Anderson hitch failure (lifted thread from Facebook group)

[JM0397]

This is not my post, but I thought might be interesting to discuss here.
I've been using the AUH for a year and love the ease of use. I hadn't heard a single report of failure, but several people on the FB group are talking about known failures.
Thoughts?

I recently had a failure with my Anderson Hitch (it severed while I was driving and the coach fell off my truck while driving!). They are saying “well, it was cracked BEFORE the separation with a stress fracture so we are not responsible for that damage to your coach”. The entire “warranty” against damage to your coach is a lie. I will not trust them when they don’t honor their statements. Stuff happens and I get that but if they will not make things right, we’ll, time to move on.
My question is “what kind of hitch would you guys recommend”? I have a 310 solitude and a 3500 Dodge Ram puck system.
If anyone wants to buy a new Anderson hitch , just message me!
Update: Anderson customer service got back to me and said (paraphrasing)…. There was stress fracture that we can’t determine how, when or why it occurred and we tell you in out manual (page 12) that you need to inspect the using every time before use. Because you didn’t, it’s not our problem. Wow, just wow. Hitches are supposed to be bulletproof and dependable. If they are not, they should not be on the road.

[huntr70]

That's not the first post I've seen about the AUH failing....

[Hoopy Frood]

Were you aware there was a stress fracture, or was it so small that it never was even noticed? Sorry, I forgot that it wasn't your hitch.

I'm a big B&W fanboy, so I recommend them unreservedly.

It's the first post I've heard concerning a fracture like this.

[JM0397]

For us part-timers, the 40lbs ease of in/out is so nice. If I had known more, I probably would have gone with a Reese goosebox, even easier! My brother uses the AUH for his Forrest River 40' 5th wheel and he loves it, so that was all I needed for an endorsement.

Since this is my first rig, I've no comparison but the chucking can be... aggressive when we go over a large bump at speed on the highway, but it's just up/down and doesn't feel unsafe. Mostly, just gets the cat to loudly complain! But that's a fair amount of stress on the hitch, so I'll definitely start inspecting and maybe occasional close photos of the welds as a CYA move to show I am inspecting it. Per the above issue with Anderson support, it sounds like "yes I inspect it regularly and did not see any problems" is what you need to tell them, should there ever be a problem like this.

[livinthelife]

Regarding this comment:

you need to inspect the using every time before use. Because you didn’t, it’s not our problem. Wow, just wow. Hitches are supposed to be bulletproof and dependable. If they are not, they should not be on the road.

For us, we inspect everything we possibly can before setting out. Including the hitch, the connection, axles, tires, brakes, windows, doors, cargo locks, lights.

Anything man made can fail. Even if there's only one failure, you should check. Every time.

[ajg617]

For us part-timers, the 40lbs ease of in/out is so nice. If I had known more, I probably would have gone with a Reese goosebox, even easier!.

Reese Goosebox on order. B&W OEM ball already arrived. Just couldn't pull the trigger on the AUH.

[Canyonlight]

This is not my post, but I thought might be interesting to discuss here.
I've been using the AUH for a year and love the ease of use. I hadn't heard a single report of failure, but several people on the FB group are talking about known failures.
Thoughts?

Colin - there have been a few posts and pictures with AUH failures over the years on this forum where folks have gotten the information and pictures elsewhere as you shared. I do not recall anyone on this forum sharing anything about and AUH failure with their hitch. Any time things like this come up it would be wonderful to have the whole story and history with the hitch.

There is a segment of folks who are not fans of AUH and do go off in the weeds when thing like this happen. This is true for many things in life......trucks, hitches, tires anyone lol ! Many folls use the AUH and just love the hitch.....a good friend of ours included pulling his 337 Reflection. AUH fans have also shared that Andersen customer support has been outstanding. I'm a little surprised at the story shared by the poster on the feedback from Andersen.......seems there are some gaps missing. If there is ever more shared on this failure, please share it here if you would be so kind.

There have been some (Very few) issues with most all hitches shared here over the years. However, the dramatic pictures of the AUH pyramid failures always gain attention and seem quite concerning.

Dan

[JM0397]

Colin - there have been a few posts and pictures with AUH failures over the years on this forum where folks have gotten the information and pictures elsewhere as you shared. I do not recall anyone on this forum sharing anything about and AUH failure with their hitch. Any time things like this come up it would be wonderful to have the whole story and history with the hitch.

There is a segment of folks who are not fans of AUH and do go off in the weeds when thing like this happen. This is true for many things in life......trucks, hitches, tires anyone lol ! Many folls use the AUH and just love the hitch.....a good friend of ours included pulling his 337 Reflection. AUH fans have also shared that Andersen customer support has been outstanding. I'm a little surprised at the story shared by the poster on the feedback from Andersen.......seems there are some gaps missing. If there is ever more shared on this failure, please share it here if you would be so kind.

There have been some (Very few) issues with most all hitches shared here over the years. However, the dramatic pictures of the AUH pyramid failures always gain attention and seem quite concerning.

Dan

Thanks, Dan.
I agree, and I like mine so far and don't see any issues yet. Nothing is 100%.
One thing I realized today, looking at those pics again, NO SAFETY CHAINS!!!! OMG!

Which then gives me a new thing to measure and check: ensure the emergency break pull is shorter than my safety chains! (95% sure it is, but a real measurement and test is in order).
I'd rather replace my truck tailgate than the whole rear end if the rig keeps rolling while on the safety chains - that would be a fiasco of epic proportions! You'd think this is as easy as eyeball it, but I have the break cutoff on a coiled cable, which keeps it from drooping into the bed and possibly snagging on anything, so I need to pull it to full length and see how far it really goes!

While warranty claims are a different animal than run of the mill customer service, FWIW, Anderson customer support has been awesome every time I called. A few of the puck coupler hex screws are going to strip out eventually (side note, 1/4 hex is a horrible bolt head to use for a torque bolt, way too easy to strip those). I called and asked if I can buy a spare set, and they shipped a set to me for free.

[Canyonlight]

Thanks, Dan.
I agree, and I like mine so far and don't see any issues yet. Nothing is 100%.
One thing I realized today, looking at those pics again, NO SAFETY CHAINS!!!! OMG!

Which then gives me a new thing to measure and check: ensure the emergency break pull is shorter than my safety chains! (95% sure it is, but a real measurement and test is in order).
I'd rather replace my truck tailgate than the whole rear end if the rig keeps rolling while on the safety chains - that would be a fiasco of epic proportions! You'd think this is as easy as eyeball it, but I have the break cutoff on a coiled cable, which keeps it from drooping into the bed and possibly snagging on anything, so I need to pull it to full length and see how far it really goes!

While warranty claims are a different animal than run of the mill customer service, FWIW, Anderson customer support has been awesome every time I called. A few of the puck coupler hex screws are going to strip out eventually (side note, 1/4 hex is a horrible bolt head to use for a torque bolt, way too easy to strip those). I called and asked if I can buy a spare set, and they shipped a set to me for free.

Colin - good catch on the safety chains and checking other items. I recall a few folks sharing about the bolts/possible stripping/being loose/etc. But like anything, learning, checking over and over, maintenance, etc. helps keep the boat afloat !

Dan

[Ynot4me2]

I'm not saying it's true or not but there's so many false claims and bad influencers on FB. It's the reason why I stepped away from it.

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