Quote:
Originally Posted by USNSS
Actually, my Andersen Hitch setup moved my pivot point towards my fifth wheel. As I said before, most who have never tried do not like the Andersen for one reason or another. I just commented for another point of view on hitches not to debate the merits or physical design of any specific hitch. I needed one that was easy to remove while I am boondocking for six weeks hunting and need the bed of the truck. To each his own.
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You didn't say how much it moved
toward the fifth wheel vs how much it moved
down. Extended pin boxes put more stress on a fiver frame than a straight drop pin box and are roughly a 2 ft extension. Frames are supposed to be designed for this stress. But a GN adaptor is an additional 15-20 inch drop that increases total amount of leverage applied to the frame. Replacing an extended pin box with a straight drop pin box plus a GN extension should work just fine. But no fiver frame is specifically designed to handle both extensions.
If multiple manufacturers of GN adaptors advise use of their product only on fivers with suitable frames, but they can't state which ones are suitable, what confidence does that provide the customer? Again, the Andersen Ultimate fifth wheel hitch is the best GN option available and addresses Andersen's own knowledge that their other extensions add stress to the fiver frame. The Ultimate is the lightest elevated hitch on the market compared to conventional king pin hitches. And with an elevated ball mount, easier to align than other ball mounts.
I pull GN trailers (with real GN frames) several times each year. My fifth wheel hitch breaks down into multiple pieces, 4 bolts and 6 pins, takes less than 10 min. to remove it and install a GN ball mount onto the hitch rails. Doing the work is not an issue, but aligning the ball and securing everything is so much more of an issue than a king pin hitch.