The Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection is a fifth-wheel hitch built around a ball instead of jaws. A coupler block bolts onto your trailer's kingpin, and that block drops onto a 2-5/16 in ball on an aluminum or steel base in the truck bed. Andersen makes five versions. They share the same rating and the same coupler, and differ in how they mount to the truck. Here is which one fits your bed, what is in the box, and which pin boxes need extra parts.
How the Ultimate Connection works
There are two halves. The kingpin coupler block clamps to the trailer's kingpin with two bolts and four set screws, and has a red ball funnel underneath. The base sits in the truck bed and carries the Ultimate ball. To hitch up, you open the remote latch cable, back under the trailer and lower the coupler block onto the ball, then push the latch handle in and turn it 90 degrees to lock.
Andersen says the funnel lets you hook up when you are up to 3 in off center, and its Gen 3 manual says the connection can articulate up to 15 degrees. The ball and coupler are greaseless; Andersen's manual says there is never a need to lubricate them.
Every version carries the same Andersen rating: 24,000 lb gross trailer weight (GTWR) and 4,500 lb tongue (pin) weight. For the 3200 Rail Mount, Andersen's 2020 rail manual lists 20,000 lb GTWR; use that lower figure unless your unit's label says more. These are the hitch's ratings, not yours. Your truck's towing and payload ratings, your gooseneck ball or rail system, and your trailer's pin box all have their own limits, and the lowest one sets what you can tow.
The five versions side by side
| Model | Mounts to | Base | Andersen's fit notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3220 Gooseneck | 2-5/16 in gooseneck ball in the bed | Aluminum, 14 in tall | 5.5, 6.5 and 8 ft beds. Puck systems with the Andersen Bed Shaft or a 2-5/16 in ball. |
| 3220TBX Gooseneck, toolbox | 2-5/16 in gooseneck ball | Aluminum, 14 in tall, 3.5 in base offset | Same as 3220, offset for a bed with a toolbox. |
| 3221 Lowered flatbed | 2-5/16 in gooseneck ball | Aluminum, 10 in tall | Flatbed trucks; also works with a recessed ball. Not listed for standard pickup beds. |
| 3221TBX Lowered flatbed, toolbox | 2-5/16 in gooseneck ball | Aluminum, 10 in tall, 3.5 in base offset | Flatbed with a toolbox. |
| 3200 Rail mount | Industry-standard fifth-wheel rails | Steel, 11-1/2 in tall | 5.5, 6.5 and 8 ft beds; may not clear higher side rails. Puck systems with an adapter from the rail maker. |
Andersen's chart covers most newer setups but is not a guarantee for every one, so check your own measurements.
Step 1: pick by what is in your truck bed
A gooseneck ball
Choose a gooseneck version. The 3220 and 3220TBX are for pickup beds; the 3221 and 3221TBX are for flatbeds. The Gen 3 manual is explicit that the ball is not included: you need a 2-5/16 in gooseneck ball and under-bed system already installed, and Andersen does not sell those.
A puck system (factory fifth-wheel prep)
Andersen's chart lists the 3220 and 3220TBX for puck systems with the Andersen 3219 Bed Shaft or a 2-5/16 in ball. Andersen describes the Bed Shaft as designed for the gooseneck-mount bases and made to fit factory OEM ball systems, and asks owners of 2026 and 2027 trucks to call it before ordering one. The flatbed 3221 versions are not listed for puck systems.
Fifth-wheel rails
Choose the 3200 Rail Mount. It drops into industry-standard rails, which Andersen does not sell. Andersen's chart notes the 3200 may not leave enough clearance in beds with higher side rails.
A toolbox behind the cab
The TBX versions move the base 3.5 in to make room for a bed toolbox, on either the standard or the lowered base.
Step 2: check your pin box
Andersen's 5th Wheel Configuration Chart lists, for all five Ultimate Connection models:
- Solid pin boxes, under or over 30 in: compatible.
- Air bag style: compatible.
- Rota-Flex: compatible; on the four gooseneck models the chart calls for the Rota-Flex Lockout Kit (3247), which Andersen says is required for Rota-Flex pin boxes. Andersen also makes a 3247XTD extended kit, 2 in longer.
