New 5th Wheel

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by John&Genny

I just had to come back and revisit this old post of mine. If anyone has been watching YouTube & RV streamers, there has been a flood of people complaining about Frame Flex and NONE of it has to do with using an Andersen hitch. Imagine that!

Yep, there isn't a lot (maybe even, "there's no evidence of...") associated with frame damage and the Andersen hitch.

Unfortunately, that doesn't change the warranty because Lippert, who pays for the damages caused by frame flex, specifically excludes the hitch in the frame warranty...

So, even though there's not any complaints of damage caused by the Andersen hitch, anyone using it on a Lippert frame will still risk loss of warranty coverage if the Andersen hitch is used, whether it is the source of damage or not.

Essentially, making that choice exposes an owner to some risks IF (a big little word) they choose to use the Andersen hitch. That may or may not be a financial risk an owner finds acceptable. While the warranty coverage might be an "iffy proposition" when it comes to repairing a trailer with frame flex damage. If it's apparent the Andersen hitch has been used, it definitely provides Lippert a means to deny any of the repair expense. So, it still is a big consideration for most people with a trailer less than 3 years old.

[John&Genny]

I agree John about making sure the RV will be covered under warranty. If I were buying a new RV today, I would probably go with the Reese Goosebox or a standard hitch that's been OK'd by Lippert/Keystone. But it's a shame that Andersen has taken the heat and been the scapegoat for what's turned out to be Lippert's issue to begin with.

[jsb5717]

Originally Posted by John&Genny

I agree John about making sure the RV will be covered under warranty. If I were buying a new RV today, I would probably go with the Reese Goosebox or a standard hitch that's been OK'd by Lippert/Keystone. But it's a shame that Andersen has taken the heat and been the scapegoat for what's turned out to be Lippert's issue to begin with.

I agree. I don't think that the Andersen Hitch would cause frame flex/failure. But, as John was saying, it's not really about Andersen, or an other competent hitch alternative like Pullrite, Curt, GenY, and others. It's about Lippert either trying to mitigate potential causes for frame failure or limiting the market to their own Goosebox as the only alternative to a standard hitch.

Ultimately, though, once you eliminate other potential causes and still have frame failures, I think all it will do is shine a bright light on manufacturing or engineering failures that have nothing to do with hitches. Hopefully it will force a better product.