rotor flex and andersen ultimate hitch

[boingram]

....I read that the Anderson ultimate hitch is not compatible with the trail aire rotor flex pin box..been towing with this setup on my 369 for a while now with no issues that I know of...whatz the prob...

 

[laffman]

I think any gooseneck to 5th wheel adapter voids the frame warranty.

 

[redram]

Anderson ultimate is not a gooseneck and will not void warranty. Don

 

[Second Chance]

Don is right - the Andersen is not a gooseneck. However, it is not compatible with dampened pin boxes that allow the load-bearing plate to which the kingpin is mounted to rotate off of a horizontal plane (I'm not personally familiar with the TrailAire). The Demco GlideRide is compatible and does a very good job.

Rob

 

[laffman]

Sorry, I looked at the gooseneck adapter on the Andersen site. Didn't notice the rail mount version next to it.

 

[Paul & Deb]

Sorry, I looked at the gooseneck adapter on the Andersen site. Didn't notice the rail mount version next to it.

Even that wouldn't be a problem. In that case the gooseneck version of the Andersen is just used to connect the hitch to the truck. The trailer and hitch interface in the same way so that version of the Andersen still will not void any Lippert warranty.

 

[dirtclod-MGRV]

Don is right - the Andersen is not a gooseneck. However, it is not compatible with dampened pin boxes that allow the load-bearing plate to which the kingpin is mounted to rotate off of a horizontal plane (I'm not personally familiar with the TrailAire). The Demco GlideRide is compatible and does a very good job.

Rob

Called Andersen tech dept and asked why the ultimate was not compatible with the trail air, they said it was compatible?

 

[Second Chance]

Called Andersen tech dept and asked why the ultimate was not compatible with the trail air, they said it was compatible?

What I said was that I wasn't familiar with the TrailAire. I didn't say it wasn't compatible.

Rob

 

[dirtclod-MGRV]

Your right , ment to quote boingram,sorry

 

[partsguy009]

I see I'm a few months late but recently we installed the Andersen 3220 in our 2016 GMC 3500HD, CC, LB . Our 2015 375RE has the Trail Aire "Rota Flex" pin box and I noticed once hooked up to the hitch the plate on the pin box wasn't sitting square to the truck bed. Being a newbie to this setup and not finding any real concerns on social media we towed our unit 150+ miles without any issues. Once we arrived at our destination I noticed our friends had a Trail Aire "Air Ride" pin box on their unit and it sat squared to the bed. I took every measurement on both pin boxes and the only noticeable difference besides design was his was 2-3 inches longer. So I called Andersen CS and spoke with Josh (if memory services me correctly) he explained that the systems are compatible but I'll need to turn the aluminum block 180% positioning the ball hitch to the rear. He explained that this moves the weight to the rear of the plate and it will also pull the trailer forward 8" which isn't and issue for my longbed, but may be for a shorty.

According to Josh, Andersen is working on a true fix for this Rota-Flex so we'll see what they come out with.

 

[dirtclod-MGRV]

I removed rubber block on roto flex box and made it a solid mount, works much better on our short box pickup.

 

[duc809]

@dirtclod Would you be willing to share how you removed the rubber block? Did you replace it with something solid?

 

[Rclbud]

I was told by GD, Josh I think as well, that the Andersen hitch was fine to use with the rotoflex .... but if we needed to they make an adapter pin that locks the rotation out. Mine is a short bed f350 which is 6.75' long... ball set to the rear, kingpin box rotated 180 so that the hole is forward the Rv and the control is on the passenger side. This provides plenty of turning range for me to about 75 degrees.

I've pulled my 380 th about 2500 miles without issue with this configuration. Love the Andersen. Easy in. Easy out. No grease. 40 lbs. wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Second Chance]

I was told by GD, Josh I think as well, that the Andersen hitch was fine to use with the rotoflex .... but if we needed to they make an adapter pin that locks the rotation out. Mine is a short bed f350 which is 6.75' long... ball set to the rear, kingpin box rotated 180 so that the hole is forward the Rv and the control is on the passenger side. This provides plenty of turning range for me to about 75 degrees.

I've pulled my 380 th about 2500 miles without issue with this configuration. Love the Andersen. Easy in. Easy out. No grease. 40 lbs. wouldn't have it any other way.

If you "lock out" the rotation action in a Roto-Flex, you defeat the purpose. Andersen states that it is the only dampened pin box that is NOT approved for use with the Andersen Ultimate hitch systems. If you need a dampened pin box with an Andersen, it's best to go with the MOR/ryde, Demco, etc. (We pulled our first 10K miles with and Andersen and a Demco Glide Ride.)

Rob

 

[keef033]

If you "lock out" the rotation action in a Roto-Flex, you defeat the purpose. Andersen states that it is the only dampened pin box that is NOT approved for use with the Andersen Ultimate hitch systems. If you need a dampened pin box with an Andersen, it's best to go with the MOR/ryde, Demco, etc. (We pulled our first 10K miles with and Andersen and a Demco Glide Ride.)

Rob

The Flex Air pin box (https://www.lci1.com/flex-air-pin-box) works with the Anderson hitch. I checked it out with e-trailer before installing. Driven around 6,000 miles now. A significant improvement.

