My Silverado's 5th wheel hitch height is 55" (4’7”)

[MRobSr]

Have a 2024, Cougar 29BHL on order due approx. May 1. Concerned my Silverado, 3500HD's 5th wheel hitch height, at 55" (4’7”), may be to high to hook up the Cougar. My first 5th wheel so looking for help on how to figure this out.
Thanks guys!

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by MRobSr

Have a 2024, Cougar 29BHL on order due approx. May 1. Concerned my Silverado, 3500HD's 5th wheel hitch height, at 55" (4’7”), may be to high to hook up the Cougar. My first 5th wheel so looking for help on how to figure this out.
Thanks guys!

I am sure someone can help but perhaps let folks know what type hitch you have on your Chevy.

[MRobSr]

Oh, good point. It's the Andersen Gooseneck Mount. 17" is it's lowest setting. My turck's bed height is 38".

[NH_Bulldog]

I have a B&W Patriot and test-towed a Cougar 5th wheel and the heights/angles were all good on my truck. My 29BHL is expected about the same time as yours.

Before you went with the Andersen, did you understand the warranty issues involved with Keystone and Lippert frames, and the potential negative consequences of that hitch?

[MRobSr]

No, have heard nothing about potential warranty voiding issues with the use of the Anderson. My truck has the Z 71 package which includes a slight lift, which is why I concerned about the height. Have heard nothing negative on the Anderson.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by MRobSr

No, have heard nothing about potential warranty voiding issues with the use of the Anderson. My truck has the Z 71 package which includes a slight lift, which is why I concerned about the height. Have heard nothing negative on the Anderson.

Here's a copy of the Dealer Notification from Keystone. Note in the text there is a date after which "any use of the Andersen hitch will no longer be considered for warranty damages by either Keystone or Lippert"...

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by MRobSr

No, have heard nothing about potential warranty voiding issues with the use of the Anderson. My truck has the Z 71 package which includes a slight lift, which is why I concerned about the height. Have heard nothing negative on the Anderson.

I am attaching a link from a forum that has the memo attached (very first post). I have an Andersen a like it a lot. I has not presented any problems and has stood up to a couple of dramatic stops. I did however purchase it prior to the ruling and it was covered through my warranty period; if used on a new trailer it would void the frame warranty. If buying new right now I would not purchase the Andersen but instead go with something like the B&W Companion, Demco Recon or Reese Goose Box. As a note; Lippert and Reese are joined at the hip and the elimination of the warranty coverage for the Andersen was meant to steer folks to the Reese Goose Box (my opinion based on my research/deduction). Note in the 2nd paragraph of the memo that it states NO goose neck adapters have been approved other than Andersen and the Goose Box...then the Andersen was removed. They are referring to any adapter that goes on the pin box. Those I mentioned above attach to the goose ball but use the standard 5th wheel king pin as an attachment point.

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums...ad.php?t=83693

Edit: John beat me to it with a cleaner memo attachment - type too slow and too many words..

[wiredgeorge]

In spite of these dire warnings, I have an Anderson Ultimate hitch on my FX4 F350 (slightly higher than normal) and it works great. I have it on the lowest setting as it pulls most smoothly there. You shouldn't have any problem I think.

[NH_Bulldog]

I have the FX4 package which is the equivalent to the Z71 package from Chevy and my bed height is 38” as well. My hitch is being used by a friend and is about 700 miles away at the moment, otherwise I would measure the height. Either way, when I connected to a stock Cougar 1/2 Ton at the dealer, it sat just right.

The Andersen is a decent hitch from what some say (my brother has one in his Sierra 3500 AT4 for his Fuzion 367 and loves it). The issue is with Lippert frames and the warranty concern from using a modified connection. For what it’s worth, Andersen will provide their own warranty if Keystone and/or Lippert denies a frame warranty should an issue arise. Some people (myself included), prefer to stick with a conventional 5th wheel connection for a variety of reasons including emergency maneuvering and degraded performance of the Andersen connection in some accident situations.

[MRobSr]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Here's a copy of the Dealer Notification from Keystone. Note in the text there is a date after which "any use of the Andersen hitch will no longer be considered for warranty damages by either Keystone or Lippert"...

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Contacted Andersen and here's what they sent.
https://help.andersenhitches.com/ult...ction-warranty

With some stipulations, Andersen replaces the manufactures warranty.

"ANDERSEN EXPANDED WARRANTY: If the original purchaser (“purchaser”) or dealer (on behalf of an original purchaser) is denied written warranty coverage by an RV manufacturer, trailer-frame manufacturer or ‘King Pin’ manufacturer, because of purchaser’s use of the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection (gooseneck or rail mount) that has caused trailer-frame damage, and it is shown that the active (“active”) warranty was properly and legally voided by the manufacturer as a result of purchaser’s use of the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection, then Andersen Manufacturing (d.b.a. Andersen Hitches) will reimburse purchaser the amount that would have been covered by the manufacturer’s original active warranty..."

