Andersen Hitch

[gerryball]

We have ordered a new Dodge Laramie(that in it's self was a expensive experience) with the short 6' 4' bed and the pre fifth wheel set up. Now we are deciding on which fifth hitch. I have looking at the Anderson hitch as a possible hitch. I've looked at all the pros and cons and have even talked with several people who have them. Those people seem to like the setup and the ease of taking it in and out. Lately I've run across a website where they show all the faults. That got me thinking if this is a safe hitch. Does anyone have any thoughts? Safety is the main issue but I've got a lot of money tied up in my rigs(espiecally the new Dodge) and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision. Thanks for any help.

 

[Calbar]

We have ordered a new Dodge Laramie(that in it's self was a expensive experience) with the short 6' 4' bed and the pre fifth wheel set up. Now we are deciding on which fifth hitch. I have looking at the Anderson hitch as a possible hitch. I've looked at all the pros and cons and have even talked with several people who have them. Those people seem to like the setup and the ease of taking it in and out. Lately I've run across a website where they show all the faults. That got me thinking if this is a safe hitch. Does anyone have any thoughts? Safety is the main issue but I've got a lot of money tied up in my rigs(espiecally the new Dodge) and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision. Thanks for any help.

I am in the same situation that you are in. We just purchased a new Solitude 378MBS. My first thought was to get an Andersen as it moves the kingpin back 8" so I thought it would give me more clearance for turning. After a lot of research I found that it only gives you about 4" of extra clearance for turning. Not enough for my comfort level. I have decided to go with the B&W Companion that mounts to the turnover ball gooseneck. It gives up to a full 7" of extra room for turning. It is heavier but I am all for the extra clearance. To bad I paid for the 5th wheel prep package from Ram because now I need to pull out the factory gooseneck prep portion and replace it with the B&W turnover ball gooseneck prep.

I have seen the same reports about the Andersen and know that any hitch can fail but I feel more comfortable with the B&W steel hitch for safety and turning clearance.

Rob

 

[gerryball]

Rob,
Thanks for the input. We have some time to decide so we'll keep checking. I also am a fan of the regular hitch even though I'd have to buy a slide fifth wheel hitch because we ordered the truck with the 6' 4" bed, which I think might have been a mistake. One of the guys I have talked to and looked at his setup turned the hitch 180 degrees and he said that moved the hitch back so there is more clearance. In the videos I've watched there is another problem with the connection that fits on the fifth wheel pin itself hitting the sides in a tight turn. They warn about finding the turning point and stay within that turn arc, so that's one more issue you have to deal with using this hitch. So I will keep checking things out.

Thanks again

Gerry

 

[Calbar]

Rob,
Thanks for the input. We have some time to decide so we'll keep checking. I also am a fan of the regular hitch even though I'd have to buy a slide fifth wheel hitch because we ordered the truck with the 6' 4" bed, which I think might have been a mistake. One of the guys I have talked to and looked at his setup turned the hitch 180 degrees and he said that moved the hitch back so there is more clearance. In the videos I've watched there is another problem with the connection that fits on the fifth wheel pin itself hitting the sides in a tight turn. They warn about finding the turning point and stay within that turn arc, so that's one more issue you have to deal with using this hitch. So I will keep checking things out.

Thanks again

Gerry

Gerry

I also have the 6'4" bed and have thought I should have gotten the 8' bed. Too late now though so working with what I have. I am 95% sure the Companion will work based on the numbers. I won't be able to turn 90 degrees but any more than 60 to 70 degrees is terrible for the suspension stress. You will be better off than me because your 303 is 96"wide. My solitude is 101" wide so mine will be tighter with less clearance.

Rob

 

[jasonl78]

For what it's worth, I run with an Andersen hitch in my Ram with 6'4" bed AND I have the Rambox toolboxes. So the bed is "short" and narrow. It's everything it was advertised to be. Absolutely love it. I have the steel version so I can't get into any durability conversations about the aluminum one. I just know that the setup I have works very well for me. Also having a 96" wide trailer does help with turning over the 101" widebody versions. I'm certainly not saying that contact can never happen with my setup because I know it can. I do what I can to avoid those situations. But that's a reality with nearly all fixed hitch setups. In-laws run an F350 with a B&W Companion hitch and a 337RLS. The bed of the Ford is longer than my Ram yet they managed to take out their rear window in a very slow maneuvering turn. It happens. Attached below is a link to a video of my setup if you'd like to see clearances with my narrow shortbed Ram.

https://youtu.be/ZE3n_E2VKsU

Jason

 

[Calbar]

