Andersen or ???

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by kirkelli

Well, your Jayco frame manufacture does not warranty any frame damage if you use the Anderson Ultimate Hitch to tow with. Also, it is proven by physics that placing the AUH in the rear position to gain trailer/cab clearance actually actually increases truck bed weight over a conv slider hitch.. There are a lot of horrible stores so make your decision wisely.. I have the 321RSTS and tow with an auto slide hitch and easily can get into 90 degrees. Do your homework,, and BTW - Don't trust Andeson's warranty that supposedly offsets trailer frame warranty. It may take a few days in court to prove anything.. it's more of a sales gimmick than anything,.

Ouch!! that was harsh. I am still reading and evaluating, however they have sold many many thousands of these, so I infer mostly happy customers. I read just as many if not more from folks dropping traditional hitches

[Packerbacker_TX]

Originally Posted by jetlag

So, we just signed the deal on a 36FBTS yesterday. It is loaded with everything but washer and dryer and they may be there before my bride is done. My payload keeps dwindling! Our salesman was far more knowledgeable than any other RV salesperson we have spoke to so far, and he owns an Eagle 42' 5th wheel. He vacillated back and forth on the Andersen, saying it had a great reputation, yet he was was noncommittal. The weight thing bothered him . He showed me his Ram 3500 SRW with a Curt hitch, and we played with it. Very nice but almost 200 pounds. I will say he bought the Eagle because of the pin weight, and i am waiting on a similar truck. The Pinnacle is heavier and if the salesperson thinks the Northpoint he really wanted was a bit heavy on the pin weight, it has me concerned. I will not drive a DRW as a regular driver. I need guidance!!

https://www.jayco.com/products/fifth...nnacle/36fbts/
GVWR is around 16,500lbs with dry hitch around 2,940 lbs (or 18% of GVWR). Your primary concern is your TV payload. If you're going to haul this rig with nothing in it (dry), you're looking at a minimum of 2,940lbs. Throw in an Andersen Ultimate Hitch (rated at 4,500lbs) and your payload is more like 3,000lbs. Add driver, passengers and misc stuff and it goes up from there. You'll need a 3/4 or 1 ton truck that's light on options to get enough usable payload to safely tow this rig. Side note: Even if you look past the weight ratings and can still tow it, there's always that liability hanging over your head if something were to happen while towing.

Good Luck!

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by Packerbacker_TX

https://www.jayco.com/products/fifth...nnacle/36fbts/
GVWR is around 16,500lbs with dry hitch around 2,940 lbs (or 18% of GVWR). Your primary concern is your TV payload. If you're going to haul this rig with nothing in it (dry), you're looking at a minimum of 2,940lbs. Throw in an Andersen Ultimate Hitch (rated at 4,500lbs) and your payload is more like 3,000lbs. Add driver, passengers and misc stuff and it goes up from there. You'll need a 3/4 or 1 ton truck that's light on options to get enough usable payload to safely tow this rig. Side note: Even if you look past the weight ratings and can still tow it, there's always that liability hanging over your head if something were to happen while towing.

Good Luck!

We are waiting on a 2021 Ram 3500 to be delivered in a few weeks. it is just mama and I and 2 toy poodles, so I think we should be fine weight wise. What Liability are you referring to?

[kirkelli]

Originally Posted by jetlag

Ouch!! that was harsh. I am still reading and evaluating, however they have sold many many thousands of these, so I infer mostly happy customers. I read just as many if not more from folks dropping traditional hitches

sometimes facts hurt.. Based on my observation with the AUH, most people like the system because it is light and EZ to handle. Many think they are saving bed weight due to its light weight. But in actually, when you use the hitch in the rearward position, (for turning bed clearance) trailer bed weight is being shifted behind the axle. A good 5th wheel hitch is designed to carry its trailer tongue weight over the center of the Axle. Now when you equate physics into play, shifting weight of center causes additional weight by leverage. I read a post awhile back where a math person figured out that there was an actual bed weight increase using the AUH in the rear position over the heavy 250 lb Demco Slider. I also read a post where the AUH was actually crushed by a rear end impact on a trailer and i've seen post with a 40 foot 5th wheel dangling over an over-pass bridge supported only by a solid Demco Hitch. Yes, a Demco Slider is bit hard to place in the bed of a truck but at the end of the day, i'll deal with that pain for safety of myself, family and pets..

[Packerbacker_TX]

Originally Posted by jetlag

We are waiting on a 2021 Ram 3500 to be delivered in a few weeks. it is just mama and I and 2 toy poodles, so I think we should be fine weight wise. What Liability are you referring to?

