what kind of fifthwheel hitch?

[stew47]

Hi all. well ive been posting plenty lately and now for the next post. going from a Winnie class a to a fifth wheel. Were in the process of buying a crossroads cruiser and for a truck I put a deposit down on a 2008 f350 drw with the v10. it has a gooseneck and to be honest I didn't even look at the brand. What are the best fifth wheel hitches that take advantage of the current gooseneck? I was looking at this
http://www.etrailer.com/Gooseneck-and-Fifth-Wheel-Adapters/Draw-Tite/9480.html

I don't know if that's the way to go or not. thanks all. To be honest the last couple of weeks have been so busy looking for fivers and trucks that I'm wore out and turning in for the night haha.

[Redaman]

Greetings!

After lurking on this thread (and others along the same topic) regarding which FW hitch to buy for the last week or so, I went out and bought the Andersen Ultimate rail version.

I drive a 2011 F-250 SB Super Duty and I have been towing a 2005 Montana 297 RKS using a Reese 16K Kwik slide hitch for the last 10 years until now. My reasons for changing are:

- That darned Kwik Slide is a heavy bugger
- The occasional Kwik Slide "Slide" where it decides when it wants to lock in place or not (those of you with them know what I am talking about)
- The moaning and groaning of a tired 5th wheel hitch
- Did I mention it's HEAVY?
- Price

In reality, it has been a good hitch except for the few times where I thought it was locked and it wasn't and it's all I have ever owned until now.

I just picked up the Andersen hitch today and it's already installed in the truck and the coupler is mounted to the kingpin on my trailer. I just need to torque the screws.

With that said, with all the posts saying how good the Andersen hitch is, nobody has mentioned hooking it up (that I have seen). I found the Kwik Slide extremely easy to connect to, and now I will have to learn how to connect to the Andersen set up, so any connecting tips would be appreciated. I do have an I-Ball camera I am thinking about putting to use for a 2nd set of eyes.

Someone mentioned that the new version of the Andersen Ultimate comes with a cone on it that facilitates connecting?? I did not get this piece in my kit so I plan on calling Andersen tomorrow to check on that.

Cheers!

[stew47]

RustyJC wrote:

stew47 wrote:
I'm not quite sure what you mean by this. Do you mean they stress the fifth wheel frame? Do you recommend tearing out a gooseneck and going with a fifth wheel hitch only?

No need to tear out the gooseneck when the B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch (if it's a B&W Turnoverball gooseneck) or the Andersen hitch can be used in conjunction with it. I just wouldn't use one of the gooseneck adapters that bolt onto the 5th wheel's pin box and use the gooseneck ball. The additional leverage imposes torques on the 5th wheel frame that it isn't designed to handle. All the gusseting that you see on the "crown" of gooseneck trailers to resist these torques isn't there on a 5th wheel frame.

Rusty

Oh ok I get it. Yea Anderson is in the lead.

[RustyJC]

stew47 wrote:
I'm not quite sure what you mean by this. Do you mean they stress the fifth wheel frame? Do you recommend tearing out a gooseneck and going with a fifth wheel hitch only?

No need to tear out the gooseneck when the B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch (if it's a B&W Turnoverball gooseneck) or the Andersen hitch can be used in conjunction with it. I just wouldn't use one of the gooseneck adapters that bolt onto the 5th wheel's pin box and use the gooseneck ball. The additional leverage imposes torques on the 5th wheel frame that it isn't designed to handle. All the gusseting that you see on the "crown" of gooseneck trailers to resist these torques isn't there on a 5th wheel frame.

Rusty

[Charlie_D_]

IdaD wrote:
He means that a gooseneck adapter on a fifth wheel stresses the fifth wheel frame, which is true. Some fifth wheels are designed to handle it and some aren't. My dad has had his Nash on a gooseneck adapter for over 20 years with no issues. I like goosenecks better than fifth wheel hitches, probably just because I've used them more, but went with the Andersen because I was a bit leery about using an adapter on my somewhat larger fifth wheel.

Having a gooseneck setup on your truck won't stress anything unless you install a gooseneck adapter on your trailer (which might be fine depending on the trailer).

There has been reports of broken welds and frame failures on 5ers. with goose neck adapters. Seems to not be isolated to one particular brand. I would not trust a dealer for an answer but would speak to the RV manufacturer and get their approval before using a goose neck.

[cummins2014]

IdaD wrote:
He means that a gooseneck adapter on a fifth wheel stresses the fifth wheel frame, which is true. Some fifth wheels are designed to handle it and some aren't. My dad has had his Nash on a gooseneck adapter for over 20 years with no issues. I like goosenecks better than fifth wheel hitches, probably just because I've used them more, but went with the Andersen because I was a bit leery about using an adapter on my somewhat larger fifth wheel.

Having a gooseneck setup on your truck won't stress anything unless you install a gooseneck adapter on your trailer (which might be fine depending on the trailer).

