car2900.... When you call B&W, instead of just saying "new GM factory hitch", say CURT MFG "EZr" gooseneck hitch, because that is what GM is using. It isn't "new". It's just newly available on GM trucks through GM.
B&W will know exactly what the CURT EZr product is, due to research for patent infringement, as the EZr system very closely mimicks the B&W Turnover Ball in many ways, except for three significant differences...
1. The ball shank of the EZr is round, instead of squarish, like the B&W. Just because the EZr is round, however, does not mean that it will rotate. Unlike other underbed gooseneck ball systems with round shanks that are retained by a retractable ball bearing, the EZr round shank does not rotate within it's mounting cylinder. Like the B&W, there is a spring loaded retention pin attached to a wheel well mounted pull handle that passes all the way through the ball shank and the sides of the mounting cylinder.
2. The EZr retention pull pin is "doubled"... as in a U shape on it's side, so that two pins actually pass through the ball shank instead of just one like the B&W. Two pins might be better than one, as one pin is a pivot point, and two pins would prevent pivoting (fore and aft), as well as provide double shear. However, in practice, the tolerances are so close between the B&W square shank and entrance collar that fore and aft pivoting is limited. There are a few YouTube videos in circulation that show significant unwanted movement with a B&W gooseneck hitch, but since those videos were shot above the bed, it is inconclusive as to what parts of the B&W are responsible for the movement. It could very well be flex in the angle iron cross rails, which are similar to the EZr.
3. The safety chain U-bolts to the EZr are thicker, at .675", than the B&W's .445"
4. The side plates that attach to the truck frame are of a different design in the EZr than in the B&W. In certain applications, the CURT side plates attach to the flange as well as the web of the truck frame.
5. The center piece of the EZr mounts with 8 bolts, whereas the center piece of the B&W mounts with only 6 bolts. (Comparing equivalently sized and styled center pieces for similar applications)
6. The EZr offers a 1" high rise ball option, and a 4" offset ball option. The B&W offers those two options, along with several more, including a swivel eyelet, a hay fork, an inverted fifth wheel, a removable ladder rack, and coming this fall in time for Christmas, a partridge in a pear tree. Watch your clearance under over passes on that one.
7. Most importantly, the fifth wheel hitch... B&W offers the Companion, and the EZr system offers the CURT X5 base rail adapter that clicks into the EZr underbed gooseneck. The CURT X5 spider enables you to use a B&W Patriot hitch, if you like the B&W style head, or you can use any other 5th wheel hitch of your choosing, including an air ride hitch by TrailerSaver, or the GM Accessories 20K fifth wheel hitch also manufactured by CURT.