I personally like a bit of wiggle room when it comes to payload. Most trucks are pretty nice but when they're chocked full of cool features/trim levels/etc. and you couple that with a diesel 4x4, you're maxed out because you've minimized your payload.

Regarding about liability - consider you're maxed out on payload or a bit over, you're haulin the rig to your destination and someone cuts you off, or a deer crosses the road, there's high wind or rainy conditions - you get the idea... and you crash. If you're lucky, nobody's hurt and the only damage done is to the TV/Rig. You file your insurance claim and the next thing you know, the adjuster is telling you you're overweight and it's not covered by insurance. Instead of a $1,000 deductible, now you're paying for a new rig and it only gets worse from there. I don't want to be "that guy" (aka Weight police) - just something to consider.

From where I sit, we have an 11K 5th wheel with a tongue weight of about 2K lbs. The payload of my 3/4 ton gas truck is 3k. Me, the wife, the dogs and "stuff" and we're up another 500# - leaving about 500# +/- , which gives me around 20% safety gap in case I "load-er-up". A bit less when you consider I've upgraded the truck bumpers from OEM to Ranch Hand.

[F350guy]

I kept up with your introductory thread and you have great taste in choosing a fifth wheel. It is stunning. I think you will enjoy it. We certainly have enjoyed ours and it has only had a couple of issues easily resolved by our dealer.

I've also kept up with this thread and made a comment early on about what we did for a hitch. I have a few comments about our experience with weights which may or may not be of any help. We found our hitch weight to be significantly more than listed in the brochure. Ours was listed at 2445 dry weight but after adding a Splendide washer/dryer which sits on the nose of our model, loading it to the gills for a month long trip to the Colorado Rockies and only filling the fresh water tank to about a third our hitch weight jumped to 3120. Our GVWR is 15,500 for the Pinnacle and the total weight was 14,700. It's unloaded vehicle weight is listed as 12,725. With our actual weight of 14,700 that put us with 11,580 on the axles and 21.2% of the weight on the pin. I think the weights listed are for base models with no options so you may find a significant difference like we did.

My truck has a yellow sticker payload of 4054 pounds. When I weighed the truck solo and hitched up I was in the cab but not the wife or the stuff we bring for our travel days like some food and drinks and few other things. I figure that bumps us to around 3400 on the truck which gives us a decent cushion.

I'm not at all familiar with the Ram trucks so no idea what your truck will have for a payload. I know an F350 long bed with a diesel jumps to 12,400 GVWR over the 11,500 for a short bed. I'm guessing you will be under it but probably close.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by kirkelli

sometimes facts hurt.. Based on my observation with the AUH, most people like the system because it is light and EZ to handle. Many think they are saving bed weight due to its light weight. But in actually, when you use the hitch in the rearward position, (for turning bed clearance) trailer bed weight is being shifted behind the axle. A good 5th wheel hitch is designed to carry its trailer tongue weight over the center of the Axle. Now when you equate physics into play, shifting weight of center causes additional weight by leverage. I read a post awhile back where a math person figured out that there was an actual bed weight increase using the AUH in the rear position over the heavy 250 lb Demco Slider. I also read a post where the AUH was actually crushed by a rear end impact on a trailer and i've seen post with a 40 foot 5th wheel dangling over an over-pass bridge supported only by a solid Demco Hitch. Yes, a Demco Slider is bit hard to place in the bed of a truck but at the end of the day, i'll deal with that pain for safety of myself, family and pets..

Originally Posted by F350guy

I kept up with your introductory thread and you have great taste in choosing a fifth wheel. It is stunning. I think you will enjoy it. We certainly have enjoyed ours and it has only had a couple of issues easily resolved by our dealer.

I've also kept up with this thread and made a comment early on about what we did for a hitch. I have a few comments about our experience with weights which may or may not be of any help. We found our hitch weight to be significantly more than listed in the brochure. Ours was listed at 2445 dry weight but after adding a Splendide washer/dryer which sits on the nose of our model, loading it to the gills for a month long trip to the Colorado Rockies and only filling the fresh water tank to about a third our hitch weight jumped to 3120. Our GVWR is 15,500 for the Pinnacle and the total weight was 14,700. It's unloaded vehicle weight is listed as 12,725. With our actual weight of 14,700 that put us with 11,580 on the axles and 21.2% of the weight on the pin. I think the weights listed are for base models with no options so you may find a significant difference like we did.

