Best Fifth Wheel Hitch

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brclark82

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I am looking at getting my first fifth wheel and don?t have any experiences with hitches.  I have a ?17 Chevy 3500 SRW Crew Cab 6.5? Bed.  Pin weight will be around 2500 it looks like and 14k trailer GVWR.

The camper will be staying on a seasonal campsite for most of the year but I will be a taking a few trips as well.  I would like something that is fairly easy to remove/install and leaves as clean a bed as possible (no rails of possible).

Any recommendations?

Also, I?m not looking for input on whether my truck is big enough because I?m sure that?s where this will inevitably end up. I understand payload etc and am comfortable with my truck towing this camper.
 
For ease of removal and a rail-free bed, check out the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Hitch at https://andersenhitches.com/Catalog/gooseneck-mount--ultimate-5th-wheel-connection.aspx.

 
I know NOTHING about 5th wheel hitches but the link you provided looks different than what I was expecting it to look like. Am I missing something?
 
The Andersen does look a lot different than a conventional hitch. If you have a goose neck ball, you can check out the B&W Companion.
 
The Andersen attaches to a gooseneck ball mounted in the bed of the truck. There is an "adapter block" that attaches to the kingpin into which the raised ball sits. The website has some nice videos and explanations of how it works. I've had mine since May 2016 and I love it. There are other traditional 5th wheel hitches that also mount to a gooseneck ball (such as the B&W Companion that was mentioned) so the bed is rail-free when the hitch is removed but they are all very heavy. This is one of the primary reasons I chose the Andersen - it only weighs 37 lbs - it comes out of the truck after every trip and hangs on my garage wall.
 
I'll be in the market in the spring and am interested in this as well. So if your truck already has a gooseneck ball I assume you just buy the hitch. But a truck without the gooseneck ball will first have to have one installed, then buy the hitch? If yes, what's the price difference between traditional fifth wheel hitch vs. gooseneck ball + Andersen. And when the Andersen hitch has been removed, you now have a ball in the bed, or does that come out or flip over to give you a flat bed?
 
I also have the Andersen Ultimate hitch.  It IS different from others!

It comes in two varieties.  One fits on a gooseneck ball.  The other attaches to standard rails.  Each version comes in steel and aluminum versions.  My Aluminum gooseneck hitch weighs less than 40 pounds, making it fairly simple to install and remove - especially when compared to its' 200 lb conventional hitch cousins.

I can install or remove my goose ball hitch by myself in under 10 minutes.  If I also remove the goose ball, the bed is as flat as a truck without a hitch.

For pricing, go on line and do the comparisons.  Note however, the on line price for the Andersen is strictly regulated.  However, that is for advertised prices.  My local dealer beat the on line price by over $100 because I asked.  He can SELL for less, just not advertise that lower price.

Aslo, as a proud member of the weight police, it certainly appears you have done your homework and have a solid truck fully capable of pulling a 14K FW.
 
If you already have a gooseneck ball the Ranch Hitch Adapter would seem to be the one to choose. It's lighter and less expensive. I don't see the advantage of the hitch base that attaches to the gooseneck ball and then has another ball for the trailer.

Mike
 
DO NOT GET A RANCH HITCH ADAPTER!!!!  This is like putting a cheater pipe on a wrench to increase leverage.  It can, and sometimes does lead to frame damage.  Every FW manufacturer will void the warranty if you use one!!

These adapters attach to the pin box, then every movement, which moves around the ball in the bed produces a leveraged torque to the pin box. 

An Andersen or B&W Companion or any conventional FW hitch is affixed firmly to the truck bed, and all of the movement occurs at the pin box with minimal torque.
 
Best fifth wheel hitch is like which is the best truck....of course its the one in the bed of my xxxx brand truck.

  You have a short bed truck which depending on the trailer front corner profile you may need a sliding hitch. However most new trailer have rounded/notched front corners made for short bed trucks.

You require a clean bed hitch so you will have to do your homework there on which hitches have a clean bed setup.

As mentioned the Andersen works well for shortbed trucks.

PullRite Super lite series is the same design as the Andersen.

Other brands non sliders have clean bed designs  like Curt/Reese/B&W/PullRite/others.

Plug into google and look at each hitch mfg for the one that has a clean bed option.

 
Agree with Preacher on the ranch adapter. Don't use it. There's been more than one fiver with a broken frame from using them.
 
