Quote:
Originally Posted by jrms88
Cypressloser
how do you like your andersen ultimate? on all the forums it's 50/50 on the reviews of people liking the andersen. i'm leaning towards the andersen and the b&w turn over GN ball, and maybe the B&W 4" offset adaptor as well, do you know anyone running that set up with a crew cab short box?
2016 ford f350 6.7 crew cab short box
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I towed 19,000 lbs with the Andersen for 5 solid years. I traded the truck in the signature a few months ago for a 5500 and had to change the hitch to a low profile, small footprint B&W. Andersen does build a low profile hitch but it is unfortunately limited to 20,000 lbs tow rating.
Having said this, now I can talk about both the Andersen and the B&W companion.
My Andersen was the steel version from 2012/2013 before there was any 5th wheel hitch on the market that fit the Ram gooseneck/5th wheel factory prep setup and the Andersen was the only one at that time that could be installed on a gooseneck ball and had the capacity I needed. In the 5 years I owned the hitch I never had any issues, no chucking, jerking or what ever - zero!!! and would buy one again in a heartbeat. The ball can be height adjusted in 1 1/2" increments over a range of 3 inches.
Some owners complain they can't view the hitch when backing up, but I got around this inconvenience by placing a pencil magnet right in front of the ball, works every time and my hitch didn't even have the wide cup the newer style hitches come with. Some complain it has a to large of a footprint, but I argue it is easy to slide longer items through the hitch frame where other hitches block this space.
Hitch install and removal is a snap, 2 minutes at the most.
The one drawback is that the coupler drops onto the ball from the top down, which means the front of the trailer has to be raised 3" - 4", similar to a bumper pull. I haven't had a problem with this since I always use 3" or 6" pads under the jacks anyways and never run the risk of overextending the jacks.
I can't see why the B&W offset ball wouldn't work (B&W is one of the most reputable companies in the industry), however it could transfer slightly more pin weight on to truck's the rear axle - I'm no engineer, so let's leave it at that.
I'm using a B&W companion for the above stated reason now and must say I'm equally impressed, still can't see the hitch from the driver's seat but the back up camera takes care of that and I don't have to raise the pinbox anymore to connect the trailer. The jaws hug the kingpin snugly all the way around, similar to the Andersen.
Both hitches need to be torqued down to 60 lbs, which some claim is a drawback for the Andersen but don't see it as a problem for other hitches
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Over all, the B&W costs 50% more up front and weighs twice as much as the Andersen but can be split into bottom and top half so weight wise it's awash IMO.
In a nutshell, one could go for aesthetics and the B&W wins or cost where the Andersen wins, toss a coin or throw the dice - both are equally solid built.
IMO, only listen to advice from people that
actually own the hitch they're badmouthing.
Now I go and change my sig.