Companion settings on GM DRW

[dieseldogsdad]

New to the fifth wheel scene. I have a 2013 GMC DRW Denali with the new B&W Companion RVK3500. We are going to pick up our new Bighorn 3750FL Tuesday. It is about a 4 hour drive and I would like to get my hitch set as close as possible before I leave the house. There are no weights listed for our model yet but it is very similar to the 3755FL which is about 14,000 lbs with and it will probably have a 2800-2900 lb pin weight. What do the GM people have there companion's set at? I have seen some posts saying the highest setting but from my research I believe that may make the nose 1-2 inches high on the trailer. I had 3200 lbs in the bed the other day and the truck squatted about 2". That should be about the same weight as the pin and the companion. If my math is correct, with the hitch in the highest position with 3200 lb load my hitch plate should be right around 51" from the ground and the bed rail at the axle will probably be around 54.5" to 55". Does that sound good? One of the factory reps told me he thought their pin plates where 50" from the ground when level. I could go with the middle setting which would probably put the plate at 50" with the load, but I have read the GM bedsides are so tall that I may need the extra height for clearance. Would it be alright if the trailer nose is an inch high? Also how far forward should the kingpin be? If I use post position 1 (in instructions) as far forward as it goes the kingpin will be about 3" ahead of the axle. If I go back a set of bolt holes the kingpin should be 1" ahead of axle, which is the closest I can get to being directly over the axle. I thought I saw a post somewhere to make it all the way forward. Is being over the axle best or is more forward better? I would like to hear from some of the Chevy and GMC DRW guys who have a similar setup. I have numbered my questions below for easier answering.

1- What do the GM people have there companion's set at?
2- Would it be alright if the trailer nose is an inch high?
3- How far forward should the kingpin be? Is being over the axle best or is more forward better?

 

[Dloebrich]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

We are 1 setting down from the top. King pin right over the axle. That should be a good starting point. We also have air bags on the truck which are good for fine tuning the ride ht. and quality depending on how you have the trailer loaded.

 

[mobilcastle]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

I am set at the top of my Companion, but I have the older model. I am set 1 setting to the back-if I remember correctly their are two setting back toward the gate and two settings forward toward the cab. I am running very close to level. 1" high should not be a problem. The further back you go with the hitch the more room you will have when your tailgate is down.

 

[dieseldogsdad]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

Good point. I had never even considered the tailgate being down. I will set it as near the axle as possible. I thought maybe being farther forward would distribute the weight better but with such a light pin weight I should not have too much of a problem. I think I will probably on the top setting for height as well. I f when I hitch it up it looks too high I will just have to lower it before I leave with it. I am considering air bags as well but I figure I will see how it handles first. I will probably upgrade the pin box at some point in the near future. Not sure if I will go with the mor/ryde or the trailair tri-glide. Lippert list's a flex-air not sure what the difference is between that and the tri-glide are.

 

[Subdrv]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

I have a 2015 3500 Chevy my hitch is set at the top, I started out in the second hole down didn't like the clearance so I moved it up. My pin weight is in the high 3k pound range truck set lvl and so does the camper. I pulled a cyclone 4000 about 9k miles this past summer with no problems. My pins sets over the axle.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[mobilcastle]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

My pin weight is about 3200. We fulltime. I don't run air bags. I don't think you will need them.

 

[Westwind]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

Another concern is the distance between your bed rails and bottom of the trailer - ideally 7 inches would be good but you might be unable to get that. I have a Trailer Saver with Air Bags on the hitch so once I air up things change.
I just upgraded from a 2008 GMC Sierra 3/4 ton to a 2015 GMC Sierra 1 Ton SW, definitely a difference in height. I went from level to slightly nose high but the distance from the bed rails to the bottom of he trailer is about 6 inches so we are at the hitch settings for the truck and trailer once I air the bags up on the hitch.
We can all chime in but there is always a difference in what you have and others have.

