Fifth Wheel Hitch Decision

Cummins12V98 wrote:
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.

You don't need to convince me the B&W's appear to be a quality product. I already agreed with you on that point.

I believe you missed my point. Appearance of quality (or lack thereof), to include the use or non-use of grade 8 bolts, in itself says nothing about a hitch's ACTUAL ability to safely carry a given amount of weight. For all we know, a mechanical engineer might tell us a grade 8 bolt is overkill for this particular application. On the flipside, the marketing department may have recommended a grade 8 bolt---just to give the added appearance of quality and strength---even though their ME said it's overkill . . . again, who knows.

Again, the only way to prove or disprove the superiority of any given hitch is to test it to see if it safely carries/supports it's rated weight. Ideally, take it a step farther, and stress the hitch to the point of failure to see how conservatively (or not) a given hitch is rated.

Bottom line, I believe B&W are well-made hitches with clean lines, good welds, grade 8 bolts(?) . . . that exude a massive, strong look . . . plus, they are, Made in the USA. However, can anyone use the previous sentence to prove it will out-carry a competitor's hitch. Nope. Can a good marketing department use this same sentence as part of an effective marketing campaign? Absolutely! Would I consider purchasing a B&W? Yes . . . if they made one that would adjust lower than 16" :)