Anderson or Pull Rite Light Hitches

[kozzy]

Anyone have experience with the Anderson Ultimate or the Pull Rite super light?
only 50 lbs, that's awesome. I currently have the superglide, and it is a bear to get in and out of my truck. Id love to have something lighter.
How is the clearance with short bed pickups?
My super glide is the auto slide, love that feature, but still, takes 2 people to get it in and out of the truck, which I do often..

[waynemoore]

50LBS hitch to pull a 14,000 or so pound RV. I think not to many reported problems with the Anderson. problems with deforming the pin box among other items. I bought a 2500lb electric winch from Harbor Freight and bolted to the ceiling of my garage. Easy out and in.

[kozzy]

that fact that it weighs 50 lbs really should not be a factor. just because it is lightweight does not mean it is weak...having an engineering background myself, II understand that items can be engineered to do amazing things, safely, even if they are not what they seem..
Where are these reported problems? I have not found any, but I am interested in finding out more. I am not going to switch to a different hitch lightly...but and curious to learn more..

[h2ojocky]

Why get rid of a great Superglide. Especially if you have a short bed. I lift mine out with a inexpensive winch mounted in my garage.

[John Neeley]

I have recently purchased the Andersen 3200 model, which uses existing rails. Have only did a test drive with it, and it worked very well, and come the end of this month, will be taking a longer trip, up and down mountain grades, thru hill and dales, to give it a workout. I had to upgrade to a larger capacity hitch due to the purchase of the new Montana 3440. Will give a report when I return from the trip, ya or na..

[okierver]

Bought a Anderson hitch 2015 fall and pull a 3625 Montana loaded around 14500-15000 have pulled with the hitch
To various lakes and from Tulsa to rapid city South Dakota 2 summers now and haven't had a problem.
Mines is the steel one not aluminum, weights about 65-70 lbs. o problem on highways , turns or backing into
Campgrounds some with a little uphill while backing in. My setup is a f350 long bed with the B&as turn all in the bed
Good Luck . You can watch the Anderson video and the hydraulic stress test and the failure rate pretty impressive

[dfb]

I keep the hitch connected to the pin. Pull the pins and raise the trailer enuff so I can pull the truck out. Have a home made cart to set the pullrite on..

[kozzy]

Yeah I have lifted it out with the pin before and used a cart, I just miss the Reese I had, could separate it into 2 pieces and lift out. I like the super glide but its just so heavy, but I love the auto slide feature. I don't have the capabilities to add a hoist system in my garage, so im just looking for a lighter option, I usually have to take the hitch out of my truck every time im not using it. When I leave it on the cart, I worry about my kids, who are both 6, moving around it to get there power wheels, bikes, etc, and it falling or hurting them...Those new lightweight hitches look great, but I just don't know enough about them. Everyone has there opinions, about the function and stresses they may cause. I figure there are smart engineers that worked on them, smarter than me, and they would not be available if they didn't work. I'm sure some people have had issues with them,. but im also pretty sure if you look around, there will be someone that has had issues with the conventional style fifth wheel hitches as well. I have found people that have had issues with both Reese and Pull Rite. Id really like first hand experience with their use in a short box (6 '5") pickup and the turning radius. I have never had to go full 90 degrees, but I can, and I have come close before...

[John Neeley]

quote:Originally posted by John Neeley

I have recently purchased the Andersen 3200 model, which uses existing rails. Have only did a test drive with it, and it worked very well, and come the end of this month, will be taking a longer trip, up and down mountain grades, thru hill and dales, to give it a workout. I had to upgrade to a larger capacity hitch due to the purchase of the new Montana 3440. Will give a report when I return from the trip, ya or na..

Okay, have returned from our 500 mile trip today which I used the Andersen Model #3200 Hitch for Rails.. We are very pleased with this hitch due to no clunking/clacking on bumps and the ease of hitching and un-hitching. There is NO BACKING into a bar or release like on other hitches, which always scared me alittle. Infact, I had one hitch, a Husky, break a weld after many uses due to suspect the release of the lever to lock in the jaws. No positive, but sure looked that way; and NO, I didnt slam into it and used chock blocks behind. With this Andersen hitch, you just position the funnel over the ball and lower down the RV onto it; and vice versa on unhooking. There is only one moving part in this hitch, and that is the cable release and pin, which is mounted onto the RV at the tailgate area (see pix). Being I live in California (aka Commiefornia) I am required to use safety chains, as the CHP considers this hitch a Gooseneck type. Also, other states require chains. Course the dealer knows nothing of this, and had to inquire on my own at the CHP office and talk to a DOT officer for verification. This hitch is rated at 20K# GVTW and 5K# King pin weight. Overall, am very satisfied with this hitch, being it is light weight (40#), as I hated having to remove that 180# hitch I had before, as I also use this TV for a ranch vehicle. They also make a hitch, called the Ultimate, which is either steel or aluminum which is for use with a standard Gooseneck ball in bed, and it is rated at 24K#. Only downside I see to this hitch is that if I need to take RV into shop for repairs, etc., I will need to remove the Andersen kingpin assembly, unless the shop uses a forklift with a 2-5/16" ball to insert into the funnel. There have been remarks made about this hitch and the Pullrite which uses the same Funnel/Ball feature, except their's is upside down from the Andersen, that it will void the Lippert frame warranty. I was very observant in noticing that with this hitch, I had very little flexing of the frame mount, compared to the traditional 5'er hitch. I guess time will tell? Also, there has been no known incident with this hitch, due to failure, etc that I can find anywhere on the internet, and it has been around for about 5 years now. I notice that in a recent Trailer Life, it was featured in the 5er hitch article dealing with the new hitches out now.

