ANDERSEN VS PULLRITE hitch short bed

[RAVENMIKE4608]

New here


I have a ram 3500 mega cab with 6.5 bed


Will be hauling a voltage 2021 4175



15700 lbs


pin 3500lbs


any recommendations on hitch

[ATCguy]

You can't go wrong with a Pullrite slider hitch in a short bed. Good solid hitch, with a solid reputation. The drawbacks are that it's HEAVY, and more than likely will become a permanent part of your truck bed (not easy to remove & replace)

The Andersen is much lighter, and thus... more portable. I've heard good things about them from folks pulling lighter rigs (11,000-13,000 lbs range)... including one of my best friends, who absolutely loves his. That said, I don't personally know anyone who uses one with a heavy toy hauler... nor can I recall any specifics from reading anyone using it on such. So I can't give you any input (pro or con) either way on our heavier rigs.

Now... my personal opinion:

I'm not saying you're one of them (as I don't know your history)... but there's a tendency lately, with many new folks buying large, heavy RVs... and then wanting to pull them with the truck they currently have. They think more in terms of "Can I pull it", instead of... "What's gonna happen in strong crosswinds, or going downhill, when there's 15,000+ pounds of weight back there exerting the forces & torque of physics upon my truck that weighs half as much?"

Instead of re-typing a long dissertation again, like I did last week... before you jump either way, I recommend you read my thoughts (and others') in this thread:

https://www.dutchmenowners.org/forum...html#post74789

[RAVENMIKE4608]

anybody using the pullite super lite vs Andersen ultimate?

[acdii]

First, measure center axle to back of cab and then subtract that from half of the width of the trailer. That will tell you how much "slide" you will need to clear the cab. I went through this myself and discovered the one with the longest auto slide is the Demco with 14". It barely cleared the cab @ 90*, so if I turned just a bit past 90 it would contact the cab. I decided to get a standard A20 Curt 5th wheel and a Reese Sidewinder instead. Gave me 11" of cab clearance.

[Donttouchmytoys]

I have a 2017 Ram 3500 DRW Mega cab and am pulling a 2017 Voltage 3805 hitch weight 3300# loaded weight 19,000#. I run the Demco 21K Highjacker Auto slide and love it. It is a permanent fixture in the box but it’s very well made and maintenance is easy. I heard I may have an issue if box to pin angle exceeds a certain amount but to date no issues and I avoid any steep road transitions more for the ass drag of trailer. As for the truck capabilities... asin transmission 373 gears air helper springs ... this trailer is a breeze to pull. Tons of power, excellent braking and cross wind stability is excellent in comparison to my old 32 tt behind a SRW 3500 Mega Cab. Good luck on your selection please let us know what you choose and how it works for you.

[3wheeler]

I use the Andersen with my 3305. My weight is usually over 15000 with the cart in the back. Been using it for 3 years and love it. That being said, I don’t think you’ll have enough clearance with a short bed.

[wiresLV]

Originally Posted by RAVENMIKE4608

anybody using the pullite super lite vs Andersen ultimate?

I'm not using the Superlite but I considered it and chose to use the Andersen instead. The Andersen has a 5" offset which I need since I have a F350 short bed.

Both of them have a kingpin adapter that can either increase or decrease your cab to trailer distance depending on how you install it. From what I've seen, in many cases when you install the adapter with the ball socket to the front you're likely to have bed sidewall contact with the back of the pinbox. But if you install it with the ball socket towards the rear you may not have enough distance between the cab and trailer.

My solution was to replace my pin box with a TrailAir M15 which is the short version. Then I was able to mount the kingpin adapter ball-forward and pick up maximum spacing without any chance of hitting the bed side walls. With my Triton 3351 I can't get exactly to 90 degrees in a turn, but I can close and wouldn't want to stress the axles even if it would go sharper.

The Triton GVWR is 16,800 and I'm pulling it with a '17 F350 SRW. I have scaled ready-to-camp including a full load of water and the RZR loaded and I'm under on all weight ratings. I'm in Nevada and we get some pretty serious wind here. Even so, in the past three years with this setup I haven't had any white-knuckle experiences.

