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Old 11-16-2021, 02:37 PM   #1
philbtv
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Andersen users-Unhitching movement

I have an Andersen Ultimate in the back of my Dodge Ram 2500. When I get to the campground and get ready to unhitch I have a reccuring problem. When I go to lift the trailer off the hitch, the trailer seems to move a few inches as it comes off the ball. No matter what I try. I am on basically level ground, I put the chocks on the tires, the truck into neutral to release any pressure on the hitch. Then E-brake and transmission into park. Even after doing this the trailer usually seems to move as it comes off the ball. Any suggestions? Andersen says I am doing what they would suggest to relieve the pressure. I just don't like the idea of that pressure being released against the ball and cap in that manner. What have other Andersen users done to avoid this? Thanks
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Old 11-16-2021, 03:55 PM   #2
KimNTerry
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Is your truck lifted at all? The higher you have to to get off the ball the more movement you may encounter.

For me it would depend on the surface my jacks were on.
Dirt or gravel, little to no movement, slight slope on concrete or asphalt would shift a bit. Use pads between your landing gear and the ground or get RV Snap Pads (worth every penny IMO).

Since getting the RV Snap Pads I have 0 movement when unhitching.
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Old 11-16-2021, 04:03 PM   #3
wiredgeorge
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I have been using an Andersen Ultimate for quite a few years and the movement you are nervous about is a feature of the hitch. When it slides off the top ball on the hitch, the camper will settle a bit and since you are going up with the front of the 5th wheel, it makes sense to chock wheel(s) first. Lifting the camper up in front will always cause the camper to move a bit and this is normal. When you reverse the process and getting ready to hook up, the Andersen receiver part on your 5th wheel is a dish and made to grab the upper ball on the hitch so it doesn't have to be perfectly lined up; only close enough and the trailer will again move some and since you already have those chock(s) in place, nothing out of the ordinary.
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Old 11-16-2021, 04:05 PM   #4
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Our Cougar rides a bit nose high when connected so it doesn't surprise me when it rolls slightly backward when I lift it off the ball. I always have chocks front and rear of the forward tire. The roll stops with the rear chock. The movement is minor no more than 1/2 to 1 inch.
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Old 11-16-2021, 07:47 PM   #5
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The truck isn't lifted at all but it does have the Power Wagon package which does raise the bed a bit. The kingpin arm on the trailer is set so that the trailer rides flat. However, you do need to raise the trailer a bit more than you'd think just to get it off the ball. I do use jack pads, the Andersen kind. They are slick plastic, so maybe they are slipping on those as the cup lifts off the ball. I'll check out the snap pads. Thanks
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Old 11-19-2021, 06:43 AM   #6
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Is it the 5er that is moving or the TV? Depending on amount of squat, one needs lift the pin box a minimum of 6” if not more to disengage the hitch from the ball, things move.
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Old 11-19-2021, 07:04 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by philbtv View Post
The truck isn't lifted at all but it does have the Power Wagon package which does raise the bed a bit. The kingpin arm on the trailer is set so that the trailer rides flat. However, you do need to raise the trailer a bit more than you'd think just to get it off the ball. I do use jack pads, the Andersen kind. They are slick plastic, so maybe they are slipping on those as the cup lifts off the ball. I'll check out the snap pads. Thanks
The Power Wagon suspension is specifically designed to be "compliant with increased spring/shock travel" so it can travel over rough terrain at higher speed without damaging the truck. That is the opposite of what you need for heavy load carrying.

Take a few minutes to read the Chrysler specifics regarding the Power Wagon. The lack of heavy load capacity is only the start of that "special build, designed for a specific purpose"... That purpose required a decrease in fifth wheel capability to increase offroad capability.

The Power Wagon is a "niche specific vehicle" not an "all purpose vehicle"... The payload is significantly less, the springs/shocks are not the same and the vehicle performance is designed for a specific purpose, which is not heavy load towing..... The truck, while it will "pull a fifth wheel" is not the best choice for doing it. It goes far beyond "low payload capacity"....
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Old 11-19-2021, 10:16 AM   #8
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Mine moves a bit too, usually the truck that moves.
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Old 11-19-2021, 12:05 PM   #9
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No matter how much you chalk your tires, the trailer suspension will still have some wiggle room. The tires may be locked completely solid, but the bolts joining your leaf springs to the shackles and such, still have movement until gravity seeks its own level. This will cause the body of the trailer to move, ever so slightly, pretty much on any type of incline or no incline, or how high or low the trailer has to be raised.

