B&W Companion vs Andersen Ultimate Showdown!

In the category of public relations, it’s B&W for the win. This could change if someone announces the CEO of B&W has defaced a natural national wonder like the CEO of Anderesen just did.

wvcampers wrote:
There is a place in the fiver world for both hitches. Each time the subject comes up there are the few that try to make the point that the Andersen should not be on the market because it is inferior to "their" preferred hitch. I use the Andersen rail version. My trailer weighs 12,200 with everything except clothes and food. I don't need a 26,000lb rated hitch. I do need a slider because I have a short bed truck and a camper that requires it. I still have a Reese 16,000 with the slider, I haven't used it since I got the Andersen. With the Andersen set in the position toward the rear of the truck, I do not need the slider, I do not have to get out of the truck to park my camper. I am also able to remove the hitch without taking a hitch apart and still dealing with more weight than the complete Andersen. The Andersen gives us "light weight" people choices. We are able to tow without a slider, manual or automatic. My trailer has hydraulic front jacks, so lifting the extra few inches to hitch and unhitch is not a problem. There also is zero slop with the Andersen hitch. I am a short person, I can release the Andersen without climbing on the truck, or even leaning against it a taking a chance on scratching the bed side. I think that the "high hitching" scenario is completely eliminated with the Andersen. I have not had a B&W, I don't think I need one now.

Do you know how many truck beds your preferred wonder hitch has destroyed. Saw one of 3 at Myrtle Beach last year, a new Dodge dually still had the cardboard tags on it. Try explaining that one to the wife. I`ll stick with the AU for the reasons the guy said above.

I posted this on another thread, but thought I'd pull it into this one as well:

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I've just started comparing the B&W Companion and the Andersen. My first inclinations of towing is that they feel the same with no noticeable nod of one vs. the other. I've had about 700 miles of towing so far- but primarily flat ground and no hills/mountains. Camper weighed yesterday at 21,000 lbs. with a pin weight of 3,260 lbs. (yes, 15%).

Hitching up, the Companion is easier. The ball/coupler is a little more finicky to get lined up. Though the red funnel on the Andersen helps.

Installation of the hitch itself is definitely easier with the Andersen. Except for the silly need for being able to use specific torque settings with installing the king pin adapter/coupler.

Both give you an obvious positive connection. With the B&W, you can see the jaws are latched around the kingpin. With the Andersen, the camper is down on the ball.

Unhitching is equally easy on both.

The one negative to the Andersen is mostly an issue if you have electric landing gear- the Andersen requires the camper to be raised a bit more than a conventional hitch. With electric landing gear, my old rig was soooooooo slllloooowwwww. Now that I have hydraulic landing gear, it isn't an issue because they're quicker.

I know i'm sticking to my B&W companion for the foreseeable future and will do so when I upgrade to a larger toy hauler at some point too. Bigger truck, bigger 5er and same hitch.

WVcampers, I think your size RV and the steel version are a perfect match. I am not a fan tho of taking weight off the front axle. Most likely not a large amount for your setup.

There is a place in the fiver world for both hitches. Each time the subject comes up there are the few that try to make the point that the Andersen should not be on the market because it is inferior to "their" preferred hitch. I use the Andersen rail version. My trailer weighs 12,200 with everything except clothes and food. I don't need a 26,000lb rated hitch. I do need a slider because I have a short bed truck and a camper that requires it. I still have a Reese 16,000 with the slider, I haven't used it since I got the Andersen. With the Andersen set in the position toward the rear of the truck, I do not need the slider, I do not have to get out of the truck to park my camper. I am also able to remove the hitch without taking a hitch apart and still dealing with more weight than the complete Andersen. The Andersen gives us "light weight" people choices. We are able to tow without a slider, manual or automatic. My trailer has hydraulic front jacks, so lifting the extra few inches to hitch and unhitch is not a problem. There also is zero slop with the Andersen hitch. I am a short person, I can release the Andersen without climbing on the truck, or even leaning against it a taking a chance on scratching the bed side. I think that the "high hitching" scenario is completely eliminated with the Andersen. I have not had a B&W, I don't think I need one now.

Cummins12V98 wrote:

slapshot12 wrote:
Why does one hitch have to be better than the other? I have an Andersen and I'm very happy with it. I use a B&W turnover ball with the Andersen and I'm very happy with that too. The B&W Companion is a great hitch as well. If I were to use a traditional 5th wheel hitch, that would be the one I'd use. But, I can accept my choices don't fit everyone, and that's fine. That's why we have different styles and brands to choose from. We all have our favorite brand of truck, tires, oil, etc. Just run what you want.

Just use whichever hitch you want. Just because I use a different one doesn't make either one better than the other. Everyone has their preferences and reasons to choose one over the others. All hitches are man made, so they can fail. Having investigated traffic crashes for 17 years, I've seen every type of hitch fail, it happens. Just care care of your gear, drive carefully, and enjoy the road!

This is a comparison thread, so what is it about the Andersen that pushed you to buy it over the Companion? Price? Light weight? Us Made?

I went with the AUH for :
1) It takes up less bed space
2) It's simple, less parts
3) Weight - I can do it all myself, just lift it in and out, no lift or other person needed.

My friend has a companion and it's a great hitch.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
I only have 5 on my B&W. :B

I saw! :D

ependydad wrote:

gkainz wrote:
I don't care about locking my Andersen, so I haven't purchased one for it.

I never locked my B&W and don't expect to lock my Andersen.

I only have 5 on my B&W. :B

4x4ord wrote:

laknox wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
The B&W for the Ford puck system must be smaller and lighter than the one for the Ram. It can be installed and removed in two pieces and is very easy for one person to handle. I can't imagine anything being much simpler.

Maybe some lighter, but pay attention to the footprint. This is why the RAM is rated higher than Ford and GM; there's simply more leverage for the hitch to act on, so it's rated higher. The head is the same across all Companion models.

Lyle

If you think about it the Ram hitch has to be built stronger to be able to transfer the same pin weight and towing forces to the frame as the narrower Ford hitch. B&W must feel the week link is the puck system that locks the hitch to the Ford frame. Ford would need a stronger "puck" than Ram to handle the same forces from the trailer pin on account of the leverage effect you mention.

On the other hand Curt and Reese rate their hitches at 24,000 and 26,500 lbs respectively and they use the same Ford puck system that the B&W's 20k hitch uses.

As far as I'm concerned the B&W is a fantastic hitch and I have more confidence in it than the higher rated hitches I have seen.

Basically without saying so B&W feels the GM and Ford puck mounting parts n pcs and attachment only rate 20K in their book.

They could easily beef op the Ford and GM puck hitches but it would still only net them a 20k rating each.