My truck has a yellow sticker payload of 4054 pounds. When I weighed the truck solo and hitched up I was in the cab but not the wife or the stuff we bring for our travel days like some food and drinks and few other things. I figure that bumps us to around 3400 on the truck which gives us a decent cushion.

I'm not at all familiar with the Ram trucks so no idea what your truck will have for a payload. I know an F350 long bed with a diesel jumps to 12,400 GVWR over the 11,500 for a short bed. I'm guessing you will be under it but probably close.

Thank You, our truck will be a long bed, or 8', with a GVWR of 12,300 pounds, and should be go with Andersen, it should fit in the normal forward position. Our unit as it sits weighs in at 14,700 as it is loaded from the factory. We left out the washer/dryer as we will not be full timing and My wife figures with the extra closet space she can bring extra clothes for us and find a public laundry mat if needed, as well as saving weight. Yes, the truck is a Laramie but should have a reasonable payload according to the Ram site, and I do realize the actual numbers will be lower than the brochures.

[F350guy]

Different opinions on the washer/dryer but our last 3 rv's have had one. My wife will not frequent a laundromat. We have slowed down a bit but many of our trips were 5 to 6 weeks at a time. This year our longest will be 5 weeks in Colorado in September (pray for no fires this season). She washes more frequently with the smaller unit but not a big deal as the machine is doing all the work. A Splendide 2100XC vented model will add 153 pounds plus whatever supplies you carry with it.

[NewBlackDak]

Originally Posted by jetlag

Thank You, our truck will be a long bed, or 8', with a GVWR of 12,300 pounds, and should be go with Andersen, it should fit in the normal forward position. Our unit as it sits weighs in at 14,700 as it is loaded from the factory. We left out the washer/dryer as we will not be full timing and My wife figures with the extra closet space she can bring extra clothes for us and find a public laundry mat if needed, as well as saving weight. Yes, the truck is a Laramie but should have a reasonable payload according to the Ram site, and I do realize the actual numbers will be lower than the brochures.

Your payload capacity will be around 4500lbs for a Ram 3500 SRW long bed. You don’t have anything to worry about.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by F350guy

Different opinions on the washer/dryer but our last 3 rv's have had one. My wife will not frequent a laundromat. We have slowed down a bit but many of our trips were 5 to 6 weeks at a time. This year our longest will be 5 weeks in Colorado in September (pray for no fires this season). She washes more frequently with the smaller unit but not a big deal as the machine is doing all the work. A Splendide 2100XC vented model will add 153 pounds plus whatever supplies you carry with it.

Originally Posted by NewBlackDak

Your payload capacity will be around 4500lbs for a Ram 3500 SRW long bed. You don’t have anything to worry about.

Thank You both. The W/D is not a dead issue by any means as she does want it. The dealer quoted around $2800 installed, not sure how high/low that might be but at least we have an idea as I am pretty sure she will get them down the road if not sooner. Interesting that NewBlackDak chimed in concerning my payload and we are trying to be conservative on adding weight to the rig as I know just a little about the potential payload on the 3500, other than what I can gleam from the Ram site and build section. For what it's worth, when we started looking, it was travel trailers we looked at. I had just ordered a Ram 2500 with the Cummings engine. This was good and fine until she walked in a Pinnacle 5th wheel, and all bets were off then, lol. I literally called my dealer the next day and switched the order. he already had a VIN number for the 2500! I wanted a short bed but quickly learned the long bed had a significantly higher payload, and would also negate the need for a sliding hitch.

[kirkelli]

here is a little food for thought before purchasing an Anderson Ultimate Hitch for your 5th wheel towing. there is a lot of negative into out there one only has to do a little research to find it.. If the URLL's do not work, copy each into your favorite browser.

https://thecampingadvisor.com/anders...itch-problems/

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...en-172847.html

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...re-on-Facebook

https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=46341

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by kirkelli

here is a little food for thought before purchasing an Anderson Ultimate Hitch for your 5th wheel towing. there is a lot of negative into out there one only has to do a little research to find it.. If the URLL's do not work, copy each into your favorite browser.

https://thecampingadvisor.com/anders...itch-problems/

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...en-172847.html

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...re-on-Facebook

https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=46341

Thank You, I had seen some of these already

[Rock]

