I have a 2007 F350 Dually Long Bed with the B&W Companion hitch. I am buying my first 5th wheel RV. Any suggestions regarding using the most forward, center, or rear bolt mount pattern for the hitch? I've read that folks with short beds place the hitch as far rearward as possible to keep front of RV from hitting the cab. I've also read there are issues with a long bed regarding the rear of the bed or tailgate hitting the rear of the RV. What bolt pattern did you use for Companion hitch in a long bed truck? Any other issues to be concerned with? Hope this makes sense and thanks in advance for help. Roy

 

You still need to mount the hitch about 2" forward of the axle.... The newer 5er's have their king pin far enough forward so that you can hook up with the tailgate down. My truck (see sig) hooks that way with my '07 Arctic Fox.

 

Follow the hitch installation instructions, put it forward or back will effect the handling. Last thing you want is the 5er to get squirrely when you are on the road. With an 8 ft box you should be able to do 90 degrees. Never towed a 5er with an 8 ft box only with a 6.75 ft box and I would never set the hitch back for clearance....

 

Thanks for replies so far. As I said, I used the "center" bolt holes and it placed the hitch latch pin squarely over the center of tires/axle. Should I move the bolts to the rear holes (closest to tailgate) which will move the hitch forward or just leave it as is and see how it works? Also, I also have it mounted on top of a Rugged bed-liner. This one came with the two bolt holes in the post so the bottom hole is used with a liner installed and the top one is used without a liner. Again, never towed a 5th wheel thus are ignorant as to how this will work.

 

My 2008 f450 had the B&W Turnover ball when I bought it last year. I have a 32ft Coachman 5er so I went with the Companion and have been very pleased.

During installation I took the "average" route and just used the middle bolt pattern for all the adjustments. So far it has worked great. Unless you have an unusually long or short overhang or higher or lower than normal sides on the truck box, I would think that the same should work for you as well.

Try the middle holes for everything and then hook up to your camper, if you notice your pinbox is too far back of the axle then adjust the hitch accordingly. Same for the height.

I think you'll enjoy the Companion, the ability to remove it and have the bed without rails is great!

Good Luck

 

Look it over carefully, the center of the ball socket should already be ahead of the axle, I think.

As I understand it, in the end you want the pivot axis of 5th wheel hitch 3" ahead of the truck axle.

 

Where is the ball of the gooseneck located? In my '95, the gooseneck is almost directly over the rear axle, so when the Companion is installed, the camper is sitting behind the rear axle by a few inches. Because of that, I set up the Companion in the furthest forward position possible. Like dchamberlain said, you'll want to have the pin sitting directly over or a few inches forward of the rear axle if possible for best weight distribution.

 

If it was installed per B&W's instructions, the gooseneck ball will be 4" forward of the axle centerline.

 

Chief, when I installed mine I set it up in the rear position to see how much room there would be when turning. It set the 5th wheel back plenty and rode descent. I have it in the center position now rides just as good and still plenty of room for turns.

 

Bought a 32' fifth wheel last week that weighs approx 10,000 UVW and towed it from SC to NC. Hitch position seemed to work well. I really like the distance I have between the tailgate and rear of RV as well as distance between truck cab and front of RV. Makes tight turning a breeze. Will probably always opt for the long bed based on this. Still have the bedliner installed and didn't cause a problem this trip. However, am planning to remove it in near future. Thanks again, Roy

 

If your gooseneck hole is centered in the recommended position (which is 46-1/8" ahead of the rear edge of the bed if memory serves) then the forwardmost hole will put your kingpin about 1 to 1-1/2" ahead of the axle, which is good. You will still have an abundance of clearance between truck and trailer.