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Old 02-08-2014, 03:28 AM   #21
Smitty43
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I have the B&W turnover gooseneck hitch, but I went with the Anderson adapter that goes on the kingpin with the 8" offset. It works great for me.---Smitty
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Old 02-08-2014, 08:37 AM   #22
rhagfo
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I like the visual reference.

#1 This is a 10,000# GVWR 2 horse slant GN trailer hitch.




#2 This is a triple axle TH about 38' long.



Got a 3' breaker bar???
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Old 02-08-2014, 02:06 PM   #23
sbmarks3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cvgkid View Post
Decided to go with the B&W Companion. Found a good price on eBay and now have 2 big boxes in the house. This thing is going to be heavy. I guess I'll spend the weekend putting it together. Next step is getting the GN off the Trailer. Some of the nuts are down by the king pin so it may be interesting getting the GN off.
I have the B&W rollover hitch with the B&W Companion 3000.
I like the hitch but I have run into a couple of problems. I would suggest going with the new 3500 rather than the 3000. I'm pulling a 16500 gvw trailer and I am always at the max. On my first trip to Massachusetts from Georgia we started hearing a tin can bending type noise when taking off with a strong start. As it turned out it was the bed of the truck bending at the rear edge of the hitch. These hitches have only two rails touching the bed, it is too small a foot print in my opinion. I called B&W and they said "didn't you get the shim kit with it" I said no and they ship me the kit free of charge right away. I installed the kit which is four 1/2" nylon spacers that go between the hitch and the bed at bed attachment points.
Everything looked good, then I set off on a 2700 mile trip, with no noises the first day. Then I ended up having to make an emergency stop on the free way to avoid an accident (which I was not able to do). After the hardest possible braking and a slight impact (my front bumper to the back bumper of the truck in front of me) the front edge of the companion hitch buried itself into the bed, denting down about an inch and buckled the hitch slightly. I limped along to my destination but again I don't feel there is really enough surface area on the truck bed to distribute the forces properly. It is a nice hitch but beware if you are pulling a heavy trailer.
On the subject of the gooseneck adaptors, I have heard compelling argument for and against them. I have one on a 35' 5'ver that I own but have not hauled it much.
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Old 03-12-2014, 06:09 PM   #24
cgrace1998
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I have been told by Keystone and B&W that the Gooseneck Ext/adapters void your warranty. If your 5vr is out of warranty then it is only a decision you can make. We have the B&W Hidden Gooseneck and have our own issues with towing and tool boxes. Have done countless hours of research. Good Luck! Hope everything works for you.
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Old 03-13-2014, 05:53 AM   #25
st_pinetree
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I use the convert a ball gooseneck adapter. My trailer had one on it since it was new, I've actually removed a couple of panels and crawled around, looked at nooks and crannies with a flash light and a fiber optic camera and all looks A OK to me. It doesn't bother me, I don't think it's going to cause damage to my frame, or it would have already. If it bothers you, or you think otherwise go with what makes you comfortable. Personally, (JMO) I think some folks have had frame problems that would have occured whether GN equipped or not, just some bad frame issues out there. I think the newer extended pin boxes are actually a much bigger change in leverage on the frame components than the GN adapter, and maybe that was part of the reason these issues began to spring up in the last 5-10 years. More short beds, led to manufacturers extending the pinbox, without other frame strengthening issues.

Question to any structural engineers out there. Everyone understands and agrees that the king pin is the top of the lever, but is the bottom of the lever the bottom of the king pin, the fifth wheel plate, or the bed/frame of the truck. Seems to me the forces are being applied from the frame moving forward. The hitch assembly for the fifth wheel is a lever, albeit an A frame shaped one rather than a single arm, is it not?
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