Thoughts on this setup for my future 5th wheel? Anybody with experience with it. Good or bad. Let me here it. I like the idea of it being light weight and from what I've heard and seen from reviews, people say they have less chucking with the Anderson setup.
I tried one, replaced it with a B&W, replace the B&W with an auto-sliding hitch. I sure wish I had someone to hold my hand when I first got into this, I made a lot of costly mistakes.
The Anderson is an awesome solution for those that need to often remove their hitch and have a longer bed truck. For those of us that have the 6 foot something bed, it isn't a solution despite what floats around the Internet, I have first-hand experience.
Here is the problem I had with the Anderson in my 6'4" RAM 3500 (pulling a Montana 3790RD boasting a cap designed for 88 degree turns in a short bed truck). The Andeson located the pin weight behind the rear axle which caused excessive chucking. I had the steel version so the Anderson and it could be rotated 180 degrees but that removes the clearance between the cab and the cap eliminating turns over 50 degrees. That wasn't going to work. The aluminum versions of the Anderson can not be rotated, the pin weight will always be behind the rear axle.
I do not have any first-hand experience using the Anderson in a standard bed truck (8 foot). I think many if not all the Anderson success stories may come from uses in long beds.
The causes of chucking can get complicated but the two main causes are; concrete highways where the expansion joints will cause a harmonic bounce between the tow vehicle and trailer and, in my case, improper weight distribution because the pin weight was behind the rear axle.
Just an FYI, the B&W did a great job, easy to hitch up and quite but I didn't have the clearance between the cap and cab I need to make tight turns in campground maneuvers. I ponied up and bought a PullRight Superglide and once I wrote the check, I never looked back.
If you can't get a trailer that has a scooped or concave front cap, you will be better off with a slider.
Even then, the front cap may not buy you the degrees you may need maneuvering in tight areas. I learned the hard way, two cab/cap collisions at a cost of $1,800 each. Yep, I feel like an dumb-a$$, I though I could guage my turning degress while watching all the other point while backing in.
Darn it. It says it's designed to work for short bed trucks.
It will, the results may not be what you expect.
I have a short bed truck and can make 90 degree turns all day long
Pictures please, I have a 6'4" bed and no way would the Anderson allow a 90 degree turn.
Before you buy, check with the RV manufacturer if it will void the frame warranty. Some don't recommend a gooseneck to fifth adapter. Better safe then sorry.
I see these setups more often than I thought I would in campgrounds. At one time Anderson stated they would cover the costs of fifth wheel trailer repair if their solution caused the damage. They may still offer that.
