B&W Companion vs Andersen Ultimate Showdown!
I just got the go ahead that I’m getting an Andersen Ultimate coming to me. I’m going to be able to switch back and forth between it and my B&W Companion for a bit to compare them side by side. I h...
Forum Discussion
Thought I would loop back on this one. I installed my Andersen back at the very end of last month. I was sad to see the B&W Companion go. My switch was necessitated by ratings: 21k trailer, 20k rating on the B&W (my truck doesn't have pucks), and 24k rating on the AUH.
First, getting the Companion out. It has been installed fulltime in the camper for the past 2 years and hadn't been removed that entire time. We found that the base was "glued" between the rubber runners and the grippy factory spray-in bedline. I ultimately had to hitch up to the camper and raise the landing gear to get the hitch to let go and lift from the truck bed.
I don't fault the hitch at all. As I said, it had been installed for 2 years and used hard.
Removing the hitch, I got to put them side by side:
Funny enough, my non-RVing cousin asked me why one looked so much beefier than the other? And was shocked that it was rated less.
The physical size in the truck bed is about the same between the B&W Companion RVK3500. The Andersen is open around the base, which is good as it allowed me to slide some things in and around it (scooter and bike rack). Both sit below the rails, so my bed cover (Retrax Pro) still slides over nicely.
Installation is similar on both. On the B&W, it had a post that went down into gooseneck hole (which was annoyingly always connected to the base (this was a change from my older B&W to my newer B&W), so it didn't sit flat when out of the truck). On the Andersen, you use the gooseneck ball. Both get torqued to specific ft/lbs.
After installing the hitch into the truck, the adapter needed to be installed onto the king pin. This is one annoyance that I have with the Andersen. Moreso, the installation calls for Allen hex heads to be torqued to a certain spec. I didn't have hex heads that I could connect to my torque wrench. And I dislike buying a tool for exactly 1 purpose (I don't see that I'll ever have a need for these elsewhere AND being fulltime, space (especially tool space) is at a premium).
Fortunately, I had a helper by now:
The weight of the hitch itself for installation and removal is hard to argue. The B&W, while it comes apart in 2 pieces, are still heavy. And the base is just cumbersome in size (especially with the fixed square post coming out of the bottom).
I now have about 1,000 towing miles (Orlando to Atlanta to Huntsville to Memphis) on the AUH over a variety of road conditions. I've hitched and unhitched 4 times each now.
The hitch feels absolutely as solid with the Andersen as it did the B&W. The ride quality is equal (albeit a little jarring- but that's the trailer + fixed kingpin vs. the hitches). As of now, I feel equally safe. Fortunately, I never experienced hard braking applications with the B&W and hope to continue that trend. Yes, I'm familiar with the crumpled AUH pictures that made their rounds a while back.
Not having the need to do a pull test is still weird and foreign. (Yes, I know some folks don't pull test their B&W as they visually confirmed it was hitched but the instructions specifically called for it and therefore I did it.)
Hitching the AUH is slightly more difficult. With my truck + trailer, the tailgate comes within 3-4" of the front of the camper to get hitched. This was the same with the B&W. The difference with the B&W, the pin would hit into the hitch and it would absolutely stop me. With the Andersen, I find that I need my wife's guidance from beside of the truck to ensure I'm far enough back but not too far. Slightly more nerve wracking and seems that it would be more difficult to hitch up alone.
The AUH does require the trailer to be lifted quite a bit higher than the B&W. With hydraulic landing gear, this isn't an issue. In fact, it helps in that I keep my grill across the rear of the bed; I used to have to turn it out of the way of the kingpin because the B&W hitch was lower. Now I leave the grill sideways and just come in over top of it. If I still had electric landing gear, this would likely prove to be annoying (though, it's my wife's job to adjust camper height!).
Both require the safety catch to be engaged. The B&W, that's pinning the latch handle. With the AUH, it's a matter of engaging a bar across the AUH Ball. I know a concern is about locking these- the B&W can be locked to not open. I haven't looked into a way to lock the AUH, but given that it's 3,200 lbs of pin weight, even if it wasn't locked- that would take one hell of a bump to dislodge the coupler to raised gooseneck ball.
One nut that I haven't cracked is that my truck seems to drift forward every time I unhitch. A surprising amount and more than I ever saw with the B&W. This was simply unhitching:
I've tried a couple of procedures that were suggested online and each time, I still find the truck moves.
