The new companion hitch employs B&W's turnoverball mounting design that promotes quick, single-point hitch installation.
B&W Trailer Hitches, a U.S.-based manufacturer of heavy-duty, engineered trailer hitches and aftermarket truck/trailer accessories, introduced its RVB3500 companion fifth wheel aftermarket trailer hitch. The new companion hitch employs B&W’s turnoverball mounting design that promotes quick, single-point hitch installation. The quiet riding hitch is designed to handle today’s heavier trailers and pickups with varying truck bed configurations, according to the manufacturer.
B&W’s earlier companion model had an 18,000-lb. (8,164 kg) towing capacity and had gained a solid reputation within the RV community for its ease of installation, robust design, smooth ride and, most of all, its low noise characteristics. The original companion hitch has remained virtually unaltered since its inception in 1998. The new 20,000-lb. (9,072 kg) rated companion fifth wheel trailer hitch has all the features that RV owners and dealers favored in its predecessor and then some.
“The combination of product quality and reliability, along with B&W’s reputation among customers, have made the B&W Companion fifth wheel hitch our most popular,” Don Collins, president, DC’s RV Centers, said. “With its 20,000-pound towing capacity, enhanced height adjustment and flexible installation design, we anticipate that the new companion will be even more commercially successful than its forerunner.”
B&W’s new Companion fifth wheel aftermarket trailer hitch is designed for today’s trucks and trailers and for tomorrow’s as well. RV trailers are becoming bigger and heavier, and the towing capacities of the pickup trucks that haul them have continued to increase. The new companion hitch features two adjustable pivot arms that can be oriented horizontally, relative to the truck’s axle, and vertically to allow trailers to clear the taller truck bed walls now on many late-model pickups. The new hitch also features adjustable plastic feet that allow the hitch to adapt and mount snugly to an ever-increasing variety of truck bed corrugation patterns.
The entire system is made of American steel and is finished top to bottom with a tough, durable powder coating. Once installed, the substructure leaves the truck bed totally unobstructed. The substructure’s socket accommodates any of seven different turnoverball-style hitches, including the RVB3500 companion.
The single-post hitch base drops easily into the socket and, once married to the substructure, uses adaptable leveling feet for stabilization and bolts to lock it securely into position. Pivot arms are also fully adjustable with a height range of 16 1/4 to 18 1/4 in. (41 to 46 cm). The arms feature thick polyurethane bushings that allow the locked coupler head to pivot effortlessly, and the coupler head itself is fitted with a hydraulic dampening mechanism that absorbs road shock and tilts up to seven degrees.
“Our new 20,000-pound rated companion hitch is a response to recent trends in the structure and shape of truck beds, along with the increasing lengths and weights of trailers,” Cleat Stockebrand, product design engineer of B&W Trailer Hitches, said. “The new companion hitch base takes advantage of the structural features of late model truck beds, optimizing the capacity of the hitch and giving customers the needed adjustments to accommodate their towing needs.”
The new companion fifth wheel aftermarket trailer hitch makes unhitching the trailer easier as well. The hitch features massive 1-in. (2.5 cm)-thick cast locking jaws that are twice as hefty as traditional mechanisms. The jaw’s robust cam-lock design allows any operator to uncouple a trailer even when parked on significantly uneven terrain, according to the manufacturer.
The RVB3500 companion fifth wheel aftermarket trailer hitch fits virtually any pickup truck make and model, including any 2013 Ram 3500, without a factory-installed hitch prep package. The product has been extensively tested and meets or exceeds the J2638 standard for a 20,000-lb. vehicle tow rating (VTR). As with any towing scenario, B&W strongly recommends that users never exceed a VTR.
For more information, visit .www.Turnoverball.com.
This story also appears on Truck and Trailer Guide.
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