For what it's worth, I run with an Andersen hitch in my Ram with 6'4" bed AND I have the Rambox toolboxes. So the bed is "short" and narrow. It's everything it was advertised to be. Absolutely love it. I have the steel version so I can't get into any durability conversations about the aluminum one. I just know that the setup I have works very well for me. Also having a 96" wide trailer does help with turning over the 101" widebody versions. I'm certainly not saying that contact can never happen with my setup because I know it can. I do what I can to avoid those situations. But that's a reality with nearly all fixed hitch setups. In-laws run an F350 with a B&W Companion hitch and a 337RLS. The bed of the Ford is longer than my Ram yet they managed to take out their rear window in a very slow maneuvering turn. It happens. Attached below is a link to a video of my setup if you'd like to see clearances with my narrow shortbed Ram.

https://youtu.be/ZE3n_E2VKsU

Jason

Thanks for that video Jason. I have been stressing about clearance with my new 378MBS and based on what I am seeing in your video I am stressing for nothing. Yes I can potentially hit the window like your in-laws but from what I see in your video that is only likely to happen at a sharper turn than I would even be able to make with my 279RSTS travel trailer and hitch. I have been able to get everywhere I wanted with that setup so I should be good.

Rob

 

[FearKnot]

I have been running the steel Anderson Hitch in my Ram 2500 with Rambox for over a year and happy so far. I researched hitches for the Ram with Rambox including watching the video above (Thank You for your video!). So far I have been happy. I can turn almost 90 degrees and with the ball all the way up I can still open the Rambox and have clearance.

 

[Wicked ace]

We have ordered a new Dodge Laramie(that in it's self was a expensive experience) with the short 6' 4' bed and the pre fifth wheel set up. Now we are deciding on which fifth hitch. I have looking at the Anderson hitch as a possible hitch. I've looked at all the pros and cons and have even talked with several people who have them. Those people seem to like the setup and the ease of taking it in and out. Lately I've run across a website where they show all the faults. That got me thinking if this is a safe hitch. Does anyone have any thoughts? Safety is the main issue but I've got a lot of money tied up in my rigs(espiecally the new Dodge) and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision. Thanks for any help.

I'm sure if you looked you would find similar videos on B&W, Curt, Reese, ETC. If they are the ones around 4 to 5 years ago they are hitches subjected to extraordinary and extreme conditions which most any hitch would fail under and were similarly debunked. The Andersen is a quality product and from my experience they stand behind it.
I used one for three years towing a 260RD with an F150 61/2 foot bed ( which is considered standard size BTW) and after positioning the cup forward had no issues with turning.

 

[roegs01]

Very happy with our Andersen. See sig below for truck / trailer combination. This is my first 5th wheel so I have nothing to compare the hitch with. We love the light weight and ease of hitching. From a distance perspective (pin box to window and pin box to side rails), the hitch gives some good flexibility depending on how you install the red funnel on your pin box. I happen to have ours installed with the red funnel towards the rear (behind the pinbox pin) which gives less clearance between trailer and truck rear window but also gives more clearance between pinbox and the truck side rails on turns. Unless you get an auto-sliding hitch such as the Demco, trailer / rear window clearance will always be an issue with a short bed truck. Couple of unique things with Andersen. First, many states require safety chains since technically this is a ball connection. No biggie and Andersen sells a chain kit for reasonable price. Second, if you are using it with a Morryde rubber pin box, they require a different pin plate. Again, no biggie and its well explained on the Morryde site.

 

[1carguy]

I have the Anderson Ultimate hitch and pulled 2 different 5th wheels with it. The first was the aluminum hitch and the one I use now is the steel version. This hitch provides the best clearances for my short bed Denali 2500HD and I wouldn't consider changing to a conventional hitch. It comes out of the truck in less than a minute with no tools and my 12 yr old grand daughter can lift it out. I would recommend the AUH to anyone.

 

[mcclure_m]

There are pros and cons to every hitch. I originally was interested in the Andersen hitch until I saw all the failures online. I ended up getting the pullrite superlite hitch. Same idea but comes the added peace of mind being SAE tested which the Andersen is not.

 

[Festus Burchfield]

HI I have a 2020 RAM 2500 diesel with a 6.4 inch bed. We pull a 303RLS Reflection.

I did the same as you ,but I selected the Pull-Rite 3900 hitch It gives me the extra turning space, 88 degrees, and I think the Pull-Rite is safer than the Anderson hitch.

Festus Burchfield
Gilbert, SC

 

[barr0208]

my andersen rail mount has been used with two different fith wheels 5 years of use no failures .they are a good hitch.

 

[Conguero]

The weight rating of Andersen hitches has gone up over the years. A lot of the issues you see are from earlier models.

