B & W Trailer Hitch

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
Just wanted everyone to know that after two years of use we sent our coupler back to B & W for routine maintenance. We were really surprised when B & W sent us a whole new coupler. They even paid for the shipping. Thank you Gregg Lafferty at B & W.
 

Paul_in_MN

Active Member
6 months ago I bought a slightly used B&W Companion hitch and have found it to be quite satisfactory. What sort of problem did you have that you would send it back to the factory for? Did the polyurethane bushings on the pedestal degrade or fail? What should I be aware of?

Just before that I bought a new B&W turnover ball goosneck hitch as we have horse and equipment trailers, so the truck needs to be versatile. My truck is an 02 F350 Crew Cab long box. Should I be watching for any wear problems with this part of the hitch?

My pre purchase info search suggested that both of these units were high quality, and the company was doing a great job of holding on to employees during this recession. I gladly spent a few extra bucks for the product quality and a good company employee management plan, and being made in the USA!

Thanks for any insights.

Paul_in_MN
 

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
B & W hitch

Paul,
To tell you the truth, one of the handles that locks the coupler onto the pedestal became bent. We don't know how this happened so we wanted B & W's technician to take a look at it and possibly replace the handle. Otherwise we were satisfied with the coupler and pedestal. We have been towing our 3670RL without any problems for more than two years and see no reason not to recommend the hitch.

The second part of your question pertains to the gooseneck version of the hitch which I can't speak to since we only have the 5th wheel companion hitch.
 

Paul_in_MN

Active Member
Sidney,

Thanks for your reply.

I would guess that the lock handles that secure the hitch head to the pedestal could be bent by getting the truck at too much of a side angle compared to the trailer. The hitch head will allow maybe 5 or 7 degrees of difference between TV and 5er, and beyond that the lock handles try to keep it from going further.

I suppose a second possibility is when you are disconnecting the trailer from the TV. If you use the front trailer jacks to take the trailer weight off the TV and hitch, but you raise the trailer too high and begin to lift the truck, then I'd guess both handles could be bent. I think the 2 lock handles are all that restrains the hitch head from lifting off the pedestal.

I can't imagine B&W replacing the entire hitch over that kind of damage, unless they are doing some research to see if that is a weak spot in their design.

I do like their product, and they have just proven they are a responsible company!

Paul_in_MN
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I have had my B&W since 2006. It is doing well. Only problem I have had is the U-Bolt's have a tendency to gall when you tighten them down to the 80 ft lbs. It also will bend the frame.

I have had no problem with the coupler. Infact I like it better than all those I have seen. It never gets locked up as others I have seen. Mine will just open up when all the weight is removed from the hitch.

BC
 

klindgren

Retired Virginia Chapter Leaders
I've had the B&W turn-over-ball in by trucks for years. We pull gooseneck trailers for work and I just love the quality and versitility of the B&W hitch. When we bought our first 5th wheel in 2007 I had them add the gooseneck adapter to the pin box. Pulled the Montana the whole season that way. Then when I began looking at Heartlands, my "soon-to-be" dealer, Chesapeake RV Solutions, convinced me to get the B&W Companion hitch. Tim told me I would like the way the trailer pulled a whole lot better. He was absolutly right. I love the Companion hitch. Great quality and so easy to use.

Keith
 

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
B & W hitch

TX Bobcat,

I haven't had problems while tightening the coupler onto the post with the two u bolts. You might want to bring this to the attention of B & W. They appear to be interested in making sure their product continues to operate properly.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I did contact B&W and they sent me a set of new U-Bolts and told me this never happened to anyone else. I must be doing something wrong. I have heard from others that have had the same problem. The U-Bolts are special made for B&W and are grade 5. 80 ft lbs is to much for a grade 5 fastener. 80 ft lbs is ok for a grade 8 fastener.

The problem connecting the base to the post is not the problem, it is when you remove the base from the truck. You loosen the nuts on the U-Bolts you may break the U-Bolt because the thread have galled..

BC
 

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
B & W hitch

TX Bobcat,

Do you think the problem might be caused by not taking care of the down bolt on top of the post before tightening or loosening the nuts on the u bolts?
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
TX Bobcat,

Do you think the problem might be caused by not taking care of the down bolt on top of the post before tightening or loosening the nuts on the u bolts?

Could be, the person that installed the hitch did not get it in the proper position and I did the same time once. But after that I put a stronger clamp on the post...

Still a lot of torque on the frame.