So, in short- as of now, I'm finding the AUH is an excellent hitch and equals the B&W is quality. It supports the ratings (and actual scaled weight) of my camper. I'll be the first to admit if/when something goes wrong.
(Yes, I've ignored the owner's stupidity. Intentionally. That has been beaten up on other threads.)
First, getting the Companion out. It has been installed fulltime in the camper for the past 2 years and hadn't been removed that entire time. We found that the base was "glued" between the rubber runners and the grippy factory spray-in bedline. I ultimately had to hitch up to the camper and raise the landing gear to get the hitch to let go and lift from the truck bed.
I don't fault the hitch at all. As I said, it had been installed for 2 years and used hard.
Removing the hitch, I got to put them side by side:
Funny enough, my non-RVing cousin asked me why one looked so much beefier than the other? And was shocked that it was rated less.
The physical size in the truck bed is about the same between the B&W Companion RVK3500. The Andersen is open around the base, which is good as it allowed me to slide some things in and around it (scooter and bike rack). Both sit below the rails, so my bed cover (Retrax Pro) still slides over nicely.
Installation is similar on both. On the B&W, it had a post that went down into gooseneck hole (which was annoyingly always connected to the base (this was a change from my older B&W to my newer B&W), so it didn't sit flat when out of the truck). On the Andersen, you use the gooseneck ball. Both get torqued to specific ft/lbs.
After installing the hitch into the truck, the adapter needed to be installed onto the king pin. This is one annoyance that I have with the Andersen. Moreso, the installation calls for Allen hex heads to be torqued to a certain spec. I didn't have hex heads that I could connect to my torque wrench. And I dislike buying a tool for exactly 1 purpose (I don't see that I'll ever have a need for these elsewhere AND being fulltime, space (especially tool space) is at a premium).
Fortunately, I had a helper by now:
The weight of the hitch itself for installation and removal is hard to argue. The B&W, while it comes apart in 2 pieces, are still heavy. And the base is just cumbersome in size (especially with the fixed square post coming out of the bottom).
I now have about 1,000 towing miles (Orlando to Atlanta to Huntsville to Memphis) on the AUH over a variety of road conditions. I've hitched and unhitched 4 times each now.
The hitch feels absolutely as solid with the Andersen as it did the B&W. The ride quality is equal (albeit a little jarring- but that's the trailer + fixed kingpin vs. the hitches). As of now, I feel equally safe. Fortunately, I never experienced hard braking applications with the B&W and hope to continue that trend. Yes, I'm familiar with the crumpled AUH pictures that made their rounds a while back.
Not having the need to do a pull test is still weird and foreign. (Yes, I know some folks don't pull test their B&W as they visually confirmed it was hitched but the instructions specifically called for it and therefore I did it.)
Hitching the AUH is slightly more difficult. With my truck + trailer, the tailgate comes within 3-4" of the front of the camper to get hitched. This was the same with the B&W. The difference with the B&W, the pin would hit into the hitch and it would absolutely stop me. With the Andersen, I find that I need my wife's guidance from beside of the truck to ensure I'm far enough back but not too far. Slightly more nerve wracking and seems that it would be more difficult to hitch up alone.
The AUH does require the trailer to be lifted quite a bit higher than the B&W. With hydraulic landing gear, this isn't an issue. In fact, it helps in that I keep my grill across the rear of the bed; I used to have to turn it out of the way of the kingpin because the B&W hitch was lower. Now I leave the grill sideways and just come in over top of it. If I still had electric landing gear, this would likely prove to be annoying (though, it's my wife's job to adjust camper height!).
Both require the safety catch to be engaged. The B&W, that's pinning the latch handle. With the AUH, it's a matter of engaging a bar across the AUH Ball. I know a concern is about locking these- the B&W can be locked to not open. I haven't looked into a way to lock the AUH, but given that it's 3,200 lbs of pin weight, even if it wasn't locked- that would take one hell of a bump to dislodge the coupler to raised gooseneck ball.
One nut that I haven't cracked is that my truck seems to drift forward every time I unhitch. A surprising amount and more than I ever saw with the B&W. This was simply unhitching:
I've tried a couple of procedures that were suggested online and each time, I still find the truck moves.
So, in short- as of now, I'm finding the AUH is an excellent hitch and equals the B&W is quality. It supports the ratings (and actual scaled weight) of my camper. I'll be the first to admit if/when something goes wrong.
(Yes, I've ignored the owner's stupidity. Intentionally. That has been beaten up on other threads.)
