New 5th wheel doesn't tow well

IBcarguy wrote:

jmtandem wrote:

HE DOESN'T HAVE A GN.

Not so fast, partner! The Anderson hitch that the OP uses attaches to the truck thru the ball in the bed just the same as if it were a goose neck connection. The attachment point from the ball to the fifth wheel pin is elevated to accommodate the pin and the pin is modified with a ball attachment just like a goose neck would have. The hitch does not have the typical flat plate and pin connection with locking jaws. It is much more like a goose neck in how the fifth connects to the hitch and the hitch connects to the truck. Absent the elevated section that moves the ball vertically to accommodate the pin ball modification it is essentially a goose neck hitch.

I disagree. The leverage/pivot point is at the upper ball where it couples to the pin box. On a GN, the pivot/leverage point is at the bottom of the "neck" where it couples with the ball in the bed of the truck. The Andersen hitch is basically fixed to the bed and the coupling takes place at the pinbox, not the lower ball.

Totally agree - from an engineering point of view (forces, leverage, etc.) the Andersen Ultimate IS NOT a goose-neck hitch. It merely substitutes a ball and socket for a pin and jaws - regardless of whether it attaches to the truck via a turnover ball or standard rail mount (they make both models).

Rob