Andersen Hitch

glazier wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
This Guy had his bed broke by the flex in his 18k Companion.

I am not crazy about the adaptor part of the Companion, Andersen, or the Bull Dog fifth wheel adaptor hitches...however, there are millions of miles and hundreds of thousands of users with these products.

You can even add the Curt X5 adaptor base rails to this bunch. These all distribute some weight to the bed floor.

I know they work, I don't think they are unsafe...at all... But the flex may damage some peoples bed to one degree or another...or it may not.


I don't hate the fifth wheel rails...if I were installing a fiver hitch...I would probably use the rails. They just seem more secure giving a firm wide base with four anchor points directly on the frame. My dad has the rails and I can't say the get in the way of using the bed. My best friend had rails in his last truck. I helped him load many things in and out of the bed. The rails never seemed to get in the way.

What I would probably do is install the fifth wheel rails and get a gooseneck plate for my rails if I ever needed to pull a gooseneck. I understand the desire for a "clean bed" but the reality is that most beds are not "clean" with or without the rails.

I know a man who owns a 2012 F250 XL and pulls a fiver.... He has fifth wheel rails...he also has a B&W turnover ball for his horse trailer...I kinda scratch my head on that one...I would do one or the other. $125 gooseneck plate for the rails would have solved the issue.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

The guy in the video stated he installed flat bar in the low part of the bed floor ( he had an older design). B&W provides a part that does just that on all Companion hitches now. With the flats of a bed supporting the weight directly over the bed channels, the Companion is a very strong secure hitch.

It still carries the pin weight load on the sheet metal bed floor. Not the truck's steel frame.

"STEP 3: INSTALL BASE
Note: If truck is equipped with a removable bed liner or mat. It should be removed or it must be cut to allow the base to directly connect with the bed. It is acceptable to install the RV base over a spray in bed liner.
Place the RV Base over the RV post so that the U-bolts wrap around the RV post. (PIC E) Then place a ½” washer (K) on the ½” x 3” draw-down bolt (D), insert the bolt through the hole in the top flange of the RV base and hand-thread the draw-down bolt into the RV Post. **NOTE: DO NOT lubricate the draw down bolt or U-bolts, the torque value is for dry threads. Square the RV base legs with the ribs of the truck bed and then tighten the ½” x 3” draw-down bolt to 40 ft-lb. Next, tighten the two u-bolts to 80 ft-lb. to secure the RV Base to the RV Post. It is very important that the draw-down bolt is tightened before the U-bolts are tightened. When the RV Base is installed correctly, the RV Post should have a ¼” to 1” gap between the RV Post and the RV Base where the draw-down bolt attaches.(PIC F) Also, you should not be able to disengage the latch pin in the wheel well when the base is installed correctly."

Note the part "RV Post should have a ¼” to 1” gap between the RV Post and the RV Base where the draw-down bolt attaches." The horizontal U-bolts are not for vertical load bearing, they are to prevent horizontal movement of the hitch.

http://www.turnoverball.com/sites/default/files/rvk3000_06_27_2013.pdf

Chris