Question on B&W Companion

John,

I have mine set in the rear most position, height in the middle setting. This gives the most clearance to the cab on our short bed trucks. Where you set your height position depends on how your trailers pin box is set up. The middle is probably a good starting point to see how much clearance you have between the truck bed rails and your 5th wheel. You should strive for 6" or more of clearance between the bed rails and trailer, and along with that having the 5th wheel riding as level as possible. Try this and see if you need to make adjustments. The B&W will adjust up/down in 1" increments. I don't know what pin box you have but mine adjusts up/down in 2" increments.

Rich

I have a long bed so I'm all the way forward and all the way up. At full height I am at six inches of clearance to bed rail but River is level.

Are you guys using Chevy or GMC 3500 trucks?

My 2012 Chev 3500 DRW is set all the way forward and all the way to the top. I swapped out my pin box for a Demco GlideRide and had to move my trailer axles down a hole to lift the trailer for bed rail clearance.

Every trailer can change with different options. I'd suggest the top hole for maximum clearance so you don't hit the rails first time out. Better safe than sorry. With my pin box swap the front corners of the trailer would rub the plastic bed rail covers.

rv7plt wrote:
Are you guys using Chevy or GMC 3500 trucks?

Chevy 2500HD. Another thing to be aware of is with an extended kingpin, when turning the pin box will come very close to the bed rails. I had to trim mine as it too close for my comfort. The GM Bed is a little narrower than the Ram or Ford Beds.



Rich

If you get a response from someone with the exact same truck and trailer, consider yourself lucky. Note....you didn't indicate truck year.

I simply readjusted mine as needed after lifting my trailer. I'm adjusted for maximum clearance at the bed rails and so trailer is as level as possible when towing. If you go off road, you'll be surprised by how fast that clearance at bed rails disappears, but that varies dependent upon how far back the trailer's wheels are.

Perhaps you can get close via tape measure and some calculations.

rv7plt wrote:
I have a GMC 3500 4X4 with a 6.5ft bed. I am installing a Companion RVK3500 hitch to tow my 14,000 Avalanche 5er. Looking for someone with a similar rig to give me advice on setting up the hitch as far as where to mount the arms both vertically and horizontally for a level tow. There are numerous mounting holes for the arms and I am not much is a fan of trial and error with something this heavy.

Thanks in advance,

John in Fl

John, the '02 D'max in my sig will NOT hit my cab at full lock, right or left, when going forward. I have my Companion set as far forward and as high as it will go. I have about 8" bed clearance, and need it all. I've not had any issues with the back of my extended pin box hitting the bed, but I've also not watched it that closely to see =how= close I am. I'd have no problem in trimming it if it did hit. I do tow a touch nose-high, but not enough to be a problem. Personally, I'd set it as far forward as you can get and as high as you can and be relatively level. Start off that way and do a short tow around a dirt lot (no point in scrubbing your tires on pavement if you don't have to) with a spotter watching things, and see how it looks. If you can find a lot that's not level, you can see clearances as you go over humps and through dips. Take your tools with you and adjust as necessary. Once you're comfortable with the setup, then torque everything to spec.

Lyle