Awaiting response from Andersen

As I am patiently waiting to hear from Andersen I begin to look at the overall installation of the hitch on my trailer setup.

It dawns on me that by design of the hitch, the chain links will always wear out the brackets.   This is based on the downward angle of the chains compared to the upward angle of the brackets.  The picture below is from Andersen's website:

It is clear that the chains and the brackets should be in a somewhat straight line in order to work correctly without wearing parts out.  Note this setup has a topside coupler. 

1000 miles and noticing potential problems

Just about 1000 miles on the new hitch I notice the bolts are "stuck" in the square tubes.

I am thinking the design is intended to allow the bolts to smoothly move based on how much tension is being applied by the rubber bushings.

Upon further inspection of the brackets i see an area where there is substantial wear on the brack from the chain links.

Passenger side below

Drivers side has less wear

Considering there is very little mileage on this hitch, I am very concerned it will not last the summer without wearing out the brackets.

I contacted Andersen the first week of January, sent these pix along with my vehicle types, weights, etc.

Ordering

Before ordering the hitch note that both Blue Ox and Andersen have some stipluations;

Blue Ox: Order the correct hitch for either top mount coupler or bottom mount coupler (also referred to as underslung).  Also the Blue Ox is not compatible with a handful of Atwood top mounted couplers.

Andersen: Order the correct hitch based on the correct ball size (ball is included) AND sized to fit your frame (mine uses 6" rails)

I selected the Andersen Hitch to replace a round bar weight distribution hitch with friction sway control.

It was a quick & easy install with the included directions.

We were at a pretty busy time in our camping season so i would be putting on approximately 1000 miles over the next couple months and was excited to try out the new hitch setup.

A few observations after install;

1. Time:  the time it took for us to hitch and unhitch dropped substantially.  It was an easier process (less steps and equipment, could be completed on one side of the trailer, both of which made huge gains in time.
2. No negative affects of the new hitch, ie, sway control was good, truck attitude was good
3. I decided to leave the plate, chains, rubber spring tubes, nuts and washers attached to the trailer.  I was initially concerned about theft so i purchased a 4" lock to lock them to the trailer hitch chains when not towing.  

Evaluating New Hitches

My objectives for the new hitch were as follows;

1. Reduce hitch/unhitch time
2. Reduce unwanted grease around my trailer (the dogs and I constantly getting it on us)
3. Increase ease of storage of the hitch (Weight/size of bars/hitch head, friction sway control)

All without introducing any negative affects to my towing experience.

Based on reviews on the web I narrowed my search down to Blue Ox Sway Pro and Andersen No Sway hitches.  Both hitches are in the $600 range.

1.  Reduce Hitch/Unhitch Time

While both hitches would reduce hitch time (having integrated sway control) the Andersen seemed to further reduce hitch time since I could complete the entire hitch/unhitch process from one side of the trailer.  

2.  Reduce Unwanted Grease

While both hitches reduced exposure to grease, the Andersen completely eliminates the need for grease period. 

3.  Increase Ease of Storage

Lifting the heavy hitch head is always a pain.  I store mine in my storage compartment on the travel trailer so the bulk of the head is a detractor as well.  In this case, the hitch head of the Blue Ox is comparable to my old round bar hitch so I preferred the small and light Andersen.