Pin box and front cap profile

[florabama]

Trying to decide which hitch and pin box combo to get for CC 34RL. I'm strongly leaning toward a Andersen Ultimate hitch for my Ram 3500 6'4" bed. Here are my questions:
1. With the Andersen Ultimate I'm reading on other forums that the Trail Air pin box is not necessary since Andersen eliminates the typical chucking and noise that most fifth wheel hitches cause. What pin box is standard on CC if I do not get the Trail Air upgrade and do you think the upgrade is necessary? I also understand that the Trail Air will raise the front up an extra inch or two which I don't really need/want with a Ram 3500 4x4.

2. With a standard bed truck I"m not planning on getting a slide hitch since the Andersen moves the pin a few inches (about 9) to the rear. So is the front cap profile taped enough that would help prevent any cab contact in extreme turing conditions? or not extreme conditions?

Sorry for the long winded post but with my family's safety and lots of money involved I want to make the smartest decision possible.

[tkmi]

Have a non slider hitch in my short box dodge with no problems. Front cap is tapered enough. I have a silverback 33rl. I drove truck for 43yrs, you should not put yourself into a backup of more than 45 degree if possible. More than that will put side wall stress on tires. Its all on proper setup before backing.

[Jim34RL]

Go over to Turbo Diesel Register. com and under the tow and hauling threads. There is a post by a user of the Anderson hitch in his short bed truck. Read thru the entire comments you might find out what he used for a pin box on his 5er.

I would still get the Trail Air pin box for your 5er. I am on my second 5er with this pin box installed and I will never by another 5er without one. The shock absorber and air bag helps the pin box to dampen out the up and down motion that you get with a trailer when driving on concrete road surfaces. Which most interstate roads are now.

[Islander]

florabama....
I do not know anything about the Andersen Ultimate ....but I did search and looked at the set up.
I don't see how or by how much it could reduce chucking...from what I could see or read.
Is there some kind of 'rubber bumper' or some movement to take up the 'chucking' ???

However, as a Trail Air Tri-Glide owner I can honestly say it is money well spent.
It 'does' reduce the chucking ...practically eliminates it all.
Chucking is one of the most aggravating, tiring, uncomfortable side effects of 5th wheeling. Now with less infrastructure spending = very little road repairs on many highways the ride in the cab is rougher than ever.
The Trail Air really helps !

The Air-Bag and Shock Absorber ~smooths out~ those jarring bumps and definitely reduces any damage that could be caused by sudden dips and hidden humps at 60mph....both on the 5th wheel frame and the truck as well.

Everything inside the 5th wheel is under less stress, as I have tested to see how much difference the Air Bag ride does provide. I placed items around inside on counters and table.... I found them to be still in place with very little movement after traveling to and from campsites.

As far as raising the front... there should be enough adjustment to bring it down with the Hitch and pinbox adjustment holes.

Hope this helps
Islander

[Islander]

OK... I just watched the video on the Anderson Hitch site and saw their 'claim' ...or at least how they figure what is the cause of 'chucking'.

They want you to believe that the common 5th wheel hitch is flexing and moving around in the back of your truck...well....FYI My 5th wheel hitch is not flexing and moving around and does not have several loose joints.... Further, the 'chucking' as we know it not caused by or at the hitch / pin box.

Chucking is the motion caused by the 'fight between the truck and trailer' as the truck wheels pass over a road bump or depression then the trailer wheels pass over the same bump or depression...causing a 'push - pull' sensation ...and so on... this my friends is 'Chucking'.

Another note why Anderson may think their hitch has no chucking is because the test rig in the video has a MorRyde Pin box on it which is known to reduce 'chucking'.

I am not saying don't buy the Anderson Hitch and I am not saying buy it.
All I am doing is pointing out that in the Anderson hitch video they are giving miss leading information....IMO.

Islander

[DJNCJ]

I am using the Andersen with my CC and short bed Ram. I have the standard pin box and cannot see/feel the need to spend more on a Trail Air or MoRyde. I enjoy a quiet secure connection with plenty of turning clearance. I marvel at how nice the ride is without the expensive pin box. I believe it is due to the hitch. That being said, I have not towed this trailer with any other hitch. There is slight chucking (forward/back motion) when traversing a larger road imperfection but nothing jarring.

4" offset from the GN connection point is all thats needed to achieve a near 90 turn (if ever needed) with my 36ckts.

I use a 4" offset GN ball to couple to the Andersen. I then orient the pin adapter with the ball connection behind the pin. This gives greater side wall and tailgate clearance than if I used a standard GN ball and oriented the adapter the opposite way. Either connection works just more clearence my way.

BTW my trailer is right at 13'6" with the standard pin box and my hitch at its lowest setting. You will want to consider that too as you shop for a trailer.

HTH

[florabama]

Originally Posted by DJNCJ

There is slight chucking (forward/back motion) when traversing a larger road imperfection but nothing jarring.
HTH

The expense for the Trail Air would be a good investment "for me" if it would take care of what little chucking is experienced.
Appreciate your posting and it adds support to me going with the Andersen Ultimate.

