Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection || Full Time RV
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- čas přidán 15. 07. 2024
- In this video we discuss things we hate about the Andersen Ultimate 5th wheel connection. There are many factors to consider when deciding what hitch to buy and we hope this video will help. MORE INFO ↙↙↙
Full time RV travel involves many decisions and getting the proper setup is a major part of that. We want you to be informed and prepared when it comes to selecting your options, so we created this video to show you our dislikes of the Andersen hitch.
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Hello, Melissa and Jesse here on our ultimate Adventure Endeavor! We are a young married couple, traveling the U.S. full-time in our 5th wheel toy hauler with our two dogs. We love hiking, biking, offroading/overlanding, and exploring as much as possible and we are all about getting outside of our comfort zone! On our channel we cover the in's and out's of RV Living, struggles, trials, tribulations and many considerations before full-time RV travel. We also have how-to videos to help save you money. Our channel is for anyone looking into the RV lifestyle, best locations to visit, RV tips & tricks, RV travel and to show you exactly what it is like. Make sure you SUBSCRIBE and hit that notification bell!👍
I have a GMC Duramax 2500HD and I have been using this hitch for the past seven months pulling our Solitude S - Class and absolutely love it. I also don't need to call anyone for help to lift it out of the bed of my truck. I am 66 now and the Anderson Ultimate will be the last hitch I ever use. I am not sure why anyone would want to lift their truck, but it has far more cons rather than pros especially when pulling a 5er. Kudos to Anderson for designing a top-notch hitch.
Yes it's a very good option, probably the best for a short bed hands down. We like it I was just taking about a few small issues. We lifted the truck long before we fulltimed. We do a LOT of offroading in our tow rig.....I know its crazy! Here is one of iur offroading videos. Thank you for the input!
czcams.com/video/SWZ5vmQdal4/video.html
What year 2500 do you have? They told me the hitch wouldn't work for the new 2020's
We have a 2016. Did Andersen tell you it wouldn't work? That's who I would talk to, idk why it wouldn't work.
Use the #3017 for 2020 and newer Chevy. It’s 2” taller than the3220.
@@MR-vy5gn you need a 3217 hitch for 21-22 model trucks
My son bought an Andersen about 6 years ago. He pulled his Bighorn all over the south for his work. He bent one down tube when a car cut him off, the 5th wheel trailer bounced back and forth violently. That hitch did not have the second brace, only one brace. He continued to tow with this hitch until about a year and half ago. I bought a 5th wheel and purchased an Andersen Hitch. I have used it with my toyhauler with a Razor in the garage without any issues. My son now has another Andersen Hitch with two braces. Zero issues. Lightweight and easy to move by myself (63 yrs old). Having the second brace make this hitch much more stable.
Pictured in this video is the two brace hitch.
Hey good to know Tim. It's been good for us as well, we just mentioned some of the smaller things we didn't like. Overall it's great, thanks for watching!
We have the steel Andersen hitch meant to fit on hitch rails (we replaced a Husky) and I mainly wanted the much lower weight so I could install and remove the hitch myself without having two elephants and a small boy to help me. For that it is great. Towed with it for 3 years now and all has been great! Truly! It tows very smoothly and quietly, especially compared to our Husky. Very secure feeling. Yes, the landing legs get more exercise having to come up and off the ball of the Andersen and then to level but depending on the lay of the land it's usually not concerning really. I can't remember having to extend them to their limits ever. I love it!
It's been a great hitch for us as well. We just put this video together so people would know exactly what they are getting into. Thanks for wathing.
I have the same hitch and have had it forb6 years. I tow a 16k pound Toyhauler. The benefit for me was hiw light the hitch is. Plus I can hitch up at any angle/camber. It also allowed me to use my short bed. I also love the fact that when the hitch is removed it allows me to use my entire pickup bed with out the bumps if the rails. When we don't use our hitch we store it in the garage portion of our trailer. We have been on some really rough roads and free ways and the thing has never failed. The hitch for us has been amazing.
We honestly loved this hitch as well. We just wanted our views to know all the pros as well as the cons.
We actually turned the chains around and attach them in the truck bed when we install the hitch, then just reached in and hook them to the hitch pin. Works pretty good, better than trying to crawl underneath and trying to connect.
Yes that is a great idea, I think we need hooks on both sides. We like to take the truck offroad as well so chains banging around wouldn't be good. Thanks for the advice.
Can you cut holes in the bed and attach discrete hooks to hook to, closer to the tailgate? Granted, such a massive mod shouldn't be necessary, but it's an idea.
Yeah that's possible
I recently upgraded from a Demco Autoslide to the Andersen but the rail version. I feel the rail version safer as there are four connections to the bed as opposed to one. It is also metal and not aluminum. I posted questions on FB groups to see if anyone heard about failures on the rail version and got no response. Otherwise, I agree with you on the other comments, raising high the rv, hooking the chains and cab clearance are not the best. But I love how I can hookup from different angle and easily get an empty bed. I don’t think I will go back to my 350 lbs Demco. Great video!
Great points! We actually just filmed a new video on this hitch. Overall we are happy with it, thank you for watching.
Thank you, we are buying our first truck, 5th wheel and hitch, so this helps.
You are welcome, overall it's a good hitch we still use it on a daily basis. Thanks for watching.
Do yourself a favor buy Anderson !
