Andersen 5th Wheel Hitch and Sidewinder Pin Box

Updated 06/30/2021 | Published 06/28/2021

Question:

Andersen Ultimate Connection 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch System with Adapter - 20,000 lbs Item # AM3200 On your on line Expert Reply, I read that: The Reese Sidewinder king pin like part # RP34FR is not compatible with the Andersen Ultimate Hitch like part # AM3200 because the Sidewinders are not compatible with adapters or hitches that only have one center point of attachment. The Sidewinder puts too much torque on adapters and requires a fixed hitch with 4 points of contact.. What does that statement mean? I called the Andersen Support line and the person that I talked to said that as long as the Reese Revolution/Sidewinder was locked inch bolts installed so that it does not swivelinch it can safely be used with the Andersen Ultimate Hitch.

asked by: Jerry P

Expert Reply:

The Sidewinder works by moving the pivot point from the hitch and king pin coupling point to a distance of 22" back from the center of that point. It does this using a wedge at the mounting point to prevent the king pin from rotating at those points of contact. The Sidewinder, unlike typical pin boxes, have a rotating turret. This is where rotation happens for turning instead of at the hitch point.

The person you spoke with from Andersen is correct that if you install the lock out bolts on a sidewinder you will be removing that feature of the rotating turret and at that point your Sidewinder will function as a typical pin box. From their viewpoint, their product, the Andersen Ultimate Connection 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch System with Adapter, # AM3200 is workable to your pin box. That is from their view of using their hitch. The issue is that you will still be using the needed adapter to make connection to the raised gooseneck ball on the Andersen hitch, and the manufacturer of the Sidewinder recommends against using any gooseneck-to-fifth-wheel adapter. So while placing bolts in the sidewinder removes the rotation feature of the turret, the sidewinder pin box as a whole is not designed, tested and approved for use with a raised gooseneck type adapter. The manufacturer's statement of "Note: Do not use the Sidewinder with any of the following: ... Hi-Rise gooseneck-to-fifth-wheel adapter by Draw-Tite, Hidden Hitch, Bulldog and Reese. Any other gooseneck-to-fifth-wheel adapter."

If you let us know the make, model, year and bed size of your tow vehicle along with the current pin box installed on RV we can make a recommendation that will work.

expert reply by: Michael R