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Old 03-27-2013, 08:15 AM   #1641
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Originally Posted by HowieE View Post
Since the Andersen is so easy to install and only weighs 60 lbs why don't you take it with you so you can at less have a comfortable ride on the way home. 1,000 miles should be enough to convince you.
Howie, the problem with this idea for Doug is the weight and effort it takes to remove the ProPride. The thing weighs 220 pounds +,-, and takes about two hours to install, best case.

Although, it can be removed in about an hour, but lifting it..........if I have to take it off and/or move it, I use a floor jack on rollers.
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Old 03-27-2013, 08:44 AM   #1642
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Howie, I've got 4,000 miles with the Andersen now and am extremely happy with the way it performs. But with a long trip coming very soon, and another this summer, I just can't see cutting off the incompatible Atwood coupler to install another style, not being completely sure it will work in the long run either.

The only other hitch I am convinced will provide greater stability than the Andersen is a Propride, so that's what I ordered.

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Old 03-27-2013, 08:45 AM   #1643
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I am aware of what will take for him to install and remove the PP. The only saving grace is when he removes it he can just leave it by the side of the road and improve his gas mileage on the way home.

Best of both worlds
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Old 03-27-2013, 02:26 PM   #1644
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Loosening up the friction bar type sway control for wet/icy conditions is part of EAZ-LIFT published instructions dating back to the 1960's when I first read it. Maybe earlier (as, IIRC, their WD hitch came out ca. 1953).
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Old 03-27-2013, 03:57 PM   #1645
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Good thing I have an Andersen system. I don't have to worry about those pesky bars. Set it and forget it for another day on the road.
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Old 03-28-2013, 06:27 AM   #1646
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Just to clarify the sway control question and my so called commercial motives. Normally I try and stay away from comments on specific hitch brands but somehow I wound up in this thread and I just want to keep it factual.

1) For a dealer a proper hitch set up is not a profit center. The time you spend explaining road testing and fine tuning eats up what little profit there is in any hitch. Likely why so few dealers pay any attention to hitches. We do because we hope a customer set up properly will be a happy customer and hopefully send us more customers. I suppose part of it is also that we enjoy learning about and playing with different combinations. Some guys have race cars, some motorcyles, I play with hitches and tow vehicles. Bottom line financially it does not matter what kind of hitch we sell. We have no financial interest in any hitch company.

2) We do not install Dual Cam or Equalizer brand hitches for a variety of reasons but one of the big reasons is the same reason I am uncomfortable recomending an Anderson, you cannot adjust or turn off the sway control. In our climate it is a factor. Grant you in 40 years I have only seen a handful of incidents where the tow vehicle would not turn and caused the combination to go straight through an intersection or bend in the road. Interestingly though 2 of those were greasy wet roads not icy ones.

3) A Hensley or a ProPride do not have or require sway control of any kind they do not require friction to maintain control of the trailer. It is the geometry of the hitch that acheives that. They cannot cause the tow vehicle to lock in a straight ahead position. They are both in a completely different league from all other hitches. Though we have fine tuned the set up for a lot of ProPride owners we install Hensley's instead of Pro Prides just because there are a few details we like better on the Hensley. The principal behind both hitches is sound and well proven. In other words if you remove a Hensley or Pro Pride to install any other kind of hitch you are reducing the control you have presently.

I am not trying to blow my own horn here I just want to make it clear no one has close to the amount of experience with different trailers, tow vehicles and hitch systems that we do. I mentioned my concerns based on that experience. You can listen to my concerns or ignore them it is totally up to you but please understand they are not made for any financial reason.

Andrew T
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Old 03-28-2013, 08:07 AM   #1647
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Quote:
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If you are buying new have the dealer get a quote from Airstream for installing the Coupler you want. But keep in mind even though the OEM price for the coupling is most likely the same as the stock one they use Airstream may come back with a price higher than if you just taking delivery on a stock coupler and cutting it off.