 

[dieseldogsdad]

Thanks for everyone's responses. This has helped a lot. A week ago I was thinking lowest setting as far forward as possible. Now I think I will try the highest setting as close to center over the axle as I can get it first. If it seems a bit nose high and I have the clearance I will drop it down a notch or two. I will let you know next week.

 

[Bob&Patty]

One thing you are not understanding. The listed pin weight is not always correct. Front living or bath coaches are pin heavy, maybe 3500+#. You will not know what it is until the coach is loaded for travel. You have the same TV as I do. My hitch (husky) has been in 3 trucks and have never had to move the up/down setting. One hole down from the top hole. As far as the for/aft settings...I would have it as far forward as you can and still let the tailgate down. You need that 3 to 4 hundred # on the steering axle. One thing I did notice, going from a '07 CC LB 2500 to the '13 3500. The clearance from the tailgate being down to the 5er is less. Your TV is rated at 30500# GCVW and 22K for a 5er. If you stay at 62-65 MPH pulling, cruise control on, you should average 11+ MPG....well mine does. So far I have not found any reason to drive in T/H mode. This TV is not lacking for power on flat land or hills. Thats my story and sticking to it.

 

[dieseldogsdad]

Your are correct 11 mpg is exactly what I got with the cruise set at 65 mph. That was on fairly flat highway from Cincinnati to Wheeling. I did run it in tow mode because I have found the exhaust brake works better in t/h mode. Plus if I remember right I think it says something in the owners manual about 1 &1/2 or 2 times the weight of your truck is when you are supposed to use it. I think the main thing it changes is the way your truck holds a gear. It seemed to always be in the power band when needed and didn't down shift every time I pushed the throttle. I would recommend trying it next time you take your coach out. As for the hitch height I never got around to measuring the clearance but I would say I had at least 8" running with the hitch all the way up. The trailer was slightly nose high but not to bad, still I may lower the hitch a notch because I don't think it will hurt. I had it off camber pretty good making a tight turn coming out of a fuel station and I still had at least a few inches clearance. I did however touch the back of the plastic box cover to the bed cap while backing it in at home at a little over 90° but the cover is a bit long in the back and looks like it could be trimmed a couple inches. I currently have the kingpin sitting about 1" ahead of the axle and had plenty of room between tailgate and trailer. Also had nice clearance between cab and front cap when turning. It seemed to pull great so I think that is a good position. With nothing in the trailer the truck probably only squatted a little over a inch so the pin weight empty is definitely under #3000. After loading it up with all our stuff I will fine tune a little more if needed and take it to the scales. I may add a trailair tri-glide pin box to it which will probably change my settings a little. I know some prefer the mor/ryde but i hear good things about the air if you fine tune it. I did not think the ride was bad but I started thinking between the truck and trailer I have about a $120k investment. If a $1,300 pin box is going to help reduce stress on my equipment than it's kind of a no brainer. Thanks to everyone who responded, I think we are going to love being a part of the Heartland community. Also I would like to say that everyone at Holman RV was super friendly and I would highly recommend them to anyone in the market for a new RV or GMC. I have dealt with many dealerships in my life and this was by far my best experience.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Never read the owners manual as I have no need to do so. I just go and ask questions of the guys/techs I worked with at the Chevy store here in town. I felt that being in T/H mode and having the exhaust brake on...the trans has very harsh downshift. My thoughts are that this is harder on the driveline than the trans downshifting. I normally keep the RPM's about 15 to 16k. Thats where the power band is and I get the best fuel mileage. This about 1K less RPM's than my '07 at the same speed. GM must have changed the gearing in the trans in 2011 trucks. Fuel mileage drops at 17K RPM's and up. I do however, have the GY G614's on the Horn so I am not worried about highways speeds on the trailer tires....BUT....most trailer tires are not rated to go over 65 MPH. BTW, I was a GM tech for over 45 years....so I understand GM cars and trucks.

