UPDATE - Andersen Ultimate Redesign

WTP-GC wrote:
As it has been discussed on here, Andersen recently redesigned their Ultimate 5th Wheel hitch. There's been wide speculation regarding why they did this, or if that was an indication that the original design was insufficient. As an owner of the "lowered" version, I emailed them to discuss whether or not I should be seeking a replacement for my hitch in light of the redesign. They responded back with a long email, which can be summarized below:

1. The "lowered" version did not have a redesign, due to being shorter and having reduced leverage points.
2. They acknowledged that the redesign of the regular hitch was due to a couple of minor incidents (as we've seen) where the ball coupler shifts about 3 degrees in heavy tow combined with emergency braking situations. The intent of the redesign was to be able to accomodate the heaviest of trailers.
3. They've sold over 18,000 ultimate hitch units since 2011 and have had ZERO failures.
4. They've upgraded their warranty to a Lifetime Warranty.

I'm only providing this information for those who may be on the fence about purchasing one; not meant to be a sales pitch for them. If someone told me they've sold over 18,000 units without failure and only a couple very minor issues, then my confidence is boosted.

Good information.

#3 - I'm not buying the "no failures" line.

If a hitch bent enough that it needs to be replaced, that IS a failure. It may not be a "catastrophic failure" that resulted in a separation of truck and trailer, but in its duty to pull a trailer within rated limits within reasonable expected conditions (i mean not getting rear ended) without damage, it failed. Plain and simple.

There isn't a component in any of our setups that should need to be replaced after a panic stop, except for maybe a glass that falls out of a cabinet.

I hope they get things sorted out and don't continue to see "minor incidents".