Some of those pictures of failed Andersen hitches are from wrecks too, and no hitch, truck , or 5er is going to look pretty after a bad wreck.

Regarding clearance, your 5er wheels will start dragging sideways if you back up turn too sharply. I find that issue coming into play long before I’m worried about the 5th wheel hitting the cab. That is on pavement / asphalt. Lateral forces on the trailer wheels probably isn’t as big of a deal on gravel.


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[Malco1]

I am in the same situation that you are in. We just purchased a new Solitude 378MBS. My first thought was to get an Andersen as it moves the kingpin back 8" so I thought it would give me more clearance for turning. After a lot of research I found that it only gives you about 4" of extra clearance for turning. Not enough for my comfort level. I have decided to go with the B&W Companion that mounts to the turnover ball gooseneck. It gives up to a full 7" of extra room for turning. It is heavier but I am all for the extra clearance. To bad I paid for the 5th wheel prep package from Ram because now I need to pull out the factory gooseneck prep portion and replace it with the B&W turnover ball gooseneck prep.

I have seen the same reports about the Andersen and know that any hitch can fail but I feel more comfortable with the B&W steel hitch for safety and turning clearance.

Rob

I have the B&W Companion slider, but with the puck system rather than the goose ball. I prefer to have 4 points of attachment for the hitch rather than one. Also I have seen You Tube videos where the hitch will rotate slightly on the turnover ball.

 

[Malco1]

The weight rating of Andersen hitches has gone up over the years. A lot of the issues you see are from earlier models.

Some of those pictures of failed Andersen hitches are from wrecks too, and no hitch, truck , or 5er is going to look pretty after a bad wreck.

Regarding clearance, your 5er wheels will start dragging sideways if you back up turn too sharply. I find that issue coming into play long before I’m worried about the 5th wheel hitting the cab. That is on pavement / asphalt. Lateral forces on the trailer wheels probably isn’t as big of a deal on gravel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is why most trailers come with ST tires rather than LT. You wouldn't want to do that all the time, but ST tires are made to take that kind of punishment.

 

[Ski Pro 3]

My brother has the Anderson aluminum hitch on his 2007 Dodge Ram Diesel shortbed. He added the a 4" offset that goes into the gooseneck receiver and effectively moves the hitch point back about 4 inches or so. Now he has all the room in the world. He left our place in California and drove it to South Carolina on a trip to his new house about a week ago. (Sold his California home and bought in SC) No problems on the trip with truck or trailer.

So, to back up, we installed a gooseneck receiver on his truck. Then placed the offset into the receiver and this moved the ball back 4". Next the Andersen 5th wheel hitch assembly mounts to the offshifted ball.

The offshift looks like this;

 

[Calbar]

I have the B&W Companion slider, but with the puck system rather than the goose ball. I prefer to have 4 points of attachment for the hitch rather than one. Also I have seen You Tube videos where the hitch will rotate slightly on the turnover ball.

I thought about the slider as well but it is considerably heavier and with the 378MBS the pin weight is nearly 3000 lbs dry as weighed by GD in the factory. Trying to keep from being over my payload or only a couple hundred pounds over. I am sure a slight rotate is not going to be an issue.

Rob

 

[Calbar]

My brother has the Anderson aluminum hitch on his 2007 Dodge Ram Diesel shortbed. He added the a 4" offset that goes into the gooseneck receiver and effectively moves the hitch point back about 4 inches or so. Now he has all the room in the world. He left our place in California and drove it to South Carolina on a trip to his new house about a week ago. (Sold his California home and bought in SC) No problems on the trip with truck or trailer.

So, to back up, we installed a gooseneck receiver on his truck. Then placed the offset into the receiver and this moved the ball back 4". Next the Andersen 5th wheel hitch assembly mounts to the offshifted ball.

The offshift looks like this;

I thought of this one as well. With the 378MBS it has the Morryde rubber pin box as well that you need to change the head so I just decided easier to go with the Companion.

Rob

 

[MS10r1954]

We have ordered a new Dodge Laramie(that in it's self was a expensive experience) with the short 6' 4' bed and the pre fifth wheel set up. Now we are deciding on which fifth hitch. I have looking at the Anderson hitch as a possible hitch. I've looked at all the pros and cons and have even talked with several people who have them. Those people seem to like the setup and the ease of taking it in and out. Lately I've run across a website where they show all the faults. That got me thinking if this is a safe hitch. Does anyone have any thoughts? Safety is the main issue but I've got a lot of money tied up in my rigs(espiecally the new Dodge) and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision. Thanks for any help.

Have you looked at the PullRite 2600k single point attachment? This is my second trailer with it and I love it. Only weighs in at 64 lbs and gives me my bed back when I need it.