Lets talk hitches

[Happy Campers]

I have been looking at 5th wheel hitches and since I got the factory hitch prep I have been looking at two so far.The Curt Q20 5th wheel and it has a 13 - 17 inch adjustment.B@W Companion 5th wheel and it's hitch height adjustment is 17 - 19 inches.The B@W has a higher rating of 25,000 lbs compared to Curt's 20,000 lbs but either hitch will serve my purpose,thoughts on these ?.

 

[gasman]

They are both good hitches. The B & W seems to be a bit more user friendly. Take a look at the Anderson hitch also. It is becoming very popular.

 

[Cconrocks]

Love my Anderson hitch light and easy to use rated at 24k.

 

[Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn]

I'm liking the TS3 air ride hitch. That will be in my next TV.

 

[Aandaar]

Love my Anderson hitch light and easy to use rated at 24k.

I am really interested in this hitch, can you provide a little more detail on your experience with it. Have you had any issues with Heartland on Warranty work?

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Love my B&W.

Had to take it out of the truck last weekend, and it took about 3 mins. Carried top part by myself and then my wife and I carried the lower part to the garage. Putting it back in took about 5 mins, as this was the first time had done it and lining up the slots took minute.

 

[Garypowell]

We have had the Curt Q20 since 2008 and only one problem with the head but excellent customer service got us a new one the next day.

I will say you have to hit the pin dead on or the jaw might not close. But this is not a real problem.....just back on to it correctly.

It rides ok but we did get a little chucking but not too bad. On this trip I have added rubber pads between rail and hitch and the chucking has gone away. I think most of what I was feeling was hitch slightly lose in the rail and it is now SOLID.

As an example of how tight it is now I had to put the weight of the trailer on the hitch to pin it in.

 

[Dennyha]

I just sold my B&W Companion, with the RAM OEM puck connectors. I loved the hitch, except for one thing. I have a stock 2014 RAM 3500, and a stock 2015 Cyclone, and with the B&W Companion in the lowest setting (17"), I was still sitting about 2" nose high for my camper. I couldn't lower it enough to get my camper level. (You may be able to see it in the pic below.) I don't understand how a Curt can have a range of 13"-17", and the B&W has a range of 17"-19". They don't even overlap. They can't both be the appropriate choice for a stock RAM truck and a stock Cyclone fifth wheel, unless 17" is the perfect height (and in my experience, it isn't.)
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Happy Campers]

I just sold my B&W Companion, with the RAM OEM puck connectors. I loved the hitch, except for one thing. I have a stock 2014 RAM 3500, and a stock 2015 Cyclone, and with the B&W Companion in the lowest setting (17"), I was still sitting about 2" nose high for my camper. I couldn't lower it enough to get my camper level. (You may be able to see it in the pic below.) I don't understand how a Curt can have a range of 13"-17", and the B&W has a range of 17"-19". They don't even overlap. They can't both be the appropriate choice for a stock RAM truck and a stock Cyclone fifth wheel, unless 17" is the perfect height (and in my experience, it isn't.)
Just my 2 cents.

I understand what you're saying and that's why i'm leaning towards the Curt.There is no way after doing some measuring that I can use the B@W with it's lowest setting of 17" and tow level and that's moving the pin on the RV up.I still have to maintain at least 5" between RV and the bed rails so everything is pointing to the Curt and keeping it in the low position of 13" but it's just a guess without actually hooking up.

 

[Bones]

Ok here is a rough order of magnitude to figure out your needs or at least get close. Assume your trailer is level for travel. Measure from the ground up to your kingpin. This will give you an idea of your travel height. Back your truck under the king pin and measure from the bed to the bottom plate of the king pin. Take that measurement and add a few inches that your truck will squat. add some extra and this should get you close to what you will need. If you have air bag then your truck will not want to squat and your measurement is as you see with the truck bed and kingpin height. Maybe my thinking is of and some one else can comment. Oh make sure you are on level ground to begin with.

