Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection Hitch | The BEST Hitch for US!!!
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- In this video we showcase the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection Hitch that we use for our Grand Design Reflection 303RLS and we previously used for our Columbus 320RS for over a year and 20 states. It has not let us down and it is a mere 35 lbs that even Dan can pick up!
We show you how to install and remove the hitch from our Ram puck system and also how to remove and install the coupler to the kingpin.
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Welcome to our channel! We are Dan and Kevin, two retired Air Force veterans. We hope to entertain and inform you of our life on the road as full-time RV'ers. We currently travel with our Siberian Husky Avalanche "AVA" Rose (1 yr) AKA "Roadie"!
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Our Inception:
We downsized from a three bedroom house in November 2017 to a 2000 Fleetwood Southwind Class A. We dubbed her Southwind Sally. We did some minor renovations with paint and adding new window treatments. In December 2018 we purchased our fifth wheel. It is a 2014 Forest River Columbus 320 RS by Palomino. In February 2020 we hit the road before the COVID-19 Pandemic lockdowns started.
Those lockdowns forced us to hold up at the Tinker, AFB FamCamp in Oklahoma until May. We hit the road again traveling to Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana (where we had floor work done on the Columbus), Ohio and Michigan. We decided we were going to try and make it to Colorado to see the sights, and made our way there. This is when we decided to create our channel.
We have been watching our favorite UA-cam channels for years and decided maybe we should start to capture our own adventures. That decision produced our channel Compass Roadz and our first video.
For more information, check out these resources:
Andersen Hitches: andersenhitche...
Harbor Freight Apex: www.harborfrei...
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Follow us on Facebook at / compass-road. .
Follow us on Instagram at / compassroadz
Follow us on Twitter @CompassRoadz
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![Andersen Ultimate Fifth-Wheel Hitch Install and Review // Why did we choose this hitch? [EP 30]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/UT2Y5gnYqRo/mqdefault.jpg)
![Andersen Ultimate Fifth-Wheel Hitch Install and Review // Why did we choose this hitch? [EP 30]](/img/tr.png)
I've seen so many of these videos with wrong torque specs Glad yall got them right. Great video.
Thank you and thanks for watching.
Exactly what I was looking for. I have a ram with the puck system and I found this video searching to see if this hitch would actually work on my set up.
It’s a very capable hitch. We have since moved on to the Reese Goosebox. Never had any issues with the Andersen, but now we only have the ball in the bed now.
Good video guys! As you know I’ve been using that hitch for over two years full timing now, towing 17k pounds with about 14k miles on the hitch. No issues. 👍🏼
It’s a great hitch that gets a bad rap by a few in our opinion. Every issue we had was because of us not the hitch. We absolutely recommend.
We use the Andersen hitch for our rig. Towed over several 9k ft mountain passes, and the 12k ft Cottonwood pass in Colorado. Will say, I've adjusted the torque specs based on updated recommendations, i.e., hook up, check torque on the top bolt then tighten the side bolts. Specs at 70 up top, 60 side.
We checked ours every few trips to be sure they stay correctly torqued. Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for the video! Can't wait to get my hitch
We hope you like yours as much as we like ours. Let’s us know if you have any questions about the hitch or during the installation process. Thanks for watching.😀
“Osha Approved Hammer Toe Flip Flops”
toss them tools in a bucket and roll..
all good
nice vid
Thanks. It was hot out in that open field.
Thanks for the video! My partner and I will be getting a GD Reflection 260RD in a few weeks, and we also have a Ram short bed: 2018 2500, but without the factory prep for 5th wheel. Looks like you also have a short bed, and you have the cup mounted in the forward/regular position on your GD pin box. Is your pin box a Turning Point, but locked out so that you can use the AUH? I realize that you don't have this setup anymore, but am very interested to know how it all worked for you. I'm concerned that we'll have to rotate the cup, giving us less cap/cab clearance. Our dealer (45 minutes away) is not great at communicating with us, so we've had a tough time getting information from them by phone. Thanks for any insights you have to share!
