Anyone using an Anderson WDH?

[clan_salmons]

Is anyone using an Anderson No-Sway weight distribution hitch?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRoQ_yQZQwQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7voj1K3yJ-E

When we bought our 3023 on from a dealer, I spotted the weight distribution brackets and negotiated the hitch into the deal. I knew a little bit about how a WDH worked and figured it couldn’t hurt. It turned out to be a behemoth with 1200lb bars. On our last trip I pulled into a curved, bowl shaped pull-through on the Blue Ridge Parkway and I realized how much of the TV weight was being transferred to the TM. I have a little bit of corner trim loose and I am concerned that I am over stressing my TM, my hitch and my TV.

The tongue weight of the TM is well within the limits of my TV and it tows well without the WDH bars. I tried this on our final leg home; a winding, steep stretch of road down a mountain I am very familiar with. The only reason I want a WDH is to level the headlights. I don’t have the air suspension option and it squats a little too much. Even though I don’t feel it, I suspect scales would show too much lift on the front end.

I’m about ready to pull the trigger on this, but was curious if anyone else had experience with one. A bit pricier than light duty WD hitches out there, but the benefits are compelling:

Light weight (~55lb with the 4” drop)
Greaseless (the hitch ball rotates)
No creaking
Fully adjustable tension
Shorter hitch to ball distance
Sway control

I’m not trying to start a discussion about how it can/cannot possibly work. If you are interested in that topic I recommend reading this thread:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ead-92131.html
They figured it out at post #581-583. Most of the early adopters are very pleased with the results. Other than making sure the frame mounts are secure and the chain brackets are aligned, this seems like a very elegant solution.

Appreciate your thoughts,
Stan

[rvcycleguy]

Originally Posted by clan_salmons

Is anyone using an Anderson No-Sway weight distribution hitch?

When we bought our 3023 on from a dealer, I spotted the weight distribution brackets and negotiated the hitch into the deal. I knew a little bit about how a WDH worked and figured it couldn’t hurt. It turned out to be a behemoth with 1200lb bars. On our last trip I pulled into a curved, bowl shaped pull-through on the Blue Ridge Parkway and I realized how much of the TV weight was being transferred to the TM. I have a little bit of corner trim loose and I am concerned that I am over stressing my TM, my hitch and my TV.

The tongue weight of the TM is well within the limits of my TV and it tows well without the WDH bars. I tried this on our final leg home; a winding, steep stretch of road down a mountain I am very familiar with. The only reason I want a WDH is to level the headlights. I don’t have the air suspension option and it squats a little too much. Even though I don’t feel it, I suspect scales would show too much lift on the front end.

I’m about ready to pull the trigger on this, but was curious if anyone else had experience with one. A bit pricier than light duty WD hitches out there, but the benefits are compelling:

Light weight (~55lb with the 4” drop)
Greaseless (the hitch ball rotates)
No creaking
Fully adjustable tension
Shorter hitch to ball distance
Sway control

I’m not trying to start a discussion about how it can/cannot possibly work. If you are interested in that topic I recommend reading this thread:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ead-92131.html
They figured it out at post #581-583. Most of the early adopters are very pleased with the results. Other than making sure the frame mounts are secure and the chain brackets are aligned, this seems like a very elegant solution.

Appreciate your thoughts,
Stan

The fact that your headlights are out of level and it squats too much indicates you have less weight on the front axle than what the factory has spec'd and you need a WDH. Whatever system you use, will help provide a more safe towing experience.

[Bill]

Let me toss a totally random spoiler into the mix.

Does your Porsche have a 2-piece liftgate? In other words, can you open the top half of the liftgate by itself? I can't tell from the pictures I'm able to pull up.

If so, the shorter-hitch-to-ball thing may be a mixed blessing. I have a fairly long hitch-to-ball distance on my Explorer, and it is long enough that I can open the top half of the liftgate even when the TM is fully set up. That's handy, especially for nights when we just want to stop and sleep, but not unhitch. If the hitch-to-ball distance were 3 inches less, I wouldn't be able to do this.

Just a thought.

Bill

[clan_salmons]

Bill,

Appreciate the heads up. The hatch is one piece and even worse, it's electric. Hit the button and it's going up. On one trip I heard my DW screaming STOP. We had to pull into our site at an angle and I didn't move the Porsche far enough away for the hatch to clear the corner of the TM. Thankfully the car realized she was hanging onto it and stopped before something worse happened. It took a lot of eyeballing to convince me the hatch would clear the tongue jack when hitched. I will lose that ability if I pull the ball in closer, but it's a tradeoff I am okay with. We generally stop for a few days at a time so separating the two isn't a big issue for us. I may have a different opinion when I retire and start taking longer trips. Who know what I will be driving by then, although the new diesel Cayenne has some nice stats. hmmm.

That Porsche diesel would be awesome.

But what does Porsche say about a WDH?

When I was looking at the VW Touareg TDI, it said no WDH allowed. But it did support a 700# tongue weight when using the VW's very short shank ball hitch.

On the forums many people said they were using a WDH with the Touareg anyway, without problems. So maybe it's no big deal ...

[clan_salmons]

There is a ton of mixed opinion about Cayenne/Touareg and weight distribution hitches. I hear no, but darned if I can find it in my manual. I've read a number of comments that the steel in the factory installed hitch is heavier than many class IV hitches. The tag on the hitch lists the same specs with or without a WDH. The main concern is the unibody and how well it handles the stress. I have conducted an extensive search and not found any record of a hitch failure.

From what I can discern the general opinion is:
Air Suspension - no
Steel springs - yes

The TDI is a great TV, but they are still commanding a higher price than I paid for my Cayenne a year ago. All things considered, an appropriately sized WDH isn't going to bother me.