Wow. Great Review. I drive professionally for 38 years and have another hitch with 3 air bags. This hitch, for a light trailer, looks ok if you stay within the weight parameters. The biggest issue for most will be "they are new to the game, and can't get this hitch set". I've seen many people take 45 min to get hooked with this unit. Now I am not saying that they are issues with the product, yet the alignment of the ball over the adapter. I agree 100% that this is Aluminum, and if you stand on a coke can it works great till it doesn't.
Thanks for the kind words. It's been good and I agree with the mounting as well. We haven't had an issue with it other than what we stated, minor issues really.
I’m a dealer and I have seen the first version of the aluminum Andersen fail. The long tubes would telescope into themselves on an extreme braking condition. Andersen started adding the flat aluminum plate from the outer square up to the truck bed goose neck ball draw down tube. I’ve only seen 2 and Andersen told me to give them a complete new hitch at no charge and get them back in the road. Great company to work with!
Anderson makes a plate for the chains. It goes under the hitch around the goose ball, between the bed and hitch.
Yes we have seen that, we actually do not need that because our gooseball has chain attachments to through the bed. They are directly connected to the frame. Thanks for watching.
So excited to see an update video, putting in a comment before I even watch.
Hahah nice! I'm sure we will do at least one more video on this subject. Thanks for watching. 👍
For the reasons you mentioned, mainly being constructed of aluminum, you really should put eye bolts in the bed to attach your chains. Triangled aluminum only retains its strength when the weight is applied as designed. In a breakaway situation those legs will fail and tearaway.
Yeah we have the chains from Anderson and they bolt to the B&W gooseneck under the bed attachment. Better to be safe than sorry , thanks for watching and the input!👍
Love, love, love our Anderson hitch! The chains really aren’t a big deal.
Overall it's a great hitch! It definitely solved our short bed clearance issues. Still using it today thanks for watching.👍
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I’ve been using this hitch for two years with no issues. We are not full timers but try to get out every month. I chose it because I already had the B&W Turnover ball system in my truck and didn’t have to modify my GMC2500HD truck. I’m 62 with a bad back and I don’t really have a problem crawling in and out of the truck bed. I already had a full bed rubber mat. I do wish they had a dedicated spot to hook the breakaway break cord. I hook mine to the chain plate accessory that goes over the truck ball under the Anderson hitch. I don’t have any sway and very little chucking which is usually only after hitting bad spots in roads.
Yeah it really is a great hitch, we made the video so people can know EXACTLY what they are getting into. It definitely solved our short bed clearance issues. Overall we like it, thanks for the great comment and input, also thank you for watching!👍
We have had the Anderson hitch for years. Towed 20,000 miles with no problems. I know a lot of people that have this hitch and no one has had any problems or issues with it. I’ve heard no issues with convention 5er hitches. Buy the ting that goes around the ball that attaches the safety chain to. The hitch weighs 35 pounds and takes two minutes to take out or put in. It takes three men and a boy for a normal hitch to remove and the Anderson hitch gives more room then a big conventional hitch. I have a Ram 3500 DRW and it sit high and I have no problems hitching it. We have a Bighorn that weighs in at 16,500 and a tongue weight of 3,500 pounds and we have had no issues with it. I have seen someone’s hitch turn slightly when he towed his rig from canal to Fort Wilderness in Disney World. He said he has had it for years and it always turns slightly after a long two. He had a painted bed, no bedliner or mat. I’ve have a sprayed in bedliner, put the weight of the trailer on the ball and tighten it to 70 foot pounds, it has never loosened. I check it at ever other fuel stop. I’ve had several different hitches and they all have worked good. The Demco auto slide was the fool proof hitch. But with everything in it weighs 400 pounds and it takes four men and a boy to get it in and out. All in all I like the Anderson hitch and see no issues with it, if it is used correctly.
Yeah its a good hitch overall, we mostly made this video so people could have ALL of the details. Thanks for the input and watching Kerry.👍👍
I have the steel Anderson hitch that mounts to rails in the bed. By far it’s the best hitch I’ve ever owned. What I like most is that it’s easy to hook up and I don’t need a crane to get it out of my bed.
They are great hitches, like everything in life there are pros and cons! Thanks for watching.
The story you are referencing is a woman who was towing a large fifth wheel when the safety brakeaway disconnected and the trailer brakes locked up during an uphill grade on a turn. She didn't realize what happened and continued to pull the fifth wheel with it's brakes locked up for a short while further. When she finally realized, she got out and saw that the hitch had deformed but was still connected to the fifth wheel. Not sure if it was a toy hauler or not. I don't think most traditional fifth wheel hitched would have deformed or been damaged under the same conditions, but can't be 100% sure.
Oh awesome, thanks for the information. It's so hard to know what is true. Overall it's a good hitch, we still use it. Thanks for watching.👍
Why did the safety breakaway disconnect? Doesn't make sense that the brakes being locked on the trailer would crumple the hitch (if it even locked up at all). something else must have happened. Do you have a link to the story?
I heard the same story that was mentioned in the video. The story you tell is almost an unbelievable one as how she didn't notice anything was up, towing uphill with the trailer brakes locked. I'd love to see that. But one thing it does say, too many stories floating around.
@@Regal2800 what can happen is if the safety brake cable is attached to tightly, during a turn or other situation (something falling on it), it could pull out of the trailer and set off the emergency brakes. the trailer thinks it got disconnected.
Not trying to be a jerk here, how to you continue towing up hill, with trailer brakes locked without noticing? What on earth was she using for a tow vehicle? This must have been a commercial tow vehicle with a huge Diesel engine. You would definitely feel the brakes lock up towing with a dump truck up hill. I can’t imagine.
