Anderson Leveler review 1 year in.

[blujay40]

In the 15 months I have had my Anderson Levelers (purchased June 2015), I have enjoyed the ease of use and portability of the Anderson levelers.

Sadly, that changed as of today when I tried to pull up onto the Anderson Levelers with our 7500# trailer and not one, but both levelers broke. I was trying to level the trailer along the curb in front of our house, which I have already done a dozen times or so in the past year, so they were sitting on concrete and there was no foreign objects underneath that could have caused any undue pressure of any kind on them from underneath.

But as I started to pull forward onto them and didn't see the trailer leveling, I got out to take a look. To my utter surprise, not one but both of the levelers broke. One broke at the second hole and the other at the third hole. Now this couldn't have happened at a worse time as we are preparing to leave in 5 days for an extended trip, and with the weekend coming up, I wouldn't have time to ship them in for a replacement, so I gave Anderson a call directly to see what could be done.

The rep I spoke with was really great and told me that I could simply call a few RV dealers in my area that stock them and do a warranty replacement that way. With a 3 year warranty, I was well within that period.

It's great to know that Anderson stands behind these like they do and I give them 5 stars for that. However, it has raised a few questions with me about their overall reliability that were not a concern previously.

With the Anderson Levelers rated up to 30,000#, how did my lightweight 7500# trailer snap them this easily. The rep did ask me if my tires were underinflated, which they weren't, but even if they were, I don't understand why that would or should make any difference, especially with my trailer only being 1/4th the rated weight capacity of the Andersons.

So although the Andersons will continue to be my primary method of leveling my trailer going forward, my previous 5 star rating for these now gets knocked down a star because I now won't leave home without some other backup method of leveling the trailer, "just in case".

 

[glsimms-JAY]

Always a good idea to have a back-up plan.

Nice review and good to know about their 3 year warranty. I've been looking at them to replace my yellow plastic blocks.

 

[North of 49°]

I still carry a tote full of 2-by lumber, mostly for the stabilizers in case they don't reach the ground. But I've used the wood to level the trailer when it just needed a little tweaking and I didn't want to break out the Andersens.

But if one ever did break on me outside of the warranty, I'd probably just use it as a pattern and make my own out of laminated 2x6's, glued and screwed together.

 

[hbravo]

I think they are great, too. No failure for my 26 RLS. I do have plastic blocked I use under my stabilizers which could be substituted for the Andersons if I have a problem.

I hope your experience was isolated and that the replacements last for you.

 

[blujay40]

Ran to Home Depot last night and picked up 2-2x8 PT Cedar boards and 1-1x8 PT Cedar boards. Cut the ends to 45 degrees and 6 ft. in length so they will fit in my truck bed.

Backup plan is now in place!

 

[RPreeb]

In the 15 months I have had my Anderson Levelers (purchased June 2015), I have enjoyed the ease of use and portability of the Anderson levelers.

Sadly, that changed as of today when I tried to pull up onto the Anderson Levelers with our 7500# trailer and not one, but both levelers broke. I was trying to level the trailer along the curb in front of our house, which I have already done a dozen times or so in the past year, so they were sitting on concrete and there was no foreign objects underneath that could have caused any undue pressure of any kind on them from underneath.

But as I started to pull forward onto them and didn't see the trailer leveling, I got out to take a look. To my utter surprise, not one but both of the levelers broke. One broke at the second hole and the other at the third hole. Now this couldn't have happened at a worse time as we are preparing to leave in 5 days for an extended trip, and with the weekend coming up, I wouldn't have time to ship them in for a replacement, so I gave Anderson a call directly to see what could be done.

The rep I spoke with was really great and told me that I could simply call a few RV dealers in my area that stock them and do a warranty replacement that way. With a 3 year warranty, I was well within that period.

It's great to know that Anderson stands behind these like they do and I give them 5 stars for that. However, it has raised a few questions with me about their overall reliability that were not a concern previously.

With the Anderson Levelers rated up to 30,000#, how did my lightweight 7500# trailer snap them this easily. The rep did ask me if my tires were underinflated, which they weren't, but even if they were, I don't understand why that would or should make any difference, especially with my trailer only being 1/4th the rated weight capacity of the Andersons.

So although the Andersons will continue to be my primary method of leveling my trailer going forward, my previous 5 star rating for these now gets knocked down a star because I now won't leave home without some other backup method of leveling the trailer, "just in case".

I have a question about your post above. You say that your TT is 7500 lbs, but Jayco specs say different. I see it at 9400 dry without the residential fridge option, and over 11,000 max. Still a lot less than 30,000, but I wonder where you got your numbers? Or have you changed TT's since that post?

I have the Anderson levelers and used them for the first time this week... the easiest leveling system I've seen. When we were packed up to leave I just drove off of them, then picked them up and put them away.

 

[blujay40]

It was my previous Coachman that they broke on. Our Jayco was still on order.

 

[pschriro]

Ran to Home Depot last night and picked up 2-2x8 PT Cedar boards and 1-1x8 PT Cedar boards. Cut the ends to 45 degrees and 6 ft. in length so they will fit in my truck bed.

Backup plan is now in place!

I'm a bit late to this thread ... but I thought that I'd share my leveling solution ... a variation on yours ... three layers, pinned with carriage bolts (so the boards don't shift; second and third tiers are sectioned to allow greater flexibility for storage. Center of the risers are aligned with the center line of the hubs.

Overall, this set up is a fraction of the cost of curved levels ... and it'd take a lot to snap these.

 

[White Ox]

I have the same levelers... Love them.

Just out of curiosity, were you using them "arch up" to get more height out of them? If so, that's why they failed, as UHMW is not a material that's very strong in tension loading.

 

[blujay40]

I have the same levelers... Love them.

Just out of curiosity, were you using them "arch up" to get more height out of them? If so, that's why they failed, as UHMW is not a material that's very strong in tension loading.

No, they were not being used "arch up"!

Who knows why it broke like it did. I am guessing I just got one with some sort of manufacturing defect. But I will update my OP with the fact that I have been using my replacements regularly on a much heavier trailer (11,000#) for over a year now with no further issues. But I also still carry my boards as well.

Have a great day!

 

[RogerR]

My leveler broke after about 25 uses. Called Andersen and they mailed me a new one!

As the previous posts, I always carry some 2x6 pieces for soft ground under the stabilizers and was able to use them.

Anything will break but the fast warranty service is great!