Best hitch (non-slider)

Me Again wrote:

hutchman wrote:

Me Again wrote:
I sure have liked my Hijacker that I got in 97. Two trucks and two trailers. Still going strong. Never a question on latching with a sliding bar. Chris

I truly agree on the sliding bar, but question why it is not more popular...Any thoughts?

Those that do not like the design claim that the bar and/or the pin will wear at the single contact point with the bar. I have had mine in service for many years as stated above and not seen that issue. And believe me that it did a lot of jerking around for many years with the old Prodigy brake controller(to much boost/not enough boost). Now with the MaxBrake there is very little slamming around back there. The HiJacker has an adjustment for free play. Front of pin is in a U shaped saddle, that is the part that adjusts for free play, then the large bar slides behind the pin when latched. It would be very difficult to mis-hitch or high hitch with this design. I padlock the handle once once it slides in for rest stops and WMs. We tow four days straight between Washington and Arizona without unhitch many times.

Chris

Lock the handle? Man you are paranoid!

Just kidding, I have locked all my hitches, but I always get the comments about how paranoid I am.

I know people can be ass hats and like to mess with peoples things.

Lock lock lock!

Trailer saver hitches are much better built and rated higher than many of the others. They have the positive locking Holland Binkley head so there is no slide bar you need to get out and engage. No binding when trying to hitch/unhitch at odd angels. Locks in automatically when you back into it. Release the safety and pull the lever to unhitch. They also have a very tight fit on the king pin so you don't get the clunking you have with the other hitches. Never had any issues with mine. They also fit in standard rails.
http://www.trailersaver.com/rigidhitches_26k.php

Nice new truck and beautiful new fifth wheel! Excellent!
B & W Companion the best!!
Happy Camping...:)

sljkansas wrote:
B&W Number in top right corner. Nice people to talk to.

Thanks

B&W Number in top right corner. Nice people to talk to.

I am the OP and have been looking at the B & W Companion 3000. I have a 2013 Duramax 3500 dually crew. From what I can tell I need the fifth wheel hitch which is about $800 and I also need the under bed gooseneck hardware at about $400. My problem is I can't find a phone number for B & W. The listings for Chevy end at 2012 on the sites I've seen. What part numbers do I need for my truck with the B&W 3000.

Also I saw a video on installing the gooseneck but don't know what mods are needed for the fifth wheel hitch.

Any clarification and/or help will be appreciated.

We not only missed something, you did too! The tongue weight capacity of the 3300 is actually 5,000 lbs, not just 4,500 lbs.

The 3300 is not as adjustable as the 3000. Only 2" fore and aft in the 3300 versus 4" in the 3000.

The OP has a 2013 Chevy, and while Reese makes puck kits for all brands, I just didn't think about that option. Glad you brought it up though.

Now, if the OP decided to go with Reese puck rails, then that opens up the option to the Reese 25K Elite series hitch. Some users have opined that the Elite series is the best non-air hitch they've ever used. (They haven't always identified what hitches they have used previously).

One thing that even some onwners of B&W Companion hitches don't realize... To properly remove and replace the 3000 Companion hitch requires wrenches! Everytime, not just at initial set up. There is a lot of confusion about this, and the archives to this very forum chronicles that confusion very well... to the point of disbelief by some and "warm" discussion by others.

A careful read of B&W's instruction manual states that the all four Ubolt nuts as well as the top post bolt should be loosened every time for hitch removal, and then reset and retightened every time (torqued, to be proper) the hitch is reinstalled. Not exactly like simply pulling a pin, as many people mistakenly believe (myself included, until I researched it, read the manual, and called and confirmed with B&W).

So, with that all being said, I can see THREE good reasons why retispcsi's system is superior to just a regular 3000 companion:

1. 20,000 lbs trailer weight versus 18,000 lbs trailer weight
2. 5,000 lbs pin weight versus 4,500 lbs pin weight
and...
3! TRULY a quick, tool-less, torque-wrench-less hitch removal process with the puck system, versus the loosening and retorquing of two Ubolts and a top bolt each and every time.

JoeBedFord you and Big Tow did miss something. B&W make the 3300 Champion that is rated at 20,000/4500 and fits in the Resse undermount system. Reese makes the undermounts for Ford, Chevy and
Dodge. This is the sytem I have in my 2012 Ram. Yes they do a great job at marketing as they have a great product. Their support after purchase is great also.

You are not missing anything.

B&W's flatbed model hitch (#3050) is rated for more, at 22,000 lbs trailer, 5,500 lbs pin. However, it only has an 18" by 18" foot print, versus the 35.5" x 33" footprint (thanks guys!) of the pick up hitch (#3000) that is only rated to 18,000 lbs trailer, 4,500 lbs tongue. The small footprint of the 3050 depends heavily on the stiffer steel structure inherent in most flatbeds, that is absent in pickup beds.

The flat bed model is not adjustable either, like the pickup bed version.

There are two more B&W fifth wheel options: One is the Patriot, which is only rated to 16K, but attaches into surface mounted industry standard hat channel rails.

And last, but not least, and certainly the most interesting going forward for B&W fans, is the new sliding B&W Companion that was just announced a couple of months ago at the 2012 SEMA trade show.

One thing B&W is quite good at... marketing. Not in a slick, sleazy way that one usually thinks of when the word "marketing" appears... but in a truly effective way that seems to have captured the hearts of many towing Americans. It is quite a fascinating study.

Pullrite, for example, has been making great quality, innovatively designed, robustly built hitches right here in the USA for longer than B&W. Yet Pullrite has not been as effective in marketing, in my opinion.

Lots of people recommended B&W so I thought I'd have a look at their website. Am I missing something or is their biggest pickup hitch rated at only 18000?