Anderson Ultimate and 100" wide 5th Wheel

Searching_Ut wrote:
My apologies for my post referencing a pin box part number. It was supposed to say 1621. Doesn't look like an obvious typo so it must have been some sort of beer induced brain malfunction.

As for why I quit using my Andersen, it damaged the 1621 HD pin box on my 5er because the base plate on the pin box wasn't up to the entire pin weight bouncing along on two set pins. I also became concerned when troubleshooting an occasional popping I was getting, most often when trying to back into the storage lot which was initially slightly uphill in a loose gravel area where I had to give it a fair amount of gas to get moving. Seems the base of the hitch would slip a very small amount but when it did it would make a quite audible single pop. While riding on the side step to figure out the pop I became concerned about the amount of bed deflection I was getting and decided to go with a puck mounted hitch. Of course having to shell out the money for a new pin box I wasn't about to tear it up the same way.

Back to your original question, of the two 5ers I towed with my Andersen, I towed two different 5ers with very different results. With the Son in Laws rig which is an older square nosed triple axle presidential Suites rig with a short pin box the ball offset and extra effective pin box length resulted in my being able to turn slightly tighter than I could with my long pin arm 2016 bighorn which actually has the rounded nose designed to allow tighter turns with a short bed truck. Either one I could do a full crank U turn without contacting the back of the truck, but either one would hit if you turned to short backing up so you have to pay attention to that as well as everything else you have to watch.

It doesn't matter what which hitch you have backing up, at some point even an automatic slider is going to make contact. Andersen is no more of a concern then any other hitch. Clearance is clearance it depends on the pin box, nose of the fifth wheel etc.

There are many that shouldn't have anything but an automatic slider, case in point the guy that was told he couldn't hit the cab with the Andersen , so he blindly went on his way, and hit the cab. There is a thing called awareness when you are towing and backing these rigs .