Help me decide on a hitch

I use the rail mount Andersen in my short bed Ram and it does great. It doesn't make contact at full lock going forward and I can crank it as far as I need to and then some backing up without making contact, and I've played with it quite a bit since I got the setup. My fifth wheel has a square style front on it too, and I bet with a newer style front end you would have no issues at all.

I love my Andersen hitch. It's totally smooth and solid with zero clunking or movement, and it's lightweight and very easy to install and remove. I prefer the way gooseneck style hitches perform and the Andersen is a great way to get that without the drawbacks that can come with the adapters.

The beauty of the Andersen is when set up properly you don't ever need a slider!! It positions the 5er all the time in a little farther rearward position. They are a great hitch!!!

Don't be swayed by the guys coming on telling you they are junk, I have never heard of anyone that has used it that will say anything bad about them!! They just work great

Chris

I have the Reese 15k pro series slider and have been using it for 3 years coming up.
I just upgraded to our crew cab pickup and only have towed my trailer once since up grade and noticed the Turing radius is already better. We used to have a mega cab, but in the times of the mega cab we never used the slider and went into some tight spots.
My grandfather has been using the same for almost 30 years. This past year he finally just bolted the slider into position as he has never used the feature. He has had the same hitch since I was a kid.
So can't complain about the hitch his has been great and so far no issues with ours.

vort max wrote:
I just bought a 2016 Cougar model 244. CW recommended a Anderson Ultimate 5th wheel hitch but I have concerns since I have a Dodge
Ram short bed. I did have a slider hitch before but found it
difficult to back up, especially in a tight, short spaces.

What would you recommend? Do you think the Anderson would still allow for a nearly full turn?

I would recommend a longer 5th wheel!!:B

That is a serious recommendation, or practice more. The issue is two part, NEVER wait for the wheels of a 5er to be going before starting to straighten out. As soon as the wheels start going towards the correct direction start to straighten out.

The second is the shortness of the 5er! we had a short 2 horse TT trailer when my girls were home, I HATED to back that up with a Long bed Club Cab F250.

Stick with a slider, and slide it back, or you will be posting like others about clipping the cab!
That leaves Anderson out of the running, the rest are your choice.

csamayfield55 wrote:
The beauty of the Andersen is when set up properly you don't ever need a slider!! It positions the 5er all the time in a little farther rearward position. They are a great hitch!!!

Don't be swayed by the guys coming on telling you they are junk, I have never heard of anyone that has used it that will say anything bad about them!! They just work great

Chris

An Andersen user and fan here but your statements are a bit misleading. Sliders generally move the pivot point back ~12" whereas the Andersen is about half that. So no its not the same as running a slider in the rearward position all the time. Some have and will still have clearance issues with the Andersen in certain conditions. Lets call it like it is, and not give others ammo to start piling on the Andersen.

There was a guy here with a new RAM that dented his cab and punched out the rear window with a Andersen. Chris

http://forums.woodalls.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28691048/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

I have the Pullrite Super Glide. Heavy....somewhat, expensive....yup, but piece of mind is priceless. I don't even think about hitting my cab when backing.

Me Again wrote:
There was a guy here with a new RAM that dented his cab and punched out the rear window with a Andersen. Chris

http://forums.woodalls.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28691048/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

Like everyone else that has ever hit their cab, that guy wasn't paying attention. I've read his posts and commented on them. He more/less blamed the Andersen UH for his troubles, as if only people with that hitch are ever subject to making that mistake.

I do not have short bed and cannot comment about the hitch's performance in such scenarios, but I like my Andersen UH enough to highly recommend it for its general purpose. This is not to say that a quality slider hitch wouldn't serve the OP just as well, if not better.

Take it from me, after banging my cab to my fiver cap not once but twice, I went with a slider (Super Glide). Anderson seems to have a devoted customer base and I've never heard anything bad about them, but the one draw back that kept me from going the Anderson route is I want my pin weight over my axle and not behind it.

" but the one draw back that kept me from going the Anderson route is I want my pin weight over my axle and not behind it."

Yes that is the best location, actually 2" forward is industry standard. Always good to transfer weight to the front axle instead of removing it. I have 5,500# pin at the most I add 150# to the steering axle.