[mattchew]

I have used the Anderson as well as the B&W companion slider for my 39' 5ver. I now use a Reese goose box, (new 42.5' Talon), but still have the like new Anderson that I haven't gotten around to listing for sale. Message me if you are interested. The Andersen gave me more clearance for my cab and rode far better than a 5th style coupling ever will once it has a little use on it. I am a few hours north of you outside Wash DC. Will be coming thru NC in 2 weeks to go to a MC rally in Ga. mattchewn@msn.com

[acdii]

Just keep in mind when the pin(or ball) is set back, it is behind the axle and weight transfer is affected somewhat. Only time you may experience an effect is on a slippery surface where a few hundred pounds more on the front axle would help. One of the drawbacks of using a set back hitch in the bed.

Before you decide, you really need to take measurements of the truck bed and the trailer. On the 6 3/4' F350, the back of cab to the pin of a standard 5th wheel is 37". Common width of a 5th wheel trailer is 96-97" where it meets the cab, that leaves a negative value of 11" that can contact the cab at a less than 45* angle. From what I read on the Anderson, it only allows up to a 9" difference, that still leaves a negative balance of 3" cab contact. You won't be able to make a 90* turn.

This does depend on the shape of the nose and the set back of the corner to the first row of bolts on the pin box, so it is a good idea to get the measurement from the trailer. Chaparrel (sp?) up until this year had a 13" set back at the corners, and could clear most cabs up to 90* with a standard 5th wheel, but in 2020 they redesigned the nose to add a W/D and lost that clearance.

When I bought my trailer, I could have saved about $800 and bought my own Sidewinder and installed it myself at my house, but didn't think I could get the trailer into my drive without making contact with the cab using the standard hitch. I was so right, to get it in I was at 90* to keep the truck out of the ditch. Never would have made it with any of the other hitches, including the Demco with 14" of slide.

You know that old saying in construction, Measure twice, Cut once.

[skythrasher]

Originally Posted by ATCguy

The Andersen is much lighter, and thus... more portable. I've heard good things about them from folks pulling lighter rigs (11,000-13,000 lbs range)... including one of my best friends, who absolutely loves his. That said, I don't personally know anyone who uses one with a heavy toy hauler... nor can I recall any specifics from reading anyone using it on such. So I can't give you any input (pro or con) either way on our heavier rigs.
]

I have pulled multiple heavy triple axle trailer/toy haulers with an Andersen Ultimate Fifth Wheel Hitch. It has been easy and flawless. The hitch is rated for 24000 tow, and 4500 tongue. I pull with an F550 with a flat bed. I have the hitch model that is made for a flat bed truck and slightly shorter. The taller model is rated the same. If you have a sub mount ball you can use an offset extension and get some extra room. Short bed trucks and long heavy trailers are not the best case scenario. With the proper tow rig all these headaches go away.

[ATCguy]

Neither endorsing or recommending anything, as it doesn’t really apply to me... but this article appeared in my newsfeed today, and thought I’d share it here.

Best Slider Hitches, 2020

https://gearingout.com/best-fifth-wheel-slider-hitches/

[acdii]

Originally Posted by ATCguy

Neither endorsing or recommending anything, as it doesn’t really apply to me... but this article appeared in my newsfeed today, and thought I’d share it here.

Best Slider Hitches, 2020

https://gearingout.com/best-fifth-wheel-slider-hitches/

Interesting, did not know the Pullright had such a low pin weight rating. Would never work with my trailer as it is over 2400 pounds. Why they chose it as number 1 must be due to it's low weight since the Demco weighs more, but has 4000 pound pin rating.

Last Friday I took my trailer in to get the cables replaced, and when making turns, there is no way the Curt A16 with slide would have worked. The trailer would hit the cab just making a left or right turn. The only one that would work would be the Demco. The Curt is not an autoslide, its manual so you have to release it to back up, but it is fixed in forward motion. Something to keep in mind as well.