 

[tomsws6]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMW...ENFdYmF1JgJ8L3Tx08QWAiQb5tjwQOQW6d4R1EkHPNgHQ

 

[EPaulikonis]

Don't forget that you'll have a picture frame adapter if you're still mounting the Curt into the factory puck system. I have my TS3 mounted on top of the picture frame in the attached image. As you can see from the photos, the hardware for the kingpin mount were striking my tonneau cover rails. I'd take a measurement from the center of the hitch position to bed rails and then compare to kingpin HW to be sure you'll have ample clearance. I'm now in the process of getting a hauler bed on my rig to completely eliminate clearance issues I experienced with the tonneau cover rails. Figure the photos may help as the Landmark and Bighorn are similar ride heights and our TVs are probably close too. Good Luck!

I understand what you're saying and that's why i'm leaning towards the Curt.There is no way after doing some measuring that I can use the B@W with it's lowest setting of 17" and tow level and that's moving the pin on the RV up.I still have to maintain at least 5" between RV and the bed rails so everything is pointing to the Curt and keeping it in the low position of 13" but it's just a guess without actually hooking up.

 

[Happy Campers]

Don't forget that you'll have a picture frame adapter if you're still mounting the Curt into the factory puck system. I have my TS3 mounted on top of the picture frame in the attached image. As you can see from the photos, the hardware for the kingpin mount were striking my tonneau cover rails. I'd take a measurement from the center of the hitch position to bed rails and then compare to kingpin HW to be sure you'll have ample clearance. I'm now in the process of getting a hauler bed on my rig to completely eliminate clearance issues I experienced with the tonneau cover rails. Figure the photos may help as the Landmark and Bighorn are similar ride heights and our TVs are probably close too. Good Luck!

View attachment 43066 View attachment 43067 View attachment 43068

I'll try posting this again grrr.
Yes it seems our RV's are very similar along with out tow vehicles.I tried backing under our RV but the bed rails were too close so I stopped before I got too far under it.My grandson was in the bed of the truck and he measured just under the white disk down to the bottom of the bed.He said I need a good 5-6 inches to get the Curt 13 inches to work so if I raise the RV 6 inches off the bed rails and use that as a starting point.I also have a 60 gal. aux fuel tank that goes in before I put a hitch in so that will drop the truck a little more also.

I appreciate those pics,Thanks

 

[Bones]

You have a dodge ram like mine and I use the Reese 20k fifth wheel with the Pucks already installed. I go in the garage tonight and take a picture of it and the height. The fifth wheel I have just drops right in place no issues. I used it in my 2500 and I use it in my 3500.

 

[Bones]

ok I forgot I removed the fifth-wheel head so I can't really give you a good measurement. I'll see if I can put it back on tomorrow later afternoon and measure.

 

[Happy Campers]

Bones,I would like to see it if you don't mind.

 

[Cconrocks]

Sorry it took so long to reply. My Rv dealer installed the hitch and they actually recommended it to me. My road warrior has been back for warranty work and nothing was mentioned. My dad also uses the Anderson hitch with his voltage and his trailer has been back a few times with no issues. I love the fact that my aluminum version is only 35 pads and I can hang it on the wall in the garage without any hassle. This is my 3rd 5th wheel hitch and I like how it has a lot less bucking and rocking vs conventional hitch. It is smoother with a standard pin box then my conventional hitch was with a moryde pin box on my old 38ft Grand junction. I have only put about 300 miles on mine with my trailer at around 20k but my dad has probably put 2-3k on his at 20k plus.

 

[Dennyha]

Is the Anderson adjustable for height? Does it mount onto the Reese picture frame for those of us with the puck mounts?

 

[jmgratz]

I'm liking the TS3 air ride hitch. That will be in my next TV.

X2 on the Hensley TS3 air ride hitch. Pricey but worth the money.

 

[sengli]

I have the curt 20K unit, new to me since I recently got a new RAM truck. Works great for me.