Andersen Hitches

rjstractor wrote:
Since I'm not yet a fifth wheel owner, I've been reading a ton on this forum and others about this hitch and other types of hitches. I think there are two things I'd like to see on the Andersen hitch, first of all a hitch that mounts directly into the puck mounts on trucks equipped with the factory fifth wheel prep, and second, a hitch that accepts a kingpin directly without using an adapter.

First off Andersen is coming out in Feb. 2017 with the puck system mounted hitch for Ford, GM ,and Ram.

I guess they could come up with typical fifth wheel hitch coupler on the top instead of the ball and ball adapter, but then we would be right back to basically a standard fifth wheel hitch, which is not what they intended to build.

What I would like to see is a pin box specifically made to accept the Andersen hitch, which has been talked about. That to me would make more sense , and even be able to be converted to a standard pin box.

In all fairness to Andersen the only one that I am aware of that has reported pin box damage with the Andersen, had a cheaply made pin box by Lippert .

Apparently there is a solution from Andersen if one does have a poorly designed pin box to prevent damage. Pin boxes such as the MorRyde there are no concerns using the Andersen hitch.

As far as bed damage, again in all fairness , same issue that B&W had, until shims were added. No different then with the Andersen. Using the rail mount Andersen there are NO issues with potential bed damage. With the new puck system coming out from Andersen ,again that will be a non issue as far as any potential bed damage to all the newer trucks with the fifth wheel prep.

IdaD wrote:
...The only outright hitch failure I'm aware of was a slightly bent aluminum version, which has since been redesigned...

FYI. I had that first generation aluminum and Andersen replaced it with a new current model for free under their life time warranty. They paid all shipping costs both ways too. It was a simple no hastle call and they made the switch.

I've run into two people online who were unhappy with the Andersen. One because the pinbox on his rig failed, which seems a little odd to pin on the hitch, but okay. Another ran into his cab when he wasn't paying attention, again a little odd to pin that on the hitch. The only outright hitch failure I'm aware of was a slightly bent aluminum version, which has since been redesigned. I've yet to hear of a steel version failing. In the real world I've never run into any user who wasn't tickled with their Andersen.

I love my rail mount version because it's simple and there's no slop or play in it whatsoever, and it handles very smoothly just like a gooseneck setup should - rough terrain is no problem at all. With as well as it works I really don't see why I'd ever go back to a standard fifth wheel hitch. I've never used one that didn't feel at least somewhat clunky and they don't work as well on the rougher roads I tend to travel.

FWIW I've read here that Andersen is going to release a puck mount version in the near future, although I don't have any first hand knowledge of it. To me that would be the ultimate version, no pun intended. I prefer my rail mount to the turnover style but a puck style would be even better.

northmeck0255 wrote:
The beauty of the ball hitch is twofold;

1) You absolutely, positively CANNOT drop the trailer.

2). Absolutely zero slop in the hitch.

I have used a B&W companion for about 3 years and then went to the Andersen about 3 years ago. I will never go back to a "conventional" 5th wheel hitch for the same reasons as mentioned above.

Housted

The beauty of the ball hitch is twofold;

1) You absolutely, positively CANNOT drop the trailer.

2). Absolutely zero slop in the hitch.

rjstractor wrote:
a hitch that accepts a kingpin directly without using an adapter.

You just described a standard 5th wheel hitch. The Andersen is a Ball Coupler hitch. That's the beauty of it, plus the fact that it is so light.

Since I'm not yet a fifth wheel owner, I've been reading a ton on this forum and others about this hitch and other types of hitches. I think there are two things I'd like to see on the Andersen hitch, first of all a hitch that mounts directly into the puck mounts on trucks equipped with the factory fifth wheel prep, and second, a hitch that accepts a kingpin directly without using an adapter.

Since you're also looking for how people like the Andersen hitch, I'm one of those who was really dissatisfied and replaced it, admittedly with a hitch costing twice as much, and weighing several times more. You have to be careful discussing likes, or dislikes though because for some reason folks get emotional both in liking, and not liking the hitch. It's kind of comical really in that a hitch is simply a very basic piece of equipment. You can look up my post regarding the issue from a few weeks back.

What I didn't like about the hitch is that it damaged my pin box, and I had concerns that continued use without further intervention would lead to damage to my truck bed. I had made and tried inserting some shims into the truck bed for a short time, but removed them because the increased the occasional pop I would get out of the hitch in some conditions (Not every time I towed). I was also disappointed in the response, or I should say lack of response by Andersen to the damage done to my 5er. At first they didn't respond to my e-mails, and initially never got back to me after phone calls, even though it was an issue they were familiar with, and had shims to remedy.

The above said, most of the folks on the internet seem to love the Andersen Ultimate. Surprisingly, since I started having issues with mine, and looking at the hitches in use by others I've found several folks that are quite unhappy with the hitch, and even learned I work with, or should say interface through work two folks that have quit using the Andersen because of issues they were having with it. Personally I find it surprising, as generally you see lots of negatives on things when you look them up on the internet, but don't encounter many folks in person having issues. Good luck with whatever you end up with, and more importantly, get out there and have fun with it.

Hal B said:

"I appreciate your input. Before posting on here I did watch a several youtube videos. Actually that is where I first learned of that hitch. However I wasn't able to find any that did a side by side comparison between the two different styles hitches. I was also hoping to figure out if after years of usage, if people still loved them or if it was just marketing hype from Andersen."

HERE, on the Cummins forum, are 58 pages with 696 posts, discussing the Andersen Ultimate hitch. The thread began on 7/5/2013 and the last post is dated 8/20/2016. Hope this helps.

hbillsmith wrote:

Hal_B wrote:
Has anyone used both the Andersen Aluminum hitch and a more conventional style 5th wheel hitch. We are about to make the change from using a TT to a 5th wheel. I bought the truck, identified the camper we will be purchasing, now just need a good hitch.

I'd like to know how the Andersen hitch compares to others as far as ease of hooking up and how smooth it is while towing.

I have not used both rather researched all I could and had hands on conversations at various RV shows and dealer stores. Chose the Andersen for these reasons:

1. Price - with the gooseball already in my truck, the additional to add the Andersen was significantly less than my second choice the B&W.
2. Handling Weight - the Andersen was only 32# and could be shipped directly to my house UPS and then at that weight I could install it myself easily.
3. Ease of Hookup - the current Andersen using a funnel type ball load that makes it easy so you don't have to exactly align the ball.
4. Payload Weight - Fifth Wheel pin weights can eat up the available payload on your truck. If I needed a legacy style slider hitch, they were so heavy as to change what fifth wheel I could tow. At 32# I was able to safely tow the one I bought. Since you already bought the truck and identified your 5er, the Andersen light weight may be relevant in managing Payload.
5. Ease of Towing - My experience has been that the Andersen is as good or better than other hitches whose owners I've talked with. It appears to me that because the Andersen doesn't have moving parts, that may contribute to the solid tow experience. BTW my other choice to look at was the Goosebox which is OK'd by Lippert frames, but I have a BAL frame so I didn't go that way.

I tried to document all of this in a youtube video. Mine as well as other good ones are easily located if you do a search on youtube for the term "Andersen Ultimate". Here's a link to mine:

Andersen Ultimate Unboxed

I appreciate your input. Before posting on here I did watch a several youtube videos. Actually that is where I first learned of that hitch. However I wasn't able to find any that did a side by side comparison between the two different styles hitches. I was also hoping to figure out if after years of usage, if people still loved them or if it was just marketing hype from Andersen.