Weight distribution hitches
Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch, 2 inch shank, 4 inch drop or rise: published ratings and specifications
A completely different mechanism from every chain and spring bar hitch on this page. Andersen uses greased urethane cones under the ball and tensioned chains rather than steel spring bars, which is why it weighs a fraction of the others and why one person can lift and fit it without help.
This page carries only what Andersen Hitches publishes for this part. Where a figure is not published we leave it out rather than estimating it, because a reader comparing two pieces of towing hardware on a table cannot tell a published rating from a guess and should never have to.
What does Andersen Hitches publish for the Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch, 2 inch shank, 4 inch drop or rise?
Andersen Hitches publishes 4 figures for the Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch, 2 inch shank, 4 inch drop or rise, including a receiver size of 2.
Published standard A published, traceable figure: a standards body, a federal regulation or a manufacturer specification states it.
| Specification | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Receiver size | 2 |
| Drop | 4 in |
| Rise | 4 in |
| Sway control | Friction cone, integrated |
Taken from the manufacturer listing. Anything the maker does not publish is absent here rather than estimated.
What the manufacturer says about it
- GREASE-FREE SYSTEM MEANS LESS MAINTENANCE: Andersen's weight distribution hitches use a friction cone and tension chain design that requires no grease, keeping your hands clean and your maintenance schedule simple.
- TENSION CHAINS ARE EASIER THAN SPRING BARS: The patented tension chain system attaches and adjusts faster than traditional spring bars, making hitching and unhitching a much simpler routine.
- RATED FOR 10000 LBS GTWR WITH A 4-INCH DROP: Handles common bumper-pull trailer loads with a 2" ball on a 4" drop shank, the right setup for trucks and trailers with similar heights.
- FRICTION CONE REDUCES SWAY AND BOUNCE: Built into the ball housing, the friction cone works with the tension chains to control trailer sway and road bounce for improved safety and ride quality.
- MADE IN THE USA BY ANDERSEN HITCHES: American-built for recreational travelers, hard workers, and sportsmen who need a weight distribution hitch they can count on every trip.
Quoted from the manufacturer's own listing and kept as a citable source rather than paraphrased into a specification we could not attribute.
How it compares on published ratings
The nearest alternatives in the same category, compared on the same figures. A blank cell is a figure that maker does not publish.
| Published rating | Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch, 2 inch shank, 4 inch drop or rise | Blue Ox BXW2000 SwayPro Weight Distributing Hitch, 20,000 lb | Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch, 2 inch shank, 8 inch drop, 2-5/16 inch ball, 14,000 lb | Blue Ox TrackPro Weight Distribution Hitch, 10,000 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $789.98 | $809.59 | $809.98 | $759.00 |
| Gross trailer weight rating | not published | 20,000 lb | 14,000 lb | 10,000 lb |
| Tongue weight rating | not published | 2,000 lb | not published | not published |
| Receiver size | 2 | 2-1/2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ball diameter | not published | not published | 2-5/16 | not published |
| Drop | 4 in | not published | 8 in | not published |
| Rise | 4 in | not published | not published | not published |
| Sway control | Friction cone, integrated | Positive latching, geometry based | Friction cone, integrated | Positive latching, geometry based |
Every figure here is the manufacturer's own published rating. A blank is a figure the maker does not publish, and we leave it blank rather than estimating it. The rating stamped on the part you actually receive is what governs.
Before you rely on any of these numbers
A published rating is the maximum the maker will stand behind for that part in isolation. The assembled hitch is limited by its lowest rated component, so a receiver, a shank, a ball mount, a ball and a pin each carry their own figure and the smallest of them is your real limit.
And none of them raises anything on your vehicle. Your payload, GVWR, GCWR and axle ratings come off your own door jamb sticker and owner manual, and no part on this page changes a single one of them.
Frequently asked questions
What are the published ratings for the Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch, 2 inch shank, 4 inch drop or rise?
Andersen Hitches publishes receiver size of 2, drop of 4 in, rise of 4 in, and more in the table above. Every figure on this page comes from the manufacturer's own listing. The rating stamped or labelled on the part you actually receive is the one that governs.
Is the Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch, 2 inch shank, 4 inch drop or rise rating the same as what my vehicle can handle?
No. A part rating and a vehicle rating are completely separate things. This part will carry what its maker says it will carry, and your vehicle will carry what the sticker in your door jamb says. The lower of the two governs, and on most vehicles it is the vehicle. Work your payload sum before you choose hardware.
What limits an assembled hitch?
Whichever component is lowest rated. The receiver, the shank, the ball mount, the ball and the hitch pin each carry an individual rating, and the assembly is limited by the smallest of them. A class V receiver fitted with a 5,000 lb ball mount is a 5,000 lb hitch, not a 17,000 lb one, and the same logic applies to every part in the chain.
Why are some specification cells blank on the comparison?
Because that manufacturer does not publish that figure. We leave it blank rather than estimating it, inferring it from a similar model, or copying it from a retailer listing that may have invented it. On a site about load ratings, a plausible looking number in a specification table is more dangerous than an honest gap.
Where do these figures come from?
From Andersen Hitches's own product listing, pulled programmatically rather than retyped, which is how the price and image on this page stay current too. We do not test towing hardware in person and we never claim to. Nothing here is a measurement we took, and everything here is a figure the maker published.
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Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published standards, manufacturer towing guides and product specifications, and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Figures described as a rule of thumb are towing convention rather than published standards, and they are labelled that way wherever they appear. Nothing here overrides your own ratings. Work your payload sum before your tow rating, because payload is the limit that actually binds on most half ton trucks and nearly every SUV. Load a conventional trailer to 10 to 15 percent tongue weight and a fifth wheel to 15 to 25 percent pin weight, and never lighter: a tail heavy trailer is what starts sway. Weigh the rig loaded rather than trusting a brochure dry weight. A weight distribution hitch and a set of air bags both restore ride height and control, and neither one raises a single rating. Trailer brakes are required by state law above a threshold that varies by state, and a breakaway battery that has quietly gone flat is the normal condition of most trailers on the road.