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Old 02-17-2016, 08:51 AM   #21
poloace
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I have the B & W. Works well. Use the gooseneck to pull a horse trailer.
I have had it for 5ys. I think the only way to go to do both.
 
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Old 02-17-2016, 10:43 AM   #22
DarMar
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If Lippert will void your warranty for adding on a light duty trailer hitch as I have been told directly by them then they certainly won't look kindly at any frame problem if you use a gooseneck adapter.
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Old 02-17-2016, 10:47 AM   #23
Kampn
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There are several good hitches out there and I sure don't want to step on anyone's toes about which one may or may not be the best, like everything else there is a lot of personal preference involved. That being said I use the B&W companion hitch. Like poloace I have a short bed truck and I can turn almost 90 degrees, but I've not tried that on uneven ground. I too have roughly an 8 inch bed clearance. I don't get any chucking while towing and best of all I never have to worry about the hitch binding when I unhook. It's designed so that the hitch release lever always opens easily even if the hitch jaws don't open. Then when you pull forward the jaws will open even if they have a bind on them. It makes unhooking a breeze, you never have to move the truck forward or backward to find a spot where you can get the pull leaver to release. On the negative side is is a bit heavy if you want to switch it over to a Goose neck ball or just to pull it out to free up the bed.
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Old 02-17-2016, 10:49 AM   #24
RRman
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My truck came with a movable Ball.
My due diligence research led me to the the Star Performance Gooseneck Adapter which worked well for many years on my Montana. VERY VERY Bad roads in LA eventually led to this very strong and glider motion adapter (everything has limits) to slightly bend the pinbox kingpin plate slightly up at the rear so eventually I replaced the entire pinbox with a Reese Goosebox "certified" for use with any Lippert Frame.

The Goosebox was a pain to use as it wanted grease on the coupler for every tow and almost every tow the airbag had to be refilled as the 50 PSI check valve would "puff" out the air going down any bumpy road. And it was very slow to refill the bag besides being inconvenient.

A TERRIBLE pothole in West Texas (disabled truck transmission, bounced 8lb Kitchen Aid Mixer out of the Sink...) apparently exceeded the Goosebox's abilities and cracked the front frame beam, which only became apparent a few tows/weeks later as the RV dropped onto my truck's bed rails.

The Goosebox was in use less than a year and Lippert wouldn't even replace it under warranty.

A new stronger front frame "box" was welded in along with a new 16K Pinbox along with another Star Performance adapter in March 15.

Have towed from Dallas TX (Mar 15) to Montgomery AL to NC to very Northern WI and back to AL via OH and then to north of Dallas and finally the RGV in Dec 15 without a problem.

I'm sure the West TX pothole would have cracked any frame with any hitch...

Your mileage may vary!
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Old 02-17-2016, 10:56 AM   #25
Kampn
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There are several good hitches out there and I sure don't want to step on anyone's toes about which one may or may not be the best, like everything else there is a lot of personal preference involved. That being said I use the B&W companion hitch. Like poloace I have a short bed truck and I can turn almost 90 degrees, but I've not tried that on uneven ground. I too have roughly an 8 inch bed clearance. I don't get any chucking while towing and best of all I never have to worry about the hitch binding when I unhook. It's designed so that the hitch release lever always opens easily even if the hitch jaws don't open. Then when you pull forward the jaws will open even if they have a bind on them. It makes unhooking a breeze, you never have to move the truck forward or backward to find a spot where you can get the pull leaver to release. On the negative side it is a bit heavy if you want to switch it over to a Goose neck ball or just to pull it out to free up the bed.
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Old 02-17-2016, 11:53 AM   #26
mlh
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I wish my B&W hitch worked like that. They must have made some changes since mine was made. If my truck and camper are in a bind it becomes almost impossible to get the hitch to open. You can beat and bang on it pull forward back up, it WILL NOT open.
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Old 02-18-2016, 03:55 AM   #27
Kampn
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Mlh, which model B&W hitch do you have?
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Old 02-18-2016, 04:07 AM   #28
mlh
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The Companion. I bought it direct from the factory. They set me up as a dealer so I only gave about $700 for it shipping included.
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Old 02-18-2016, 04:21 AM   #29
Kampn
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Mlh, The 3000 series was replaced by the 3500 series, which is the series I have. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. Their factory support is really good. I called a couple of times for pre-sales information and always got a knowledgeable person. I'd give them a call and tell them about the issue. Easy release is one of their claims to fame sort of speak. It would be worth a call.
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Old 02-18-2016, 05:54 AM   #30
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Thanks I didn't know they had a newer version.
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