You should have clarified that the Andersen is NOT a gooseneck hitch, and works entirely different than a gooseneck hitch. The only difference between a conventional fifth wheel hitch, and an Andersen is the way it connects to the kingpin.

[IdaD]

He means that a gooseneck adapter on a fifth wheel stresses the fifth wheel frame, which is true. Some fifth wheels are designed to handle it and some aren't. My dad has had his Nash on a gooseneck adapter for over 20 years with no issues. I like goosenecks better than fifth wheel hitches, probably just because I've used them more, but went with the Andersen because I was a bit leery about using an adapter on my somewhat larger fifth wheel.

Having a gooseneck setup on your truck won't stress anything unless you install a gooseneck adapter on your trailer (which might be fine depending on the trailer).

[stew47]

Charlie D. wrote:

phillyg wrote:
I don't know if it applies only to older FWs, but there was a time that some manufacturers would not warrant frames if a pin box was converted to a goose neck so it might bear checking out.

OP-I am bumping this in the event did not see it. A GN adds additional stress to the frame. I would not use one unless the manufacturer approved it.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this. Do you mean they stress the fifth wheel frame? Do you recommend tearing out a gooseneck and going with a fifth wheel hitch only?

[Charlie_D_]

phillyg wrote:
I don't know if it applies only to older FWs, but there was a time that some manufacturers would not warrant frames if a pin box was converted to a goose neck so it might bear checking out.

OP-I am bumping this in the event did not see it. A GN adds additional stress to the frame. I would not use one unless the manufacturer approved it.

[mekkerl]

MFL wrote:

mekkerl wrote:
I finished a lot of research and decided on the Andersen Ultimate Aluminum. It just came in the mail on Saturday...still sitting in the box in the garage as I am waiting for the weather to warm up a little before I can 'play' with it and install it.
I'll be attaching to the goose-neck.
Then, next weekend we drive 7-hours to pick-up our new-to-us 5'er!!

I am not bashing any ones hitch, but am just curious if Andersen took the original version off the market? If you just got a new one, I hope you got the new improved hitch.

Enjoy that new to you FW!!

Jerry

I should have mentioned I got the Andersen Ultimate 2...which is their latest version. I will of course inspect this and make sure when I open it tomorrow. I went with the Big River as I do A LOT of purchasing through them.

[4bearhug]

stew47 wrote:
Lol I didn't realize this was like asking which is better a glock or 1911! Obviously a touchy subject! Anyways I got he gooseneck insert out after considerable ingenuity and pb blaster. I is a square inser with rounded corners and I found no stickers underneath. So I have no idea what brand of gooseneck it is.

The ball you describe sounds like a B & W. The gray color mentioned earlier is referring to the under bed framework.

[Cummins12V98]

If it's gray in color it's B&W

[stew47]

Lol I didn't realize this was like asking which is better a glock or 1911! Obviously a touchy subject! Anyways I got he gooseneck insert out after considerable ingenuity and pb blaster. I is a square inser with rounded corners and I found no stickers underneath. So I have no idea what brand of gooseneck it is.

[WTP-GC]

To the OP:
I believe you would be satisfied with either the B & W or the Andersen Ultimate. Both are high quality products. If you don't have the actual B & W turnover ball, I don't think the Companion will work. The Andersen, though, will work with any gooseneck ball.

MFL wrote:


I am not bashing any ones hitch, but am just curious if Andersen took the original version off the market? If you just got a new one, I hope you got the new improved hitch.

Enjoy that new to you FW!!

Jerry

I would imagine that Andersen is no longer producing the previous version. I'm sure that some of their distributors still have old stock leftover. If you want the newer version, I'd contact Andersen directly and find out where to buy from. Their customer support is tremendous.

[MFL]

mekkerl wrote:
I finished a lot of research and decided on the Andersen Ultimate Aluminum. It just came in the mail on Saturday...still sitting in the box in the garage as I am waiting for the weather to warm up a little before I can 'play' with it and install it.
I'll be attaching to the goose-neck.
Then, next weekend we drive 7-hours to pick-up our new-to-us 5'er!!

I am not bashing any ones hitch, but am just curious if Andersen took the original version off the market? If you just got a new one, I hope you got the new improved hitch.

Enjoy that new to you FW!!

Jerry

[cummins2014]

dwayneb236 wrote:
as expected. Whatever you feels works for you is the best one for you. Would almost seem some people own a large amount of stock in certain hitches the way they support them. Nothing wrong with support of course. But,I refuse to say what my hitch is. I don't need to hear the disdain and contempt because I didn't buy a certain brand. I'm happy with mine. I researched, got what I wanted. It all works out don't it.

I used to defend my hitch from the B&W fan club, but that was useless, and stupid. My hitch works great, but IMO its a dinosaur compared to these NEW generation hitches like the Andersen. There is a reason why Pullrite is making a hitch to compete with the Anderesen Ultimate. I wonder what the fan club will think when B&W comes out with a similar hitch, or if Andersen comes out with a puck system or a slider, or both for the ones that are sitting on the fence about a conventional or Andersen.