Thanks for reaching out. Yes, we have a short bed on our Ram. We used the cup in the forward position so the hitch would be farther back from the cab. At that point we can still get about 85-87 degree turns without touching the cab. If we need to reach that point I usually have Kevin spot me and I take it really slow. Our pin is not a turning point.
Hopefully that answers your question. If I didn’t, please let me know. We hope you enjoy your new GD and make many wonderful memories with it.
Thanks for watching!
Kevin and Dan, we have an Anderson Hitch as well and no issues with it since October 2020. (Where can I purchase the OSHA approved flip flops) Safe Travels men.
Have you had any problems with it at all? Do you like it as well?
@@CompassRoadz Kevin and Dan no issues with the hitch at all. The only scary thing was the first time we pulled out of the Camping World and experienced some chunking, but we have had no issues with it after a minor adjustment.
I have not seen a video yet that shows how the chains are hooked to the truck.
That’s a great observation. There is no specific way it hooks up. We have a 5 hole puck system on our Ram. The gooseneck ball we purchased was a Curt. Here is the description:
“Setting up your truck to tow gooseneck trailers couldn't be easier than with a CURT OEM puck system kit. Made for specific pickups with the truck bed puck system, each kit includes a ball, two chain anchors, a rubber hole cover and a convenient storage case.”
The two chain anchors fit in two of the puck holes and we attach the chains to them. Other people without a puck system will find anchors in the bed of their truck to attach chains to.
Depending on the fifth wheel hitch system you own, you may hook your chains to it. Only if you’re using a gooseneck ball would you need additional anchors.
Thanks for watching!
@@CompassRoadz thank you. We have had an Anderson hitch for 2 years and we were never told that we needed safety chains let alone about torquing it. I will have my husband look at ours to see if that's really what we should be doing with ours. I know that we can remove it very easily. That is what I like about it. Also it's interesting but when our 5th wheel was in for service the dealer would remove the coupler from the king pin and the only thing that they would tighten when putting it back on were the main bolts and nothing on the underside. The also never used any torque wrench when tightening and they are the same dealer that sold it to us. We just traded our Jayco Seismic for an Alliance Paradigm and what started me really looking into our hitch is that someone in the Alliance group commented that we should not be using an Andersen because our Alliance has a Curt Rota Flex pin box and therefore it was not safe to use this type of hitch with that pin box. Since our dealership never said anything about it now I am wondering how true that statement was or is. Our Jayco had the Morryde pin box. So any information about that would be great unless I just need to reach out to Andersen themselves..
@dianecason1433 our first hitch was an Andersen and I loved it and never had any problems with it. However, Kevin was concerned with all the bad publicity it was getting and chose to purchase a gooseneck which I do like as well and we didn’t have to carry the Andersen around anymore.
So with the Andersen, I just hooked our chains to two metal loops I had in the bed of the truck close to the tailgate. I do believe that Andersen makes a small plate that goes around your gooseneck ball before you put on the Andersen. It has two holes for your safety chains. That would be your best bet without changing anything on your truck or hitch.
Ford puck system is still the best!
We never owned a Ford, but they definitely have a smaller footprint. We have since installed a Goosebox so we don’t use the puck system now. Just the center for the ball.
Decent video but why do so many people feel that a double click on the torque wrench is the correct way to do things? I've been an aircraft mechanic for over 40 years and ran a calibration lab for a few years. Even during my basic training we were taught to trust the wrench and stop after only one click.
One question: Your video said the 4 bolts were torx head but I was told they were 1/4" hex head. Which is correct?
The set screws for the coupler are 1/4” hex head. As for double click of torque wrench it is just a habit for me (Kevin). I even go back around after all four are torqued to ensure all is good. Just my habit from 21 years in ACFT MX while in the USAF. Thank you for watching and for the questions. We’ll go back in an update the video to reflect the proper set screw type.
@@CompassRoadz Thanks. Must be the difference between AF and Navy training.
@@johnhartmangruber6258 as far as I know the AF doesn’t train that. It was just how I did things.
What is the measurement from the truck bed to the top of your bed cover rails? I have a RAM 3500 with a roll up bed cover and have started using the Andersen hitch with the ball in the highest position. I see you use the center position which is where I want to be but am not sure it will clear the bed cover rail for uneven road conditions.
