Anderson Ultimate and aluminum truck bed compatibility

Me Again wrote:

laknox wrote:

After a call to B&W just now (Mon., 8-15-16, 1030 AZ time), they confirmed that the pin weight is carried by the ball socket and the Companion frame simply stabilizes the hitch against the bed floor. Personally, I was wrong on this in my own head, but it does make sense.

Since I've never seen an Andersen, only looked at their on-line docs, it =appears= that it is simply mounted on the GN ball and a pin is slipped under the lower radius of the ball, then a draw-down bolt is used to pull it tight to the bed. That being said, if the GN ball "tops out" in the socket on the Andersen, then it =could= transfer the weight to the ball and base at the center, and the spread frame is simply for stability. If it =doesn't= "top out" into the hitch, then the frame would carry the weight, and put it directly on the bed. An Andersen user needs to comment on this.

Lyle

Well they are also stretching the truth. You can not place the hitch in the bed and torque down the hold down bolt and expect the gooseneck to hold up weight. Andersen even advised torquing it down a second time with the pin weight on it.

B&W claims their their gooseneck hitch fits tight up again the bed floor valleys. However the bed is in play on both of these hitches vs a properly install rail system or the new puck systems.

If as someone posted that Anderson now has fillers for the valleys, it is clear that they are trying to work around bed issues.

Saying that after torquing the hitch down to the bed that is held up is similar to saying that after you torque a head on a engine the head bolts are holding the head up off the head gasket!

Chris

Problem is, you can't stop flexing of the "system" with only the center supporting the pin; you have to have the stabilizing effect of the feet of the frame. Yes, it probably carries part of the weight, but the majority of the pin weight is carried by the socket. Doubt me? Call B&W yourself and ask...like I did. They're probably getting a bunch of calls already.

Lyle

laknox wrote:

After a call to B&W just now (Mon., 8-15-16, 1030 AZ time), they confirmed that the pin weight is carried by the ball socket and the Companion frame simply stabilizes the hitch against the bed floor. Personally, I was wrong on this in my own head, but it does make sense.

Since I've never seen an Andersen, only looked at their on-line docs, it =appears= that it is simply mounted on the GN ball and a pin is slipped under the lower radius of the ball, then a draw-down bolt is used to pull it tight to the bed. That being said, if the GN ball "tops out" in the socket on the Andersen, then it =could= transfer the weight to the ball and base at the center, and the spread frame is simply for stability. If it =doesn't= "top out" into the hitch, then the frame would carry the weight, and put it directly on the bed. An Andersen user needs to comment on this.

Lyle

Well they are also stretching the truth. You can not place the hitch in the bed and torque down the hold down bolt and expect the gooseneck to hold up weight. Andersen even advised torquing it down a second time with the pin weight on it.

B&W claims their their gooseneck hitch fits tight up again the bed floor valleys. However the bed is in play on both of these hitches vs a properly install rail system or the new puck systems.

If as someone posted that Anderson now has fillers for the valleys, it is clear that they are trying to work around bed issues.

Saying that after torquing the hitch down to the bed that is held up is similar to saying that after you torque a head on a engine the head bolts are holding the head up off the head gasket!

Chris

SoCalDesertRider wrote:
On the B&W, the weight is not carried by the bed floor. It is carried by the square bar that inserts into the square gooseneck ball hole. The bar mounts into the gooseneck hitch the same way the ball mounts into it. The bar bottoms out on the bottom of the hole, just as the ball bottoms out in the hole, and is pinned in place by the sliding pin that also locates the ball.

After a call to B&W just now (Mon., 8-15-16, 1030 AZ time), they confirmed that the pin weight is carried by the ball socket and the Companion frame simply stabilizes the hitch against the bed floor. Personally, I was wrong on this in my own head, but it does make sense.

