Anderson Hitch

[Mark N.]

Originally Posted by jeffba

Of course there is the issue of voiding your frames warranty.

You are absolutely wrong about that. End of that debate.

[jeffba]

Originally Posted by Mark N.

You are absolutely wrong about that. End of that debate.

And I realize I should be taking your word for it

[Ricos Ride]

Andersen has only 2 documented cases where the hitch folded. Been in production since 2011. I have over 30,000 miles towing and a few hard stops thrown in and no problems. I've never been in a situation where i could not raise the legs far enough to unhook. I have however had situations where I would not have been able to unhook/rehook with a standard hitch because of the angle and grade of the spot I was camped in. Toss in never having to worry about dropping on the bed rails and I'm very happy.

[Mark N.]

Have you ever seen the C-5 Galaxy? It'll carry nearly 300,000 lbs of cargo and it's nearly ENTIRELY aluminum.

[Mark N.]

https://andersenhitches.com/Catalog/...-warranty.aspx

Originally Posted by jeffba

And I realize I should be taking your word for it

Except for the fact that it isn't just my word on that. Look at the link.

[Fishin2dMax]

I've have the Andersen hitch in two different TV's (one mounts on truck bed rails and the other mounts to flip up ball in the bed). I've used an Andersen hitch on my HC since new (1 year). I love the Andersen hitch for the smooth ride (no chucking) and ease of installation and removal. I have a "standard 6'.5" truck bed and have no issues with turning clearance with my HC. My RV dealer sells mostly large toy haulers and claims 70% of the new hitches he is selling / installing are Andersen with no known failures or issues.

[PSFORD99]

Originally Posted by Ricos Ride

Andersen has only 2 documented cases where the hitch folded. Been in production since 2011. I have over 30,000 miles towing and a few hard stops thrown in and no problems. I've never been in a situation where i could not raise the legs far enough to unhook. I have however had situations where I would not have been able to unhook/rehook with a standard hitch because of the angle and grade of the spot I was camped in. Toss in never having to worry about dropping on the bed rails and I'm very happy.

And to add further on both times, correct me if I am wrong, there was no damage to truck or fifth wheel .

[jeffba]

Yes i found that link when researching hitches. thank you. But also found in pinbox manuals that say they will void the warranty. Plus the product manager at the national rally also stated that it void the warranty.

For me, I do not want to get caught in the middle of figuring out who is going to pay for the damage.


I just want to see how many campgrounds you can get the C5 in.

Cheers

[PSFORD99]

Originally Posted by Mark N.

You are absolutely wrong about that. End of that debate.

I think the mistake here on most thinking is that its a gooseneck hitch , it is not, its the same as the B&W , the hitch is attached to the truck with a gooseneck ball. The Andersen attaches at that same point on the kingpin as a conventional hitch, it just has an adapter on the king pin to connect to the ball on the top of the hitch .

I don't know if they make the same argument on my standard rail mount Andersen ?? considering there is no mention of a gooseneck connection . I prefer the rail mount over the single point Andersen, plus I already had the picture frame adapter to accommodate my previous standard fifth wheel hitch. Also the standard rail mount Andersen is steel .

[sberlin]

bshgto nailed it. I’m a newbie since June and went with the Anderson. Pulled from VA to CA with 19 stops and hitching was a breeze. Love that I can remove it by myself within 3 minutes when I need the full bed or when I’m staying in a place for an extended time. Easily hitch by myself as well.

[PSFORD99]

Originally Posted by jeffba

Yes i found that link when researching hitches. thank you. But also found in pinbox manuals that say they will void the warranty. Plus the product manager at the national rally also stated that it void the warranty.

For me, I do not want to get caught in the middle of figuring out who is going to pay for the damage.


I just want to see how many campgrounds you can get the C5 in.

Cheers

I think you can't get past the fact that the Andersen IS NOT a gooseneck hitch, couldn't be further from one. Its point of attachment is NO DIFFERENT then a conventional , totally different then a gooseneck hitch.

The point is, using an Andersen , the frame is no more subject to failure then with a conventional hitch. How many times have we read about frame failures with the lippert frames, and nothing to do with the hitch.

[PSFORD99]

Originally Posted by sberlin

bshgto nailed it. I’m a newbie since June and went with the Anderson. Pulled from VA to CA with 19 stops and hitching was a breeze. Love that I can remove it by myself within 3 minutes when I need the full bed or when I’m staying in a place for an extended time. Easily hitch by myself as well.

Having towed many thousands of miles with a conventional hitch, and now the last couple years with the Andersen, would NEVER go back to the conventional. Too many advantages to the Andersen, the only negative some seem to point out, and usually the non-owners , is the increased raising ,and lowering to hitch . I haven't found that to be much of a negative, considering all the positives .

