First trip with Andersen Ultimate Hitch

That must have been one heck of a rear-ender. Hopefully no serious injuries involved.

The top of the ball actually broke off the stem and the hitch platform which was attached by the gooseball twisted.

Did the Andersen come loose from the ball in the bed, or from the ball on the hitch that the adapter hooks to, or did the adapter come loose from the 5th wheel? Things like that can happen in accidents.

I recently saw a FB post and pictures on a large RV that was involved in a 3 vehicle collision with the RV being the middle vehicle. This pickup truck with RV attached to the Andersen rear ended a vehicle in front of them that was also towing a trailer. The abrupt stop caused a vehicle behind them to strike the rear of the RV. The force of the collisions caused the Andersen to come unattached from the ball. However the chains prevented the RV from coming thru the rear of the cab.
For $50 worth of chain, it seems to be money well spent.

Housted wrote:
My point in stating ..."Not proud of it, but, I have driven on 2 days where I forgot to latch my AUH." ... was to show that with 2500+# the hitch is not likely to "pop" off the ball.
I have since made a mental check list to include checking the handle for lock.

Housted

Hell, I forgot to pop the locking pin on the TO Ball with the GN trailer on it. I =could= feel it riding up and down a bit and was wondering why the ride felt different. Went around checking things and, as I was heading back to the cab, noticed that the pull-rod in the fender well was sticking out. DOH! :S Even with 1-1.5k lbs on the "pin", it =can= move.

Lyle

My point in stating ..."Not proud of it, but, I have driven on 2 days where I forgot to latch my AUH." ... was to show that with 2500+# the hitch is not likely to "pop" off the ball.
I have since made a mental check list to include checking the handle for lock.

Housted

Cummins12V98
Mine won’t come open but a lock keeps that A-hole from pulling my handle. wrote:


It DOES happen!

And didn't you stay away from a Fumoto drain valve being worried about someone getting underneath your truck, and draining the oil. They may sell padlocks for them also, you should check :B Makes oil changes much easier .

Shal36 wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"Not proud of it, but, I have driven on 2 days where I forgot to latch my AUH."

That's why I LOCK my handle closed.

Can you lock yours???

The handle on the AUH won’t back out...it’s when you forget to push and twist the handle that the ball could pop off. Yes, I forgot to lock down once. Nothing bad happened but it was scary to think about. There is no need to have an additional lock on the AUH latching mechanism.

Think about it, if you forget to latch a traditional fifth wheel hitch, something bad will happen. Heck, there’s a possibility of not getting a traditional fifth wheel hitch latched properly...and it’s not always obvious. Unless you are blind, there’s no doubt about the AUH connection...and there’s no need for a pull test...just make sure to push and twist the latch handle. ??

Mine won’t come open but a lock keeps that A-hole from pulling my handle.

It DOES happen!

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"Not proud of it, but, I have driven on 2 days where I forgot to latch my AUH."

That's why I LOCK my handle closed.

Can you lock yours???

The handle on the AUH won’t back out...it’s when you forget to push and twist the handle that the ball could pop off. Yes, I forgot to lock down once. Nothing bad happened but it was scary to think about. There is no need to have an additional lock on the AUH latching mechanism.

Think about it, if you forget to latch a traditional fifth wheel hitch, something bad will happen. Heck, there’s a possibility of not getting a traditional fifth wheel hitch latched properly...and it’s not always obvious. Unless you are blind, there’s no doubt about the AUH connection...and there’s no need for a pull test...just make sure to push and twist the latch handle. ??