Question for Andersen Ultimate 5th Connection Users

[chaps2018]

Overload springs I did swap my jounce bumpers with a set of summos since the truck was sitting on the stockers-sagging in the rear after hitching the truck

Goose ball: tightening the top bolt made mine solid as a rock. Did u push the Andersen all the way forward before tightening?

[Jim in Florida]

I had some chucking on mine. I talked to Andersen twice and they sent me a shorter tube because they thought it might be bottoming out in my case. That solved my problem.

I found that talking with Andersen was the right route to go. Excellent help.

Jim

[hbillsmith]

Originally Posted by Jim in Florida

I had some chucking on mine. I talked to Andersen twice and they sent me a shorter tube because they thought it might be bottoming out in my case. That solved my problem.
I found that talking with Andersen was the right route to go. Excellent help.
Jim

Just curious but do you happen to use a rubber bed mat such that the Andersen sits on top of the mat? I do and it was the mat that added just enough height that it kept the center column from being able to tighten against the bolt. What was happening is that as I tightened the top bolt and it pulled the column up and the lower pin/rod would tighten against the outer sleeve. This left just enough play as to get some slight buck.

As you may now know, when they send you a shorter sleeve they also send a modified "sheared" pin/rod. Now when I tighten the upper bolt, the inner sleeve pulls all the way into the outer sleeve. That sheared pin goes up into the sleeve and as a bonus you no longer need to mess with the safety clip since the pin/rod becomes restricted by the walls of the outer sleeve.

Man that was a lot harder to write than it is to see ;-). Bottom line is if you use a thick rubber bed mat, be sure to ask Andersen for the short inner column and sheared pin. It's free.

[Jim in Florida]

No bed mat or rug for me. Just sitting on top of the spray in bedliner.

[cstreu1026]

Originally Posted by Jim in Florida

I had some chucking on mine. I talked to Andersen twice and they sent me a shorter tube because they thought it might be bottoming out in my case. That solved my problem.

I found that talking with Andersen was the right route to go. Excellent help.

Jim

I will give them a call. Were you able to tell either visually or by some other means that the tube was too long?

[Jim in Florida]

Nothing that I could tell. I made sure to tighten and torque when the full pin weight was on the hitch. Make certain you do that first.

Good luck.

[asahoffman]

First, I have not mounted mine at this point. I just "hook" it to the pin box. Has stayed there with no issues. But I have the same "surging" that the OP discussed. Followed installation instructions. Adjusted the ball lower as the trailer originally sat too high. The surging (I wouldn't call it clunking by any stretch as it is smooth) usually only occurs under acceleration. As mine come with the MorRyde pin box that has the sliding plate, I attributed the "surging" to that. You can see the rub marks as the plate is doing its designed function. I just assumed the two designs may not be the best together as the Anderson is designed with a conventional pin box in mind. Am I off on this? I do thinnk I will call Anderson today and get some feedback.

[Springerdad]

Originally Posted by hbillsmith

Just curious but do you happen to use a rubber bed mat such that the Andersen sits on top of the mat? I do and it was the mat that added just enough height that it kept the center column from being able to tighten against the bolt. What was happening is that as I tightened the top bolt and it pulled the column up and the lower pin/rod would tighten against the outer sleeve. This left just enough play as to get some slight buck.

As you may now know, when they send you a shorter sleeve they also send a modified "sheared" pin/rod. Now when I tighten the upper bolt, the inner sleeve pulls all the way into the outer sleeve. That sheared pin goes up into the sleeve and as a bonus you no longer need to mess with the safety clip since the pin/rod becomes restricted by the walls of the outer sleeve.

Man that was a lot harder to write than it is to see ;-). Bottom line is if you use a thick rubber bed mat, be sure to ask Andersen for the short inner column and sheared pin. It's free.

I'm glad you shared that. I, too have what feels like a front to back surge when accelerating and going over certain bumps. Two weeks ago was my first 5th wheel experience and wasn't sure what to think of it. I also have a thick rubber mat under my hitch,,,,, I didn't want to scratch my new truck's spray in liner. I just looked at my set up; the lower pin that grabs the bed ball is over an inch below the tube of the hitch frame. I DO notice the upper ball has over 1/8" fore and aft movement. It's set with the pin in the middle hole. We're heading out Friday for our maiden camping trip in this new 5er. I am going to remove the mat for the trip and see if that helps. Any other thoughts from experienced users is always appreciated.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by hbillsmith

Just curious but do you happen to use a rubber bed mat such that the Andersen sits on top of the mat? I do and it was the mat that added just enough height that it kept the center column from being able to tighten against the bolt. What was happening is that as I tightened the top bolt and it pulled the column up and the lower pin/rod would tighten against the outer sleeve. This left just enough play as to get some slight buck.

As you may now know, when they send you a shorter sleeve they also send a modified "sheared" pin/rod. Now when I tighten the upper bolt, the inner sleeve pulls all the way into the outer sleeve. That sheared pin goes up into the sleeve and as a bonus you no longer need to mess with the safety clip since the pin/rod becomes restricted by the walls of the outer sleeve.

