B & W hitch on a GM truck

Just putting this up for search puposes. Installed the hitch today. Big problem was that you are suppose to remove the heat sheild under the bed. Seems that the factory saw fit to use tiny torx head bolts to hold it on. I couldnt get a wrench on a few of them because the cross members are too close. Even stripped the heads of a couple because they used Loctite on them! Ended up cutting the sheet metal sheild with some tin snips. That took forever! If you have a friend with an air chisel invite him over for a couple of beers! If it wasnt for the sheild I would have had it installed in Half the time. All in all it is a great set up. Can hardly wait for the BigHorn!

So,
what about the heat shield? does it not need to be there? If not, I wonder why it was put there in the first place?
I have a 3400RL on order.
My dealer, RV's for Less in Knoxville, has suggested that I put the B & W hitch on my '06 Chevy Short bed truck. I don't really need the goose neck part of it but he said that since the 5th wheel part of it sets back about 4 inches behind the gooseneck ball that it would insure that I would not need a slider hitch.
Is that the reason you went with this particular hitch?
John

I went with this hitch because of ease of installation, good reviews and it is flush with the bed when the Companion is removed. Butch also said that there tolerances are tighter than with other brand of hitches and the FW rides better. He would not suggest a fancy pin box with it because it works great without them. The heat shield is for the exhaust system. The panel I cut out is where the main hitch part goes across the bed and will act as a heat shield on its own.

I thought one of the big advantages of the Heartland front cap design is that you wouldn't need a sliding hitch, even with a shortbox. That is what their website indicates.

ChopperBill said:

He would not suggest a fancy pin box with it because it works great without them

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Thanks for your reply,

About a fancy pinbox? Do you mean like a trail-air hitch?
Butch is going to install airbags on my truck which he says will make the load ride better than an air ride hitch, and can be moved to another truck if the time comes when I trade.

Butch said if the Landmarks didn't come standard with the Trail-air hitch he wouldn't order them with that hitch because the B & W works so good. Don't have a short box so I don't have the need for a slider.