Andersen Hitches

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.