Um… I mean… More on trailer hitches. Ahem.
So I’ve been studying these hitches more tonight and ran across this Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Hitch.
The way it works is you connect the frame above to a gooseneck hitch in the bed of your truck and cinch it down. You then connect an adapter assembly to your 5th wheel king pin.
The adapter stays connected to the king pin. To hitch the trailer you lower it down onto the ball at the top of the frame shown above. The benefit of this hitch is that it doesn’t need to be lubricated, and is very easy to remove from the bed of the truck. And because it only weighs 35 lbs, you don’t kill yourself taking it out. And you have a clean truck bed when you’re not towing.
The downside is that since it is a ball adapter, many states require you to also use safety chains with the trailer. Meh. No big deal. At any rate, I can still change my mind since I’m still dreaming.
Air Prayer 
We decided to go with a Reese Hitch. It supports up to 22,000 lbs. So far, I am worried it wasn’t installed correctly. Every time we have hitched it it was very stiff to lock and unlock. We had to adjust trailer height and slightly pull forward or reverse. I’m weary that something isn’t locking correctly and it will cause a problem in the future. I can’t tell you anything technical about it yet but it’s concerning.
I wouldn’t be too concerned just yet. Like all things mechanical when they are brand new it may just have to “wear in”. You may want to give Reese customer support a call and ask them if what you are experiencing is normal. I think all hitches have their own peculiarities. If you ask different owners about the best 5th wheel hitch you will always get the same answer; whichever hitch they are using is the best!
Good to know! I agree everything is so new to us we don’t know which noises to listen to or ignore yet. I hope it is atleast a good hitch, I will definitely call them and see that is a great idea. It’s common sense but I hadn’t thought about calling the company, thank you!
I’m still on the fence between the B&W Companion hitch and the Andersen. I like the fact that both can be removed from the truck bed. Since we will be stationary for a month at a stretch, I like the option of easily removing the hitch. But since we’re still about 4 or 5 years out I can dream and change my mind as much as I want! 🙂
We have actually released a newer version of the Andersen Ultimate Connection since this post, which also includes a funnel allowing for ‘first try’ easy coupling of the king pin coupler block while being up to 3” off-center! All of this can be seen on our website. We appreciate the spotlight, keep up the great work!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know that! After talking to people who’ve owned both hitches I’ve decided on the Andersen. The light weight, ease of installation and removal, and the absence of chucking and bucking win hands down. I’ll have to check out the version of the hitch for sure!