Has anyone towed in slippery conditions with an Andersen No-Sway hitch?

[Storis]

I am looking into weight distribution hitches for my daughter. She recently bought a 20' Look trailer for her business and needs a WD hitch. I really like what I have read about the Andrews hitch. I have read about half of the thread on this hitch but I haven't seen anything about how this hitch behaves on slippery roads. Other hitches using friction anti-sway say you have to disable or remove friction ant-sway in slippery conditions devices. You can't really do this with the Andrews hitch unless you also disable the weight distribution as far as I can see.

[dkottum]

We have used Andersen on slippery roads. Among other problems, reduced steering control in these conditions was a major reason for getting rid of it.

[r carl]

I would use WD, no sway control, and slower speeds on slippery roads.

[HowieE]

When I left for Fl. last Jan. there was 1 1/2 of ice on my street and wet roads, just cleared of snow all the way down into Del.

I have driven from Winnipeg to Missoula on snow covered roads while it was snowing when I was using a Reese system. While I do not have as much time under these conditions with the Andersen as with the Reese I can't think of any reason the Andersen would not be the better choice.

The Reese only retards sway at the the starting point of sway, as the bars come off the saddles, and then tries to snap things back in line. The Andersen retard sway throughout the full range of any motion within the ball shaft. I have got to think constant application is better than intermittent.

No matter what you are using it will be necessary to change ones driving habits under slippery conditions. The important fact to consider is you want a system that will not allow the trailer to jackknife while stopping. Constant application of the retarding force should be an advantage.

[crisen]

I have used the Andersen over 12000 miles so far with our Dodge 3500 and 25 EB, including snow and have seen no negatives as compared to same truck/trailer combination with a conventional drawtite hitch, which also included use in snow.

[mefly2]

Lots of towing on slippery roads, but with EQ brand. Superb; if set up properly.
Look at my avatar ...

[Ron Gratz]

Originally Posted by HowieE

The Reese only retards sway at the the starting point of sway, as the bars come off the saddles, and then tries to snap things back in line.---

This is not true. The Reese does not only retard sway at the starting point of sway.

As long as the TT is trying to swing away from the centered alignment, the Reese Dual Cam system provides a relatively large amount of sway-resisting torque.
Whenever the TT is trying to swing back toward the centered alignment, the Reese Dual Cam system provides a relatively small amount of sway-resisting torque.

The unique design of the Reese DC makes it superior to other friction-based sway controls (including the Andersen) when towing in slippery conditions because it does not generate as much resistance against the re-centering of the TV/TT combination.

Ron

[Storis]

Thanks for the info, that was the only concern I had with the Andersen hitch. I will be getting her one in the near future. We are in Phoenix area. We don't get much rain and because of that when we do get rain, the freeways are real slick from oil off vehicles. Our rains usually are accompanied by high winds and the freeways have a lot of elevated and open areas. I think I will just advise her to stay off the freeways when it's raining or windy and she should be fine with that hitch.

[HowieE]

Storis

I have sent you a PM with my phone number. Feel free to call as commenting on the Andersen has restrictions.

[Kay0]

As a woman who tows, and usually does the hitching and unhitching. I Like the Anderson not only for performance but its light weight and ease of hitching up. The hitched stows easily in the rear bumper. I recommend purchasing a 1-1/4" ratcheting wrench. Home Depot sells one that is a very good value.
As with any WD hitch take time to set it up correctly and verify your axel weights.
If you are new to towing check out the instruction manual for Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scale. (On their web site) The best instruction manual on towing I have come across.

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by HowieE

... The Andersen retard sway throughout the full range of any motion within the ball shaft. I have got to think constant application is better than intermittent.

No matter what you are using it will be necessary to change ones driving habits under slippery conditions. The important fact to consider is you want a system that will not allow the trailer to jackknife while stopping. Constant application of the retarding force should be an advantage.

There is a serious problem with friction anti-sway systems in slippery condition. They tend (as a design feature) to keep the trailer straight behind the tow vehicle. This can lead to severe understeer. On a turn you will turn the steering wheel, but the trailer will want to keep the rig straight - off the road.

Definitely slow down and the with a lower speed sway will be the least of your concerns ... or stay off the road until conditions improve.