Ranch Hitch Adaptor

[Carmel Clown]

Many on this forum use the Andersen Ultimate Hitch (both gooseneck and rail versions). Just wondering if anyone uses this one, and if not, why?


https://andersenhitches.com/product/...hitch-adapter/



I'm about to order a new truck and would like more room in the truck bed, so I was thinking about switching to the rail mount version, then I came across this.


Thanks all.

[SageRpod]

I would read some of the reviews out there. Some folks reported bed clearance issues. Looks like a great product and it's been around a while. There is a 15year old YouTube video on it.

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by Carmel Clown

Many on this forum use the Andersen Ultimate Hitch (both gooseneck and rail versions). Just wondering if anyone uses this one, and if not, why?


https://andersenhitches.com/product/...hitch-adapter/



I'm about to order a new truck and would like more room in the truck bed, so I was thinking about switching to the rail mount version, then I came across this.


Thanks all.

hard to believe their are no reviews..

[Centex]

I owned a truck with a gooseneck ball already installed in the bed when I bought my 5.0. I briefly considered this hitch but quickly abandoned the notion because:

• It adds a significant 'lever arm' to the pinbox kingpin plate which alters and in certain conditions can increase the forces on the pinbox and the pinbox-to-trailer-chassis connection compared to a traditional 5th-wheel hitch (or the Andersen Ultimate with the coupler-block at the same level as the kingpin). This may or may not result in structural issues with the trailer over the long-term.
• The relocated pivot point (at the level of the bed floor as opposed to ~17" +/- above the bed floor) results in a very different and less-favorable 'clearance arc' between the trailer and the truck bed rails / tailgate when the truck and trailer are not rolling on the same ground plane (e.g. when turning into a ramped driveway as at a filling station).
• When I asked ETI at the time of my trailer configuration in 2021 ETI would NOT endorse use of the "Andersen Ranch Hitch Adaptor" (or any of the several similarly configured competitors) with their 5.0 trailer, citing the concerns mentioned in the first bullet above.

I ended-up with the Andersen Ultimate Gooseneck Hitch which utilized my existing gooseneck ball but suffers none of the downsides described above. No regrets.

Edit - I suggest you download and read the Installation Manual and Included Warranty. In that document Andersen goes to great lengths to make it clear they do not warrant this item as suitable for any specific application and explicitly warns that additional welded pinbox reinforcement may be required in some situations. Ummm, no thanks (YMMV).

[SageRpod]

Originally Posted by sofmerc

hard to believe their are no reviews..

Etrailer has some reviews and there are some on Youtube for what those are worth.

As Centex describes, I wondered about the leverage from such a hitch and the range of motion it would have compared to the Ultimate. Looks like it would be very limited on what angles it could operate at. You see plenty of king pin hitches and Andersen Ultimates, but you don't see many of these out there. That may say something.

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by SageRpod

Etrailer has some reviews and there are some on Youtube for what those are worth.

As Centex describes, I wondered about the leverage from such a hitch and the range of motion it would have compared to the Ultimate. Looks like it would be very limited on what angles it could operate at. You see plenty of king pin hitches and Andersen Ultimates, but you don't see many of these out there. That may say something.

his link provided no reviews yet... I realize their are reviews out there, but why not provided on manufacturers site?....

[Perry Butler]

I asked Reese about this Andersen goose box hitch. He was worried about too much leverage on the existing plate, was definitely against the install, and would not warranty the structural integrity of our camper.

We lost almost no space in the truck bed with the rail version. The gooseneck ball version has angle iron that sticks up too far and was too wide, thus impeding space. Our trike never would have fit in back with Andersen's gooseneck ball version.

Food for thought,

Perry

[Carmel Clown]

Thanks Centex and Perry. I will abandon the thought.