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Old 01-30-2018, 06:23 PM   #1
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Andersen Hitches

Does anyone know anything about these?
https://andersenhitches.com/Catalog/...onnection.aspx
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Old 01-30-2018, 06:33 PM   #2
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There are thousands of posts about them, on various RV forums.

My opinion is that they are fine for shorter light-medium trailers but not for long heavy trailers.
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Old 01-30-2018, 06:40 PM   #3
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Thumbs up Andersen Hitches

I bought a rail mount about a year ago. No problems, trailer pulls great, good price, lightweight and it stores inside my luggage compartment when not in use. I would not hesitate to recommend it.
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Old 01-30-2018, 07:03 PM   #4
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I have one and love it. My 5th wheel maxes at 12,200.
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Old 01-30-2018, 08:06 PM   #5
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There are several people using them in the park we are at. Some from Canada. Everyone I have talked to has said good things about them. Some have safety chains some do not. Only one is on a short bed Ford they have a pin adapter that moves the RV back several inches, gentleman said can turn 90 degree with way RV is shaped. They sure are light one person is able to lift it. The one on the Ford dropped into the Ford puck system.

I see that Pullrite just came out with a hitch very similar to this, noticed it on their site when I was looking at their adapters for my truck.
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Old 01-30-2018, 08:24 PM   #6
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I have one in my short bed F250 towing a 2016 Wildcat at about 11K in weight.
So far I have been very happy with it. Smooth ride, easy hookup. Even if I were to forget to set the ball latch on the female side of it I doubt it would come off, too much down force. I do have chains on mine.

When we uncouple sometimes I have my wife sit in the drivers seat with her foot over the brake and the truck in neutral. This lets the truck shift forward to back to uncouple easier.
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Old 01-30-2018, 08:43 PM   #7
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OP, if you are considering this for a short bed truck, take a look at a Reese Sidewinder. Worth a look at. We have used it on our last two fivers. Can use a standard Reese hitch in truck which is easy to remove in two pieces. Just another option.
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Old 01-31-2018, 05:04 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bikendan View Post
There are thousands of posts about them, on various RV forums.

My opinion is that they are fine for shorter light-medium trailers but not for long heavy trailers.
Did you open the link? This is the 5th wheel mount, not the WDH.
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Old 01-31-2018, 05:17 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thebrakeman View Post
Did you open the link? This is the 5th wheel mount, not the WDH.
Yea, my bad!
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Old 02-08-2018, 02:01 AM   #10
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I tow about 18,300# with one. I really like this hitch and will never tow with anything else.

There are those who do not like them however, but most of the nay sayers have not tried one.
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Old 02-08-2018, 06:41 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Mac549 View Post
I bought a rail mount about a year ago. No problems, trailer pulls great, good price, lightweight and it stores inside my luggage compartment when not in use. I would not hesitate to recommend it.
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Old 02-08-2018, 01:20 PM   #12
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We just purchased one, but we have not towed with it. I did lots of research before we purchased.
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Old 02-08-2018, 02:05 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lesptr View Post
I have one and love it. My 5th wheel maxes at 12,200.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hutchman View Post
I tow about 18,300# with one. I really like this hitch and will never tow with anything else.

There are those who do not like them however, but most of the nay sayers have not tried one.
I often see posts like this from those owning these hitches but never any factual reasoning WHY they would never tow with anything else.

Other than the weight of the hitch, (or lack thereof) what other advantage(s) do they possess?

My hitch couples and locks easily.
I didn't have to mount an adapter on the pin box nor attach a cable to the side of my unit to unlock it.
I don't have any chucking or clunking.
I don't need safety chains. (much debate)

Not trying to be a 'smartie pants' just trying to understand what am I missing?
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Old 02-08-2018, 02:24 PM   #14
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Facts of my experience with the Andersen ultimate 2

$700ish cost
35lbs weight
Fast/easy hitch/unhitch
No grease
No noise
Very forgiving on alignment/tilt when hitch/unhitching

The hitch is rated at 24,000 lbs GTWR and 4,500 lbs tongue weight

More than adequate for my rig at 40' 14k gvwr, 2800lb tongue weight
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Old 02-08-2018, 04:49 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 5picker View Post
I often see posts like this from those owning these hitches but never any factual reasoning WHY they would never tow with anything else.

Other than the weight of the hitch, (or lack thereof) what other advantage(s) do they possess?

My hitch couples and locks easily.
I didn't have to mount an adapter on the pin box nor attach a cable to the side of my unit to unlock it.
I don't have any chucking or clunking.
I don't need safety chains. (much debate)

Not trying to be a 'smartie pants' just trying to understand what am I missing?
I often see posts like this and even though people say they are not trying to be "smartie pants," that's exctly how they come off. So for you, I will offer the following and I will try to write slowly:

I have been towing 5th wheel RVs since the mid 80s and I am now 65 years old. I can no longer lift 200# hitches like I used to. The low weight by itself is enough reason for me to own one. It allows me to remove the hitch easily, have no rails left in the bed, and be able to use my truck as it was designed.....as a truck.

I owned a slider for a very short time. I hated it because of the way it would slam back when accelerating when turning a corner. It was impossible to hook and unhook on a curved space without ending up way out in the grass due to the requiremebt of being witin the 11 degree window for hooking/unhooking. It was heavy and left unsightly plates in the bed when the hitch was removed.

I owned a cheap Reese bar type hitch which was very heavy and was really tough unlatch if you failed to get the pin pressure completely off the bar. It usually took two or three attempts to get it right. Each attempt meant a trip back to the drivers seat to get it right.

