Andersen Ultimate 5th wheel hitch?

[watkinsk]

Currently I am using a Superglide auto slide.hitch for my F350 shortbed. Met a guy towing with an Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Hitch. He couldn’t say enough good about it.
Does anyone on this board have any experience towing their 5th wheel with an Andersen birch?

[dfredendall]

Keith, I have not towed with one but have seen them in use and hitching up. Owners have had challenges on steep angles and uneven parking/camp spaces. The trailer must raise high enough to get above the ball and adapter plate. 4X4 trucks can sit high, making for occasional fun hitching up.That is all I know about them.

[Don Wilson]

If I remember correctly Bob Merrick aka bmrbob has the the Anderson Ultimate hitch . He has not been on the website for a couple of months because he is in the process of building a new house. You might send him an email and see if he can give you insight in how he likes it.

Don

[djousma]

So, I know nothing of them either. I do know those that own them are almost fanatical about them. For me, there just isn't enough benefit to switch. Dana is right, you have to be able to jack the trailer quite a bit higher. I watched a guy next to me hitch up, and he had to get a torque wrench out to tighten something on the hitch AFTER he was hooked up.

[Bgjacobsma]

There are two things that I don't like personally. One is that you have to raise the trailer so high to hook up and unhook and you need to be spot on hooking up. Two is I personally like that the pin and fifth wheel are flat surface, which gives a more stable platform. The trailer is not going to rock as much in a side wind. Ps. I drove for 40 years professionally that just my thoughts!!

[WVcampers]

I have used the Andersen on my previous Cardinal and my present one. I traded trucks about 2 years ago and the truck that I traded for had the B&W puck style hitch in it. So that is what I'm using now.

My opinion of the Andersen after using one for about 5 years. It was the rail type steel not the Ultimate aluminum one. It is a very good hitch. It weighs probably 45 lbs which makes it easy to remove when you want it out of the truck. The ball connection is a very tight fit and has no back and forth movement at all. I have 3 close friends using the aluminum Ultimate style, it fits on a gooseneck ball that you install in the bed of the truck. after the weight trailer is on the hitch for the first time after install, it is recommended that one of the bolts of the hitch be torqued again. This is the only time that it need to be done. Both styles will offset the ball toward the rear of the truck so that a slider is not needed. The balls is adjustable up and down and it rides on teflon inside the coupler, so no grease is needed. The locking mechanism can be located where you don't have to reach into bed of the truck to operate it. There is no way that you can drop the trailer on the truck after you are hitched.

Like was previously noted, the trailer has to be raised about 2" higher than it does with a conventional fifth wheel hitch. It is more difficult to hitch up since the ball must be aligned with the coupler before you lower the trailer. Pull Rite is making a similar type hitch now.

[watkinsk]

So Randy, do you prefer the Andersen hitch or the B&W puck???
Thanks for the good review.

[WVcampers]

Nothing wrong with either. I really miss the Andersen when I need the B&W out of the truck bed. With the new trucks being so tall, I have to climb on the rear tire of the truck to remove and install the locking pin in the B&W every time that I hitch or unhitch the trailer, never had to do that with the Andersen. If I had to start over from scratch, I would buy the Andersen.

[Don Wilson]

Randy,
I have not seen the B&W puck hitch but isn't it a fifth wheel hitch just like the B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch except using the puck mounts in the bed rather than drop in bar where the turn over ball is? Also is the Anderson not basically a goose neck hitch just sitting up higher and not being directly in the bed?
I never used the goose neck on the B&W I had in my 2006 but would think if the Anderson being much like the goose neck would be a rougher ride than the fifth wheel type hitch.

Don

[WVcampers]

You are right that the B&W Puck Hitch is the same as the B&W Companion. They are great hitches. The Andersen is sort of a raised Gooseneck. It does use a 2 5/16 ball same as a Gooseneck. I never noticed any difference in the way the trailer handled, The MorRyde pinbox on the trailer works with both. Maybe because the Andersen has a platform in the bed of the truck that matches the regular 5TH wheel hitch in size makes it more stable than a gooseneck adapter. What should be considered is that I do not have a large trailer. The Andersen is rated for 20,000lbs. Some B&W hitches are good for 26,000, maybe more.

There are a lot of people that would never think of using the Andersen. They believe that because it doesn't weigh 100lbs that it is not safe. I have used both and don't see anything wrong with either one of them.

[WVcampers]

Update on B&W hitch. After using it now for a long time, over 2 years, I will give you an update on the B&W and the Andersen. I have some friends that are still using Andersen. One has had to replace the coupler and the ball because the teflon in the coupler fell out and he did not notice it. Two of the others have had to replace the red plastic on the coupler that guides the ball into the coupler. Andersen has covered the cost for all of them.

My B&W has been flawless. Hooking to the trailer is the easiest thing that I have ever done. This is in part because of the Cardinal"s auto hitch height feature on the leveling system and the high cab mount camera with the guide line on it that is on my Ford truck. I don't need to get out of the truck until the trailer is hitched. Another thing, the B&W works great with the More Ryde pin box. Andersen has now decided that a pin box with this feature must be disabled when using their hitch.

So, I retract my statement that I prefer the Andersen. I would not go back to it now.

[watkinsk]

Randy, I did go ahead a change to Andersen hitch in May 2022, selling my SuperGlide. I have had no problems and pulled about 5000 miles over 55 days. I am very satisfied with it and really enjoy having my truck bed back when not towing.
My observations are (note… my TV is a F350 Std Bed, SRW)
Pros:
1. Getting my truck bed back and being able to lift the hitch up or down without assistance.
2. Ease of hookup and disconnect.
3. Probably less chucking but certainly not more than with the Superglide.
4 ability to disconnect at strange angles.
5. Andersen support has been tremendous when I called about replacing a couple of bolts (shippers at no cost to me)

Cons:
1. Turning radius reduced from 90 to about 80-85/degrees. So far (knock on wood) I haven’t needed a 90 degree turn radius
2. Having to raise the front of the trailer quite high to unhook from the ball or connect to the ball.
3. About 20 states require safety chains between the king pin and the trailer, so I had to start using safety chains when towing through those states.

I will modify one of your statements. I currently have a RotoFlex king pin that does require 2 bars to “lock out” the unique movements of the king pin head. I called Andersen last month to confirm if I would need to use a lock out kit with a MorRyde should I swap out kingpins. Andersen said ONLY the Rotoflex requires a lock out bar, not the MorRyde. Even though I consider the fore-aft movement in the head of both MorRyde and RotoFlex to be similar, evidently they are designed substantially different thus eliminating the requirement for lockout bars on the MorRyde. Of note, Super glide sells a ball hitch now that is different in design fm the Andersen and it too requires a lock out bar for RotoFlex but not MorRyde.

For now I recommend Andersen hitches, even for standard bed trucks.

[WVcampers]

Keith, the Roto Flex statement is correct. I have the MorRyde, I guess that's why I said that. The Roto Flex does have ability to tilt some, MoreRyde does not. My 2 friends do have the Roto Flex. One of them has towed his camper for about 3 years without the lock out and has no damage. When the other one bought a new camper and was told that he needed it he added it to his. I never had a problem with the Andersen and used it for several years. I changed because I bought a used Ford that came with the B&W puck style hitch. I traded that truck and kept the hitch. Keep a watch on the silicone insert in the coupler on your Andersen. I know 2 that have fallen out. My guess it hot weather expands the aluminum enough for it to come out. If you keep the coupler closed when not hitched it cannot fall out.

[watkinsk]

Randy, thanks for the advice. Had not heard about problems with silicone inserts. Will pursue that further.