Anderson 5th wheel hitches

[Hiller]

I ran into a guy up in PA this last week who was towing with a totally different 5th wheel hitch made by Anderson. It works very similar to a goose neck but instead of a ball mounted in the bed the ball is mounted on top of the steel pyramid fastened to bed rails. A special receiver mounts the pin. The hitch holder weighs about 50 pounds and the whole hitch costs around $ 600. According to the Andersonhitch.com website these hitches are rated at 20K and can handle a 4,700 pin weight.

This man sells trailers over in New Jersey and told me these hitches are gaining quite a bit of popularity with his 5th wheel customers. He has a large Cedar Crest 5th wheel .
Never saw anything quite like this hitch If I hadn't just spent a small fortune up grading my Reese to a Pulrite sliding hitch I might consider this set up.

[BB_TX]

They are mentioned a lot over on another forum. People seem to like them really well.

[1retired06]

Not a fan of goose neck configurations for fivers. Some swear by them

[okierver]

Miller
I currently have the Anderson hitch they have 2versions. Steel made about 75 lbs and aluminum 35 lbs
I have the steel one and pull my 38 ft Montana with it .have only had it 3 months and pulled a
Couple places locally it is a solid set up and have been pleased so far. We leave June 25 to go from Oklahoma to South Dakota for
10 days will have a good opportunity to test it good then

[BB_TX]

quote:Originally posted by 1retired06

Not a fan of goose neck configurations for fivers. Some swear by them

Although it uses a ball and socket type hitch connection it is not really a gooseneck. The ball is elevated on a base to the king pin height. And the socket is a short adapter that attaches directly to the king pin. So there is no lever arm to add new forces to the pin box.

But to hook up you have to raise it up, back the ball under the hitch, lower the hitch onto the ball. And connect chains where required by state laws. I will stay with the regular 5er hitch.

[DQDick]

Will be interesting to watch, but I'll stick with what I have for now.

[sambam]

A better mousetrap? Maybe. But I'll stick with my Reese for the short term.

[mazboy]

wrong site.

it is
www.andersenhitches.com

[DmaxDually]

I have the 25K Reese Elite 5th wheel hitch with the under bed mount rail system. I got it because I wanted a hitch that was removable and I didn't want rails mounted in the bed of my truck. It takes less that 2 mins to remove the hitch from the bed. No tools required and I have full use of the bed.

[chris199]

I have the under bed mounts and a Hensley TrailerSaver. Was concerned the Andersen hitch would "ride hard" vs the airbag system in the Hensley.

[DmaxDually]

quote:Originally posted by chris199

I have the under bed mounts and a Hensley TrailerSaver. Was concerned the Andersen hitch would "ride hard" vs the airbag system in the Hensley.

I have the under bed mounts for my Reese Elite. I was concerned also about the hitch making noise or "riding hard" when towing. I installed Bed Rug bed liner to protect my bed when I purchased my truck and also to help eliminate the hard ride when I did get a hitch. I didn't have a camper at the time I bought my truck but I knew I was going to get one in the future. After my hitch was installed I cut 4 small circles in the bed rug where the mounting points are. The hitch it sits on the bed rug nice and snug. I have a 3750FL and the hitch does make a sound when towing,turning or starting and stopping.

I saved the small circles I cut out of the bed rug and reinstalled them when I remove the hitch to use my bed. I really like the Bed Rug. I didn't want a spray in liner or a plastic one. The bed rug works perfect for me. Here is a link about the bed rug. Click on the video tab and watch the video's it explains the product.

http://www.bedrug.com/products/bed-liners/bed-rug.html

[BB_TX]

Dmax - I also have a Reese Elite with underbed mounts. I had noise (clunk) starting and stopping. Figured out it was due to about 1/8" play where the top cradle mounts to the shaft of the base allowing it to slide forward on a stop and back on a start. And since it is all welded, no way to take up the slack. I bought a round flat plastic electrical box cover at Lowe's, drilled a hole in the center slightly smaller than the shaft, cut out one side again slightly smaller than the shaft so that it was in the shape of a C, and pushed it down on the shaft behind the cradle. Eliminated almost all the stopping/starting clunk. You can see the blue plastic cover in the photo below.



I had a bed rug on a 2004 F250 with a hard fiberglass tonneau cover before I had a 5er and really liked it. The hard cover keep it dry. But I was concerned about retaining moisture under it after a rain with the 5er so I went with a spray in. But the Reese does not ride any harder with this setup than it did with my previous 2007 F350 with a Pullrite Super 5th. I do have a 5th Airborne pin box though.

[CORattler]

quote:Originally posted by DmaxDually

I have the under bed mounts for my Reese Elite. I was concerned also about the hitch making noise or "riding hard" when towing. I installed Bed Rug bed liner to protect my bed when I purchased my truck and also to help eliminate the hard ride when I did get a hitch. I didn't have a camper at the time I bought my truck but I knew I was going to get one in the future. After my hitch was installed I cut 4 small circles in the bed rug where the mounting points are. The hitch it sits on the bed rug nice and snug. I have a 3750FL and the hitch does make a sound when towing,turning or starting and stopping.

I saved the small circles I cut out of the bed rug and reinstalled them when I remove the hitch to use my bed. I really like the Bed Rug. I didn't want a spray in liner or a plastic one. The bed rug works perfect for me. Here is a link about the bed rug. Click on the video tab and watch the video's it explains the product.

http://www.bedrug.com/products/bed-liners/bed-rug.html

I had a bedrug on my previous truck and was very satisfied with it

[DmaxDually]

BB Tx - Good thinking on the fix...I guess I was lucky, mine doesn't make any noise.... so far. I really like the bed rug plus I have the Bak Flip cover on my bed.