First, Thanks for sharing your journey!
Back when I had a 5th wheel, it was a basic Reese hitch with the universal rails in the bed. When I wanted the hitch out, I just left it connected the the kingpin on the trailer, pulled the pins from the rails, and jacked up the camper, and left the hitch hanging from it. I'd imagine with big sliders this isn't practical, but it worked well for me. One of our favorite spots was on a good tubing river and we wanted to be able to fill the bed with tubes and people.
That being said, to me the hitch should be almost indestructible. One shouldn't have to worry about whether the structural supports got out-of-round from normal use of the truck. And I agree that it is very much a concern when using aluminum. There are certain places I don't want to be too lightweight. My fifth wheel hitch was one of them.
Welcome thanks for watching! Great point on removing your hitch, that worked pretty well? Would you say easy?
Yeah yhe aluminum is a catch 2, we love it and hate it. Overall its a good hitch though. Thanks for joining the conversation. 👍
It did work well for me. I didn't always use this method, as I would prefer to not have the hitch hanging out if people were walking around close by when we were group camping. So if we were settled in for a week somewhere, I'd unhook normally and lift the hitch out manually, and set it under the camper between the landing gear.
Obviously if you're on unlevel ground it can take a little effort to get it hooked back up this way. But I totally get that some users aren't physically able to lift a hitch out of the truck, and this at least makes that possible. And if at home you can just get a sturdy cart of some sort and lower the hitch onto it, then disconnect and roll the cart out to "unhitch". This makes garage or shed storage easy for those who cannot lift it.
@@anthonyfillion3231 Nice I could see that working fairly well. Seems like with EVERY setup, hitch or trailer there is a compromise.
Been using thr AUH for many years and miles. Love the hitch. You are not the only comment I have heard regarding the scratches on the legs. I don't get it. I pile bikes and other camping items up against it all the time. How can a scratch hurt it. I don't think I could hurt it with a hammer. Thanks
Hey thanks for the input. More talking about potential dents or gouges. Still a great hitch though. Thanks for watching.
I crimped a piece of cable around one of the down tubes and connect my E brake with a carabiner.
Yeah that was recommended to us as well! We still haven't done it yet hahaha😄😆
As far as the chains go, you could always put another set of hooks on the other end, hook them to the truck first laying them in the bed towards the tailgate. Hook up the trailer then just lift the chains to the pin box.
That is a great suggestion Wayne! Thank you, we might have to do that! Also thanks for watching! 👍
Oftentimes the negative comments are actually more important than the positive comments! Thank you for this thought provoking video!
Vernon Christopher
Thank you for watching, this is exactly why we made the video. There is a lot of great discussion going on here.👍
Living in Komifornia is the biggest issue and not just with the chains (most states do not require chains on a 5th wheel) we clip our break away to the tie down spot by the tail gate (easily reachable without climbing on tire or into bed) On our 5th gen Ram it's right beside our 7 pin connector making it super convenient.
Your biggest con about the jacks being extended has more to do with your lifted truck than the Anderson. Lifts and larger tires neuter the trucks ability for towing.
That pin is adjustable (probably adding to the height required to hook up)
Thanks for the insight
Happy with our Reese Goose Box. Only thing in the bed is the ball and chain cleats which are small and easy to remove.
Those look very nice! We wish they were on our radar before we bought the Andersen. Empty bed is nice, do they work for short beds?
We pull our 5th wheel with an Anderson hitch and love it. No issues
Yeah its a good hitch overall, we were being a little detailed just so anyone looking to buy would have a lot of knowledge available to them. Thanks for watching Sherry!
Thats a garbage hitch
It's been pretty good other than the few issues we stated. Solved our short bed clearance issues. Thanks for watching Victor!
We have this hitch mounted in a Ram 2500 with Ram Boxes for our 5er. I can't say enough good things about it.
That's great ours has been great Also! We will be doing a video on why we love it also! Thanks for watching.
Following Lippert's mfg recommendations not switching from the king oin sys. So we stayed with B&W Companion. Been 9 yrs running on this truck issue free.
We went with the Andersen for the clearance issues with our short bed. It's been decent but has flaws just like any other set up. Had a companion before it was good. Thanks for watching Tom.,👍
I agree with all the negatives presented here, but I still love my Andersen---especially compared to the alternative of a traditional 5th wheel hitch. I am not a full-timer, so I take the hitch out on a weekly basis to haul other goods. I LOVE that the Andersen is light weight (35#) compared to a 150# hitch. That one thing sold me on the Andersen. Ay 65 years old, the hitch weight is IMPORTANT.
I agree with you as well, its a great hitch!
I didn't see the installation video anywhere. What if you don't have a hole in your bed for the gooseneck ball?
czcams.com/video/APj4UQJ9mmc/video.html
This video shows a little more. You will have to have a gooseneck ball installed, which is a whole plate system that goes in between your friend rails.
Thank you for uploading that
A friend of mine is thinking about buying one.
My question for you is . If you’ve had it in your truck for eight months you never removed it why would you buy one of those unless you remove it all the time?
We needed the clearance because we have a 6'4 bed. This hitch pushes the hitching point back about 9 in to give you the proper clearance so you do not contact your cab with the trailer. Also it's extremely light to help with Payload, hopefully this answers your question.
I have a Anderson Hitch. I’m having trouble getting trailer off the ball. It won’t release off the hitch. When I raise my jacks , they are stressing and overriding and not going high enough to release. Any suggestions?