BC
 

WRIGHT ll

retired Oklahoma Chapter Leaders
I have been using our B&W since 2004 and had the same problem with the u-bolts and nuts galling. Since I was going to see our daughter and family in Kansas I just stopped by the plant with the parts. They gave me replacement parts and a new hold down bolt without any questions asked. When I installed the new parts I applied some pure silicon spray to the threaded portion and haven't had any more problems. Since our hitch is now 5+ years old it is starting to show some corrosion and I'm thinking about seeing how much it will cost to have it cleaned, inspected and a fresh paint job applied. It isn't a bad drive to the plant and we'll get to see some different country too.
 

yondering

Retired-Full Timer
TXBobcat, we have a 2009 B&W companion, and the manual as well as the installing dealer told us to torque the bolts to 40lbs per side. Just a note to say maybe they realized the problem was there. God Bless ya, Al W
 

combine_billy

Active Member
The problem connecting the base to the post is not the problem, it is when you remove the base from the truck. You loosen the nuts on the U-Bolts you may break the U-Bolt because the thread have galled..

BC

I must be missing something, why do you loosen the nuts on the u-bolts when you remove the base from the truck?
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I used the instructions that came with the hitch. I have attached a PDF file of the instructions. Below is Step 3 which gives the proper torque. I also looked at the present instructions and I see no change.

STEP 3:
Place the RV Base over the RV post so that the U-bolts wrap around the RV post. (PIC E) Then place a ½” washer (E) on the ½” x 3” draw-down bolt (B), insert the bolt through the hole in the top flange of the RV base and hand-thread the draw-down bolt into the RV Post. Square the RV base legs with the ribs of the truck bed and then tighten the ½” x 3” draw-down bolt to 40 ft-lb. Next, tighten the two u-bolts to 80 ft-lb. to secure the RV Base to the RV Post. It is very important that the draw-down bolt is tightened before the U-bolts are tightened. When the RV Base is installed correctly, the RV Post should have a ¼” to 1” gap between the RV Post and the RV Base where the draw-down bolt attaches.(PIC F) Also, you should not be able to disengage the latch pin in the wheel well when the base is installed correctly.

combine_billy
Below is step 8 from the instructions. As you can see it says to loosen the 4 nuts on the U-Bolts.

STEP 8: UNINSTALL HITCH
To uninstall the RV Companion, remove the Saddle lock pins, grab the RV saddle handles and lift to remove the RV coupler from the RV pivot arms. To remove the RV base loosen the four ½” nylon lock nuts on the two u-bolts around the RV post and loosen the draw down bolt. Retract the Turnoverball gooseneck latch pin handle all the way out until it stops and then rotate it clockwise. Remove the RV base from the GN hitch receiver socket.

Unless I am miss reading this I have followed the instructions correctly.

One thing that did not happen to me... Either the person that installed the hitch originally did not include the nylon lock nuts or they did not come with the hitch. After two problems with the U-Bolts B&W sent a full package of hardware and this one included nylon lock nuts. They said the galling was caused because the nylon lock nuts were not used. I can not contest this but I think the 80 ft lbs torque is to much and is causing the bolts to stretch. I believe they are grade 5 U-Bolt grade. I would perfer Grade 8. B&W told me that the U-Bolts are custom made for B&W. I found out that the U- Bolts can not be purchased except through B&W. I would also like to see a plate between the nuts and the base to even out the stress on the base.

So far I have not had any more problems with the securing of the base to the RV Post.

To make it clear, I still like the B&W hitch and knowing what I know now I would still install this hitch.

BC
 

Attachments

  • companion_RVK3000.pdf
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combine_billy

Active Member
I swap out the gooseneck ball with the companion hitch after every use, so silly me I just pull it out.

I also didn't get any of the hardware with the companion hitch, maybe it is time to call them and get the real hardware.
 

sidney dreyfus

Well-known member
B & W hitch

I have found, if you don't loosen the bolts you can't pull the release pin located in my wheel well. I supposed the hitch is snugged down so much by the down bolt and the u bolts, that it makes it very hard to release the pin that holds the post down in the truck. If your not using the pin there's nothing to stop the post from popping out of the truck.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I swap out the gooseneck ball with the companion hitch after every use, so silly me I just pull it out.

I also didn't get any of the hardware with the companion hitch, maybe it is time to call them and get the real hardware.


Billy
As stated by sidney dreyfus, I can't pull mine out either unless the pressure is released on the post. It states and I found out from experience that you want to drop the post all the way down in the receiver so the rod goes into the second hole from the bottom. The first hole is incase you have a rubber bedliner installed.

I hope this is helpful to others using this hitch.

BC
 

combine_billy

Active Member
I have a bedliner.

Not sure why they want it so tight with the companion vs the gooseneck ball.

Like I said, I didn't even get the u-bolts with my unit. I had to make my own.
 
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