Man that was a lot harder to write than it is to see ;-). Bottom line is if you use a thick rubber bed mat, be sure to ask Andersen for the short inner column and sheared pin. It's free.

Bill, how thick is your bed mat (if you've posted that, I missed it)?

[Old Bleu]

I use a 1/4" mat from Tractor Supply (cut it to fit) under my Andersen Ultimate. It has protected the bedliner from scratching so far, and I don't detect any movement. I do retorque the big bolt to 60 ft. lbs. after the full weight of the trailer is on the hitch and then tighten the two set bolts to 50 ft. lbs.

I have the Lippert 1621 HD pin box now, but may try the MorRyde pinbox in the spring. I think I've read that Andersen approves of this pin box for use with the hitch.

[hbillsmith]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Bill, how thick is your bed mat (if you've posted that, I missed it)?

It's a GMC OEM Rubber Bed Mat and I just went out and measured it's thickness is 5/16".

If anyone adds this mat or any other mat for that matter, there's a simple way to tell if you need to change the center column and lock pin.

Set you Andersen Ultimate onto the inbed goose ball and install as usual. When you get to the part where you are tightening the center top bolt, watch as the lower lock pin is pulled upward. That lock pin should NOT rise enough to touch the square column. Basically, the column that rises as you tighten the top bolt should reach full tight with the lock pin still sticking out at the bottom. You won't be able to remove the pin because of the tension applied by the top bolt, but you can still see a gap as if the column could rise more.

If your mat is too thick, the top bolt will tighten up, not from full tension applied to the ball, rather it will tighten up because the lock pin rises and contacts the outer column, basically there is no gat between the lock pin and the outer column. What this means is that even though the top bolt has properly been torqued, it's tensioning against the outer column instead of the goose ball. It will still tow safely this way, but because there's now slightly less tension on the actual ball, you will get that start up or slow down surge.

The fix is simple. Andersen will send you a different center column and a sheared pin. With those replacements, when you tighten the top bolt, the center column will pull the lock pin all the way into the outer column to the point where the hitch is fully tensioned against the ball.

I just added this picture I built using some screen shots off a youtube video I did a couple of years ago. Hopefully this picture is better than words, click on it to see it larger and more readable.

[florabama]

Picked up my rig from service shop yesterday and snapped off the hex socket when torquing. Now got to figure out how to get the broken piece out. Those 6" sockets are just too long for 40 lb torque and I think we all know that now.
My plan is tapping with a hammer then maybe a little heat, suggestions please.

[Bama Rambler]

Is there any of it sticking out of the screw? If so then wedging a screwdriver beside it may help loosen it enough to get it out.

[cstreu1026]

The tip that broke off of mine fell out of the bolt. The set of impact sockets I picked up from Harbor Freight were long enough to get the job done.

[florabama]

Originally Posted by Bama Rambler

Is there any of it sticking out of the screw? If so then wedging a screwdriver beside it may help loosen it enough to get it out.

Got it out with a small screwdriver. Thanks.

[Bama Rambler]

Glad it was easy to remove. Thanks for letting us know that you got it out and how you did it.

[rocco52]

The same thing happened to me so I bought one from Snapon. Works fine.

[mbbutler]

Originally Posted by Springerdad

He'll be hard pressed to know when he hits that 40 ft lb spec for tightening them that way.

Any healthy man who tightens a T-handle will be real close to 40 ft lbs...

[JDunaj]

Originally Posted by cstreu1026

Friday we went to pick up our new 2019 Sandpiper. I had decided to use the Andersen ultimate fifth wheel connection. Our dealer doesn't sell them so it was up to me to install it. Putting the base in the truck is a breeze. Installing the coupler didn't go as planned. I had checked and double check that I had all the tools I needed. What I didn't notice is that my 1/4' hex head socket wasn't long enough to reach two of the Allen screws. Since it was getting dark and the dealer ship was closing I made the decision to come back on Saturday after finding a longer socket. I ended up finding a set at Home Depot and we went back in the cold and pouring rain to finish installation and bring the trailer home. I was on the last screw of the second sequence or torquing the screws to 40 ft-lbs. when I snapped the end of the socket off. After throwing a the sock and many 4 lettered works I was able to finish installation.

I ran in to one more snag that left me frustrated and the trailer at the dealer. I need to mount the handle for the locking mechanism and the supplied sheet metal screws won't really screw in to the pin box. I am going to have to return with a drill bit but I also need a good locations. For those using the same hitch where did you mount your handle?

I mounted my release on the under frame at the roadside of the unit. it is easy to reach and I can see it in my rearview mirror.
Absolutely love this hitch.

Jeff Dunaj
1993 Wildwood
2015 F-350

[Old Bleu]

I attached the locking mechanism handle to the pin box with a couple of strong round magnets that I got from Amazon.