B&W Companion Hitch install help

[Woodenhead]

I just installed my B&W Companion hitch but need some advice. When the hitch is torqued down to the pin it doesn't contact the box at the back of the support plate and has about 1/4" clearance. The bottom of my box is hammered down a bit between the supports from hauling wood, sleds, quads, steel etc. I think I should put some shims say some 4"x4"x1/4" steel plate under the back each side of the hitch. What do you other companion hitch owners think?



Mike

 

[JPoindexter]

Woodenhead. i have the same hitch and asked a similiar question when i bought it. this is all word of mouth, if you really want a definite answer you should call b&w and find out from them. back to the word of mouth, the guy told me that small areas that did not/could not contact the baseplate were not a problem. i. e. the truck bed does not have to be perfectly flat. he said as long as the pin that goes down into the gooseneck hitch is touqued it is good to go. he said the baseplate is a secondary support and not all that important to the setup. once again if you want a answer you can count on you should call b&w and find out for sure. hope this helps.

 

[DIESELMAN]

You did have the U-Bolts loose before torquing the top bolt didn't you? I have mine over a bed liner and need to rap on the square tube after reaching 40 lbs torque, the bolt will then turn another 1/2 turn or so befre reaching torque, I smack the bar and the mount several times until torque is reached without additional turns.



I'm sure you did.



IMHO, If you are talking about the outer rails and not the inner box section not touching, I think you are good as long as it sits level and spreads the weight on the bed o9therwise fairly evenly.

 

[SCosgriff]

One thing I found was that their are two holes in the square peg make sure that it is all the way down and there is a gap between the top of the peg and the bottome of the hitch.

 

[JStrader]

Last time we went camping I put the hitch in the bed and didn't think about the second hole. It rattled like you were about to lose the whole trailer. I loosened the torque bolt and u bolts then reset the whole hitch, problem solved.

 

[BGlidewell]

If I understand you correctly, the top of the bracket that the bolt goes through to secure the base is NOT contacting the square post. This is as designed. B&W states that contacting the base with the square post will cause frame damage to the tow vehichle and that there needs to be some gap there. Kinda wierd, but thats the way mine has been working since new. I had to bend back the upper part of the bracket once when I over torqued it and it came close to the square post. 40 ftlbs was enough to bend it.

 

[BGlidewell]

After reading the first post again I see that the problem is the bed has been depressed by various loads impacting it so that it is uneven. I'd say there is enough give in the hitch that this should not be a problem but a call into B&W would be what I would do to set my mind at ease about it.

 

[Woodenhead]

Thanks for all the info. guys. I did all of the above suggestions when I installed the hitch. The u bolts were loose and the pin didn't contact the hitch when it was torqued. I call B&W and their installation guy said it shouldn't matter but it would be a good idea to shim under the end just to be safe.



Thanks again for the suggestions,

Mike