A poll on WDH w/sway control |
Post Reply | Page <12345 6> |
Author | |
Sariian
Newbie Joined: 30 Mar 2017 Location: Ontario Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 5 |
Topic: A poll on WDH w/sway control Posted: 13 Mar 2018 at 12:06pm |
We use an Anderson WD Hitch. It has WD and Sway control in one. Its nice and quite, can be used in reverse and easily adjusted to get exactly the right amount of drop.
|
|
Ian
2018 RPod 176T 2017 Honda Pilot Touring Anderson WDH Sudbury, Ontario |
|
MIK
Groupie Joined: 09 Jul 2017 Location: MA Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Posted: 06 May 2018 at 7:40pm |
+1 Very easy to install and use. Very light comparing to other hitches. I've got around 5K miles on it by now. No problems with sway.
|
|
2018 R-Pod 180
|
|
StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288 |
Posted: 06 May 2018 at 8:12pm |
After considering it for a long time and hesitating because of the price, I decided it was time to upgrade our hitch from the Equal-i-zer 4-point stabilization hitch to the Hensley Cub. There are pictures in my mods (see link in signature). The principle is that the main body of the hitch stays attached to the R-Pod with two bars keeping the body of the hitch locked tight so the hitch can't pivot on the ball. The hitch has a bar that is put in the TV's receiver and then is backed into an opening on the hitch. Then two cams lock two arms to hold the bar in place. The Hensley site has some good videos showing this process. The hitch is articulated in such a way that the trailer cannot induce sway. Any force on the trailer (large truck passing, for example) can't cause a pivot at the hitch ball, but the force gets transferred in a straight line which, in effect, makes the pivot point the front axle of the TV. However, the articulation makes it possible for the TV to initiate turning. Backing is easy as there is nothing to disconnect. An added bonus is that this hitch is virtually silent! I have not been able to hear any hitch noise with it, even when not using a hitch tightener like I had to do with the Equal-i-zer to reduce some of the clunking. Again, I refer you to the Hensley web site for videos illustrating this.
Hensley is having a special offer to introduce their Swift Arrow and Swift Cub models which use chains and snap-up brackets instead of jacks for the WD bars. However, I got the Hensley Cub with the jacks as with my arthritis, they are easier to work than the chains. The big test will start in about a week when we take off on an extended trip. I anticipate this will be the most relaxing trip yet as my short test drives were enough to let me know that it will work very well for us. Installation was not the easiest, but once installed, the bar is the only part I need to handle regularly since the main body of the hitch stays attached to the R-Pod. That in itself is a big bonus as the Equal-i-zer was quite heavy. |
|
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
|
riotkayak284
Senior Member Joined: 29 Apr 2016 Location: Nashville, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 162 |
Posted: 20 Feb 2019 at 2:53pm |
The Anderson looks very interesting. Which model did you get?
|
|
MIK
Groupie Joined: 09 Jul 2017 Location: MA Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Posted: 20 Feb 2019 at 2:58pm |
|
|
2018 R-Pod 180
|
|
offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 21 Feb 2019 at 6:54am |
The geometry of the Anderson hitch bothers me.
On my rig I need about 600 lbs tension on the 30 inch spring bars (300lbs on each one) when set up correctly. That's a torque of 600*30/12 = 1500 ft lbs.
On the Anderson the same torque would be needed to do the same weight distribution job but now it would have to be applied as tension on the chains and would act over a much shorter torque arm that looks like its only about 8 inches (vertical distance from the center of the ball to where the chains are attached). That works out to 1500/8*12=2250 lbs, about 4x what a conventional wdh needs. That's 1150 lbs on each chain, and also on the brackets where the chains attach to the A frame. That's a lot of tension. Also, since the same chains are also acting as the sway control via friction in the hitch, the tension on the chain on the outside during turns is going to get higher and the inside lower. Not saying this hitch doesn't work but just that it works differently than most and depends on putting the chains, chain brackets and trailer A frame under quite a lot more tension than a conventional wdh does. |
|
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
|
CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Posted: 21 Feb 2019 at 8:02am |
I believe that's why the general consensus on the Andersen is it's good for sway but not so effective for WD. I agree with you.
|
|
Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
|
mjlrpod
Senior Member Joined: 27 Sep 2016 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 1214 |
Posted: 21 Feb 2019 at 1:41pm |
|
|
2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
|
mjlrpod
Senior Member Joined: 27 Sep 2016 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 1214 |
Posted: 21 Feb 2019 at 1:51pm |
I will answer the question about "is it hard to connect/disconnect rv from camper" cause I didn't see it answered, maybe I missed it. I as most have the fastway E2 with square transfer bars. If you put them on the "hard" way. they are hard to connect/disconnect. Many new users don't realize that you should first secure the camper to the ball of the hitch, then jack the camper back up again. Theres two reasons to jack it back up. 1) this will make sure you are hooked correctly and the holding pin isn't wedge in between the ball and receiver. 2) this will make it so your transfer bars require absolutely zero effort to put on. You will NOT need the pry tool that comes with them. 3) The same is done to remove the bars. Jack the tongue up, remove the bars, then back down to unhook from the ball.
|
|
2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
|
offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 21 Feb 2019 at 2:08pm |
+1 to mjlrod. There is also a safety benefit. To do much of anything for weight distribution there is going to be hundreds of pounds of tension on the wdh bars. By jacking the hitch up your hands and legs are away from that area when the bars are under tension so you save yourself from injury in case something suddenly lets go.
|
|
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
|
Post Reply | Page <12345 6> |
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |