Andersen with a long bed
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Mountain Pass
Joined: May 2017
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Andersen with a long bed
So, I had my closing on my fifth wheel yesterday. I chose an Andersen Ultimate hitch due to being a single woman and wanting the bed clear at times. The guy who put the hitch in put the ball receiver in front of the King pin but then told me not to make any sharp turns as the back of the King pin will hit my bed. He felt it would be too high to move the hitch ball up any more.
I have a long bed and the Andersen instructions say you can mount the receiver behind the pin for extra room. Is there any disadvantage to this? I'm annoyed cause now I have to flip it myself. Thanks for advice.
I have a long bed and the Andersen instructions say you can mount the receiver behind the pin for extra room. Is there any disadvantage to this? I'm annoyed cause now I have to flip it myself. Thanks for advice.
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Joined: Jan 2017
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You would need to turn both the king pin adapter and the hitch around - making sure to torque both the bolts (side-to-side) and Allen anti-spin screws on the kingpin adapter to specifications, You would then turn the hitch around so that the ball is just slightly behind the axle rather than slightly in front. This effectively shortens the radius of the pin box and reduces the chances of the pin box hitting the bed rails. This is how we configured ours when we were using an Andersen Ultimate. It worked well.
Rob
Rob
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I have the Anderson AUH ball mount hitch in a long box.
If I understand what you are saying....I raised my pinbox to the top mounting holes to get the 5er level.
I also have a Roll N Lock Tonneau cover and the rails mount inside the bed rails reducing the inside width
from bed rail to bed rail by about 3" ( 1 1/2" per side) . My pinbox mounting bracket hit one of the tonneau
cover rails in a tight turn. I cut about a 4" long by 2" high piece from both sides of the pin box bracket and
now have adequate clearance in a tight turn.
I still have 7" vertical clearance from the 5er to the top of the bed rails.
If I understand what you are saying....I raised my pinbox to the top mounting holes to get the 5er level.
I also have a Roll N Lock Tonneau cover and the rails mount inside the bed rails reducing the inside width
from bed rail to bed rail by about 3" ( 1 1/2" per side) . My pinbox mounting bracket hit one of the tonneau
cover rails in a tight turn. I cut about a 4" long by 2" high piece from both sides of the pin box bracket and
now have adequate clearance in a tight turn.
I still have 7" vertical clearance from the 5er to the top of the bed rails.
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Take a friend to spot and go to a large empty parking lot and slowing make decreasing radius turns. Warning, it is very hard on the trailer tires and suspension to make 90* turns as it gets dragged sideways.
Also, your ball should be closest to the tailgate if you have the aluminum model. You don't need to turn the AUH around, just the adapter. If you have an extended pinbox, the pinbox mount or back of the pinbox can hit the bed sides and calls for the receiver hole to be behind the pin. For a standard pinbox, the receiver should be in front of the pin. You also need to be sure the corners of the tailgate don't hit the fiver.
As for changing the adapter, you need long 1/4" allen wrench for a socket wrench. The one I got at one auto store was too short to reach two of the allen heads. I found a longer one at NAPA, and of course a torque wrench as they need to be tightened to 40 ft/lbs. You do not have to remove the big long bolts as they are just to keep the adapter from falling off the pin and the Allen set screws keep it from turning.
In summary, ball to the rear, adapter gets adjusted front or rear, whichever works best. The steel rail mount AUH does say ball to the front for long beds and to the rear for short beds, but still be aware of tailgate clearance.
Also, your ball should be closest to the tailgate if you have the aluminum model. You don't need to turn the AUH around, just the adapter. If you have an extended pinbox, the pinbox mount or back of the pinbox can hit the bed sides and calls for the receiver hole to be behind the pin. For a standard pinbox, the receiver should be in front of the pin. You also need to be sure the corners of the tailgate don't hit the fiver.
As for changing the adapter, you need long 1/4" allen wrench for a socket wrench. The one I got at one auto store was too short to reach two of the allen heads. I found a longer one at NAPA, and of course a torque wrench as they need to be tightened to 40 ft/lbs. You do not have to remove the big long bolts as they are just to keep the adapter from falling off the pin and the Allen set screws keep it from turning.
In summary, ball to the rear, adapter gets adjusted front or rear, whichever works best. The steel rail mount AUH does say ball to the front for long beds and to the rear for short beds, but still be aware of tailgate clearance.
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