Curt fifth Wheel Hitches

[rkassl]

Going from a short bed with a Pullrite Super Glide to a long bed where we don't require a slide hitch. Does anyone have any comments regarding the Curt Hitch, good , bad or otherwise? Any first hadn experience will be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Goostoff]

jerem0621 wrote:



Definitely more craftsmanship in the B&W base.

But the uprights on the B&W are also stamped... right? the ones that hold the hitch head to the base... stamped steel... So lets stop this back and forth.. they are great hitches... two of the best in the industry.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I spent 15 years working in a steel shop as a brake press operator, among other things. I can tell you that those uprights are not stamped like nearly every part of the curt. Someone even mentioned that the head of the Curt was solid steel. I can tell you by looking at it that it is just a flimsy stamped steel sheet metal part.

[Cummins12V98]

jerem0621 wrote:

Me Again wrote:
Back to the jaws, B&W wins hands down over the Curt jaws. And the Curt drivers side is even thinner where it meets the king pin, and has to remain free to move up and down. And people said my Hijacker sliding bar what was an inch thick was going to wear my king pin!

I look at the B&W latching and consider it as fool proof as the Hijacker slide bar, in that if the handle closes you know you are latch correctly. Drop your padlock on and you are good to go.

Chris

Yes, size equals strength... right?

Hands down? Naa...

Are they thicker? Yep...are you going to rip the Curt's jaws out because they are thinner?

NO WAY!

Definitely more craftsmanship in the B&W base.

But the uprights on the B&W are also stamped... right? the ones that hold the hitch head to the base... stamped steel... So lets stop this back and forth.. they are great hitches... two of the best in the industry.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I believe the uprights are the same used on the 16k up to 25k B&W hitches so they are certainly not a weak link.

[Cummins12V98]

jerem0621 wrote:
Thanks for clarifying Cummins,

Your right, you never said anything about failures. Please accept my apologies for that statement.

The China country of origin is irritating to me too. Not that I have a problem with Chinese people, but we have the capability of producing affordable high quality components here...plus the jobs.

I CAN buy a product made in China and not lose sleep over it simply because the distribution system does create American jobs (Truckers, warehouse workers, sales, etc etc etc)

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I accept! Thank you.

I appreciate the civil discussion.

[jerem0621]

Me Again wrote:
Back to the jaws, B&W wins hands down over the Curt jaws. And the Curt drivers side is even thinner where it meets the king pin, and has to remain free to move up and down. And people said my Hijacker sliding bar what was an inch thick was going to wear my king pin!

I look at the B&W latching and consider it as fool proof as the Hijacker slide bar, in that if the handle closes you know you are latch correctly. Drop your padlock on and you are good to go.

Chris

Yes, size equals strength... right?

Hands down? Naa...

Are they thicker? Yep...are you going to rip the Curt's jaws out because they are thinner?

NO WAY!

Definitely more craftsmanship in the B&W base.

But the uprights on the B&W are also stamped... right? the ones that hold the hitch head to the base... stamped steel... So lets stop this back and forth.. they are great hitches... two of the best in the industry.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[jerem0621]

Thanks for clarifying Cummins,

Your right, you never said anything about failures. Please accept my apologies for that statement.

The China country of origin is irritating to me too. Not that I have a problem with Chinese people, but we have the capability of producing affordable high quality components here...plus the jobs.

I CAN buy a product made in China and not lose sleep over it simply because the distribution system does create American jobs (Truckers, warehouse workers, sales, etc etc etc)

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Me_Again]

Back to the jaws, B&W wins hands down over the Curt jaws. And the Curt drivers side is even thinner where it meets the king pin, and has to remain free to move up and down. And people said my Hijacker sliding bar what was an inch thick was going to wear my king pin!

I look at the B&W latching and consider it as fool proof as the Hijacker slide bar, in that if the handle closes you know you are latch correctly. Drop your padlock on and you are good to go.

Chris

[Cummins12V98]

jerem0621 wrote:
Cummins, you consistently say that the B&W under rates their hitches and I can find no evidence of this fact. Going by looks is no way to judge strength. As a end user why would I not trust the ratings.

I don't say that a truck is under rated...why would I say that about a component with a very specific rating.

Again...find me the reports of the Curt hitch failure or where their strength is in proven false.

As for pics here ya go

Curt 20k



B&W 18k



It's pretty much the same as the 16k except the 18k's base is welded.

What's really nice about the 20k and the 24k Curts is that if you purchase a truck...Such as a Ram with the Fifth wheel prep package you just unbolt the fifth wheel rail legs and bolt on the legs that work with the Ram package. So you only have to replace a piece of the hitch, not the entire hitch. Same with the Ford package. The center section is the same...

Here is the Ram legs attached



Here is the Ford legs attached



If you have a B&W and change trucks you have to change bases if you change mounting systems.

Like I said...they are both fine hitches...not really sure what issue you have with that.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I never said a darn word about Curt failures!!! I did mention some have had trouble getting used to their Curt hitches. I also said is they are now all made in CHINA.

I did want you to show a more fair comparison since YOU did comment on how the 16K Patriot was bolted together.

Thank you for the pics.

I will tell you this whether you believe me or not, I spoke to B&W about their obvious conservative rating of their hitches compared to the competition and they admitted they are no where as "LIERAL" as their competition on how they rate their hitches.

To prove my point look at the B&W 18K base and the 20K Curt with two pcs of stamped steel and now try to be objective and say what base is stronger?

I would also say that the B&W 16K is a stronger design than the Curt 20.

