x2" tube receiver so it's safer just to install the class 4 hitch receiver on the van.

I think a Class IV hitch used for weight distributing are rated up to 14,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a 1400 lbs. maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) is probably overkill. (2.5" reciever)

Now if you use the Andersen or any other WDH, they all mate to the same hitch reciever. You need to look at them as two sepperate parts. The reciever on the van and the WDH that fits into the reciever mounted on the van.

Hope that helps.

[Cudedog]

deleted

[Cudedog]

Annie, one other thing to keep in mind. The towing capacity of your van is for an empty van. Every pound of weight you add in the van, deduct from that trailer towing weight. Best rule of the thumb is leave a 1,000 pounds less than the actual weight rating. That way you don’t overload. In other words, deduct your vans cargo load capacity from it’s trailer towing capacity, leave a 1,000 pound or so leeway in there and that will tell you the max loaded trailer you can safely pull.

Thanks, Sue! My vans cargo load capacity is 2135# (it is a BIG van), trailer towing capacity 6500#. So 6500# - 2135# = 4365#, correct? I guesstimate that my van conversion, including stated tongue weight of the trailer I am interested in, to be about 1050#. It might be a lot less, I would need to go in and add up the weight of the all the components of the conversion, which I can still do since I did it myself and still have a materials list. So 4365# - 3200# (the trailer) = 1165#. If I take the 1165# and subtract the 1050# (which includes stated hitch weight of the trailer) 165# is not a lot of "wiggle room", is it? On the other hand, the "dry weight" of the trailer is 2500#, and I will not be travelling with full water, grey and black tanks (which are included in the 3200# number).

Have I got this right? Maybe even this lightweight trailer won't work for me?

Anne

[Cudedog]

I have the Andersen Hitch and I do love it. I believe I paid around $350 for it 2-3 years ago. I could no longer lift the heavy traditional weight distribution hitch. I installed the hitch myself so ordering online or directly from the manufacturer (located in Idaho) might be the best deal. The company is a dream to work with. I've called them a few times with questions and they call me right back and walk me through whatever issue I have. If they come out with an improved part for the hitch, you can just call them and they will send you the new improved part at no charge.

Thanks, Laura. Good to know! I have priced the Andersen I (think) I need, and it is priced at about $475 on Amazon, and same thing $499.00 at the dealer. If I decide to go this way, probably will just go with the dealer. Although I like saving money as well as anyone, my experiences with Amazon sellers have not always been perfect. Although items can be returned through Amazon, it can be a bit of a nightmare, and can take quite a while before one is credited back for a returned item. One time it took two months.

Anne

[Cudedog]

Anne, I’m sorry to hear that Harp’s doesn’t do hitches anymore. But I KNOW that either Rachel or Joel can guide you as to the proper type of hitch for your van and the trailer you end up with, and probably tell you who they’d recommend to do the work. Give them a call before you head to U-Haul, please. And tell them that Laura Maydahl told you it’s okay to bug them. I love those guys to death, and they’ll never, EVER steer you wrong. Laura

Thank you, Laura. The first time I called I spoke to a gentleman (didn't get the name) that when he found out I was looking to have a hitch installed sounded like he didn't want to talk to me anymore, although he did refer me to someone else (forget the name he gave). I called this second outfit, their pricing was substantially more than what U-Haul was going to charge, so I had the receiver and wiring installed by U-Haul this past Friday. Hope I don't live to regret it! On the other hand, U-Haul has a lifetime warranty on the install, U-Hauls are almost everywhere (should I ever have a problem) so I am hoping I am good to go.

Anne

[Cudedog]

I believe a Friction Sway Control is all I need on my little trailer. Contacting an RV place here in SD, they will install it for $125. Part costs $80. Thats what I will be going for. Part needs some welding, so I cannot instal it. lyn

Thanks, Lyn. One problem I have with the van is that the receiver on the van is low (I have now had the tow package installed), and the trailer coupler is high. The Andersen has a kind of "bar" that the ball fits in to, so that the ball can be adjusted up or down. But maybe I should look into a Friction Sway Control hitch as well. I'm just not sure. If anyone has comments, please respond, and in the meantime I will go online (heh - obviously I am online already) and do some more research. The Andersen will be about $500.

Anne

[Cudedog]

Annie look at a trailer by Keystone...called a dang can't recall now saw it on the road coming down and wanted to remember its name but it has escaped me so sorry sheila

Hi Sheila! Thanks for helping me with my trailer search! As soon as I saw your post I went online, but the smaller trailers (the kind I am interested in) seem to all have slide-outs, and I really don't want a slide-out. But thanks again!!

