Anti-sway hitch for casita 17’?

[Greatlakespilot]

Picking up my our new casita spirit deluxe in two weeks. I did not opt for the Anderson sway hitch. I have the 24 lariat with advanced towing package, fx4 and 2.7L. Anyone towed one without a sway hitch? I’m not to concerned as my trucks curb weight is 4814 pounds, and even at 450 pound of estimated tongue weight, I’ll still be under max gross for the truck. I have 1315 payload. Trailer max gross is 3500 and I won’t be much over 3000 on it max. Just the wife, me and the dog. I have lots of towing experience, just not sure why the sway hitch is pushed so hard.

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[OxygenMask]

42 years in the RV biz..
Load equalizers and sway control are more often than not absolutely essential. I normally would recommend them. But...
I think you'll be fine.
Sounds like fun!

And if you're uncomfortable with it, you can add them later.

 

[AugPal]

I have a RPod trailer, 3500lbs. I have a load equalizer for it, but I've towed with and without the load equalizer bars and have had no issues. I cruise at 63mph and never go over 65mph

 

[Oregon2025Ranger]

Congratulations on the Casita + Ranger combo. I'd be interested in some photos!

 

[John E Davies]

I think the Andersen is a smart choice, even if you do not “need” the antisway feature, it helps to level the truck (but only a little, it isn’t great for that) but more importantly, it almost completely eliminates the rhythmic jounce that happens on crappy freeways (uneven concrete slabs and especially ski jump bridge transitions.)

Adjust the loaded truck and trailer as close to level as possible using the ball mount, or slightly tongue high, adjust the chain nuts only enough to eliminate jouncing. Play around with tension until you find the sweet spot, it only requires a quarter turn to make a big difference. Keep the ball lubricated!

A standard coupler is not good for an Andersen, because the chains thrust forward really hard, and you get a lot of stress and ball wear on the back surface, and on that dinky stamped steel coupler adjuster….. A forged 2” or larger Bulldog coupler works much better in the long term.

Enjoy your Casita.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[David Wagner]

Hi, I have 2025 Lariat 2.7L FX4 with advanced tow package. I tow a 23 ft 4600 Lb dry weight Airstream, brochure tongue weight says 470 but I measure it at 685 Lbs. Probably another 1,000 Lbs misc weight inside so I figured loaded wt at 5,600.

I use a Blue Ox Sway-Pro weight distribution hitch with 750 Lbs bars. Works perfect I think. I have towed 4,000+ miles with this setup and best change I made was to change the hitch shank from 10 inch to 7 inch (that is the measurement from the center of the receiver pin hole to the center of the adjustment holes that go down the shank). That moves the trailer 3 inches closer to the truck, which is just close enough so I can still fully open my tailgate while hitched up, but far enough away so no issues on a tight turn.

I have driven maybe 20 miles or so on just the hitch ball without the weight distribution bars and at least with my setup there is a very noticeable difference. The front steering felt very light and "squirrely". I now only tow with the WD hitch.

Blue Ox does make a 550 Lb Sway Pro setup which if you do go for weight distribution you might consider, about $1K, so not cheap but...

One other change is I added air pressure on rear tires from 30 up to 40 Lbs as the factory tires are only single ply sidewall and feel soft when towing. When this set of tires wears down a little I plan on replacing them with the 2 ply sidewall version of the same tire.

Also, I use Tow-Haul 100% of the time when towing and premium gas 91 or 93 octane. I just finished a 2,100 mile camping trip at 15.0 mpg running mostly 55-60 mph.

Some people say tow/haul eliminates 9th and 10th gear but that is not so. It just changes the parameters way higher so not as often used. I would say on the 2,100 miles I just towed (east coast, Maryland to Florida & back - so basically flat land) the truck was probably 50% in 8th, 40% in 9th, and 5% in 10th, and the last 5% in some other gears 1-7 while starting out etc. (also, to see what gear you are in just tap the + button on your shifter and the transmission gear indicator will appear right below your tachometer - (I didn't know that for first 3 or 4 months I had my truck until I read it somewhere on here).

Best regards...

 

[Satex]

Our NuCamp Tab400 is very similar to that Casita in overall size, weight, tongue weight, etc. We have the same truck ... '24 Lariat with 2.7 liter and about 1400 lbs payload.

It's also just me, the wife, and one worthless Italian Greyhound.

We tow without a WDH or sway bar. I've been in some strong crosswinds and have never had a moment when the rig didn't feel well planted.

In fairness, our camper manufacturer recommends AGAINST a WDH for our camper due to the frame type and axle placement. Generally speaking I'm a proponent of WDHs, but obviously don't use one now. Stay within your weight limits and load the trailer properly and you'll be fine.

 

[tamitchener]

We have a Jayco Hummingbird 17RB weighs 3000lbs ,she will kind of wag the dog with even the slightest crosswind and no anti-sway .

 

[RanDan]

I have a 2024 Ranger XLT 2.3 engine with the advanced tow package and I tow a Casita Independence Deluxe. I have used the Andersen with previous vehicles but I have found that I do not need it with the Ranger. We completed a 5,200 mile trip in May crisscrossing the western states. It was incredibly windy the entire trip, even the locals in Kansas and the Dakotas said that it was windy so you know that it was bad! We did not have any problems. The Ranger/Casita is an outstanding towing combination, fun to drive, easy to maneuver, good gas mileage, and plenty of power.
Since you have towing experience, I would try towing the Casita without the Andersen and see what you think. We have been camping all over the country with our Casita for 10 years. I hope that you enjoy yours as much as we have enjoyed ours.
Good luck!

 

[superj]

Casitas are so nice. Someday I will get one. Airstream is awesome too but, holy cow, the cost!

 

[OxygenMask]

@RanDan
Shout out to Gulfport!
We were there in June!

 

[tamitchener]

Casitas are so nice. Someday I will get one. Airstream is awesome too but, holy cow, the cost!

That depends How tall you are LOL

 

[superj]

Ha ha ha, that's true. Since I am not tall, I never have those problems

 

[Blue Wolf]

See you on the road! We have a 17' Casita SD and a 2024 XLT 4x4 2.3 l. We started with a Honda Pilot so the wd hitch made a lot of sense. Still use it with the Ranger. One thing about the Anderson wd hitch is you can easily backup, some of the other wd hitches do not recommend backing.

 

[Greatlakespilot]

Thanks for all the replies! I appreciate it. I just couldn’t understand why everyone has the antisway hitch. But the more I looked people are towing with much smaller and lighter vehicles. Our new gen rangers don’t weigh much less than an f-150. I think I’ll be fine. I pick it up next week and I’ll post some pics and report after I get it. Thanks again guys

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