Hey sorry to hear, you'll probably have to add blocks under your front landing gear to give you the height you need. Hopefully this helps.
I have Anderson for the oast three years have no problems my truck is a long bed have a tool box and a auxiliary fuel tank. The only thing is yes you have to raise it up quite a bit. Other than that I like it
Yeah it's been pretty good, we now try to add extra blocks under the front. It helps a little, thanks for watching.
Have you tried the Anderson blocks for the jacks to fix your height issues?
We have not but they look nice! We recently got some large blocks of wood that are very sturdy! Thank you for watching!
I’m looking at buying a fifth wheel. I have a 2015 Silverado and I’m trying to keep my bed rail-mounted toolbox when towing while maintaining the 90 degree turns an option. Is that the point of this elevated gooseneck? Does it lift the trailer enough to clear the bed rails AND allow for 90 degree turns? Or does this strictly help with height? I’ve considered a sidewinder fifth wheel pin box, but I really want a pin box with air ride, so don’t want to go that route. I also want to avoid the sliding hitch because I’d like to leave room in the bed for extra gas cans and/or a generator. I’ve towed many bumper pulls, but I have zero experience with gooseneck/fifth wheel towing.
We had great clearances with the the Andersen and our short bed. We also had tool box.
czcams.com/video/FX_r5ivMZ-4/video.html
Looking to go from trailer to 5er. If not this hitch, what’s suggested? Have a 2019 F350 with puck (stock) and hitch ready. Mostly mountain and desert camping.
This hitch is pretty good overall, we like the goosebox as well, replaces your kingpin on your trailer.
You should watch their videos of testing the hitch and it’s capacity. They even show the capacity of the hitch after it failed the pressure test and bent at about 50-60k lbs I believe.
Yeah it's pretty amazing and a great hitch overall. Thanks for watching.
I have an Andersen. I just got a 5th wheel on July 3rd. I have only pulled it a few times and cannot compare to a traditional 5th wheel hitch. I got the safety chains just for peace of mind. My truck is a long bed dually and I have noticed when hooking up that I have to get it close, then put the tailgate up before I can actually set it down on the ball. I then have to step over the side of the bed to hook up my safety chains and the break away cable. That would be my only complaint. I noticed that right after I bought my 5th wheel that GenY has come out with a gooseneck hitch with the torsion on it similar to the goosebox. I think the GenY can be used with short bed trucks. I plan to eventually upgrade to that so I won't have to worry about having a hitch in the bed of my truck. I actually watched your install video so I would know how to install my hitch before I purchased it.
Thanks for the insights! Glad our first video helped you out! We definitely have our eye on the genY or goosebox, definitely need more research though seeing as though we have a short bed.
Tfl truck on here has a video of the GenY and they tour the factory. Was pretty informative.
@@m1ll3r86 nice thanks for the information , I'll have to find that video.👍
Nearly nothing mentioned here is due to the hitch itself but due to the tow rig lol. The Andersen hitches are fantastic products if you value being able to use your truck bed.
We really love this hitch, just mentioning a few things for prospective buyers! We do reccomend this thing!
So...When are you buying your new Reese Goose Box Pin Box 20K (Reese Part #: 94720)? I have been actively researching the Anderson Ultimate, the Pullrite Super light, and the Reese Goose Box Pin. Your honest review has helped me make my decision to go with the Reese. Thanks for the video.
You are welcome! Thats what this video is for, this hitch is great but not perfect. I wish the goosebox works with a short bed, pretty sure it doesn't. Maybe the genY?
@@AdventureEndeavor um I will have to do more research then. I have the 6.5 ram so I need to make sure. I think the Reese is the only approved by lippert. Always good info here. Do any of your friends use the pullrite?
Not that I know of, heard good things though. 🤷♂️
No they are worth it and yes you can use on short beds we have one on our short bed it works amazing. We love the goose neck. It not only gives u the truck space when we want to use our truck as a truck but it’s super easy to hook up.
Good to know! Might have to look into one! Thanks for watching!
Really appreciate your honest opinion, especially when you have to deal with it on a frequent basis, which is WAY better than a review or impression after a short experience with it. Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words! We try to be honest and real, thanks for watching!
Leave the chains in the truck hooked to the attachment points. Use the clevis on the other end, or put eyes there and hooks on that end of the chain as well.
Yeah that's a great idea and totally what we started doing. No longer have a fifth wheel though
Anderson made a video of the hitch under an incredible amount of weight to demonstrate how strong the hitch is. I saw the demonstration.
Yeah it's pretty strong great hitch really, we have seen the same video.
Did you consider the Reese GooseBox which would eliminate the hitch altogether (other than the Ball) and give you full use of your truck bed.
So we have considered that, I'm sure that we will get the cab clearance we need for our shortbed pickup truck. Thanks for the advice ill be doing research!
Oh and thanks for watching!
The Goosebox Gen2 is phenomenal on the road and to hitch and unhitch. However, it may not have clearance on the short bed. I too am registered in a State requiring safety chains towing goose. You do realize you can have the chains grab the trailer instead of having the chains grab the truck, right? That way you're not crawling into the bed. Also, best practice is to not attach the breakaway lanyard to any piece that could breakaway, and the hitch frame could. Connecting with the safety chains is also bad form, and definitely the most commonly done. Problem is, no one is thinking through the situation. If you are ever in that situation where your trailer is on the chains, whether tag along or 5th wheel/goose, you don't not want the trailer brakes locking! Breakaway is just that - full brakes when the entire trailer leaves the tow vehicle to bring it to rest fast with as little harm as possible. Guess how many lanyards I've seen that would be pulled before chains are pulled taunt? A separate point of attachment is best. For instance, my RAM has cargo tiedowns in the bed corners perfect for clipping the breakaway lanyard to. Great video, and I think plenty of people will benefit from real use experiences! Every setup has compromises, and it's give and take.
