[Rockyhud]

While I don't have first hand experience with more conventional 5th wheel hitches, such as the B&W Companion and similar, I can attest to how well our Anderson Ultimate hitch performed during the 4-day, 2300+ mile trip from Ft Lauderdale, FL to our home near Colorado Springs last November, towing our DRV. I've also towed the RV a few times locally with the same sense of appreciating how well it performs every time.

The Anderson company claims of reducing/eliminating bucking, being strong and absolutely quiet are spot on. The ONLY bucking (and banging/hammering) we've experienced is totally due to the Lippert Trailair hitch with Tri-Glide option (which the latter part sucks, BTW). The only change to this hitch combo I intend to make is to replace the Tri-Glide lower hitch jaw with a solid lower jaw. This will retain the vertical dampening of the Trailair, which does work well, but will eliminate the bucking and horrible banging the Tri-Glide allows during acceleration and braking.

The ball & socket design of the Anderson hitch couples the RV and tow vehicle so there's no slack between them in the area of the king pin, like conventional hitches often have. This same design allows for connect/disconnect operations even when odd angles exist between the RV and TV. About the only thing I've found that needs to be taken into consideration is the fact the RV front landing gear needs to be able to raise the RV nose high enough to clear the Anderson hitch ball so it can be lowered onto and raised off of the Anderson hitch. I use wood blocks under these (and rear stabilizers too) to resolve that which also lessens the amount of hydraulic ram that extends outside the ram sleeve, potential reducing side loads on the rams. Other than that very minor thing, I can't say there's anything not to like about the Anderson. As the company and actual users also exclaim, the 35-lb weight is nice when you're setting it in place to use and when you're done and need to take it out. Also, the ball funnel does help guide the RV's hitch onto the Anderson hitch ball, making it easier to hitch w/o having to be so precise in positioning the Anderson hitch under the RV hitch.

Lastly, I've seen numerous threads in RV forums in which other RVers who don't have experience with the Anderson hitch like to talk bad about it, even though they've never used one. Those who do have actual experience typically seem very pleased with them. So, I learned to take what these people say with a grain of salt. I hope all this helps and good luck in your search and decision process.