Anderson or Pull Rite Light Hitches

[Ram Montana High Country]

my RAM is a SB and I've only used the slider once with my '17 305RL.

[kozzy]

My auto slide engages all the time...if I didn't have a slide, I would be coming close to the cab often

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by dfb

Bought longbed truck. Put a steel Anderson ISR in. DARN THING CLUNKS SO BAD ON THE REESE FRAME! Slow down, BANG, SPEED UP, BANG!,,,,

Simple fix, loosen bolts on one rail just a little install Anderson, hit rail with a hammer to tighten up your rails to a new and obviously superior hitch, retighten rail bolts. If that doesn't work tell the wife you need to buy a new truck to solve the problem, she`ll fall for it

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by bshgto

Simple fix, loosen bolts on one rail just a little install Anderson, hit rail with a hammer to tighten up your rails to a new and obviously superior hitch, retighten rail bolts. If that doesn't work tell the wife you need to buy a new truck to solve the problem, she`ll fall for it

Anytime rail bolts are loosened they need to be replaced. Once torqued and had stress of pulling the threads stretch which weakens them for reuse. BTW ~~ truly superior hitches fit the standard rails without modification.

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

Anytime rail bolts are loosened they need to be replaced. Once torqued and had stress of pulling the threads stretch which weakens them for reuse. BTW ~~ truly superior hitches fit the standard rails without modification.

I don`t think they use torque to yield bolts in that application. As for the other it`s in the install instructions. Old ways have always died hard.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by bshgto

I don`t think they use torque to yield bolts in that application. As for the other it`s in the install instructions. Old ways have always died hard.

When. moving my hitch to a new truck the dealer told me I needed a new bolt kit. Told him to use the old and he said they would not install without new bolts. Called Reese and was told by them the dealer did the right thing. Some old ways will live on.

[Rookey]

When we purchased the Montana, we upgraded to a 1 ton GMC. I opted for the Andersen Ultimate. We live in a cul-de-sac so I have to make a tight U-turn when bringing the 5er home. Was concerned about the cab so I have the hitch in the TV with offset facing back, and the receiver on the pin box facing forward. (This is Andersen's standard install recommendation.) This gives me an additional 6" of clearance(3" each) from the cab. There are are other mounting combinations but I went with this. When I make the U turn, the 5er cap goes behind the cab although it is close (estimate 5-6"). I'll measure next time if anyone is curious. Love how I can hitch at an angle versus my old Pullrite SuperGlide requiring straight-on. Also don't need to do a test pull since it's either hitched or laying on my bed rails! In my 06 Chevy 3/4 ton the Pullrite worked fine but seemed to be a little worn and sloppy after 10 years of weekend getaways. My 440/880# Chicago hoist in the garage doesn't do much now. I did use it to lift cab off of my 31 Model A truck! For me, my experiences have been good with the Andersen hitch, so far.

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

When. moving my hitch to a new truck the dealer told me I needed a new bolt kit. Told him to use the old and he said they would not install without new bolts. Called Reese and was told by them the dealer did the right thing. Some old ways will live on.

They gotcha didn`t they.

[coachgrowl]

For me the pulrite superglide is the way to go had 10 years on my previous rig now using it on the new trailer upgraded to the 18 k hitch. I am lazy and forgetful I need everything to be automatic.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by bshgto

They gotcha didn`t they.

No, two metal engineers (1 a cousin) agreed with them. Another service manager said the same. Saving $50 on a bolt kit would be stupid.

[Idalogger52]

I noticed on this thread a post saying you turn the Anderson hitch around for a short bed truck putting the pin behind the rear axle center. That seems totally wrong to me. Wouldn’t that cause you to take a bunch of weight off of your pickups front axle? All the hitches I’ve seen in my limited 5th wheel experience are set to about 2” forward of the rear axle regardless of bed length, which makes sense to me. Am I missing something here?

[Snoopy]

I think he was saying to put it between the tail and axle.

[dlleno]

Originally Posted by dfb

My 2015 ram and 2015 Montana hit while backing at a sharp angle with the Anderson. So, be careful with a shortbed... only real safety measure is with a slider hitch...

this is good to know. in addition, one needs to realize that Andersen locates the pin weight behind the axle on Ram SBs. my puck system (2018) puts the center goosneck ball directly over the axle, so the Andersen creates a 5.375" lever between the pin and the axle on my truck. If I flipped it around I would be 5.375" closer to the cab, which would be silly. If I had anything to slam Andersen with, it would be that they are not entirely forthcoming on these matters but appear (to me) to be making an industry contribution to short beds without being clear that the pin is applied behind the axle permanently. This is of course for the gooseneck mount 3200. the only advantage for short bed trucks that is truly realizable is that the kingpin adapter can extend forward by 3 inches, effectively giving you an extended pinbox on a trailer that didn't come with one. add this 3 inches to the 5.375 inches that comes from moving the hitch point aft of the axle, and you have a compelling 8.375 inches of extra room. But this comes at a cost of two things:

1. less than forthcoming communications on the engineering mechanics of towing, and specifically the benefit of locating the pin above the axle and not behind it. I was in direct email communication with Andersen on this very topic. they confirmed that the ball mount is 5.375 inches behind the gooseneck, but went silent when I asked for the resultant position relative to the rear axle. I don't like that.

2. extending the pinbox with their adapter DOES increase the stress at the point where the pinbox is welded to the frame. its only 3" longer but its not zero -- it applies the same weight to same point with longer lever. imho this by itself gives frame mfgs every right to deny warranty claims because this is a modification of the original engineering intent.