Fifth Wheel Hitch Decision

otrfun wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
. . . they said "we test to the weakest component". Anyone with eyes can see the 20K B&W puck hitch for the Ford and GM's is built at least as strong and no doubt stronger than anything REESE or CURT has to offer that "rates" higher.

B&W is VERY Conservative in their ratings. That is why if I were the poster above I would have bought the B&W for his Ford and towed his DRV even if it weighed 21K.

Agree, every B&W product I've seen appears to be strong, well-built. If B&W made a hitch that adjusted lower than 16" I'd probably have one in my truck right now.

However, on the flipside, heft/weight, nice finish, great welds, and supposedly conservative ratings, by themselves, don't necessarily prove any specific realworld capability. To really prove anything, independent, stress testing would be helpful.

Would be nice if there was comparative test results available for B&W, Curt, Reese, and other hitches. Not just an "ease of use" or "gives the appearance of longevity and strength" test, but a no-holds barred, stress to the point of failure test---using some kind of (hydraulic??) test jig to simulate use with each of the Big 3 trucks (with static and dynamic loading).

Inlaws RAM/CURT hitch in his LongHorn dually. He wishes he had the B&W but his came with the truck.

4 bolts of questionable grade holding the head to the base with the Curt and B&W has 8 grade 8. That right there is a HUGE difference.

Both hitches rated to 6,250# pin and 25K towing.

Not too hard to see what system is stronger.

Test? You mean like Andersen's "crush test video" ? That really proved a lot.....same hitch under hard braking alone caused the tubes to bend.

Also US Made VS China Made.