Granted, the front landing jacks are sitting on the ground, but the suspension can still wiggle .... This is what's causing the movement... and there is really nothing you can do about it, unless your trailer axle is fixed solid to the frame of the trailer. No leafe springs at all, just welded directly to the frame.

That is what's going on.
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Old 11-19-2021, 02:22 PM   #10
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I have noticed when hitching and unhitching the cup moves in an arc and does not travel straight vertically. I too chock before unhitching. It doesn't move enough to be concerned about.
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Old 11-19-2021, 06:03 PM   #11
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I wonder if what you are seeing is the tension pulled back on the TV suspension..like a kids hobby horse the fiver is pulling a backwards down angle on the off-road suspension…it springs back up and away (forwards) from the fiver as you release the fifth wheel from the hitch..just an optical illusion that either vehicle is actually rolling forward or backward …your just seeing spring travel
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Old 11-25-2021, 08:43 AM   #12
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I’ve been using the Anderson hitch for several years. I don’t think that your trailer tires or trailer jacks are moving. Probably your tow vehicle is moving just a little. With transmission in park it still has a little play. Even if you apply your parking brake it will probably move a little. What is the issue with it moving? If your getting off the trailer you don’t need it perfectly above the ball. Just raise it up enough to clear hitch, disconnect electric pigtail and safety brake cable and move your pickup forward. Just be sure to lower the tailgate. Once your pickup tailgate is clear of the trailer you can hit the self level.
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Old 11-25-2021, 09:36 AM   #13
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I chock and all the other usual things you speak of, then as I raise the red funnel up to about half way up the ball, I stop, get back in the truck and let it "drift" back ever so slightly against the "back of the funnel, and then raise up the rest of the way, never have any movement this way. After breaking off the front of the funnel a couple of times I started doing this, and no more problems!
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Old 11-25-2021, 09:42 AM   #14
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Refering to one of the comments above, i have the same hitch system pulling my 39 foot toy hauler. I added the RV rubber snap on pads to the jacks and they do a good job holding the trailer in place.
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Old 11-25-2021, 11:22 AM   #15
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Ours does it too. Sometimes i see bits of the aluminum ball come off.
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Old 11-25-2021, 12:16 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by falcondan95705 View Post
Ours does it too. Sometimes i see bits of the aluminum ball come off.
??? Aluminum hitch ball ?? I don't know of any manufacturer who markets an aluminum hitch ball. I've seen aluminum hitch mounts, aluminum hitch components but never an aluminum hitch ball. Are you sure that's where you're seeing the bits of metal coming from ??? Every ball that I've ever seen is either ferrous steel or stainless steel. Stainless is only used in "light duty hitch balls because it is not even half as strong as steel, but, never aluminum.
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Old 11-25-2021, 05:42 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
??? Aluminum hitch ball ?? I don't know of any manufacturer who markets an aluminum hitch ball. I've seen aluminum hitch mounts, aluminum hitch components but never an aluminum hitch ball. Are you sure that's where you're seeing the bits of metal coming from ??? Every ball that I've ever seen is either ferrous steel or stainless steel. Stainless is only used in "light duty hitch balls because it is not even half as strong as steel, but, never aluminum.
The Andersen ball is aluminum
https://andersenhitches.com/products...-aluminum-ball
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Old 11-25-2021, 05:49 PM   #18
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If you see scuff marks on the Andersen ball, look up inside the adapter/coupler to ensure the black rubber/nylon/whatever insert is still in place. I had one fall out from the coupler adapter during the winter while parked - I assume from the temperature swings. Andersen sent me a new adapter. I keep the lock pin engaged now while unhooked and parked.
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Old 11-25-2021, 06:21 PM   #19
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My bed shaft was a SOB to get out of the puck hole. I sent them an email from their site, not expecting anything, but I will look for an alternative.
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Old 11-27-2021, 05:32 AM   #20
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I had the same issue with the factory bed ball being removed from the puck the first time. The 2 retaining balls get pulled up when you torque the hitch into place and that is rolling a very small amount of metal inside the puck bore. It's a precision fit and that small amount will make resistance removing the bed ball. I took a small half round file and smoothed that edge in both places and it seems to be fine now.
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