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B&W Companion RVK3500 Set Up

LIKE2BUILD
Explorer
Explorer
I need some advice for setup on a B&W Companion RVK3500.

Truck:
2010 GMC 3500 Crew Cab, DRW, 8' bed

5th Wheel:
2012 Avalanche, 38', 14K lbs GVWR

Mainly I need suggestions for mounting location of the head support arms. Should we put them in the center or slightly forward? Height adjustment won't be a problem, I just want to make sure we get the fore/aft positioning of the head correct.

Thanks,
KJ
'14 Ram 2500|Crew Cab Long Bed|4X4|Cummins
Curt Q20 with Ram 5th Wheel Prep
2000 Crownline 205BR
1997 Ranger Comanche 461VS
'01 Polaris Virage TX PWC
'94 Polaris SLT750 PWC
3 Wonderful Sons (21, 15, & 13)
1 forgiving wife!!!
12 REPLIES 12

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
Long bed truck place head supporting arms FULL FORWARD with the STRAIGHT edges towards cab. I have 5,750# pin and with my 3600 full forward I add less than 200# to the front axle.

2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

LIKE2BUILD
Explorer
Explorer
Go it set up last night. We ended up orienting the 2X2 stinger so it was centered in the middle of the hitch base. We put the head mounting arms in the forward most position, bottom set of holes, with the vertical side facing forward. This put the center of the arms approximately 3" forward of the center line of the axle.

My buddy is picking up his 5er Friday and the dealer told him to not torque the arm bolts. They want them snugged up to check pin box height and adjust if needed, then they'll torque them down. We took measurements off my 5er and if his is close to the height of mine it should be perfect where we have it now. I guess we'll know for certain this weekend.

KJ
'14 Ram 2500|Crew Cab Long Bed|4X4|Cummins
Curt Q20 with Ram 5th Wheel Prep
2000 Crownline 205BR
1997 Ranger Comanche 461VS
'01 Polaris Virage TX PWC
'94 Polaris SLT750 PWC
3 Wonderful Sons (21, 15, & 13)
1 forgiving wife!!!

Toolguy5
Explorer II
Explorer II
I have mine mounted in center hole for the height and pointed toward the rear. I have a short bed and wanted as much clearance from cab for turning.

The only issue I had was with our 2013 Chapparal I could not use the slider. It would hit the tailgate. We now have a 2018 Jayco Northpoint and that is not an issue. Sits a lot higher then the Chapparal.
Dan & Patty
Miss Pickles the Pomeranian Princess Rainbow Bridge 8/8/2023
2020 GMC 3500 Sierra Denali 6.6 Duramax / Allison tranny
2021 Jayco Eagle 319MLOK
BWRVK 3710 companion
Maddy the Pampered Pom @ Rainbow Bridge 12-3-2013

byrdr1
Explorer
Explorer
I set mine center over the axle. this resulted in the brackets being the most forward position. Height was the lowest level holes.
with the newer 2014, the truck sits so much higher than THE 03.
but it towed fine and looked some much more level when hooked up and towed around town and country roads.. first big test towing in next few weeks to the mountains of Tenn.
randy

2014 F-350 SRW CC/LWB 4X4 6.7PSD


2011 Keystone Cougar 327RES
Happy Campin'
Randy
Piedmont area of NC

nremtp143
Explorer
Explorer
I have a long bed and have run the hitch in the rearward position on the past two rigs. Gives me more clearance for the tailgate, more room for kayaks on the roof of truck or bikes on the pin box and it only moves 30lbs to the front tires when I move it up.
2016 Montana 3790RD, Legacy Edition, G614s, TST TPMS
2008 Thor Vortex 26FS
2013 F350 DRW 6.7L 4x4, Edge CTS, B&W Companion, Viair 10007 Air System, Firestone Air Bags
2001 Excursion Limited 7.3L 4x4, V/B Springs
2001 Silverado 3500 DRW CCLB 8.1L/Allison 4x4

LIKE2BUILD
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for all the great info. With the 8' bed I was assuming the forward position would be the best location, but I wanted to be sure before we dive in and assemble the hitch.

KJ
'14 Ram 2500|Crew Cab Long Bed|4X4|Cummins
Curt Q20 with Ram 5th Wheel Prep
2000 Crownline 205BR
1997 Ranger Comanche 461VS
'01 Polaris Virage TX PWC
'94 Polaris SLT750 PWC
3 Wonderful Sons (21, 15, & 13)
1 forgiving wife!!!

Halmfamily
Explorer
Explorer
On my 08 GMC Duramax DRW I have our B&W set full forward and it's lowest position.
2008 GMC Sierra 3500 SLT DRW D/A 4x4 (Big All)
2006 Ford F350 PSD SRW King Ranch 4x4 (Henry) (Sold)
B&W Companion, 90 Aux Fuel Tank, Scan Gauge II, Curt f/m hitch, Swagman XC
2015 Forest River Sierra 360 PDEK
DW Diane, DS Michael, FB Draco and Sabian

Learjet
Explorer
Explorer
The weight shift is minimal fore vs. aft.

When I had a short bed I had it set aft for extra cab clearance. With my current long bed truck I went in the middle.

Middle or aft give you extra clearance for the tail gate down.

Once, again...weight shift is minimal 2" forward or Reward from the center of the axle.
2017 Ram Big Horn, DRW Long Box, 4x4, Cummins, Aisin, 3.73
2022 Jayco Pinnacle 32RLTS, Onan 5500, Disc Brakes, 17.5" tires
B&W Ram Companion

fj12ryder
Explorer III
Explorer III
SlickWillie wrote:
I put ours forward. Wanted the weight as far forward as it would go.
Yep, me too.
Howard and Peggy

"Don't Panic"

laknox
Nomad
Nomad
LIKE2BUILD wrote:
I need some advice for setup on a B&W Companion RVK3500.

Truck:
2010 GMC 3500 Crew Cab, DRW, 8' bed

5th Wheel:
2012 Avalanche, 38', 14K lbs GVWR

Mainly I need suggestions for mounting location of the head support arms. Should we put them in the center or slightly forward? Height adjustment won't be a problem, I just want to make sure we get the fore/aft positioning of the head correct.

Thanks,
KJ


Personally, I set mine up as high and as far forward as it would go. I =want= a few lbs forward weight transfer. It's not much, but I need all the rear payload I can get, and if the front springs can support a few lbs, that's less on the rear. As it is, I'm probably going to drop it 1 hole as my new FW has more bed clearance and I'm still just a touch nose-high.

Lyle
2022 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali Crew Cab 4x4 Duramax
B&W OEM Companion & Gooseneck Kit
2017 KZ Durango 1500 D277RLT
1936 John Deere Model A
International Flying Farmers 64 Year Member

SlickWillie
Explorer
Explorer
I put ours forward. Wanted the weight as far forward as it would go.
Will
2013 Chevy CC D/A 3500 4X4
2012 Rushmore 38CK

B92F
Explorer
Explorer
For what it's worth, we put ours in the center position both directions. I figured that center was the place to start for height, and as we have a short bed, even though ours is a slider, I didn't want it too close to the cab.
2022 Ford F250 Super Duty
2020 Cherokee Arctic Wolf 285DRL4
B&W 20K Companion