Since there are Andersen features I like, unless I'm missing something, I plan to stick with it. Thanks again!

[wiredgeorge]

Lippert frame do crack. The most frequent cause is a heavy slide out in the bedroom where the 29BHL has the cloths cabinet slide installed. The crack usually comes from an east/west bed slide which I suspect is a bit heavier. The crack in the frame will appear as a crack on the filon towards the front of the slide and go straight downwards. Lippert taking responsibility for this weakness in their frame will leave them pointing fingers. Of course Anderson Ultimate is one they point their finger at but Lippert will also point its finger at Keystone who they say does the design spec for the frame. This cracking of the frame in the location described has happened with a variety of hitches and the repair in NOT a DIY job. Search through the forum to see the instances of this happening and I bet a dollar to a donut that you will not find stats on what percentage of cracked frames occur; it is probably fairly low because folks where it doesn't happen don't complain or post on the issue.

[MRobSr]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Lippert frame do crack. The most frequent cause is a heavy slide out in the bedroom where the 29BHL has the cloths cabinet slide installed. The crack usually comes from an east/west bed slide which I suspect is a bit heavier. The crack in the frame will appear as a crack on the filon towards the front of the slide and go straight downwards. Lippert taking responsibility for this weakness in their frame will leave them pointing fingers. Of course Anderson Ultimate is one they point their finger at but Lippert will also point its finger at Keystone who they say does the design spec for the frame. This cracking of the frame in the location described has happened with a variety of hitches and the repair in NOT a DIY job. Search through the forum to see the instances of this happening and I bet a dollar to a donut that you will not find stats on what percentage of cracked frames occur; it is probably fairly low because folks where it doesn't happen don't complain or post on the issue.

Thanks. Will check this before taking delivery from dealer. Good to know!

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by MRobSr

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Contacted Andersen and here's what they sent.
https://help.andersenhitches.com/ult...ction-warranty

With some stipulations, Andersen replaces the manufactures warranty.

"ANDERSEN EXPANDED WARRANTY: If the original purchaser (“purchaser”) or dealer (on behalf of an original purchaser) is denied written warranty coverage by an RV manufacturer, trailer-frame manufacturer or ‘King Pin’ manufacturer, because of purchaser’s use of the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection (gooseneck or rail mount) that has caused trailer-frame damage, and it is shown that the active (“active”) warranty was properly and legally voided by the manufacturer as a result of purchaser’s use of the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection, then Andersen Manufacturing (d.b.a. Andersen Hitches) will reimburse purchaser the amount that would have been covered by the manufacturer’s original active warranty..."

Since there are Andersen features I like, unless I'm missing something, I plan to stick with it. Thanks again!

I'd guess that if you do have damage, what will happen is that Lippert will say, "You were using an Andersen hitch, so you have no warranty"... When you contact Andersen, they will say, "Lippert didn't properly and legally void your warranty, so you need to contact them to legally and properly test your damages to make a proper and legal determination." And Lippert will say, "We did that" and Andersen will say, "But what Lippert did is not proper and legal" and refuse to pay your damages....

In other words, what you're doing by using an Andersen hitch on a Lippert frame is "RISKING NO WARRANTY" because what is likely to happen in the remote chance that you do have any frame damage is that you're going to be in the middle of a "pissing contest" to get either of the companies to pay for the damage... That means you'll likely wind up paying the legal fees to get someone to admit responsibility....

Unfortunately, the legal fees will likely be far more than the actual damages, so most that are "caught by those same short hairs" opt to just suck it up and fix their trailer themselves.

Is it worth that potential outcome for you ??? Only you can answer that question.

[chuckster57]

If I remember right, originally Anderson said they had a 1million dollar policy to cover repairs if Lippert denied the claim because of the Anderson hitch. The catch as I recall was that ANDERSON, had to make the determination that the failure was not caused by the hitch.

Read the ENTIRE warranty including the exclusions here:

https://help.andersenhitches.com/ult...ction-warranty

I have no skin in the game, and don’t have anything against its use, but if you really “read” the warranty I see lots of “outs” for Anderson. JMHO YMMV.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

I'd guess that if you do have damage, what will happen is that Lippert will say, "You were using an Andersen hitch, so you have no warranty"... When you contact Andersen, they will say, "Lippert didn't properly and legally void your warranty, so you need to contact them to legally and properly test your damages to make a proper and legal determination." And Lippert will say, "We did that" and Andersen will say, "But what Lippert did is not proper and legal" and refuse to pay your damages....

