So light a child can remove it from the truck

Dirty oil said
"if so, I should see some wear on either the bottom side of the hitch frame or in the bed liner or a possible "sagging/dents" in the bed floor as the "downward" pressure should bend/dent the bed floor ... as the floor is only thin rolled steel"

You RV weighs less than 1/2 of what the Andersen is rated for. I have always said they are probably fine for lighter RV's like yours.

I know my Companion in my 98 RAM towing a 13K RV did not bend the bed. The same Companion towing our current MS in 11 RAM at 18K the Companion DID bend the bed where the front of the hitch met the bed. I contacted B&W and they sent me strips to place in the low portion of the bed under the hitch base. This allowed for all the for and aft movement to be transferred directly to the truck frame. Since then B&W has redesigned the Companion base to include strips with the base and the base is re designed to allow for 20K rating.

N-Trouble wrote:
I initially had some for/aft movement of my Andersen and did have some very minor denting on my truck bed.

How many miles does it take to turn minor denting into a major issue? Chris

I initially had some for/aft movement of my Andersen and did have some very minor denting on my truck bed. I found my B&W Turnoverball had some bolts that were not properly torqued down all the way which was causing the movement. Since addressing the Turnoverball everything is solid.

jerem0621 wrote:
OP here.

I think I would like to clarify something here. I think there is some confusion and I'm not sure it's been addressed correctly.

These are gooseneck receiver to fifth wheel hitch adapters... These being Andersen Aluminum Ultimate, B&W Turnover ball Companion fifth wheel hitch, the Cequent High Rise, and the Curt X5 fifth wheel rail Adaptor.

They ABSOLUTLY use the floor of the truck bed to transfer some of the weight to the truck frame.

The Andersen design uses a bolt to Draw Down the hitch onto the gooseneck ball making them essentially one unit. The Companion Operates similarly except by replacing the ball with a Seperate shank for the B&W receiver. Same for the High Rise... All three uses some kind of draw down system to make the receiver and the hitch one solid unit.

The Curt X5 doesn't have a draw down feature and some users have reported some movement in the rails that need to be shimmed out to make the rails really secure.

In theory, I dislike the X5 the most as it gives the most opportunity for movement, reality seems to be when 1-2 tons of weight is bearing down on the X5 it is pretty well locked in.

In summary, Gooseneck to fifth wheel hitches are systems that use the gooseneck receiver, the fifth wheel hitch, AND the bed of the truck to transfer weight and force to the frame of the truck.

You can see in this Video some flexing with this companion. Note that the Companion itself is not torquing.... The Turn Over Ball receiver is flexing.

I suspect that under similar circumstances the Andersen will flex a gooseneck receiver... But as I am not a user I do not know. But the reported bed dents (Andersen Ultimate has these reports too) indicate that the gooseneck receiver does indeed flex.

thanks,

Jeremiah

Jeremiah, many are in denial of the fact that the bed floor carries the weight with hitches like these and the chances of crushing or denting the bed floor exist! Under extreme conditions the tophats between the bed floor and the frame could be also be damaged. Some have a hard time understanding when the hitch is torqued down to the gooseneck hitch that the gooseneck is not holding anything "UP". I guess they never took a high school physics class.

Compromise comes to mind here, as that is what these type hitches are! If one is willing to except these issues, then fine, go forth and enjoy. Just remember sheet metal is sheet metal!

Even with old rail systems, a correctly installed system had shims installed in the valleys of the bed and spacers between the frame brackets and the underside of the bed to ensure that the weight was correctly transferred to the trucks frame and that the bed did not get crushed.

When I moved my Hijacker hitch from my 93 to 2001 Ram one of the rails ended up centered on a top hat and I cut thick wall pipe spacers to fit in the top hats to insure a sold transfer of the weight to the frame.

Chris

Yes DirtyOil, unlike a lot of people on here I have zero problems admitting something like that. That doesn't mean I do not understand the mechanics of how it works.

I suspect that under similar circumstances the Andersen will flex a gooseneck receiver... But as I am not a user I do not know. But the reported bed dents (Andersen Ultimate has these reports too) indicate that the gooseneck receiver does indeed flex.