 

[dieseldogsdad]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

Sorry I wasn't implying that you don't know your truck, just making a suggestion. I liked the way the t/h mode worked and thought you should give it a shot if you have never tried it, that's all. I did monitor the transmission temp and never rose above 130 even on the hills near my home. I have owned a diesel for about the last ten years and while cruising you do get your best mpg at your lower rpms. However one thing I learned with my last truck which was a standard is that chugging along at 1500 rpms with a load you are actually over fueling the engine. You will probably never see it on the lml but on an older truck you will see black smoke and that is just wasted fuel. While the lml does reach it's max torque at 1,600 rpms it doesn't reach max hp till 3,000. Sometimes you need to find that sweet spot in between when loading the engine like on a slight grade. I have found you may be using just as much fuel at lower rpms as you would at say 2,200, you just aren't using it as efficiently and are actually overworking the engine. This can be seen if you have a temperature gauge for your egt as they will be way higher (which is the number 1 enemy of the turbo) in a higher gear than if you downshift. I love my duramax and Allison combo and just assume the truck will work the way it was designed to in t/H mode. I never used the t/h mode pulling our 33' tt that only weighed about #8,000 and only got about 10 mpg when pulling it. I was happy with the 11 mpg pulling a trailer that is probably about 14,000 lbs. I guess if you are getting about the same without using t/h mode than maybe it doesn't even matter. I was just going by the manufacturer's recommendation.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

Sorry that you took my post that way. No offense meant or taken. For the most part engineers of anything are correct. I have found over the years though....most parts of owners manuals are for people that have no clue how to operate a vehicle or anything else for that matter. Even the engineers at GM will tell you the same thing for I have talked to many, many of them over the years. Owners manuals are written so that it is a CYA thing for any product. People will not take responsiblity for anything they do anymore..."always somebody else's fault".

I have tried both exhaust brake and T/H mode together and just exhaust brake alone. I just like the E/B alone better. Running a diesel at 4K scares me to death. JMHO

 

[Dloebrich]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

I have a 13 3500 DRW and I have also found that exhaust brake and trailer tow mode combined can be too much. I sometimes switch to manual mode to keep RPMs down.

 

[mobilcastle]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

Do you switch to maual mode while you are driving or stop and then shift in to it? I have aslo wondered why this feature is on the truck-please enlighten me.
Thanks
Steve

 

[dieseldogsdad]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

Running a diesel at 4K scares me to death. JMHO

I can definitely relate to that. I did not ever see mine get that high but I did see it hit about 3,400 going down a hill on I-470. My last truck was a Cummins and red lined at 3,200 so it has taken a little getting used to the Duramax and it's higher rpm range.

To answer mobilcastle I have always switched to manual mode while driving. Whatever gear you are in when you switch is what gear manual mode will put you in until you push the up or down buttons. When you want to go back to auto just shift back. I also switch to tow/haul mode while moving.

 

[Dloebrich]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

I use the manual mode to keep the truck from downshifting to soon. I'm with the other guys who worry about over-revving. Manual mode gives you more control over the transmission. You don't have to stop to change modes. You can experiment with all the options to see what works best for you. We have a Cyclone 4000 at 18,000 full load and the Chevy pulls it and holds it back just fine.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

I have found when I played with the manual mode....it locks the trans in any gear you select and will stay there until you downshift or upshift it with the button. But when the RPM's start getting to 4K or more I get a little worried. Remember the engine at that speed/RPM's IS NOT under load...it's running free. Free running engines are the ones that scatter at high RPM's. Rod bearings start to wobble, valves float and punch holes in pistons etc,etc. I do not want to be picking up the pieces with a stick and a spoon. Ever seen a big block 4 bolt main chevy come apart and not with wrenches?? Just an old school GM auto techs opinion.

 

[Dloebrich]

Re: Comanion settings on GM DRW

I totally agree. I use the manual mode to keep the trans from downshifting when coasting down a hill. I too fell the engines pain when it is screaming at 3500 plus!

 

[Bohemian]

Manual mode picks the top gear. It can still downshift.