We have a 2019 Ram 3500 Tradesmen with bed liner. The measurement from the floor to the top of the side rails is 20.5”. The center position for us works fine although there was a park I had to go off the road down a deep incline to back the trailer into a spot and the incline was so deep the 5th wheel trailer did crunch a section of the side rail and did a bit of damage but that was because of the slope off the road. Hope this helps.
@@CompassRoadz Thanks. My 2021 Ram with the spray in bedliner is 21.5" from the bed to the top of the bed cover rail so maybe I should stay in the highest position for the Andersen ball.
We do like our Andersen!
They make a taller hitch for bed rails at or above 21”
We swapped to a Reese Goosebox last March and it has been great! We liked the Andersen, but got tired of the big footprint it took. We are closer to the cab bow, but it hasn’t been an issue so far.
What keeps it from.spinning and hitting fender wells?
Are you referring to the hitch attached to the 5th wheel or the Anderson hitch itself? The the hitch coupler is raised high enough to clear the wheel wells. You can go about 85-88 degrees turning. With our short bed truck, at about 88 degrees it will touch the side of the truck. Thanks for watching!
@@CompassRoadz I was curious to what keeps the Anderson hitch from spinning .. but I figured it out.
Any problems with a shortbed and this hitch. Like backing in or up
We only had one issue with our shortbed ram. When backing in once the front of the truck was pitched lower and the back was close to the king pin and while backing in we damaged the inside of the bed on the drivers side. We have now switched to a Reese Goosebox which brings us even closer to the cab than the Andersen did. We have yet needed to turn 90° when backing in. Just go slow and you should be fine with this hitch.
Where did you get your 1/4 inch Allen wrench? I too have the Anderson hitch but someone installed it for me.
We got ours from Northern Tools I think. It had to have a longer shaft. Thanks for watching!
How in the word does that thing stay in place with just the set screws????
It’s not the set screws that keep it in place solely. They provide a certain type of pressure. The two bolts that the chains connect to are what help secure the coupler to the kingpin. We towed well over 25K miles using the Andersen. We have since switched to the Reese Goosebox. Both are very capable! Thanks for your comment.
@@CompassRoadz I’m torn on what to get lol
Just do hour research and you should be fine. I’d join Facebook groups for your RV. You can then see who has your rv and what hitch/truck you are looking at. There is a plethora of info out there. At times it’ll drive you crazy doing the research. Hang in there! Let us know what you decide on. 😀
Which model is this? The 3220 or 3217? Thanks
We have the 3220.
I just got the 3217 for my 2020 Chevy 2500. Rails are 21”’s from bed, and the 3217 is what Andersen recommended.
Where did you get your hex bit?
We bought it at Northern Tool. It did come in a kit of various sizes.
link to the 1/4 hex driver?
Sorry it took so long. I had to go find the ones we are using to look up the exact set. We purchased these Pittsburg Pro 1/2” Drive SAE Impact Hex Socket Set 8 pc at Harbor Freight for $29.99. Here is their link www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-sae-impact-hex-socket-set-8-pc-67893.html
Thanks for watching.
I had a friend buy one of these. Someone hit him and it completely collapsed the hitch . i Heard about many complaints about these hitches . There fine untill there’s a wreck . I wouldnt buy one of these hitches period. There made of aluminum and that’s a issue if it gets stressed
Absolutely! We checked reviews as well because we were skeptical, but we kept seeing the same picture used in all the accidents when we first were purchasing. We found that you can look up any hitch fail and you will get images for any hitch disaster so we still got the Andersen.
However, since our purchase there have been worries about claim denials with Andersen and it is hard to prove for what the guarantee for. But it served us well.
We have changed hitches a few months ago and will put out a new video on that.
Thanks for watching!!!
@@CompassRoadz ok sounds great . I been looking at the B@w companion slider . Just still looking
It is a big decision on what type to buy. We didn’t want the bully hitch in the back when not towing so they contributed to us getting the Andersen as it was light to remove. Now we have a new gooseneck hitch so that only the hitch ball is in our truck bed. Easy to remove!!