Since I've never seen an Andersen, only looked at their on-line docs, it =appears= that it is simply mounted on the GN ball and a pin is slipped under the lower radius of the ball, then a draw-down bolt is used to pull it tight to the bed. That being said, if the GN ball "tops out" in the socket on the Andersen, then it =could= transfer the weight to the ball and base at the center, and the spread frame is simply for stability. If it =doesn't= "top out" into the hitch, then the frame would carry the weight, and put it directly on the bed. An Andersen user needs to comment on this.

Lyle

sayoung wrote:

Searching_Ut wrote:
As Me-Again pointed out, all of the weight is carried by the bed of the truck when using the Andersen Ultimate hitch. I'd have to look in depth at the truck bed to see if I thought it would hold up to the weight and potential flexing. Personally I probably wouldn't use one with 5er of any size if I had an aluminum bed. That said, I would avoid the aluminum bed if possible as I use my bed for a lot of stuff, much of which would seriously scratch and gouge aluminum.

There is so little wieght on the bed there is a set of filler pads you glue to bottom when you put in truck 1st time . Line them up with the dips and this stops the small amount of twist some have, usually less than 1/2 in is what I experienced . No bed bending but then I drive a real truck, Chevy :B

It's not like B&W didn't do the same thing when GM owners started reporting bed dents/bending several years ago. Still, I'd rather have a D'max! :-)

Lyle

Me Again wrote:
...You can not put the hitch down the the bed floor with gooseneck and hold it up at the same time...

I've got no dog in this fight, and don't want one. But, it looks to me from the installation diagrams, that you first pull upward on the ball, and then 2 setscrew lock the telescoping shank. So at that point they are locked together and pin weight would be transferred to the gooseneck ball. At least to the extent those two setscrew resist slipping.

But that whole thing is not going to resist twisting. The Anderson ball is offset from the gooseneck ball, so there will be some twist even when the load is static. Then there will be much greater twisting when the truck accelerates and brakes. That dynamic load is what will dent the truck bed.

Doesn't look like great engineering to me, but it's not my dog.

Guess the hitch question will always be with us. I"m not a authority on the Anderson, but I have followed the discusions on the hitch. I do not like the way the legs go out and set against the bed floor. In 2014 I made the decision to get a ew truck with the puck system.I was talked into looking at the B&W. I really like the way it sets in the bed. It sets on the four pucks, and no weight on the bed floor. I hear Anderson is also making a puck hitch.

IdaD wrote:


The bulk of the weight is on the ball but when you're moving the dynamic loads will be on the bed. .

Again wrong. The pin weight is transferred to the hitch base which rest on the bed floor. You can not put the hitch down the the bed floor with gooseneck and hold it up at the same time.

We once had a boat named Compromise!

Chris

johndeerefarmer wrote:
I am interested in the Anderson Ultimate (gooseneck ball mounted version) and want to know how much weight is on the truck bed? In other words will it bent my bed or put dings in it or is all of the weight on the ball?

This will work with the Ford/Reese gooseneck ball not just the B&W ball?

The bulk of the weight is on the ball but when you're moving the dynamic loads will be on the bed. That's just the nature of a turnover ball style hitch. It may deflect the bed a little bit but not enough to care about. I use the rail mount version of the Andersen and have been very happy with the way it performs. I prefer it to any standard style fifth wheel hitch - simple, light and smooth.

Very few people who actually use the hitch have anything bad to say about it. Nearly all of the folks making negative comments you see on this site about the Andersen haven't ever used one.

06Fargo wrote:
Aluminum 5th wheel: Aluminum heavy duty truck 5th wheel.

Aluminum trailers: East aluminum flatbed trailers

Maybe it isn't the material itself but the cost cutting in design?

This tractor had aluminum cab and frame. Trailer was all aluminum.
Dry weight for the tractor was 15K and Trailer 10K. Held 8550 gals.

I have a 24' aluminum trailer myself that you can put 8000 lbs on. This aluminum is thicker and has channels.
The truck beds are thinner and if the hitch presses on the high part of the corrugation may bend it.