[davidksallee]

Love ours, basically a gooseneck extension. Easy to remove, carry, n lock. Still get a metallic click occassionally when accelerating n slowing as did with fifth wheel. Rides easy n smooth over uneven bumps and no issues with my short bed. Pull a 37' 321 with Ram diesel 2500

[Patyacht]

Originally Posted by Ricos Ride

Andersen has only 2 documented cases where the hitch folded. Been in production since 2011. I have over 30,000 miles towing and a few hard stops thrown in and no problems. I've never been in a situation where i could not raise the legs far enough to unhook. I have however had situations where I would not have been able to unhook/rehook with a standard hitch because of the angle and grade of the spot I was camped in. Toss in never having to worry about dropping on the bed rails and I'm very happy.

If the cases are documented as you say, please post each case that you know of so we can review those cases. Anderson has done a few changes from their beginning till now. I believe there have been more than 2 failures . In fact, I'm 99.99% sure there have been more just not publicized. Having used both types, Anderson and B&W style they both have their pluses and minuses. The modern 5th wheel of today is much heavier than in years past. I know Anderson displays a crush test (downward pressure test) but has anyone ever seen a fore and aft pressure test from Anderson or a third party?

[dfb]

I had one hit my trucks cab.. Anderson said,"if there is anything we can do, don't hessitate".. I asked them to pay my insurance deductible.. and then.. CRICKETS... They did not help.. When their release cable broke they charged me fully.. No discount.. nothing.. I won't do business with them again.. If you have a shortbed.. stay away.. I know there video shows a 5 foot bed doing a 90.. Hogwash... I have pics to prove it on my NEW 70 thousand dollar Ram truck...

[Fishin2dMax]

I too have a new 70 K "short Bed / standard 6'.5" bed and have not come even close to hitting my cab with the Andersen. The Andersen has an offset so you can extend the hitch pin forward and further back on the ball. With any hitch, there is the possibility of hitting the cab or bed rails with the trailer if there is a lot pitch, slope and angle while backing. Could my trailer tag my Cab or bed rails, you bet, but the Andersen is no different than my previous conventional hitch. Regardless of hitch, there is a need to be careful when other variables come into play while backing a trailer.

[Patyacht]

Originally Posted by Fishin2dMax

I too have a new 70 K "short Bed / standard 6'.5" bed and have not come even close to hitting my cab with the Andersen. The Andersen has an offset so you can extend the hitch pin forward and further back on the ball. With any hitch, there is the possibility of hitting the cab or bed rails with the trailer if there is a lot pitch, slope and angle while backing. Could my trailer tag my Cab or bed rails, you bet, but the Andersen is no different than my previous conventional hitch. Regardless of hitch, there is a need to be careful when other variables come into play while backing a trailer.

So true. I did have 1 cab contact but it was the "service departments" fault. To test drive and check my trailer brakes they removed the "Adapter", did not tell me and reinstalled the adapter backward. It did not cross my mind to check the adapter installation when I picked up the trailer.

[Jim.Burke]

In September 2018 my wife and I purchased a new 2019 3931FB. I did not belong to the Montana Owners Club and did not read about all of the controversies surrounding the Andersen Hitch. The little bit of research I did lead me to believe the Andersen was a great product. Had I read this forum before I bought my hitch I probably would have bought a B&W Hitch. But, as I said, I bought and Andersen, and to honest, I really like my Andersen Hitch. I find it very easy to connect and disconnect. The hitch is smooth going down the road. Our first long trip this fall was from Denver to San Diego. We pulled our 14500# trailer up and down some steep grades and we experienced no problems, we pulled through some heavy crosswinds in New Mexico and had very little control problems (certainly nothing hitch related). So, some of you are probably now going to hate me, and some of you are going to like me. This is just my honest experience with Andersen. Oh, and if you asked me after reading all this stuff now, would it change my mind....no way, I like my Andersen....... I like my Ford too.......there now I've done it, I now have a bunch of Ram and Chevy guys that hate me too.

[BillnLonda]

Originally Posted by Jim.Burke

In September 2018 my wife and I purchased a new 2019 3931FB. I did not belong to the Montana Owners Club and did not read about all of the controversies surrounding the Andersen Hitch. The little bit of research I did lead me to believe the Andersen was a great product. Had I read this forum before I bought my hitch I probably would have bought a B&W Hitch. But, as I said, I bought and Andersen, and to honest, I really like my Andersen Hitch. I find it very easy to connect and disconnect. The hitch is smooth going down the road. Our first long trip this fall was from Denver to San Diego. We pulled our 14500# trailer up and down some steep grades and we experienced no problems, we pulled through some heavy crosswinds in New Mexico and had very little control problems (certainly nothing hitch related). So, some of you are probably now going to hate me, and some of you are going to like me. This is just my honest experience with Andersen. Oh, and if you asked me after reading all this stuff now, would it change my mind....no way, I like my Andersen....... I like my Ford too.......there now I've done it, I now have a bunch of Ram and Chevy guys that hate me too.

I love my Anderson in my Ford too. We can be friends now!

[Champ]

I use the Andersen hitch in my 2017 Ford long bed to pull my 2018 3120 around for about 3,000 miles with no problems. Love it.