Thanks for the info and glad you enjoyed the video. I'll definitely be looking into the suggestions. I think the goosebox will be ok with a 4inch offset ball but I'm still not 100% sure. The andersen is fine it's just nice having the best option and making life simple.👍
@@AdventureEndeavor check with your trailer manufacturer before going to a gooseneck hitch it changes all the stress points and will likely void your warranty.
GEN Y Torsion hitch with B&W 4 inch offset ball. The hitch is 4 inches longer than a 1621 Lippert kingpin, adding total of about 8 inches.
Yeah we have heard great things about this hitch. I don't believe it was out when we were looking. Thanks.
I enjoyed your vid. Good info. I imagine it has already been said, but just in case, you should not attach you break away cable to the Anderson. If you have a failure at your gooseneck ball, the Anderson will depart your truck along with the break away. Normally, when a gooseneck hitch is installed, two spring loaded U Rings are installed, one on either side of the ball for chains. This would be a better place for the break away attachment. Thanks again!!!
Yes thanks for watching! That is exactly what we do now, it's definitely a safer method, we appreciate the input.
Is that a gooseneck ? My fifth wheel did not look anything like your. Mine looks like a 18 wheeler hookup
Yeah it's kind of a gooseneck hybrid, we use to have a traditional 5th wheel hitch. We stayed to this because it gave us some extra clearance with our short bed pick up. Thank for watching.
Im looking at this hitch because of its specs 4500 down weight (hitch weight), and 24K. Have my eye set on the GD 399TH. Anyone have issues with chucking?
We get very little chucking I think our air bags help with that also. Overall, it's a great hitch, this video was to give you ALL of the details. Hopefully it was helpful.
Your first two dislikes are literally remedied by taking it out. It’s 40 pounds. Fifth wheel hitches flex left to right as well, If they didn’t, you’d tear up the frame. Take the lift out and or raise the goose ball. I know this is just opinion, but easy fixes to your issues, which aren’t Andersen issues.
We're fulltime and move every 10 days, not going to take it out. Thanks for the thoughts
So overall would your prefer the B&w over the Anderson?
For our application yes, it's light, less chucking and solved our shortbed problem. You should look at a Reese goosebox with an offset ball if you have a short bed as well.
You don't want to put your emergency brake cable anywhere on the hitch. If the hitch fails then you lose the trailer and the hitch and the brakes are never applied because it's connected still to the hitch. The breakaway cable needs connected to the truck.
Yeah, now we put it on a different location. Still not great, overall the hitch is pretty good though.
I had the B&W slider and the non-slider and I wanted to get another hitch because it was a little heavy, sure I had a cherry picker to get it out of the bed but I hated the hassle on getting it out of my shed and dragging it to the front and hooking it up. One time my wife and some of her ladies friend was coming home and the wife call me and told me that they are coming in and they had a lot of stuff that they had bought in Hawaii, so this was about 10:00 o'clock pm so I had to get it out by hand and my body did not like that.
So I sold my B&W non-slider hitch before it was the slider hitch, I look at the AUH and I look at the Pullrite Superlite Single point so after all of my searching I bought the Pullrite Superlite and I am very please with it, I can get a turn radius of about 85% but I want do that and if I need to I will go out and come back at another angle.
Nice they see great Hitches, glad you found something that works well for you! Thanks for watching!
Your problems have nothing to do with the ultimate. I have an ultimate. All of cons are easily solvable. Break away cable can go anywhere, Fix the chains in the bed of your truck, lower your adjustable ball on your Anderson hitch.
Thanks for the advice, we have since made some modifications. We appricate you watching.
I had this hitch years ago. I used it with two different fifth wheels. I had a travel trailer and a toyhauler. I did not have the money for brand new units with hydraulic legs. My trailers were not the priciest. It was not too fun aligning the ball to the adapter when I was alone. My biggest complaint was having to lift the front legs really high in order to hook up. The leg motors would struggle sometimes and I felt like I was on borrowed time with them. Sometimes I worried about what I would do if the landing legs motor completely broke or if the legs bent. I looked into maybe adding a second motor to the landing legs and letting them work individually but I still hated how high you had to lift the front of the fifth wheels. My friends bought newer fifth wheels with hydraulic leveling and it was still weird to me. The legs extended so much that i think they will have problems with seals one day. That might be pricey but I dont really know. Well, I ended up buying a Curt Q24 and life got better. I was able to barely have to lift the fifth wheel legs, hook up quickly , and get out of there. Connecting and disconnecting was much faster and we felt safer. The Curt was extremely quiet and had dual locking jaws. I would never buy the Andersen again.
It has pros and cons just like everything. We liked it overall. Thanks for watching
You do know that the chains are meant to hook directly to the u-Bolts right? If the lower ball part of your hitch breaks, the way you have it hooked up will not save you at all. You’re banking on only the top ball failing and the support bars are not meant to hold that kind of weight with how you hook them up. This sounds like a person whining about not much at all and not having much common sense.
Hey, thanks for the great comment. We mount the chains directly to the u-bolts. We were just letting people know in case they wanted to buy this. They would know all of the potential issues with this hitch.
