SabreCanuck wrote:
Honestly, I haven't been on this forum for 6 months and the first thing that comes up is you guys and this Anderson topic again. Crazy.
Please also keep in mind that every time you talk about the Anderson, everyone always seems to forget there is a RAIL version that has nothing to do with a gooseneck ball which at the same time means that just cause it's an Anderson doesn't mean the weight is on the ball, box, bed, etc. The weight is spread just the same as any other hitch on the rail version.
Indeed, there is a rail version, but it only comes in steel, with very little weight advantage over several rail mounted conventional hitches. Myself I find the conventional hitch head far easier to hitch and use than I did my Andersen. The advantage was in weight, which with my B&W puck mount is admittedly significant. That said, it hitches much easier, especially when the trailer and truck are tilted significantly. The ball hitch would sometimes hang up both disconnecting and connecting.
Back to the original question of failure, when I think about it, approximately a third of the fifth wheel crashes I've come across had the hitch fail in the crash. Saw one a few weeks ago on I-80 across the salt flats with 5er on side, truck upright and separate. News said wind blew it over and hitch decoupled. Hitch type unknown. Another on I-15 where truck had gone into center median, jackknifed and tipped over and was upside down with upright 5er having been pushing it through dirt. Another fatal on a local road where RV T-boned a car, fatal for car occupants, 5er stayed coupled but caved in back of truck in tailgate area and back of cab. Truck occupants walked away though. These are just ones I've personally seen in the last year which begs the question, how often do fifth wheel hitches of any type fail during accidents?