+1 for the Anderson.  I have the same rig as you and a slightly heaver 5ER.  The short box is not an issue, I can get nearly 90 degrees of turn in...I've never had to get close to that.  I had the turnover gooseneck ball installed.  I want to say it was around $400-$500.  I think the Anderson is around $600, a little over a grand combined.  It was important to me to have ease of installation and a clean bed when it's removed, this combination achieves both of those goals.  In my opinion you can't go wrong using the gooseneck/anderson combo...I'm a little surprised I haven't seen more of them on the road...but I know mine gets noticed...end up with lots of questions about it. 
 
grashley said:
DO NOT GET A RANCH HITCH ADAPTER!!!!  This is like putting a cheater pipe on a wrench to increase leverage.  It can, and sometimes does lead to frame damage.  Every FW manufacturer will void the warranty if you use one!!

These adapters attach to the pin box, then every movement, which moves around the ball in the bed produces a leveraged torque to the pin box. 

An Andersen or B&W Companion or any conventional FW hitch is affixed firmly to the truck bed, and all of the movement occurs at the pin box with minimal torque.
Click to expand...
Good to know. Thanks.

Mike
 
ip076 said:
+1 for the Anderson. 
Click to expand...

Have you had any need to contact Andersen and if so were they responsive? I tried several calls during business hours yesterday and received only a short "robo-voice" response ("the party you're trying to reach is not availabe...") that didn't even identify as Andersen.

The short box is not an issue, I can get nearly 90 degrees of turn in...I've never had to get close to that. 
Click to expand...

I'll be pulling with a longbed so won't need a slider.

I had the turnover gooseneck ball installed.  I want to say it was around $400-$500.  I think the Anderson is around $600, a little over a grand combined.  It was important to me to have ease of installation and a clean bed when it's removed, this combination achieves both of those goals.  In my opinion you can't go wrong using the gooseneck/anderson combo...
Click to expand...

Re the "turnover gooseneck ball" how does the "turnover" part work? Re the pricing this pretty much answers my previous question, it sounds like one can get the gooseneck/Andersen setup for no more or even slightly less than a "standard" fifth wheel hitch. As my truck will spend most of its time not pulling it as also important for me to have a clean bed for other things. I helped a friend reinstall his hitch - as a single traveler there's no way to get a standard fifth wheel hitch out of the bed on my own - it was a decent lift when both of us put it in the bed.
 
This is some good info.  I love the Anderson hitch and after watching the videos I now understand how it works. Seems like a real easy removal/install process. 

After research I only found 3 ?negatives?, and they don?t concern me as the positives outweigh the negative
1) Takes up more space in the bed if your truck
2) Have to be more accurate when attaching the trailer
3) Have to raise the king pin higher than normal to get under it

I?m going to check out having a gooseneck ball installed.  Hopefully I can find one that removes/turns over and makes a flush bed.


Thanks
 
Clark:

Your comments on the Andersen are exactly what I have experienced.

Scott: 

I have contacted Andersen by e mail when the funnel broke.  I got satisfaction with a warranty replacement.
 
Scott: I have also contacted Andersen by email and had a very satisfactory response.  You should be able to find a curt or B/W turnover ball easy enough.  There's generally a lever in the lefthand wheel well that locks/unlocks the ball and then you just rotate the ball in the bed and put a cap on it.  Bed is essentially as clear as the day you bought it.  There is the dust cap for the gooseneck, but it's a non issue.  I've hauled plywood and a number of other things with no issue. 

The three things brclark82 pointed out are valid, but I've never really considered them a negative issue. 
 
I priced this out yesterday and was quoted by my local truck shop $695 for the B&W Turnover Ball Installed plus $125 for the new wiring harness installed in the bed.  Add $700 for the hitch and the total comes to around $1500.  I was hoping for something closer to $1000 but seems like it will last and be easy to remove and install so it will probably be the route I go.  Thanks

I should have asked the truck shop yesterday but didn't think of it...doe the B&W gooseneck hitch include the safety chain hooks or is that something else I need to figure out?
 
grashley said:
It comes in two varieties.  One fits on a gooseneck ball.  The other attaches to standard rails.  Each version comes in steel and aluminum versions.  My Aluminum gooseneck hitch weighs less than 40 pounds, making it fairly simple to install and remove - especially when compared to its' 200 lb conventional hitch cousins.
Click to expand...

Gordon, are you sure the rail style hitch also comes in aluminum?
 
Sun2Retire said:
So if your truck already has a gooseneck ball I assume you just buy the hitch. But a truck without the gooseneck ball will first have to have one installed, then buy the hitch? If yes, what's the price difference between traditional fifth wheel hitch vs. gooseneck ball + Andersen. And when the Andersen hitch has been removed, you now have a ball in the bed, or does that come out or flip over to give you a flat bed?
Click to expand...

You do not need to have a gooseneck ball installed to use this hitch. You can have rails installed instead. You'll need to get prices for a gooseneck ball installed versus the standard rails then you decide which would be better for you. I have rails in mine and it doesn't bother me. They only stick up about an inch.
 
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