Do you really think a company would put a hitch out without proper testing??? My friend has one and loves it, I will be buying one.
If course they do testing. Things happen, vehicle manufacturers have recalls all the time. Good hitch though we liked it.
Maybe the crumpled hitch photo came from the Anderson video of their crush test. I have this hitch and pull a 42' fifth wheel. I've been pulling it for over three years. No problems. Illinois also requires safety chains. I have a plate that goes over the gooseneck ball (between the hitch and bed) for the chains and the breakaway cable. I do notice the flex and bedrail issue.
I haven't noticed having to put my jacks too high to get on the hitch. I do use Anderson trailer jack buckets under the front jacks even when I'm parking it in storage.
I found that picture on a website. They claim it happened during hard braking. No way. The crush test for this hitch is over 66,000 pounds and then only the rear supports bent above the weld. That picture would have to have been a major accident. This website makes a huge deal out of aluminum and call it inferior. It's only inferior if the engineering is bad.
It's a great hitch really!
You should look into the pullrite superlite its similar. But its made better. That's what I have.
Nice thanks for the advice, also looking at the goosebox.
I bought the pullrite 2600 today, I don’t trust the Andersen🤷🏽♂️, I’ve been towing with for a year now, just got back from so cal and it rotated about a 1 1/2”. It did not make me feel good. I’m a freak about torquing it too and I’m always looking at it when I get fuel.
The pullrites look good also, we torque ours often as well. Thanks for the input!👍
Have you ever thought about the Reese gooseball?
Yeah we did but already had this hitch. Also idk if the Reese works well with the short bed.
The biggest con to me with that hitch is the amount of space it takes up in the bed. Every bit of bed space is very important to us for cargo while towing. On my 2021 Chevy 3500HD with the factory puck system (we have a BW non slider in it) which has a very small footprint. It also comes out in two pieces so weight when removing and installing is not so much of an issue.
True, everything has pros and cons, thanks for chiming in.
So it's too low because you hit the bedsides but it's too high because you have to lift trailer to dangerous levels? You know that ball has a few adjustment holes for the pin? Probably 2 or 3 inches worth of elevation change is possible. I mounted my lock lefer facing rearward so it's easily locked/unlocked from behind the tailgate.
Yes, we had tried a few different setups. Eventually we had to balance it our because the back of the trailer was really low as well. thanks for watching.
If that’s all the cons you have about. I’m picking one of these up this week
Good hitch overall, you'll most likely love it. We linked it in the description as well.
Yes, Anderson has a rubber mat for $89.00. I went to Home Depot and got one for $20.30 tax and all. I had to cut my own hole in it for my B and W turnover ball. Lol
Nice great idea!
I watched another video that a guy was side swiped and his anderson hitch was damaged.
Would not surprise me. The light weight is a catch 22, but any hitch can be damaged in an accident.
It’s not like it’s made out of tin foil. Aluminum tends to be pretty forgiving when it comes to scratches and dents. I work in the aerospace industry you would be amazed at how much abuse it will take . Also Anderson makes a safety chain plate that goes under the goose neck ball with chain holes very very easy to use. Don’t tow a 5th wheel with a lifted truck. The ball height is adjustable. I tow a Very large KZ 5th wheel and tow it everywhere the trailer tends to roll when going over uneven ground but that makes for smoother towing
Yeah I agree about the aluminum it's strong! There's good geometry as well. We struggle with the chains because we don't want to leave them in the bed of the truck, since we often offroad near boondocking spots. As far as a lift goes, it's just up one inch in the rear. To each their own. Thanks for the input, we appreciate it.👍
I did read an article from the owner of that Andersen which has the pic floating on the web. I do not remember the total article because I read it over a 1 and 1/2 years ago when I was researching my set up. I just remember her stating that it was her fault the Andersen hitch was damaged and she also said that it still held her 5th wheel when the damage was made. She purchased another Andersen. This was one of the reasons I got the Andersen hitch. Other reasons, its weight, harder to steal the RV when boondocking and the ease of install.
Oh thats great to hear. Lots of people love to throw that photo in forums or Facebook groups with no explanation. 🤔🤷♂️
Started with a B&W Companion with a 10,500 lb 5th wheel and then went to a GooseBox so the truck bed would be free and it was well worth it for that benefit alone! Now I have a much heavier Momentum 320G similar to your Carbon and again got a Goosebox. I"m an engineer and I just can't get comfortable with the Anderson geometry in a hard braking or other harsh unplanned situation. And my buddy is an aluminum welder and educated me on how airplanes and other critical aluminum structures are not welded because aluminum gets weaker at the welds so that made the decision for me on avoiding Anderson. Either gooseball option sucks for raising the front of the trailer so much! As for short beds, people are running Gooseboxes with a 4-inch offset B&W ball, but no you cannot turn a full 90 degrees and maintain cab clearance. Sure the Anderson can move the king pin even farther back for more cab clearance, but having the pin weight farther behind the truck axle is getting counterproductive too.
Thanks for watching Jeff! Lots of great info here. The offset ball and goosebox is a great option. I do wish Andersen notched the "downtubes" rather than pinching them down. It's been good, just thought I would share my impressions.
@@AdventureEndeavor Good points you brought up for sure, good video!
Thank you!
Just wrap the rail arms with dollar general water floaties for 4 bucks and little black tape. It protects the arms from when throw stuff in there. Too easy its what did.
