Forum Discussion

jerem0621's avatar
jerem0621
Explorer II
Feb 13, 2014

B&W Companion OEM Question

I don't have a truck right now but I was reading up on the latest towing tech. I found a question that I haven't seen answered directly.

Does the B&W Companion OEM fit the Reese Elite rails. I know that they market it as fitting the Ford SuperDuty OEM Fifth Wheel Prep Package... but what I can tell the Ford Fifth Wheel Prep Package is a Reese Elite under bed system.

I assume that the answer is yes, a B&W Companion OEM will fit a truck with Reese Elite underbed Rails. If it is I would think that it would be a pretty nice combo. Reese Elite + B&M OEM Companion.

Thanks!

Jeremiah
  • Cummins12V98 wrote:
    jerem0621 wrote:
    So, just to clarify, if for example, if I have a 2005 Silverado 2500 and I install the Reese Elite under-bed rails I will be able to use the OEM Companion hitch from B&W. Is that correct?

    Thanks!

    Jeremiah


    I would strongly recommend you contact B&W directly they are really nice people to talk to and they will give you the facts.



    I did as you suggested this morning. B&W advised me that they have not explicitly tested be OEM companion hitch with the Reese elite under bed system. they advised me that they have had customers report back that they have successfully married the two systems. However some customers reported that minor filing of the cams was required for the hitch to fit into the pucks.

    That tells me that it is not a guaranteed drop in fit. And the best suggestion for ease-of-use for someone with a Reese elite underbed system is to use the Reese elite fifth wheel hitch.

    Thanks,

    Jeremiah
  • jerem0621 wrote:
    So, just to clarify, if for example, if I have a 2005 Silverado 2500 and I install the Reese Elite under-bed rails I will be able to use the OEM Companion hitch from B&W. Is that correct?

    Thanks!

    Jeremiah


    I would strongly recommend you contact B&W directly they are really nice people to talk to and they will give you the facts.
  • glazier wrote:
    jerem0621 wrote:
    So, just to clarify, if for example, if I have a 2005 Silverado 2500 and I install the Reese Elite under-bed rails I will be able to use the OEM Companion hitch from B&W. Is that correct?

    Thanks!

    Jeremiah


    Yes, you are correct


    I know you can buy the Reese under bed kit for Ford, to fit Elite or B&W. It is available from Ford accessories. I don't know of one for GM, but if you could custom fit it to the frame, the hitch should fit.

    Jerry
  • jerem0621 wrote:
    So, just to clarify, if for example, if I have a 2005 Silverado 2500 and I install the Reese Elite under-bed rails I will be able to use the OEM Companion hitch from B&W. Is that correct?

    Thanks!

    Jeremiah


    Yes, you are correct
  • FYI, the Etrailer site is very good at indicating which hitches work with which mounts on which vehicles, which combinations have vehicle-specific install kits, whether the frame needs to be drilled or not, etc.

    In many cases they have How-To videos, and they're good at answering customer questions too.
  • So, just to clarify, if for example, if I have a 2005 Silverado 2500 and I install the Reese Elite under-bed rails I will be able to use the OEM Companion hitch from B&W. Is that correct?

    Thanks!

    Jeremiah
  • Ditto on the B&W over the Reese. Pullrite also makes a drop in hitch--see my tag. I was going to get the B&W companion but they were on a 10 week national backorder at the time. The Pullrite is fine tho.

    BK
  • Jeremiah, the B&W for Ford oem prep, drops right in. The Reese Elite is the hitch originally designed for Ford, and is factory warranted, as it was a joint venture between Ford and Reese.

    Both are good hitches, but in my opinion, the Elite is a little over priced. You can get a good buy on the B&W at Tweety's.

    Jerry