Forum Discussion

jerem0621's avatar
jerem0621
Explorer II
Sep 25, 2014

Is the RBW Lil' Rocker and Curt E16 the Same Hitch?

Hello,

I have been doing some studying over the last few weeks on fifth wheel hitches. Seems like about 10 years ago or so there were a lot of fans of the RBW Lil' Rocker.

This is a slide bar hitch but it has an additional tension bar to take the slack out of the hitch from the king pin and the slide bar. This is a common complaint about the Reese Pro Series 15k fifth wheel hitch... slack and rattle. Seems that the RBW Lil' Rocker didn't have near the chucking issue from this slack.

Anyhow, RBW was bought out AL-KO and basically the hitches stopped being built.

I really like the Curt E16 hitch and after some studying it appears to be a near twin to the RBW Lil' Rocker!

Here is a pic of the E16



And here is a pic of the Lil' Rocker



Intrigued I decided to try to find the instruction manuals.... sure enough much of the Curt E16 was copy and pasted from the Lil' Rockers instructions.

Lil' Rocker Instructions - Go to page 20


Curt E16 Instructions - go to page 4

The locking mechanism is the same, the rear tension bar is the same. The hitch head is basically the same. The base legs looks different which is probably why there is a 15k rating on the Lil' Rocker and a 16k on the Curt.

Not sure how or when Curt got the Rights to the Lil' Rocker but if there are fans of this old hitch looking for a replacement.. looks like the Curt is the answer.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

14 Replies

  • jerem0621's avatar
    jerem0621
    Explorer II
    Sep 27, 2014
    minnow wrote:
    rhagfo wrote:
    retispcsi wrote:
    I had a RBW little rocker. Like above get yourself a B & W.


    Well price might be an issue!
    The Curt is only $275 at eTrailer
    The B&W Patriot is $570 at eTrailer
    The Reese twin Jaw is $535 at eTrailer




    B&W is $391 with free shipping at Amazon.


    This is a great price on the B&W.

    Thanks!

    Jeremiah
  • minnow's avatar
    minnow
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2014
    rhagfo wrote:
    retispcsi wrote:
    I had a RBW little rocker. Like above get yourself a B & W.


    Well price might be an issue!
    The Curt is only $275 at eTrailer
    The B&W Patriot is $570 at eTrailer
    The Reese twin Jaw is $535 at eTrailer




    B&W is $391 with free shipping at Amazon.
  • Willcamp4's avatar
    Willcamp4
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2014
    I have had an RBW Lil Rocker since 1997. I service it regularly, paint it when it starts to fade, keep it clean, and store it in the winter. I have had few complaints about it, use it alot and never had a problem with it breaking. There is never a question about it being closed and locked and the operation is easy. I still have no worry about it being worn out after 18 years of use.

    When I bought it it was made in the USA. That said, I know nothing about the Curt brand that looks similar. They claim to be American made and are based in Wisconsin.
  • filthy_beast's avatar
    filthy_beast
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2014
    We had a lil rocker for 7 seasons with our first fifth wheel and had no problems. It worked very well in some of the unlevel areas pulling into sites.
  • dpgllg's avatar
    dpgllg
    Explorer
    Sep 26, 2014
    cpaulsen wrote:
    ksbowman wrote:
    I have a RBW Lil rocker am I am very happy with it. I'll stick with it!


    Same here....have had mine for 10 years with no problems. When it is locked...IT IS Locked!


    I have had mine for over 5 years with no issue. I did add the Blue Ox Bed Saver as well just as an insurance policy if you will. I'm currently in the process of having it installed in my new truck.

    Dave
  • cpaulsen's avatar
    cpaulsen
    Explorer
    Sep 26, 2014
    ksbowman wrote:
    I have a RBW Lil rocker am I am very happy with it. I'll stick with it!


    Same here....have had mine for 10 years with no problems. When it is locked...IT IS Locked!
  • byronlj's avatar
    byronlj
    Explorer
    Sep 26, 2014
    Not sure about this hitch but some of Curt's 5th wheel hitches are made in China. I doubt if there was any purchase of rights to the RBW if you know what I mean.
    Dave
  • rhagfo's avatar
    rhagfo
    Explorer III
    Sep 26, 2014
    retispcsi wrote:
    I had a RBW little rocker. Like above get yourself a B & W.


    Well price might be an issue!
    The Curt is only $275 at eTrailer
    The B&W Patriot is $570 at eTrailer
    The Reese twin Jaw is $535 at eTrailer
  • ksbowman's avatar
    ksbowman
    Explorer II
    Sep 26, 2014
    The hitch is very easy to use and is a positive locking bar. It clicks when it latches. I painted the back of the bar latch orange so it was easy to see at a glance. I always unlock the rocker when hitching and let it adjust to the pin if things aren't level. You'll like it.
  • Hunter11's avatar
    Hunter11
    Explorer II
    Sep 26, 2014
    I had an 15k RBW Lil Rocker for 10 years before upgrading to a 21k Comfort Ride. Never any issues and yes if the handle is pointed down it is locked.

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