In other words, what you're doing by using an Andersen hitch on a Lippert frame is "RISKING NO WARRANTY" because what is likely to happen in the remote chance that you do have any frame damage is that you're going to be in the middle of a "pissing contest" to get either of the companies to pay for the damage... That means you'll likely wind up paying the legal fees to get someone to admit responsibility....

Unfortunately, the legal fees will likely be far more than the actual damages, so most that are "caught by those same short hairs" opt to just suck it up and fix their trailer themselves.

Is it worth that potential outcome for you ??? Only you can answer that question.

WOW.... not having first hand experience with Andersen or Lippert warranty issues there is a lot of conjecture in your opinion. LOTS of folks are using Andersen hitches and have never had an issue. The glass is definitely half empty and your assessment has what chance of being correct? 90 percent? 80 percent? No way of know but have not heard on any RV forum where this situation has popped up. Etrailer expert opinion:

https://www.etrailer.com/question-694206.html

[sourdough]

I have the Andersen and love it. That said I have a lot of reservations about the new "exanded" Andersen warranty that came out after Lippert refused to warrant any frame damage THEY attributed to the use of the hitch. I put caps on they for a reason;

Reading the fine print on the Andersen expanded warranty you notice all the apparently unneeded verbiage they used to muddy the clarification of the coverage. One concern is the use of the phrase "...and it is shown that the active ("active") warranty was properly and legally voided by the manufacturer...." - what? Like the 1M warranty they advertised, which I never heard or read of anyone receiving, the choice of this wording really makes my Spidey sense tingle. Those words are needlessly complex for a straightforward warranty - Andersen covers if Lippert refuses because of the use of their hitch. Instead those words have all kinds of negative connotations, to me, for the owner of the Andersen. How does a Lippert frame warranty get "properly and legally voided"? When Lippert says "nope, no frame warranty because you were using an Andersen hitch" does it mean you then have to take Lippert to court to prove it's not their fault or ??? At a minimum I would contact Andersen and ask them to spell out the meaning of all the double talk.

From using my Andersen I wouldn't have a thought in the world that it would cause damage. I've used and watched it over many thousands of miles. If buying new though I would go with either the Reese Goose Box or one of the ones I previously mentioned that does not have an adapter on the king pin "just in case".

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

WOW.... not having first hand experience with Andersen or Lippert warranty issues there is a lot of conjecture in your opinion. LOTS of folks are using Andersen hitches and have never had an issue. The glass is definitely half empty and your assessment has what chance of being correct? 90 percent? 80 percent? No way of know but have not heard on any RV forum where this situation has popped up. Etrailer expert opinion:

https://www.etrailer.com/question-694206.html

George, not to get into a "contest" with you but did you actually read what was in the link you posted ???

"Question: Does Lippert except this hitch as not voiding their frame warranty on the trailer? asked by: Craig

Expert Reply: The Andersen Ultimate Connection 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch System part # AM3200 will not void the warranty on any trailer or frame (Including Lippert) per Anderson so you won't have any issues using it."

That is "exactly the opposite of what Keystone and Lippert said in the Dealer Memo. so,

Then, did you read what Keystone said in their "Dealer Memo" ???
"Any Anderson Goose Neck Adapters installed after March 15, 2021, will not be eligible for warranty consideration. Proof of the date of the Anderson installation will be required as part of any claim submission"

And what Lippert told Keystone in that same memo?
"We approached LCI and were informed that it has not, and it will not, honor or pay any warranty claims for damage to the front end frame/structure or any parts or components of any fifth wheel, when a fifth wheel is being used
with any goose neck adapter, with the exception of the “Reese Goose Box”

Based on what Keystone and Lippert have put in writing, I'd be very skeptical of an eTrailer "expert reply" that does not even have a date on it. I'd suspect their answer might well be, "Oh that was BEFORE Keystone sent that Dealer Memo"......

All that said, like Chuck, "I have no skin in the game" and it's up to the individual owner to determine whether he/she is willing to take the potential risk. Knowing all the facts available helps someone make better choices.

I don't have to buy an Andersen hitch to read and interpret what Keystone wrote to dealers. It's NOT about the hitch, it's about the warranty (or potential loss of warranty) that matters and is what the buyer should consider. Again, each person making the choice has to make the decision whether the potential loss of warranty is acceptable for their situation.

[GlasNav]

Grand Design is also having problems with Lippert fifth wheel frames flexing / cracking.

[lonerider98]

I have a 2019 Chevy 3500 had the Anderson hitch for a year. Decided to go to the Reese's goose box for the fifth wheel. And put the turnover ball hitch in my truck. With the goose ball set up, it rode so much nicer and didn't have any chucking once I got the air pressure right in the hitch. Also Lippert ok's this setup with its frames.

[BoboFuzion]

2024 Keystone 373 comes with a joint/repair below the bed slide.