5th wheel hitch selection help
Background: I have not purchased a truck or a toy hauler (5th wheel) yet. I probably have about 4 more months before we purchase both of those but I am wanting to do all my research now so I know eve...
Forum Discussion
B&W Companion is not compatible with the Sidewinder.
http://www.turnoverball.com/products/rvhitch/companion-5th-wheel-hitch
I have seen products, such as converters and extenders that say they can be used with your products. Is it true?
At B&W, there is nothing more important to us than the safety of our customers. We often see products on the market that refer to B&W products or state that they can be used with B&W products. Because of our commitment to exceptional design and quality, as a rule of thumb, we do not recommend any product that is used in conjuction with our mounting system that has not been manufactured and tested by B&W, even if that product states that it can be used with B&W products. Doing so will void our warranty, but more importantly, could create a safety issue.
We have been made aware of a product that is of special concern. This product replaces the pin box on a 5th wheel trailer and changes the pivot point from the hitch jaws to a point rearward of the hitch. It is our opinion that this configuration creates stress loads that fall outside the normal testing done on 5th wheel hitches. We are concerned that moving the pivot point rearward as much as 20 inches puts stress on the hitch (and the truck) that has not been widely studied. Therefore, we strongly discourage the use of our Companion 5th Wheel Hitch with one of these pin boxes. Any product that prevents the king pin from rotating within the jaws of the Companion with a wedge or other device and moves the center of rotation to a point other than the locking jaws should not be used with the Companion.
http://www.turnoverball.com/products/rvhitch/companion-5th-wheel-hitch
I have seen products, such as converters and extenders that say they can be used with your products. Is it true?
At B&W, there is nothing more important to us than the safety of our customers. We often see products on the market that refer to B&W products or state that they can be used with B&W products. Because of our commitment to exceptional design and quality, as a rule of thumb, we do not recommend any product that is used in conjuction with our mounting system that has not been manufactured and tested by B&W, even if that product states that it can be used with B&W products. Doing so will void our warranty, but more importantly, could create a safety issue.
We have been made aware of a product that is of special concern. This product replaces the pin box on a 5th wheel trailer and changes the pivot point from the hitch jaws to a point rearward of the hitch. It is our opinion that this configuration creates stress loads that fall outside the normal testing done on 5th wheel hitches. We are concerned that moving the pivot point rearward as much as 20 inches puts stress on the hitch (and the truck) that has not been widely studied. Therefore, we strongly discourage the use of our Companion 5th Wheel Hitch with one of these pin boxes. Any product that prevents the king pin from rotating within the jaws of the Companion with a wedge or other device and moves the center of rotation to a point other than the locking jaws should not be used with the Companion.