[DJNCJ]

Originally Posted by florabama

The expense for the Trail Air would be a good investment "for me" if it would take care of what little chucking is experienced.
Appreciate your posting and it adds support to me going with the Andersen Ultimate.

You will like the Andersen...I promise. I appreciate how easily the hitch can be removed and stored leaving an empty pickup bed to work with.

[DKRITTER]

Take a hard look at the Reese GooseBox.

I love mine. Amazed how smooth it is.

[DJNCJ]

Originally Posted by DKRITTER

Take a hard look at the Reese GooseBox.

I love mine. Amazed how smooth it is.

The Goosebox does look interesting to me too! I bet with the offset GN ball it would work in a short bed also.

Did you by chance clear it with Forest river for use on your trailer? Just wondering if they say anything about frame warranty with its use...

[DKRITTER]

Due Diligance is a good thing.

Lippert has approved the R GB for the 36CKTS.

Saying that never trust or believe anything on the internet, verify for yourself.

[muddyrode]

If useing an off set GN ball with the anderson will move the pin weight point back past the rear axel as noted in one post 9 inches, that is alot that has to change the ride puting the weight back that far

[hbillsmith]

Originally Posted by muddyrode

If useing an off set GN ball with the anderson will move the pin weight point back past the rear axel as noted in one post 9 inches, that is alot that has to change the ride puting the weight back that far

Most of us combine the 4" back of offset GB with the 8" forward of the reverse Andersen adapter. The net is only a 4" back of the kingpin. That weight movement is negated because the nose pivot is now forward.

[muddyrode]

So the anderson adaptor moves the pin weight 8 inches?

[hbillsmith]

Originally Posted by muddyrode

So the anderson adaptor moves the pin weight 8 inches?

The adaptor can be installed either with the kingpin in front of the adapter's ball hole or behind the ball hole. This has the effect of moving the trailer nose either forward of the top-of-Andersen ball or behind it.

Separately, the Reese or B&W GB extension moves the bed ball 4" towards the tailgate.

For maximum distance from the truck cab, one could use the GB Extension (4" toward the tailgate) PLUS mount the Andersen Adapter with GB socket in front of the king Pin (8" from GB hole to King Pin insert). This combo puts the kingpin 12" back.

If the king box is having issues with bed rail clearance (i.e. truck is too tall), one can choose to move the pivot point and thus have the entire kingbox rotate within the truck bed walls (obviously this is dependent on which kingbox, but it worked for my LCI 1621 compatible). The trick here is to use the GB Extension bedball (4" toward the tailgate) and then REVERSE the normal Andersen adapter mount to have the GB hole BEHIND the kingpin (this moves the trailer 8" toward the truck cab). The net is only a 4" move of the trailer nose toward the cab.(8" minus 4").

This demonstrates the nice adaptability of the Andersen Ultimate hitch. The hitch ball is adjustable up or down from 13" to 19" off bed floor. The above mentioned mounts provide enough forward backward selection that for most of us, no slider is required.

There are 2 other mount possibilities but the two mentioned so far seem to be the most popular.

PS. I've towed my 11,000# trailer 12,800 miles from California to Florida, Texas to Wisconsin in the last 14 months. Trailer and truck tow level (even with my airbags deflated to the minimum 5#). I've made probably 3 or 4 almost 90deg. backins into tight Arizona resort style pack-em-ins with no issues. I continue to be a recommender of this hitch. See my sig for truck etc details.

[chisumbella]

How do you know what pinbox to get? I have a 2015 ceder creek silverback 33Ik.

[dsklapatch]

I have an Anderson hitch on 2016 chevy 2500HD, manufacture requirements are for Mor/ryde pin box with HD bottom plate if looking for a replacement pin box, (RPB72-1621HD-05 pin box, and RPB77-006 bottom plate) for replacing CC factory 1621 pin box, GVW is needed for correct selection. The last number changes as GVW weight increases or decreases. Also if your truck has air bags there is no need for it on pin box. Mor/ryde pin box and correct positioning of king pin adapter make a world of difference. I have the adapter placing the 5er forward and the ride is much better, 50 to 60 Lb in air bags of truck greatly improved ride from East coast to Green Bay Wi. No cab contact issues in this configuration. Call Anderson they are very helpful, and so is Mor/ryde.
I found most Pin box companies do not recommend their pin box and goose neck hitches.

[dalspot]

We didn't know what pin box we were going to get either, so we just got the standard Lippert. We have a B&W hitch with the puck mount system. We were really amazed at how smooth the ride was traveling home from the dealer. We also were concerned about cab clearance with our Ford short bed. Second trip out we arrived at an unfamiliar campground and had to blind back in -in the dark- into a site that ran downhill from the road. Had about 3" to spare but got no closer to the cab. We also had no problem getting the rig in our driveway which slopes uphill. That's a pretty tight fit. We compared the Lippert to a friends TrailAir and found the trailAir would give us an additional 2" in clearance.

We had planned to get a Sidewinder pin box, but thinking now we may not need it.

Originally Posted by florabama

Trying to decide which hitch and pin box combo to get for CC 34RL. I'm strongly leaning toward a Andersen Ultimate hitch for my Ram 3500 6'4" bed.