That's a great idea! Thanks for that!👍
I went away from the Andersen cause with our older trailer, clearance was still an issue. I had a long bed previously. Also, the Andersen set up for max clearance puts the weight ~9” behind the axle, or adds 9” of leverage... however you want to look at it. I wasn’t a fan of how it rode. Switched to a Demco auto slide and the ride is way better and no worries about cab clearance. I have a Ram 2500 with the auto level air suspension so I could dump the air, pull under and air up, instead of using the trailer jacks. The Andersen was easy to hook up since you can see the ball perfectly from the drivers seat.
Nice, the Andersen is still working well for us. It did solve OUR clearance issues and I totally understand yours. Do you leave your hitch in all of the time?
@@AdventureEndeavor through the summer it stays in. We’re in Southern California so I try to keep it in my truck through fire season in case we have to evacuate. It is heavy, I bought an engine hoist to set it in and out of my truck.
Gotcha that seems to be the problem with sliders, sounds nice though.
@@AdventureEndeavor yeah, I’m exploring going to a Demco recon and a sidewinder pinbox to save some weight.
Brakeaway is supposed to be attached to the body or any part of the truck because if anderson hitch is the point of failure then the brake away won't do its job.
Yup, thanks for the tip! It has since been changed, appreciate you watching.
Have you seen or notice any stress cracks on your rv ?
We have not, I will inspect it again and try to report back!
The reason why i ask is cause of this video,but he might be talking about something else. czcams.com/video/tAT2iOYoGWk/video.html
Just doing my research on this hitch. thank you.
No worries.
This kinda funny, first of all once you drop onto the hitch, there is no climbing into the truck to latch it, just use the handle and cable to do that, for chains, yes you must do a little extra work, and I believe it B&W hitch, not BMW hitch
I use the Andersen piece that’s made for the chains, leave the chains connected to it and not the trailer. Much easier to connect without climbing in the bed. And nah, there’s no sway caused by the hitch.
That's a great idea, I'm definitely going to swap my chain's around. Thanks for the input.
Wow really reaching with the scratching the Aluminum might weaken. And having to use safety safety chains. I am 370 lbs and hooking up the safety chains is not really big deal. And finally you don’t hook your break away cable to the hitch, you hook it to the truck! The weak point is the hitch. How else is a trailer going break away, the hitch is the failure point. Really searching for content for your channel. Yes I have and use this hitch. And I have and use a B&W Companion in another truck and trailer. I prefer the ride of the Anderson over the B&W Companion any day. Just my opinion.
Hey thanks for the input! We just really wanted any prospective buyer to have all the details! We also did a video about why we love the hitch, you should check it out. Thanks for watching.👍
First of all the give of the aluminum could save your frame if the impact to the hitch is enough to bend it damage is going to happen to something so I would rather it be the hitch than my frame or bed
True!
It sounds like you need a Gen-Y pin box to goose neck conversion on your trailer.
Yeah possibly. We no longer have a 5ver for various reasons.
First of all, Anderson did a crush test on these before selling them. It took 54,800 lbs pressure to bend it only slightly! Second no one in their right mind tows a fifth wheel with a lifted truck. Third, there is never any sway with a fifth wheel if it is set up correctly. Next the ball is adjustable for height to clear tour bed sides of the truck. Finally the leveling jacks wouldn't have to be overextended if you were not towing with a truck with a lift kit on it (a repeat)! Why do you keep it if it is so bad? Sell it!
Hey, William thanks for the great response. Our truck has a 1-inch lift in the rear so that is very minor, most likely with squat, it sits like a stock truck. The sway was more of a feeling so who really knows, the trailer felt slightly less stable. These factory trucks are just very tall as well, over we still think it's a good hitch, probably still the best on the market. We were being picky so anyone looking into the hitch would know exactly what they were getting into. Thanks for the valid points and watching.👍
Andersen buckets fix your landing gear problems. Just saying....
Yeah I was looking at them they are kind of big and bulky for a full timer though. Thanks for the input Doug.
It's not possible to over extend leveling jacks, they will dead end and stop themselves and even so they are still very strong at full extension. I would never worry about it since they are designed to use the full stroke of the cylinder.
Very true!
Will the Andersen hitch work on a 2019 Ram 1500 with a 5.7 short bed ?
Most likely it will not but it depends on the pin box and 5th wheel. They had a chart for measuring on their website. More than likely your pinbox will hit your tailgate.
@@AdventureEndeavor my trailer is an Escape 5th wheel which is all fiberglass and only weighs total 5500lbs. It’s 21 ft
Yeah it might work, you'll have to go on andersens website and measure.
I love my goosebox hitch. My truck bed is free when I'm not hauling. Love your videos! Wife and I are retiring in August and going full time with our two dogs, motorcycle and quad. Looking forward to lots of adventures.
Thats awesome! Do you know if the goosebox works with short beds? I haven't done the research yet. Congrats on the start of your fulltime journey it's awesome! Thanks for watching glad you enjoy the videos! 👍
@@AdventureEndeavor Here's a link to help you figure out if the trailer will hit your cab. If you can use the offset ball you can gain some room.
www.etrailer.com/question-263253.html
Nice, thanks so much!
Wow.
Thanks for watching!
We don't have a 5th wheel, but I've always been super skeptical of this hitch and agree that it being made out of aluminum seems....interesting considering the weight that it's holding. Great review.
Thank you! Its a catch 22. Thanks for watching.
It’s called engineering. Do you really think they would put these on the road untested?