- Airborne and pivoting styles: compatible only if locked straight.
- MORryde: compatible only when installed with MORryde part RPB77-006.
- Rotating style and gooseneck adapter pin boxes: not compatible.
Andersen says HELUX pin boxes require the 3258 HELUX Lockout Kit, which includes two spacers for the HELUX box.
One more rule from the manual: the coupler block cannot be installed with a lube plate or any other slick material on the kingpin, because the set screws need to hold the block still.
Step 3: set the ball height with the right coupler tube
On the gooseneck versions, a square coupler tube connects the base to your truck's gooseneck ball. The 10 in tube is standard on the 3220, and the 12 in tube is standard on the 3221. If your ball sits unusually high or low, Andersen's Gen 3 Coupler Tube Chart tells you which length to use. You need to know whether the top of your ball is above or below the bed, and Andersen says to subtract 1/8 in from its numbers if your ball has a flat top. We stock the 8 in, 10 in, 12 in and 14 in tubes.
The Ultimate ball itself also adjusts. On the standard 3220, Andersen's manual gives a 14 in base height with the ball at 17-9/16 in in the low position or 19-9/16 in in the high position. You can use that adjustment to level the trailer or gain side-rail clearance for longer pin boxes.
Step 4: check turning clearance
Andersen's manual has you measure from the coupler block's ball socket to the farthest front corner of the trailer, and from the ball to the back of the cab. If the first number is shorter, you are close to full clearance. Andersen adds that most truck and trailer combinations work well with 60 to 70 degrees of turning clearance, and that long pin boxes may need the coupler block turned around so the ball socket sits behind the kingpin.
What is in the box, and what is not
The 3220 Gen 3 manual lists a base assembly, the 2-5/16 in Ultimate ball, a square coupler tube with its bolts and pins, and the complete kingpin coupler assembly with ball funnel, coupler bolts, set screws and the remote latch cable. Andersen's page notes that the remote latch cable is not part of its lifetime warranty.
Safety chains are sold separately:
- 3230 Safety Chains, for all Ultimate Connection models.
- 3249 chains with triangle plate, for the gooseneck models.
- 3215 chains with rail tabs, for the rail model.
Other add-ons Andersen offers: the 3252 Anti-Slip Kit, a 41-1/2 x 37-1/2 in rubber mat for the gooseneck models, and the 3243 Full Bed Support System for Chevy and GMC trucks, which Andersen says helps prevent bed warping from torque forces. Spare coupler parts such as the 3231 kingpin coupler assembly and the 3201-UCU Gen 3 ball are in the Andersen Hitches collection. The 3201-UCU fits Gen 3 units only; Andersen asks Gen 1 and Gen 2 owners to contact it for parts.
Ranch Hitch Adapter or Ultimate Connection?
Andersen also makes the Ranch Hitch Adapter, which bolts to the pin box and tows on a gooseneck ball with nothing in the bed. It suits solid pin boxes only. If your trailer has a cushioned pin box, Andersen points you to the Ultimate Connection instead. Our Ranch Hitch Adapter guide compares the two.
If the truck itself is the weak point under a heavy pin weight, our answer on Bilstein shocks for a Ram 2500 towing a fifth wheel covers the suspension side.
FAQ
Does the Ultimate Connection come with a gooseneck ball?
No. The gooseneck versions need a 2-5/16 in gooseneck ball already installed in the truck. The kit includes the Ultimate ball on the base, which is what the trailer's coupler block sits on.
Will it fit a short-bed truck?
Andersen's chart lists the 3200, 3220 and 3220TBX for 5.5, 6.5 and 8 ft beds. Check turning clearance with your own trailer using the measurements in the manual.
Do I need to grease it?
No. Andersen's manual says there is never a need to grease the ball or coupler.
Can I use it with a Rota-Flex pin box?
Yes, with the Rota-Flex Lockout Kit, per Andersen's chart. Rotating-style pin boxes are not compatible.
Does a 24,000 lb hitch let me tow 24,000 lb?
Only if every other part allows it. Stay within the lowest of the hitch rating, your ball or rail system, your trailer's pin box, and your truck's towing, payload and axle ratings.