[jerem0621]

Learjet wrote:
the head on my Q16 had 2 bolts on each side...total 4 bolts

My Patriot has 4 - grade 8 botls on each side mounting the pivot arms ...total 8 bolts.

Also the Patriot pivot arms have a large contact area, whereas the head on the Q16 has a small area of contact between the head and legs, more flex in that area.

Thank you for the feedback! This is good information to share.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Learjet]

the head on my Q16 had 2 bolts on each side...total 4 bolts

My Patriot has 4 - grade 8 botls on each side mounting the pivot arms ...total 8 bolts.

Also the Patriot pivot arms have a large contact area, whereas the head on the Q16 has a small area of contact between the head and legs, more flex in that area.

[jerem0621]

Cummins, you consistently say that the B&W under rates their hitches and I can find no evidence of this fact. Going by looks is no way to judge strength. As a end user why would I not trust the ratings.

I don't say that a truck is under rated...why would I say that about a component with a very specific rating.

Again...find me the reports of the Curt hitch failure or where their strength is in proven false.

As for pics here ya go

Curt 20k



B&W 18k



It's pretty much the same as the 16k except the 18k's base is welded.

What's really nice about the 20k and the 24k Curts is that if you purchase a truck...Such as a Ram with the Fifth wheel prep package you just unbolt the fifth wheel rail legs and bolt on the legs that work with the Ram package. So you only have to replace a piece of the hitch, not the entire hitch. Same with the Ford package. The center section is the same...

Here is the Ram legs attached



Here is the Ford legs attached



If you have a B&W and change trucks you have to change bases if you change mounting systems.

Like I said...they are both fine hitches...not really sure what issue you have with that.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Cummins12V98]

"The closest they get is the 18K Patriot which is a welded base hitch and a handful of lbs heavier than the Curt 20k rail mount. The mount is welded but the B&W uses bolts to hold the uprights on just like the Curt uses bolts to hold the legs on. They are both heavy hitches"

Ok so show the 18K Patriot compared to the 20K rail mount Curt for the most fair comparison. You are the one commenting on how the 16K Patriot is a bolted together base and the Curt was not.

Comparing the two hitches side by side you can easily see that B&W has underrated this just like their full line of hitches compared to the others. No brainer what is the stronger hitch of the two.

[stro1965]

I'm surprised to see anyone badmouthing a Curt 20K, it's an awesome hitch. I don't know if the B&W is better but I'm pretty sure it costs more.

[jerem0621]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
Those jaws are more than sufficient on the Curt...on the E16 of the slide bar was coming out then the hitch was defective...handle down = Locked....And it's a $275 ish hitch...you do not get top quality hitches for that money.

The Q20 in the picture above is a BIG heavy hitch. That center section is a block of solid steel...not bolted together sheet metal. The jaws are more than sufficient and the lockout mechanism is secure.

Not trashing the B&W it's a fine hitch too...

Thanks!

Jeremiah

If you are going to comment on the B&W please show the 20k Companion and Curt 20k then comment on the bolted together base. Oh there is not one. So please compare as close as possible.

The Companion is not comparable. This is a RAIL mount discussion. Something that B&W does not offer in 20k. The companion requires a Turnover Ball gooseneck and is a totally different system than the standard Fifth Wheel rail mount being discussed.

B&W will not step up to the plate and make a 20k or 25k rail mount Fifth Wheel hitch. Why would they? They want you to purchase the Turnover Ball and the Companion at a significant cost (for some people that is)

The closest they get is the 18K Patriot which is a welded base hitch and a handful of lbs heavier than the Curt 20k rail mount. The mount is welded but the B&W uses bolts to hold the uprights on just like the Curt uses bolts to hold the legs on. They are both heavy hitches.

The Curt 20k and 24k are fine hitches even though they are made in China. The B&W is a fine hitch too but getting the Higher rating means changing mounting systems which is not quite the same as changing hitches in the rail mount.

I'm not even a Curt Fan boy...if probably buy a B&W myself...I just resist being told they are junk...they are not junk...quite the contrary. They are fine fine hitches. And when you compare rail mount for rail mount the Curt is superior due to the rating.

Thank!

Jeremiah

[mbrower]

I have the curt Q24 and its a fine, heavy duty hitch. I'm not sure why people want to put it down. Curt hitches uses high quality porous H-y 80 flexible steel. The extra flex really absorbs the bumps and jolts of a 15K fifth wheel. Cracks are easily repaired with any Cyanoacrylate glue readily available at any dollar general. As far as I know, they are a little behind in technology and still requires the operator to manually manipulate the hitch to couple it to the RV. This hitch also requires the operator to physically remove it from the truck bed.

In all seriousness, I have never read or heard of a curt hitch failing while towing and I have never had any problems hitching and un-hitching my fifth wheel. The pin is locked solid and is very quiet while towing. I'm sure the B&W is a fine hitch but not really sure how it could be any better unless It will operate from my cab and it removes itself from the truck bed.

[Cummins12V98]

jerem0621 wrote:
Those jaws are more than sufficient on the Curt...on the E16 of the slide bar was coming out then the hitch was defective...handle down = Locked....And it's a $275 ish hitch...you do not get top quality hitches for that money.

The Q20 in the picture above is a BIG heavy hitch. That center section is a block of solid steel...not bolted together sheet metal. The jaws are more than sufficient and the lockout mechanism is secure.

Not trashing the B&W it's a fine hitch too...

Thanks!

Jeremiah

If you are going to comment on the B&W please show the 20k Companion and Curt 20k then comment on the bolted together base. Oh there is not one. So please compare as close as possible.