We have seen the testing video and it's impressive! We have also seen some strange photos of them damaged, obviously if in an accident that would be normal. Stuff brakes, overall it's a great hitch thanks for watching.👍
I'd never use one of these nor ANY other rigid connection hitch. It beats the hell out of the pin chin area of the trailer. Drive your truck and trailer with an air hitch connection and you will never go back. The cushioning between the truck and rv provides a better ride and there is much less stress on the rv.
I'm sure you are correct, unfortunately we need the clearance this hitch provides. Thanks for watching.
Ok, CZcamsr's!!!!!!!! I called the Anderson FACTORY and talked to one of the owner's about any past failures. 7 years ago they had a few aluminum ones fail. They redesigned it with tubing TWO times thicker than the original. Owner said no more failures since.
Yeah the failures are rare and it's always the same photo. We loved the hitch but now have a TT, thanks for watching .
You might want to check out the Reece Box .
It's a great product. We now have a TT. Thanks for watching.
lol. I literally thought this was satire at first.
it’s actually lithium aluminum used to make planes and rockets, pretty strong.
Good logic, it's just a thought in the back of our heads. Great hitch overall, thanks for watching.
I have read people questioning how well the Andersen hitch would hold up in case of an emergency (hard braking) stop, in that the momentum of the RV will deform or even crash into the truck's cab. In all your travels using this hitch, have you ever had such concerns? Thanks.
We have heard that as well but have never had any issues overall it was a great hitch for us we no longer tow a 5th wheel.
@@AdventureEndeavor Thanks for getting back to me. Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving.
Of course thanks for following along.
Any full time rver knows, you store your hitch connected to the trailer and you install a lock so it can't get stolen.
And you NEVER connect your break away to the hitch! What happens if the hitch cones off? Ask any DOT and the will tell you. I replaced one if my toolbox bolts with an bolt under the bed rail for my break away. Even my tag trailers have an eyebolt in place if a license plate screw for the break away
I've heard of this, idk if I would say every full-time knows. It's a good idea in theory, moving every week makes it tough to remove and install any hitch. Thanks for watching.
It’s called pickn fly poop out of the pepper DS!
Haha it's all in the details, no anyone looking to buy can have all the info. Thanks for the input.
My slider I used before my Anderson was way more foot print. I wouldn't worry about bending the tubes unless your dropping thousand pounds on it. Your hitting cause of the truck lift. Raise the ball or lower the pin box to get 6-8 inches between bed and bottom of camper. Again your lift is causing you to lift camper so high.
Yes we know all of this. Just done thoughts for people to think about.
Anderson makes a smaller steel one
That one is on the rails correct?
How long is that truck bed?
It's a 6’4” bed, ram 2500.
@@AdventureEndeavor Thanks. I'm looking at a Sierra 2500 standard bed and like the idea of the aluminum chest box like the one you have.
Yeah the tool box fits well with the Andersen Ultimate. No clearance issues, glad we could help! 👍
I'll buy the hitch from you
We will be keeping it for now, it's still a great hitch like we say at the end. We just wanted to let people know all of the minor cons that go along with it, thanks for watching Robert!
Don't throw anything heavy in the bed of your truck,can you remember that
Seems simple but not always the case. It's not a show truck it gets use. Just our thoughts, on a hitch...
We’re not full timers but I love my Anderson hitch. I carrier a folding step stool under the rear seat in my truck (GMC Sierra 2500). I use it when connecting my safety chains. Works great. I use wooden blocks so raising the trailer over the ball isn’t a big deal. Anderson makes a plate that goes over the ball before installing the hitch. It has two big loops for connecting your safety chains. I love the hitch because at 35lbs it’s easy to remove when I need the bed for hauling cargo. It would take three men and a boy to remove a traditional hitch.
Yeah this hitch definitely has many Pros! Thanks for watching, this video was fun to make and good for people looking for information. 👍
It sounds like you are kinda needy
Thanks for the positive input Zachary! 👍 We appreciate you watching.👍
that is aircraft grade aluminum. it should handle just about anything.
We haven't had any issues yet other than paint, but it's always in the back of my mind. Thanks for watching Bob.👍
“Aircraft grade”. That’s a sales buzz word. You need to understand the alloy mixture and the temper to really understand the Characteristics of aluminum. On aircraft there is soft aluminum and there is hard aluminum and there is everything in the middle
Oh cool! Thanks for the info!
Any hitch can fail.Idrove semi's for 36 years with REAL 5th wheels and yes I've seen them snap off .
Very true
Can’t you pull up whit gooseneck ball ?
I'm not exactly sure what you mean with this question. Can you rephrase it please?
@@AdventureEndeavor if i have a gooseneck in my truck i can move this type of rv like your
if i have a gooseneck in my truck i can move this type of rv like your
Yes, you can do a gooseneck attachment, Andersen hitch or a B&W companion
It’s called being careful
? What are you referring to?
You should be camping in a pop up. I’ve had this hitch for 4 years, with absolutely NO PROBLEMS. You raised your truck, that’s the worse thing you can do when towing. Put your truck back to the stock height and you won’t have to bitch about anything. My wife & I went to Alaska (from Pennsylvania). No bitching, no chucking, no problems what so ever. We met a few other people that had this hitch and all were very happy.
LOWER YOUR TRUCK
Hey thanks for the input Mike! The truck has multiple purposes, it's a good hitch overall, the minor issues we mentioned were so people know exactly what they are getting into. We plan on doing a video about why we love the hitch also. Thanks for watching.👍