Cyclone 4100 King and B&W companion
In the process of ordering a 4100 King. Also, want to switch to the B&W Companion. The GVWR on the 4100 king is 18,000 and the rating on the hitch is 18,000. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer bu...
Forum Discussion
Extra capacity is great for peace of mind, but it isn't necessary. Manufacturers do not rate their products for the maximum load that they are safely capable of. A hitch rated for 18,000 lbs is designed to handle 18,000 lbs for a reasonable service life. This means that it must be able to stand up to a much higher load than that in order to reliably perform at its rated limit.
Personally I think people get too carried away with second guessing the engineers who have designed these things and have to stick their neck out to certify that they will perform as expected. Perhaps semis should only gross 70,000 lbs since the Feds say they are only legal to gross 80,000. The exact opposite is true. Semis are expected to operate in the 80,00 lb range yet under special permits many are on the roads daily grossing 120,000 lbs or more. If your hitch is rated for 18,000 lbs, it is capable of safely towing an 18,000 lb trailer for probably many more miles than you are likely to use it!
Personally I think people get too carried away with second guessing the engineers who have designed these things and have to stick their neck out to certify that they will perform as expected. Perhaps semis should only gross 70,000 lbs since the Feds say they are only legal to gross 80,000. The exact opposite is true. Semis are expected to operate in the 80,00 lb range yet under special permits many are on the roads daily grossing 120,000 lbs or more. If your hitch is rated for 18,000 lbs, it is capable of safely towing an 18,000 lb trailer for probably many more miles than you are likely to use it!