Anne

[Cudedog]

Annie, one other thing to keep in mind. The towing capacity of your van is for an empty van. Every pound of weight you add in the van, deduct from that trailer towing weight. Best rule of the thumb is leave a 1,000 pounds less than the actual weight rating. That way you don’t overload. In other words, deduct your vans cargo load capacity from it’s trailer towing capacity, leave a 1,000 pound or so leeway in there and that will tell you the max loaded trailer you can safely pull.

Hi Sue! Thanks for the information. The Jayco I am looking at is about 2500 pounds dry weight, about 3200 pounds loaded (it says this on the trailer sticker), about 17'10" long.

Me, my dog, and my Dometic portable fridge, weighed together are about 240 pounds, give or take a few pounds. I doubt the conversions I did on the van could be more than 300#, tops (mostly just foam-panel styrofoam insulation - which weighs practically nothing), a lightweight wooden bed frame, and a network of 1" x 1 1/2" wood framing to hold the foam panels against the wall, covered by a 1/8" thick sheet of. . . wooden something. Too thin to be plywood. Food, water, clothing, rocks (heh - I am a bit of a rockhound, and tend to pick up rocks wherever I go), maybe another 200 pounds. Tongue weight of the prospective trailer is around 350#, but I would have to check. So around 1050#, total, including the tongue weight (as I understand it).

Cargo load on the sticker on my van's door post states 2135#. The owner's manual of my van states the towing capacity to be 6500#. Just had my van weighed this afternoon at a public scale (at Melissa's suggestion - you see I am serious about all of this), the weight came in at 6030#. Which seems a bit odd that the towing capacity of the van is greater than the weight of the van (?).

So if I am understanding what you say, 6500# - 1050# = 5450#. So, 5450# available, thus 5450# - 3200# = 2250# "wiggle room". Correct?

Anne

[Cudedog]

New edit below - numbers corrected

Since you have modified this van I would start with a trip to the truck scales to find out what your actual weights are.

Hi Melissa! Had the van weighed at a public scale this afternoon, at your suggestions (thank you!) The weight of the van came in at 6030#, a bit less than I expected.

Then you need to open your driver's door and look for the sticker which list's tire pressures and axle ratings. You need to find the GVWR or gross vehicle weight rating for your van.

GVRW on the sticker is #7300 (my van is a full-size cargo van, not a mini-van).

GVRW - actual weight = cargo capacity or how much hitch weight your van can carry.

GVRW (7300#) - actual weight - weighed van today at the scale (6030#) = cargo capacity (1270#).

You probably used up a good portion of your cargo capacity when you customize your van.

Maybe not so much. "Customization" sounds a bit grand for what I actually did. My DIY customization (there is a link to my van build below my signature, if you would like to take a look) consisted mostly of adding 2" foam panel insulation to the walls and ceiling (which basically weighs nothing), and 1" x 1 1/2' wooden feathering strips screwed into the frame of the van to hold the panels against the walls and ceilings. Plus a very lightweight wood-frame bed made from these same header strips, with a 1/4" plywood topping, and some carpeting for the floor. I just put the carpeting down over the plastic floor liner that came with the van. No electric, water tanks, extra batteries, none of that. I doubt that all of this weighed more than 300 pounds, probably much less than that.

You also need to find out how close you are to the rating of your front and rear axles as most of your customizing probably is carried on your rear axle when the trailers hitch weight will be carried. The WDH will help move some weight "forward" to help equalize and level the van but you need capacity to begin with.

GAWR Front gross axle weight rating 3600#
GAWR Rear gross axle weight rating 4000#

Limiting factor for towing since you customized your van will be hitch weight which runs about 15% of the loaded trailer weight. So a 5,000# X 0.15 = 750# hitch weight.

The trailer I am interested in is quite small, even tiny by some estimations. It is a Jayco 154BH. Loaded trailer weight is listed at 3200#. So by calculation 3200# x 0.15 = 480# hitch weight. Looking up the trailer specs, hitch weight is shown as 315#.

Your looking at a Class 4 hitch receiver (2" square tube) to be mounted on your van which is rated for 10,000# trailer and 1,000# tongue weight. Standard equipment on most trucks these days. Class 3 and 4 both use a 2x2" tube receiver so it's safer just to install the class 4 hitch receiver on the van.

What I had put on the van last week was a Class III, 2" square tube receiver rated at up to a 6,000# trailer. Called several places and described the trailer, was told at each (unrelated) place that a Class III should easily do the job.

Now if you use the Andersen or any other WDH, they all mate to the same hitch reciever. You need to look at them as two sepperate parts. The reciever on the van and the WDH that fits into the reciever mounted on the van.

Yes, understood, although I didn't understand them to be two seperate parts when I was first starting out.

Hope that helps.

Yes, very much, thank you!!

Bottom line question:

Will even this (relatively) lightweight trailer not work for me?

Anne