The worst hitch was a Curt jaw type hitch. It was really heavy and stayed in the truck all the time. It fit the factory puck system, but was so stinking heavy I could not take advantage of the flat floor when the hitch was removed.

Now, and read this carefully, the Andersen hitch is very light and easy to install/remove, it is the easiest to hook/unhook of ANY hitch I've ever owned, and there is no chucking whatsoever.

These are the FACTS in my world and they are indisputable in my world.

I hope that is now clear to you.
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Old 02-08-2018, 05:23 PM   #16
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hutchman, 5picker has been around FRF for a long time. He is not a smarta$$ so if you took his post that way, you read something into it that wasn't there.

Anyway, everything you said seems to agree with all the other Andersen Ultimate owners' experiences. So your facts aren't just in your world (otherwise they wouldn't be facts at all, they'd just be opinion or spin).

I have no experience with it having never towed a 5th wheel, but based solely on what I've read on this forum, the Andersen's biggest advantages in comparison to a traditional 5th wheel hitch are light weight and ease of hooking up at odd angles.

The light weight is a huge advantage for guys like me with a bad back so it would be a serious contender if I were to upgrade to a 5th wheel. The only way it wouldn't be an advantage would be if you have no intention of taking it out of the bed when its not being used. Some people leave their traditional hitch hanging from the pin box or have a pickup crane or something similar to remove it, which would negate that weight advantage.

There are only 2 disadvantages I see:
1) you can't use a Reese Revolution of Sidewinder to move the pivot point back in a short bed pickup since you can't use a wedge with the Andersen Ultimate. If you have one of those pin boxes, you need to lock it out to use the Andersen Ultimate.
2) it has a larger footprint than a traditional hitch so it would potentially reduce the usable space in your pickup's bed when towing.

The adapter is really not much of an issue since its easy to remove and transfer as needed.
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Old 02-08-2018, 05:31 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hutchman View Post
I often see posts like this and even though people say they are not trying to be "smartie pants," that's exctly how they come off. So for you, I will offer the following and I will try to write slowly:

I have been towing 5th wheel RVs since the mid 80s and I am now 65 years old. I can no longer lift 200# hitches like I used to. The low weight by itself is enough reason for me to own one. It allows me to remove the hitch easily, have no rails left in the bed, and be able to use my truck as it was designed.....as a truck.

I owned a slider for a very short time. I hated it because of the way it would slam back when accelerating when turning a corner. It was impossible to hook and unhook on a curved space without ending up way out in the grass due to the requiremebt of being witin the 11 degree window for hooking/unhooking. It was heavy and left unsightly plates in the bed when the hitch was removed.

I owned a cheap Reese bar type hitch which was very heavy and was really tough unlatch if you failed to get the pin pressure completely off the bar. It usually took two or three attempts to get it right. Each attempt meant a trip back to the drivers seat to get it right.

The worst hitch was a Curt jaw type hitch. It was really heavy and stayed in the truck all the time. It fit the factory puck system, but was so stinking heavy I could not take advantage of the flat floor when the hitch was removed.

Now, and read this carefully, the Andersen hitch is very light and easy to install/remove, it is the easiest to hook/unhook of ANY hitch I've ever owned, and there is no chucking whatsoever.

These are the FACTS in my world and they are indisputable in my world.

I hope that is now clear to you.

I read everything you wrote and not one advantage over my current hitch except the weight of the hitch itself. That isn't a problem for me yet so I won't rush out and purchase one.

My first 5th wheel was 1982 so I'm not a newbie either, not that it matters. Sorry it bothers you so much to pound the Andersen drum to someone who was asking legitimate questions.

For someone criticizing smartie pants you sure fit the bill. No need to write slow, I can keep up.
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Old 02-08-2018, 05:34 PM   #18
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I do understand why folks might want to remove their hitch. But I never remove my hitch, and how easy it is to do so is the LAST reason I'd buy a hitch. So scratch that completely, and then tell me why it's better than my B&W Companion. Discuss safety when pulling, ease of connection and disconnect, etc.

I'm open to listen..........just not sure I'd like something that light, that hangs on one small ball rather than locking jaws. But if it's a BETTER mousetrap, I'm all ears.
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Old 02-08-2018, 05:54 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 5picker View Post
I often see posts like this from those owning these hitches but never any factual reasoning WHY they would never tow with anything else.

Other than the weight of the hitch, (or lack thereof) what other advantage(s) do they possess?

My hitch couples and locks easily.
I didn't have to mount an adapter on the pin box nor attach a cable to the side of my unit to unlock it.
I don't have any chucking or clunking.
I don't need safety chains. (much debate)

Not trying to be a 'smartie pants' just trying to understand what am I missing?


I never said I wouldn’t tow with anything else. What I said was I love mine.
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Old 02-08-2018, 06:00 PM   #20
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I think most of it may have to do with the hitch you were using before the Andersen. In my case it was a Husky 16k.
* It chucked
* Was hard to unlock in certain cases
* Weighed more than 200 pounds. Hurt my back on several occasions.
* I did not want to leave the hitch in the bed of my truck.

The Andersen fit the bill for me.
* It did not chuck
* Easily came undone no matter the angle etc.
* Only weighed 40 pounds. When not in use, hung it up on the wall in my garage.

It did take a few more minutes to hook up due to getting the ball lined up.

Those are my reasons for buying an Andersen. Even though I have gone back to a TT, I still have it in case I go back to a 5er.
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