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ugeesta's avatar
ugeesta
Explorer
Jul 17, 2018

Best 5vr Slider for GM Puck Setup

Bought a new GMC Seirrra 3500 Denali standard bed over the weekend and now in the market for the fifth wheel hitch. The truck came with the factory installed Puck setup and I am quickly finding the hitch selection is very limited. Using an adaptor to fit a non puck hitch is out of the question because it looks to add another 2”to the hitch height. Height is a real concern as my trailer AC is at 13’-6” before adding the new truck additional 3” bed height issues.

As far as direct fits, I see the 20k BW Companion or the 16k Curt. I like the height flexibility and weight of the Curt but the BW looks like a much nicer hitch though looks to be very heavy for one man to maneuver.

There are many more and possible better options if I scrap the idea of using the factory puck system. Has anyone done this? If so, how hard is it to work around the factory installed puck system? Is it easy to remove?

My old truck had a Husky 16k slider with the four way pivot. That was nice because my pit is not level side to side. I don’t see that option in the BW or Curt setups with the factory puck system.

I’m so confused now. Thanks.

Last tidbit. My trailer Gross weight rating is 16,000 lbs and currently scales around 15,000 lbs so a 16k hitch should work. I was thinking of getting an 18k hitch for some extra capacity margin.
  • Cummins12V98 wrote:
    Another thing about the Curt is the heads pivot point is several inches below the hitch plate. The B&W's pivot point is in line with the hitch plate/kingpin.

    Reason I mention this is it is documented here several times that people have CHUCKING with this Curt setup!

    The Curt pic is from an in law he HATES it as it's a PITA to unhitch at times if RV and Truck are not on the same plane side to side. He has said many times "I wish I had your B&W". His Curt came with his truck.


    Good pics.

    I measured the top of the trailer one day on my old truck. With the new trucks sitting higher, I’m assuming the trailer will sit higher still. The level height out of the factory is 13’-4” so I was sitting 2” nose high with the old truck
  • Another thing about the Curt is the heads pivot point is several inches below the hitch plate. The B&W's pivot point is in line with the hitch plate/kingpin.

    Reason I mention this is it is documented here several times that people have CHUCKING with this Curt setup!

    The Curt pic is from an in law he HATES it as it's a PITA to unhitch at times if RV and Truck are not on the same plane side to side. He has said many times "I wish I had your B&W". His Curt came with his truck.


  • ugeesta wrote:
    So how tall are the trailers you guys are pulling? With my new truck and the BW hitch having a minimum 17” height, the top of my ac will be above 13’-6”. Guess I can put the stock pin back on my trailer but that won’t help much and would rather have that air bag smooth out the ride.


    How did you come up with the 13' 6" height? I have a 3" lift on my Mobile Suites and set at 13' 5". Even at your number you will NOT have an issue.
  • So how tall are the trailers you guys are pulling? With my new truck and the BW hitch having a minimum 17” height, the top of my ac will be above 13’-6”. Guess I can put the stock pin back on my trailer but that won’t help much and would rather have that air bag smooth out the ride.
  • ugeesta wrote:

    I like the height flexibility and weight of the Curt but the BW looks like a much nicer hitch though looks to be very heavy for one man to maneuver.

    We have a B & W Companion hitch as well. I too was concerned about the weight, so I decided to install a hoist to my garage ceiling. The hoist makes getting the hitch in and out of the bed a breeze. When taking it out of the truck I lower the hitch onto a furniture dolly, which makes it easy to move around the garage. I’ve found other uses for the hoist as well. I use it to hold one side of the lawnmower up to remove the blade for sharpening. It also makes oil changes on the mower much easier. I wish I had installed it years ago.
  • B&W and never look back! You will thank Cummins12V98 & I
  • I have the b&w companion 20k and I absolutely love it.

    I had the Curt 16k. I despised it every single time I had to unhitch.

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