The quote for washer drier is insane. I had mine installed by CW when they have there we install for $59 special. My unit also has the 5500 generator. Had a slider hitch in my old 3500 Dodge SB and towing long distance had its moments. Have towed about 5k miles with new truck and besides longer I will never pull a big FW SRW again. Getting ready for a 10k late summer trip and will have no towing concerns at all. I lift my 30k mopar hitch out with a chainfall and place on a wheeled dolly. The Mopar hitch is a Curt and came as part of my max tow package with all in bed floor mounting, rear hitch and goose ball mount. If u can change ur truck order add max tow package.
Also found out several people had washer dryer and also solar panels added by factory. My dealer said could not be done.
Rock

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by Rock

The quote for washer drier is insane. I had mine installed by CW when they have there we install for $59 special. My unit also has the 5500 generator. Had a slider hitch in my old 3500 Dodge SB and towing long distance had its moments. Have towed about 5k miles with new truck and besides longer I will never pull a big FW SRW again. Getting ready for a 10k late summer trip and will have no towing concerns at all. I lift my 30k mopar hitch out with a chainfall and place on a wheeled dolly. The Mopar hitch is a Curt and came as part of my max tow package with all in bed floor mounting, rear hitch and goose ball mount. If u can change ur truck order add max tow package.
Also found out several people had washer dryer and also solar panels added by factory. My dealer said could not be done.
Rock

We have the generator as well as most options. Not sure why dealer left the solar out when ordering. That price I am told is because of the labor since they have to cut the side of the unit to vent it? I would get another price anyway. We have the tow package as well.

[F350guy]

We were charged $1500 by our dealer for our Splendide 2100XC which included installation and the vent. Camping World has them on sale now for $1199 plus $80 shipping plus tax. In my state that would be $1388 to my door. I was happy with $1500.

[Rock]

Exactly ur dealer is screwing u. Call Jayco factory and see if they can install it. Do not ask ur dealer.
Rock

[Big1]

Originally Posted by jetlag

Thank You both. The W/D is not a dead issue by any means as she does want it. The dealer quoted around $2800 installed, not sure how high/low that might be but at least we have an idea as I am pretty sure she will get them down the road if not sooner. Interesting that NewBlackDak chimed in concerning my payload and we are trying to be conservative on adding weight to the rig as I know just a little about the potential payload on the 3500, other than what I can gleam from the Ram site and build section. For what it's worth, when we started looking, it was travel trailers we looked at. I had just ordered a Ram 2500 with the Cummings engine. This was good and fine until she walked in a Pinnacle 5th wheel, and all bets were off then, lol. I literally called my dealer the next day and switched the order. he already had a VIN number for the 2500! I wanted a short bed but quickly learned the long bed had a significantly higher payload, and would also negate the need for a sliding hitch.

I bought my Washer & Dryer for about $900 and install it by myself, the dealer quoted me about the same and I knew that I didn't want to pay that so I watch a lot of YouTube videos and was comfortable on doing it myself. The best mod I did on our 5th Wheel, those campsite laundry mats are sketchy.

I got the Washer & Dryer on sales at CW and with my military discount I got out of there with about $900 or a little over but not $1000.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by F350guy

We were charged $1500 by our dealer for our Splendide 2100XC which included installation and the vent. Camping World has them on sale now for $1199 plus $80 shipping plus tax. In my state that would be $1388 to my door. I was happy with $1500.

Originally Posted by Rock

Exactly ur dealer is screwing u. Call Jayco factory and see if they can install it. Do not ask ur dealer.
Rock

Originally Posted by Big1

I bought my Washer & Dryer for about $900 and install it by myself, the dealer quoted me about the same and I knew that I didn't want to pay that so I watch a lot of YouTube videos and was comfortable on doing it myself. The best mod I did on our 5th Wheel, those campsite laundry mats are sketchy.

I got the Washer & Dryer on sales at CW and with my military discount I got out of there with about $900 or a little over but not $1000.

Yes, we thought that was steep as well. Jayco can't do it as the unit is already at the dealers. I am certainly not qualified to cut holes in the unit to vent it, so we will look somewhere else later.

[jetlag]

I hope I am not beating this horse to death, lol. I am still a fan of the Andersen hitch, but just found a similar type hitch from Pullrite, the 2400 Superlight and model 2900 sister model. What I find interesting on the 2400 model is that it connects via an adapter to the OEM puck system which I find appealing. The 2900 is very similar to the Andersen in its mounting. Price seems to be fairly similar. I would love to hear your opinions on them. They have a lower weight capacity, 20K VER 24K for the Andersen, but a higher pin rating of 5K VER 4.5K for Andersen.

[jetlag]

This bracket came with our new Andersen hitch. I have never heard of it, seen it reviewed anywhere. Is it something new?