[twindman]

You won't find a company with better customer service than Pullrite. I have had a superglide for 11 years. Of course things changed and parts wore a bit. But when I call them they are very helpful. Also, bought a new trailer 3 years ago and the dealer installed the wrong hitch plate on the pinbox. I stopped at Pullrite on the way to the rally and they checked everything out, determined it was the wrong plate and gave me a new one. (They sell for around $100). We installed it on the spot. Person said "You paid for this once, you don't need to pay again.". Where else can you get that kind of help???

[kozzy]

Any word if the Anderson will work in a short bed pickup?

[John Neeley]

quote:Originally posted by kozzy

Any word if the Anderson will work in a short bed pickup?

Yes it will... Notice in my picture, that the ball is ahead of center for long beds and you reverse the mount to where the center is more rear of center for short beds.

[dfb]

Sb new ram... cab and fifth wheel met..

[kozzy]

thanks dfb, that's the answer I needed, I will stick with the pull rite, it may be heavier but I already know im safe with it...

[Mtnquail]

Hi John, was reading your report on the Anderson hitch. I haven't bought one yet but just about ready to pull the trigger on it. I was unaware of the extra chain requirement in California. Where do you have yours attached? It looks like you have loops on either side of the legs, what do they attach to? Thanks in advance. Darrel

[roothoss1282]

I use cables with my Anderson that are coiled. Really easy to hook up. With the B&W turn over ball they have 2 loops that I hook to. I just leave them hooked up to my 5er. The Anderson is so easy my wife takes it out all the time but I do have the Alum. one. 35 lbs. I had it in a short bed F- 250 which is 6'9" and never came close to getting in the cab and a few times I wondered and got out to look and was smiling and never looked again. Now up graded to a long be F-350. Would never use anything else but just me. I like things simple and easy. Lazy I guess LOL

[bshgto]

Looking at John Neeley`s post a few people up clearly shows the simplicity of the design and how it frees up some bed space. This is exactly what I have. Coming from a 200lb Pullrite that was a pain in the can to remove every time I wanted to use the bed of my truck for what it was design for, I can pull this with one hand and hang it on the wall of the garage out of the way until needed. These hitches are the wave of the future and come with NONE, NoNe, n-o-n-e not one of the problems, mess, noise, weight, "what was that" moments or "I`ll have to straighten up to unhitch" type camp sites or the wife trying but failing to align you to the 10 degree limit for the hook up. I`ll never go back to that, anyway, Love my Andersen. I couldn`t find where any one had problems with this hitch either maybe he could let us know where he found that, I would be interested in reading the posts.

[Dusters]

I'm using the Pull Rite version in a long bed truck. It weighs 50# and can be taken out in minutes. The 2 base tubing's are rectangular 2x2 and weigh as much as the frame. The most difficult part of using a ball, is to center it 2 to 4 inches from center of bowl. I can only approximate the ball to the area because the hitch frame is below my review mirror. I now have a stick flag and a wireless camera to assist. Take a look at the Pull-Rite site and see the construction. The material appears to be a little more constructed that the picture above. I also have max turning radius when backing, along with angling my truck 45 to 60 degrees for a sharp exit. It pulls the 14K pounds very well. The pancake on the Monty is adapted by an aluminum housing, attached with 4 bolts and is removed easily.

[bshgto]

A few threads down they are talking about dropping the camper on the bed rails and causing $4500,00 worth of damage. One guy did it more than once. I don`t carry full coverage on my truck so I would of had to pay for that. With Andersen it`s either on or off no in between or question " is it fully closed dear" Another reason the Pyramid hitches are a better way.

[Snoopy]

I have been using the pull right for about 3 months now on my 2015 Ford f250 SB. It works great and has given me a lot more turning radius than I had with my 16k husky S hitch.
2 items to make sure of, 1 use a graphite dry spray lube, and make sure your ball is mounted to the front on the pin box.