"suspect" ... "... I am not a user..." "...I do not know."
Do you have access to said "Andersen Ultimate...reports"? or perhaps "... you do not know." ;)

OP here.

I think I would like to clarify something here. I think there is some confusion and I'm not sure it's been addressed correctly.

These are gooseneck receiver to fifth wheel hitch adapters... These being Andersen Aluminum Ultimate, B&W Turnover ball Companion fifth wheel hitch, the Cequent High Rise, and the Curt X5 fifth wheel rail Adaptor.

They ABSOLUTLY use the floor of the truck bed to transfer some of the weight to the truck frame.

The Andersen design uses a bolt to Draw Down the hitch onto the gooseneck ball making them essentially one unit. The Companion Operates similarly except by replacing the ball with a Seperate shank for the B&W receiver. Same for the High Rise... All three uses some kind of draw down system to make the receiver and the hitch one solid unit.

The Curt X5 doesn't have a draw down feature and some users have reported some movement in the rails that need to be shimmed out to make the rails really secure.

In theory, I dislike the X5 the most as it gives the most opportunity for movement, reality seems to be when 1-2 tons of weight is bearing down on the X5 it is pretty well locked in.

In summary, Gooseneck to fifth wheel hitches are systems that use the gooseneck receiver, the fifth wheel hitch, AND the bed of the truck to transfer weight and force to the frame of the truck.

You can see in this Video some flexing with this companion. Note that the Companion itself is not torquing.... The Turn Over Ball receiver is flexing.

I suspect that under similar circumstances the Andersen will flex a gooseneck receiver... But as I am not a user I do not know. But the reported bed dents (Andersen Ultimate has these reports too) indicate that the gooseneck receiver does indeed flex.

thanks,

Jeremiah

Jerry B wrote:
I know enough that aircraft landing gear are made from steel, not aluminum as the rest of the aircraft. Hummm, wonder why???? Also wonder why Blue Ox went from steel to aluminum on their tow bar hitch conections. Hint, steel is the superior metal where strength is paramount.

In that case, you have competing priorities for the landing gear. Pound for Pound, Aluminum is stronger. However, Volume for Volume, Steel is stronger. The aircraft makers needs to minimize the landing gear component size in order to minimize the space for stowage. Pretty simple. Remember, the aircraft's weight is primarily supported by the WINGS which are aluminum in which the main gearset is also attached to the base of in most examples.

Also remember, each application has its own set of requirements. Some items need maximum strength in a given dimension with weight being a low priority. Some are just the opposite. Engineers have to prioritize concerns and pick material based on that listing of concerns. It's a broad brush to stroke with just because the landing gear of most aircraft tends to be steel.

Some still think the gooseneck hitch somehow holds up weight with the Anderson or B&W companion hitches.

When one torques the hitches down to the gooseneck at 50 ft. Lbs. It is not holding up anything. The bed floor takes the weight. The left to right flat bars on the Anderson support little or no weight. Chris

if so, I should see some wear on either the bottom side of the hitch frame or in the bed liner or a possible "sagging/dents" in the bed floor as the "downward" pressure should bend/dent the bed floor ... as the floor is only thin rolled steel.

waste of time arguing... it works and works well been using mine for 2 years.... this summer will be three years.

too many don't get it....understand how it works or are stuck with old world thinking... like: my shocks are worn out... "you should only buy Bilstien shocks... my tv rides so much better..." lol... any brand name shock will make tv ride better compared to the old worn out shocks! Or pulling a TT/5ver with a lifted truck... "I wouldn't..." says the guy who's never driven/owned a vehicle with a suspension lift... but in the same breath will tell someone to flip axels, add blocks, bigger tires... or add a lift to their trailer because the newer truck beds are higher... too funny!!!

Some still think the gooseneck hitch somehow holds up weight with the Anderson or B&W companion hitches.

When one torques the hitches down to the gooseneck at 50 ft. Lbs. It is not holding up anything. The bed floor takes the weight. The left to right flat bars on the Anderson support little or no weight. Chris