Custom Flow Tail Gate Installed

[AnonEd]

We used to run the cut-down tailgates as "reinforcement" so the bed sides weren't quite as free to wiggle and fatigue at the base. Probably not as much an issue these days...

 

[bcbender]

I had a basketball and lawn chair come shooting out from under the 5er when the wife was following in the Suburban.. She was not thrilled!

I lost a cooler full of "refreshments" after leaving a store on the way to a campground when my son rolleyes didn't shut the tailgate right, went back and never found a trace of it, I assume if went out on a turn, not pieces nothing.... I assume someone had a nice afternoon

 

[SSage]

I was chatting and searching on the RV forums and a few guys said that most of the B&W Companion load is carried by the turn over ball hitch. The "legs" of the base are mainly stabilizers. One got an email back from B&W telling him: "the Turnover Ball base and Companion FW hitch system carries the vast majority of the pin load through the hold-down receiver to the truck frame. The feet of the Companion stabilize the lateral forces to the bed and carry very little of the pin weight."

They don't want a plastic bed-liner to effect the draw down bolt's 60 pound torque setting which just takes the slack out of the coupler. So, as long as the companion has a solid base with minimal give your good to go. I found out mine was originally set on rebar, I was wondering why I had the 36" rebar rods laying around. I was putting in my 3500 yesterday realized the RV dealer didn't cut openings for the safety chain loops. Its always something, I don't have a GN trailer right now so I guess I won't mess with it. If I need to pull GN I can use my 2nd gen, but after all these years I just realized the 2003 doesn't have the loops! I hate RV dealers somedays.

The Custom Flow tail gate is holding up good so far, I put over 100 pounds on it yesterday and it didn't flex much at all. I think its rated for 250 or so. It makes backing up to a trailer easy, I can see much better. Probably won't add a back up camera now.

 

[AH64ID]

I was chatting and searching on the RV forums and a few guys said that most of the B&W Companion load is carried by the turn over ball hitch. The "legs" of the base are mainly stabilizers. One got an email back from B&W telling him: "the Turnover Ball base and Companion FW hitch system carries the vast majority of the pin load through the hold-down receiver to the truck frame. The feet of the Companion stabilize the lateral forces to the bed and carry very little of the pin weight."

They don't want a plastic bed-liner to effect the draw down bolt's 60 pound torque setting which just takes the slack out of the coupler. So, as long as the companion has a solid base with minimal give your good to go. I found out mine was originally set on rebar, I was wondering why I had the 36" rebar rods laying around. I was putting in my 3500 yesterday realized the RV dealer didn't cut openings for the safety chain loops. Its always something, I don't have a GN trailer right now so I guess I won't mess with it. If I need to pull GN I can use my 2nd gen, but after all these years I just realized the 2003 doesn't have the loops! I hate RV dealers somedays.

The Custom Flow tail gate is holding up good so far, I put over 100 pounds on it yesterday and it didn't flex much at all. I think its rated for 250 or so. It makes backing up to a trailer easy, I can see much better. Probably won't add a back up camera now.

I have heard the opposite from B&W, which is why they shipped us the runners to install when we realized they were missing. They want the weight between the ribs for best dispersion.

On a GN the ball is resting on the bottom of the hitch socket and thus transfers the weight to the hitch frame, but that doesn't happen on a Companion hitch. The variances in beds, bed ribs, spray in liners, other liners, etc will keep the socket post from contacting the bottom of the hitch hole so there is no way for the socket post to transfer any weight to the hitch, as the legs are holding the socket post in its vertical position. This is why the socket adjuster pin hole is slotted, and not round like the GN ball or other attachments that rest on the bottom of the hitch. There just isn't a way for the weight to not be on the legs and transfer thru the socket post in most applications, if not all applications.

 

[JR]

Not only that but the socket post is slotted to account for said differences....

The Companion slider has a larger base than the standard Companion and the torque on the post compensates for that (80 ft lbs vs 60 ft lbs).

 

[SSage]

The Companion's socket post DOES carry the pin weight. It has a "shoulder" or stop and the post rests on the frame mounted portion of the hitch. On a new 3500 install you must set it up with socket post bolts just snug. You want the post for the 3500 to rest on the turn over ball's socket itself. You tighten up the socket post bolts after you pull the base down the first time.

So, you install the socket post first with loose bolts, engage the turn over ball hitch pin and then torque the draw down bolt. On a new install you tighten the socket bolts last. I just put mine in the bed, so the directions are fresh in mind. The 3000 is easier to install in my opinion, but the 3500 doesn't have the U-bolts that stretch over time. I liked putting in the 3000 socket post first and then placing the base over it. But, the 3500 is obviously a stronger and heavier design. I've read that the added height of the 3500 is needed on the Fords. I haven't needed the high setting on my 2003 Ram 4x4 so far.

