Companion Hitch
RV PRO
B&W Trailer Hitches recently introduced its new RVB3500 Companion fifth wheel aftermarket trailer hitch. The new Companion hitch employs B&W’s Turnoverball mounting design, which the company said promotes quick, single-point hitch installation. It is designed to quietly handle today’s heavier trailers and pickups with varying truck bed configurations.
B&W’s earlier Companion model had an 18,000-pound towing capacity, with the original Companion hitch remaining virtually unaltered since its inception in 1998.
“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,” said Don Collins, president of DC’s RV Centers.
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. It also features adjustable plastic feet, allowing the hitch to mount to what the company said is an increasing variety of truck bed corrugation patterns.
The entire system is made of American steel and is finished top to bottom with a powder coating. Once installed, the substructure leaves the truck bed unobstructed, and accommodates any of seven different Turnoverball-style hitches, including the RVB3500.
The single-post hitch base drops 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 inches to 18 1/4 inches. The arms feature thick polyurethane bushings that allow the locked coupler head to pivot, and the coupler head itself is fitted with a hydraulic dampening mechanism that absorbs road shock and tilts up to seven degrees, according to the company.
The company said the new hitch makes unhitching the trailer easier as well. The hitch features one-inch-thick cast locking jaws, allowing the operator to uncouple a trailer even when parked on significantly uneven terrain.
The RVB3500 Companion fifth wheel aftermarket trailer hitch fits virtually any pickup truck make and model, the company said, including any 2013 RAM 3500, without a factory-installed hitch prep package.
The product has been tested and meets or exceeds the J2638 standard for a 20,000-pound vehicle tow rating (VTR). B&W said it strongly recommends that users never exceed a VTR.