Keith

 

[Rclbud]

Well, that is what I was told by GD.... and by Andersen as well. I checked both sources.... or go with this for extra piece of mind.

https://andersenhitches.com/Products/3247--rotaflex-lockout-kit.aspx

 

[Dick Noble]

Have a 2018 375RES with Mor/ryde king pin and Andersen hitch. On our first pull going home from the dealers, a few miles out of Grand Junction, we felt a bump and noticed the release cable had been pinched in the king pin of the Mor/ryde and the release cable had torn the pin bolt out of the mount attached to the king pin. We where able to get it back to the dealer and had the old hitch remounted while parts were acquired. Also the mount for the release cable hit the rail on the side of the truck and bent it. It was mounted to far from the 5er's neck. The dealer will rotate the part attached to the king pin 180 degrees and remount the pull cable on the neck when parts get in. We will have this done in September after our August trip.

 

[BobKilmer]

Hi everyone, I am sorry to post to a very old thread but I now find myself in the situation of needing guidance on this very subject. I have a Ford F-350 CCSRW 6.7 Diesel, 2019 GD Momentum 381M, and an Andersen Ultimate Hitch. I was experiencing chucking so I purchased a Flex Air pin box hoping it would improve the situation. On my way home from the dealer the Flex Air helped suppress movement going over larger objects like bridges, but on level ground it made the chucking much worse. Looking at how the units connect I can see why. I hopefully attached a picture that shows that the Andersen kingpin coupler and roto flex pivoting head are both sitting an at angle. The rubber on the roto flex pivoting head is compressed at the front and lifted off the pivoting plate at the back. Seeing how the weight transfers through the pivoting head, king pin coupler, and the hitch I can understand why the plate would be unevenly compressed and how it can make chucking even worse.

I now seem to have three choices:
1) Turn the Andersen king pin coupler around to see if this helps fix the issue
2) Buy the rotoflex lockout
3) Change out the Andersen Hitch for a B&W companion

I think I am going to start with #1 since it only costs me some time tomorrow and see if it helps, then decide if I move to #2 or #3 . I hate to do either #2 or #3 since I want to get rid of the chucking and get the capability I paid for in the Flex Air pin box and I also like how easy it is to hook up to the Andersen hitch. However, I definitely need to fix the chucking problem, so if #1 doesn't work I may jump to #3 . Any help or guidance is greatly appreciated!

 

[Second Chance]

Hi everyone, I am sorry to post to a very old thread but I now find myself in the situation of needing guidance on this very subject. I have a Ford F-350 CCSRW 6.7 Diesel, 2019 GD Momentum 381M, and an Andersen Ultimate Hitch. I was experiencing chucking so I purchased a Flex Air pin box hoping it would improve the situation. On my way home from the dealer the Flex Air helped suppress movement going over larger objects like bridges, but on level ground it made the chucking much worse. Looking at how the units connect I can see why. I hopefully attached a picture that shows that the Andersen kingpin coupler and roto flex pivoting head are both sitting an at angle. The rubber on the roto flex pivoting head is compressed at the front and lifted off the pivoting plate at the back. Seeing how the weight transfers through the pivoting head, king pin coupler, and the hitch I can understand why the plate would be unevenly compressed and how it can make chucking even worse.

I now seem to have three choices:
1) Turn the Andersen king pin coupler around to see if this helps fix the issue
2) Buy the rotoflex lockout
3) Change out the Andersen Hitch for a B&W companion

I think I am going to start with #1 since it only costs me some time tomorrow and see if it helps, then decide if I move to #2 or #3 . I hate to do either #2 or #3 since I want to get rid of the chucking and get the capability I paid for in the Flex Air pin box and I also like how easy it is to hook up to the Andersen hitch. However, I definitely need to fix the chucking problem, so if #1 doesn't work I may jump to #3 . Any help or guidance is greatly appreciated!
View attachment 21776

The Roto-Flex and Andersen are not compatible unless the Roto-Flex is locked... which defeats the purpose. Turning the Andersen setup around will not help. Any dampened pin box used with the Andersen has to keep the kingpin plate horizontal at all times. When we pulled with an Andersen and wanted a dampened pin box, I purchased and installed a Demco Glide Ride. It worked perfectly with the Andersen hitch and now with the PullRite conventional hitch.

Rob

 

[Wicked ace]

So I called Andersen CS and spoke with Josh (if memory services me correctly) he explained that the systems are compatible but I'll need to turn the aluminum block 180% positioning the ball hitch to the rear. He explained that this moves the weight to the rear of the plate and it will also pull the trailer forward 8" which isn't and issue for my longbed, but may be for a shorty.

I have the Andersen receiver block on the pin box oriented to the front. I have a 6.5' bed and all good on clearances there. If I were to turn it around 180 deg. I would be more concerned about the tailight hitting the drop down where the luggage compartment is, than hitting the cab. Also I don't think I could drop my tailgate.
One thing I did notice and quickly is the plate is not thick or strong enough to take the weight of the four set screws, it's only 12 gage steel, not even 3/32". I added a 1/4" plate 8 inches square to beef that area up.