 

[SnoKing]

The Companion's socket post DOES carry the pin weight. It has a "shoulder" or stop and the post rests on the frame mounted portion of the hitch. On a new 3500 install you must set it up with socket post bolts just snug. You want the post for the 3500 to rest on the turn over ball's socket itself. You tighten up the socket post bolts after you pull the base down the first time.

So, you install the socket post first with loose bolts, engage the turn over ball hitch pin and then torque the draw down bolt. On a new install you tighten the socket bolts last. I just put mine in the bed, so the directions are fresh in mind. The 3000 is easier to install in my opinion, but the 3500 doesn't have the U-bolts that stretch over time. I liked putting in the 3000 socket post first and then placing the base over it. But, the 3500 is obviously a stronger and heavier design. I've read that the added height of the 3500 is needed on the Fords. I haven't needed the high setting on my 2003 Ram 4x4 so far.

Clue, you can not pull down and hold up at the same time. You get one or the other. The load(pin weight) is carried on the bed floor not the gooseneck hitch.

 

[AH64ID]

The Companion's socket post DOES carry the pin weight. It has a "shoulder" or stop and the post rests on the frame mounted portion of the hitch. On a new 3500 install you must set it up with socket post bolts just snug. You want the post for the 3500 to rest on the turn over ball's socket itself. You tighten up the socket post bolts after you pull the base down the first time.

So, you install the socket post first with loose bolts, engage the turn over ball hitch pin and then torque the draw down bolt. On a new install you tighten the socket bolts last. I just put mine in the bed, so the directions are fresh in mind. The 3000 is easier to install in my opinion, but the 3500 doesn't have the U-bolts that stretch over time. I liked putting in the 3000 socket post first and then placing the base over it. But, the 3500 is obviously a stronger and heavier design. I've read that the added height of the 3500 is needed on the Fords. I haven't needed the high setting on my 2003 Ram 4x4 so far.

Your memory of the install might be recent, but it doesn’t match the install instructions.

They even put part of it in bold so one doesn’t torque it in the order you mention. The draw down bolt is the last thing torqued. There also isn’t enough vertical adjustment of the socket post mounting bolts to account for every bed depth install, hence the slotted pin slot.

https://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/sites/default/files/documents/RVK3500 (pn 3500-100) 06 15 2020.pdf

 

[SSage]

There is no OEM bed on a pick up truck that can hold that much weight with that amount of bearing surface. Two 1"X36" strips of plastic laying on sheet metal could never hold up 5,000 pounds. Not going to happen, its ridiculous even to suggest that. This horse done been beat to death, I'm done talking about it.

 

[AH64ID]

There is no OEM bed on a pick up truck that can hold that much weight with that amount of bearing surface. Two 1"X36" strips of plastic laying on sheet metal could never hold up 5,000 pounds. Not going to happen, its ridiculous even to suggest that. This horse done been beat to death, I'm done talking about it.

What about your wrong instructions? Don’t want to talk about that either?

70psi? Doesn’t seem that crazy high. The bed is ribbed and has supports. That’s much different than a flat sheet of sheet metal.

While I’m not a fan of it, ever hear of the Anderson 5th wheel hitch? It also puts all the weight on the bed.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Spacers are for the fore and aft movement of the base. Stops bed deflection.

 

[SnoKing]

What about your wrong instructions? Don’t want to talk about that either?

70psi? Doesn’t seem that crazy high. The bed is ribbed and has supports. That’s much different than a flat sheet of sheet metal.

While I’m not a fan of it, ever hear of the Anderson 5th wheel hitch? It also puts all the weight on the bed.

We have been around and around on this on many forums. The valleys of the bed are supported by the tophats that run side to side under the bed. Putting the weight on the raised bed parts was causing the hitch to crush them at the front and back of the B&W outriggers that rest on the bed, as weight was transfer front to back and back to front. B&W came out with the strips to put most of the load in the valleys. Cummins12V98 was sent those spacers for his early hitch. Carrying the weight on the bed floor has always been a compromise hitch setup. The Andersen hitch is the same.

With these new RAMs the puck system is the best way to tow a 5th wheel. The weight goes directly on the trucks frame rails vs the bed floor and tophats between the bed floor and then frame rails. My 2015 did not have the option, so I installed them myself, which was a 4 hour project, which included the in bed 7 pin trailer plug.

To boot if the gooseneck pin goes through a slotted hole there is no way the gooseneck could carry weight even it was not torqued down correctly. OR THE WEIGHT would bend that pin.