The smarter trailer manufactures will see this coming and start to off a coupler compatible with the Andersen.
I was told by Randy at the mother ship that AS buys their frames with couplers already installed via a subcontractor ....
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Old 03-28-2013, 03:24 PM   #1648
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Sometimes I just have shake my head and have a good laugh at some of the post here.
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Old 03-28-2013, 03:25 PM   #1649
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Careful now Chief, Don't shake tooooooo hard. Some of this may then begin to make sense !!!!
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Old 03-28-2013, 05:41 PM   #1650
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Careful now Chief, Don't shake tooooooo hard. Some of this may then begin to make sense !!!!
Slim chance of that happening. I never claim to understand any of this kitchen table napkin fuzzy math engineering. I am more interested in real world actual experience from Andersen owners. Not from folks with not so secret agendas. It is what it is.
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Old 03-28-2013, 05:52 PM   #1651
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Slim chance of that happening. I never claim to understand any of this kitchen table napkin fuzzy math engineering. I am more interested in real world actual experience from Andersen owners. Not from folks with not so secret agendas. It is what it is.
Michael,
I'm pleased you have found something that works for you. But, as a retired Naval officer, you well know that if it weren't for all that "table napkin fuzzy math", this ship would never sail.

Thanks for your service. Your dedication to serve is what makes these kinds of discussions possible.

Carry on gentlemen.
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Old 03-28-2013, 07:16 PM   #1652
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Ok and thank you, (I think)
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Old 03-28-2013, 07:57 PM   #1653
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Hey Chief have you been to the Aviation museum over at Pensacola ????? Stayed overnight there a few weeks ago and visited it. Great museum. I'm putting it on my list for a return visit. Nice campground over at Blue Angels too.
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Old 03-28-2013, 08:06 PM   #1654
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Ok and thank you, (I think)
Meant only in the best way Michael.
What I was trying to say regarding the math side of it, is that as we all would likely agree, we need the engineering and 'numbers' side of this as much as we need the real world testing and evaluation. It's, as always, a balancing act, with tradeoffs involved.

george
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Old 03-29-2013, 12:08 AM   #1655
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We just ordered a 2013 Flying Cloud 23D for delivery next Friday April 5. We are replacing the Atwood/Marvel 88000 series coupler with the Quickbite 7700XT and installing an Anderson hitch. We are also going to use a DirecLink brake controller.

Our previous 23' Safari had an Equalizer hitch and a factory (Atwood/Marvel 88000 series coupler). We look forward to not having to deal with the heavy spring bars on any more.
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Old 03-29-2013, 07:10 AM   #1656
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I hope you like the Directlink. I put one in and just got home from the first trip using it. I like it a lot better than the old one I had. Very smooth braking. Down the road a bit I may consider the Quickbite. I like the comments from the users and also the way it works is attractive also.

Good luck with it.
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Old 03-29-2013, 07:50 AM   #1657
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Hey Chief have you been to the Aviation museum over at Pensacola ????? Stayed overnight there a few weeks ago and visited it. Great museum. I'm putting it on my list for a return visit. Nice campground over at Blue Angels too.
Not in years. I hope to be able to spend a few days in the P'cola area soon. The P'cola WBCCI unit has an Airstream park that I would like to visit. It looks like the perfect place to base out of for a short visit.
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Old 03-29-2013, 08:08 AM   #1658
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Thanx. Maybe we can check that out next trip south. Have never been to one but we won a door prize at the Florida Rally for a couple of nights at one in Georgia
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Old 03-29-2013, 08:47 AM   #1659
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My Aderson WD and Quickbite

So I had a new axel, brakes, tires. rims, Quickbite and Anderson WD put on my 64 Trade Wind during the winter. March 8th We took off on a 5800 mile journey that included Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and both Southern and Northern California. We pulled the trailer with a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. I was completely satisfied with the Quickbite and Anderson. While I must say I had no towing experience prior to this journey I believed they performed well. I had a 50 mph head wind for 6 hours and three hours of 30 mile cross winds during the trip. I felt stable in the winds and would say I felt trucks passing about 50% of the time but never felt out of control. The trucks felt pretty close to what I would feel when driving a sedan. I drove at speeds from 55 to 70 but mostly about 60. I am going to take it though some scales sometime soon and will post the results. Many thanks to Howie who gave me soon offline advice.
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Old 03-29-2013, 01:19 PM   #1660
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Ok and thank you, (I think)
Aye, Aye, chief. Point well made (AVROC Pensacola 1969)
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