Andersen Ultimate 5th wheel hitch - I pulled the trigger!

I ordered it Tuesday evening- I went for the aluminum version to save weight. I don't even have it yet but I'm already impressed. I bought it from Tweetys.com and I got a shipping confirmation today so I was confused when I later got a voice mail from Archie at Andersen Manufacturing apologizing for the shipping delay. Price was the same on several sites but I ordered from Tweety's because they advertised the "all new design". I figured why not - might as well get the latest and greatest for the same price. When I called Archie back he said that the units are shipped directly from their factory but one of their robots had malfunctioned and they were waiting on parts so they would not have the new model to ship out until the middle of next week. Amazing that a company will make that call - most would just ship it when it was ready and deal with the customer if and when they called complaining.

My gooseneck ball (Draw-Tite hide-a-goose) gets installed next week and we pick up our new 5th in about month - I can't wait to use this hitch! The ride back from the dealer is about 90 minutes and is mostly 2 lane, has some small towns, a downhill bad enough to warrant a runaway truck ramp, and some 4-lane with a sizeable uphill close to home so I'll be sure to report back how the hitch feels as well as how my Jimmy does with its first 5th wheel tow!

Oh, the shipping confirmation was for the safety chains that I also bought. I can't tell for sure if they are required in NY but I think I will feel safer with them. And I'm still healthy enough to jump in the bed and attach them.

Happy camping!

I am also very anxious to hear how the Andersen tows!  I hear lots of negatives from people who have never used one, and all positive from those who own one.  There are far more folks in the first camp than the second.

Ok, Step 2: gooseneck hitch installed...now waiting for the Andersen and our new 5th wheel to come in. ☺

Just wondering, why did you go with a gooseneck & adapter rather than a rail mounted fifth wheel hitch? To keep the bed clear when you're not using it?

Nick, yes a rail-free bed was my first reason. I tow maybe 10 or 12 times per season but use my truck all the time for hauling lumber, dirt, firewood, etc. and did not want to deal with rails. I considered a goose-mounted 5th wheel (i.e. B&W companion) but the weight of those things is nuts...which brings up my other reasons - (a) the hitch will come out almost every time we come home and (b) I won't have much room to play with in the truck's GVWR so I'll take every pound I can save.


I've also been intrigued by the design of the Andersen for quite some time now and did a lot of research on it before making the final decision.

Gotcha. Thanks. Did you check out the Reese Goosebox (pinbox replacement) option? Again, just wondering...

I did - many online conversations about the Andersen also made reference to the Goosebox so I checked it out. I liked the concept but it was heavy and although I would only have to wrestle it once (to install it), all that extra weight hanging off the front of the 5er would basically translate into direct pin weight on truck so I would not have gained any room there. It was also quite expensive IIRC.

Thanks for the feedback, Joe.

ITS HERE! It came on Thursday but it was raining. Installed it today. The last couple of weeks waiting for our 5th wheel is going to be a looooooong wait!

Nice pix!!  Did it install as easily as they claimed?  Can't wait for the next chapter!

It did. Took about 3 or 4 minutes, mainly because I read the directions about 10 times. Should only be about 30 seconds next time. I'm excited to be one of the first to own version 2.0.

Picked up the new 5th wheel today. Towed great. I have no experience with 5th wheels but it seemed very smooth with no bucking. Found an empty parking lot and practiced backing up...it's going to take me a while to master it.

Thanks for the feedback.  Nice Rig!!  It looks from the picture to be dead on level,too!!

Thanks. We're very excited to say the least. And yes, it's quite level. I had the Andersen ball in the middle hole  on the first try and it was just a bit nose high so I lowered it. That's one of the nice features of this system - quick height adjustments as the weight of the 5er changes.


The only other change I might make is to spin the kingpin block/adapter around. In tight turns, the pinbox is coming very close to the bed rail limiting my turning radius. Our first trip is next Friday so I'll have to make some more test turns.

Hi Joe and Kim,

Joezeppy said:

The only other change I might make is to spin the kingpin block/adapter around. In tight turns, the pinbox is coming very close to the bed rail limiting my turning radius.

Click to expand...

Can you please tell us whether you have a short bed or a long bed truck?

Thanks in advance,
--
  Vall and Mo.

It's a long box. I did end up spinning the adapter block around. The pinbox is kind of low towards the back so putting the ball socket in front of the kingpin gives me note turning radius.

Hi Joe,

Joezeppy said:

It's a long box. I did end up spinning the adapter block around. The pinbox is kind of low towards the back so putting the ball socket in front of the kingpin gives me note turning radius.

Click to expand...

Interesting! In their YouTube videos the manufacturer claims the hitch would work up to almost 90 degrees even with a 5.5ft bed truck... Perhaps they are bending the truth a little? (Pun intended   )

Cheers,
--
  Vall.

Joezeppy said:

It's a long box. I did end up spinning the adapter block around. The pinbox is kind of low towards the back so putting the ball socket in front of the kingpin gives me note turning radius.

Click to expand...

Please explain how you oriented the coupler.  Do you now have the empty receiver oriented towards the cab or towards the tailgate (as shown in your picture)?  Also, the pics show you have the ball on the Andersen oriented towards the tailgate.  Is that correct?

This is very timely because I also have a long bed and I'm curious as to the effect of rotating the coupler.

VallAndMo said:

Hi Joe,

Interesting! In their YouTube videos the manufacturer claims the hitch would work up to almost 90 degrees even with a 5.5ft bed truck... Perhaps they are bending the truth a little? (Pun intended   )

Cheers,
--
  Vall.

Click to expand...

lol...yah I watched all of their videos and they certainly have a good marketing department. I have seen some owner photos of near 90* turns, though, so I think it all comes down to the exact truck and pin box configuration. I'm still experimenting to find the right adjustments.

Hatchee said:

Please explain how you oriented the coupler.  Do you now have the empty receiver oriented towards the cab or towards the tailgate (as shown in your picture)?  Also, the pics show you have the ball on the Andersen oriented towards the tailgate.  Is that correct?

This is very timely because I also have a long bed and I'm curious as to the effect of rotating the coupler.

Click to expand...

Attached are photos. I misspoke above...I now have the adapter block set up with the ball behind the kingpin drawing the 5er 8" closer to the truck (there is a 4" offset in the adapter block). The hitch itself is set up with the ball to the rear which is standard. As I mentioned, I'm still experimenting. Not only is this hitch new to me but so is towing a 5th wheel so I don't have any history with which to make comparisons. I don't think I will have time this week but after Memorial Day I would like to make some tight turns in a parking lot to see what the limits are.

Thanks....that makes sense.  With the tailgate down on a long bed and the coupler reversed, it seems that the tailgate would get real close to the camper when backing in to connect!!

I have decided to go with the Andersen Ultimate and CURT 60710 goose neck hitch.

Thanks