You're not really grinding on the truck but the hitch.

Using the less is more theory should not be an issue. When I did mine using the dremmel it only needed a small amount and if I ordered a trukk today and had the same issue as before I would do the exact samething because I like B&W hitch better. But that's just me. 😉

 

I bought a 25k BW Companion hitch from the dealer I bought my 5th wheel. The dealer put the hitch together and installed it. I have a 2024 F-350 XLT 8’ bed. After hauling my RV to its destination I took the BW out of the bed. The left side of the hitch came out ok but the right side gave me some problems, I had to work to get it out. I’m not sure if they had a problem installing it because they didn’t say. With the struggles I had trying to get it out I’m going to put it back in this week and see if I have any problems. Is my issue related to what everyone is talking about?

 

The Ford hitch is an order of magnitude more difficult to replace, requiring removal of the bed, releasing all wire harnesses (which tend to break), breaking the seal of any spray on bedliner (if sprayed over the bed bolts), replacing all of the hitch bolt hardware with new fasteners (if following recommendations) etc.

Whereas the B&W hitch base can be replaced without any fuss.

 

Very possible. If a BFH was employed, very possible that it could be driven in. In fact I did that to leave a witness mark at where I needed to grind. I used a 4" disk grinder with a cutoff wheel to delicately remove steel.

 

I agree that grinding the B&W hitch foot makes the most sense short of a hitch kit replacement. The problem I encountered while entertaining that stop-gap is my dealership was unable to provide a Reese or any other 5th wheel hitch to test in my truck. I offered to try dropping my B&W into another hitch kit prepped truck on the lot but the service guys weren't interested after they measured my pucks. If I get to 36,001 miles and need a different hitch and it doesn't fit, I have no recourse but to modify the new hitch or puck. And then there's the matter of selling the modified B&W to someone that might end up with extra slop on that foot.

I haven't called any other vendor to find out if their customers have recently run into issues. I'm pretty sure the Pullrite OEX would be ok because the feet are adjustable. I also don't know if Ford published guaranteed tolerances that B&W manufactured to or if B&W made assumptions. I find it hard to believe that Ford would authorize a warranty replacement if the hitch kit was up to spec and B&W was at fault by manufacturing to too tight of a tolerance.

I watched videos on installing the Ford hitch kit after the fact when I was looking at used F-350s that didn't have it. It's a fairly simple process for someone with the right equipment or extra help to pull a bed. I've heard that's what they do at KTP with the new trucks anyway. They go down the production line and then go over to GFX to have the hitch kit installed after the truck has already been fully built. I guess I'm a little less concerned in my case because the tech I talked to stated that he does the after the fact hitch kit installs often.

All that said, if I can get 100% confirmation from the dealership that my hitch kit will be replaced and they won't hold modifications against me then I will certainly grind the inside of the bad puck so I can pull my camper until replacement.

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@GentleBen

I did some hitch fitting for you today. Hang on for bit and I will post some photos.

 

The following comparison between the original design Reese Signature Series / Elite Series puck rails and Ford's adaptation of the same in the form of a 2021 model year OEM hitch prep kit is neither scientific nor statistically significant.

It is merely an anecdotal review with a meager amount of measuring tools, and limited to hitch parts on hand. (Or that I could lay my hands on today).

I entered into this comparison with a bias, seeking to confirm it.

My bias was that the Ford OEM hitch prep kit was fine by itself, and that it became "off" once installed and torqued to a truck frame. To date, I had not read where anyone evaluated the Ford OEM hitch prep kit in isolation, unconstrained by an installation into a truck frame.

Despite Ford increasing the torsional stiffness of Super Duty frames by a substantial measure in 2017, and further tweaking the frames in 2020 and in 2023, even fully boxed ladder frames can twist a little bit, and when people are measuring the puck differences, I've wondered if the fuel tank, which is biased on the driver's side frame rail, and at 48 gallons times 7.3 lbs per gallon can weigh 351 lbs in fuel alone, nevermind the weight of the empty tank and sending unit... was empty, full, or somewhere between when the B&W hitch was being installed, or when the puck distances and differences were being measured.

So I wanted to eliminate the truck, and all the variances of the installed state, from tire pressure differences to bracket bolting idiosyncrasies to the different autoworkers on any given shift that installed the hitch... from the equation of whether or not there was an issue with how the Ford OEM hitch prep weldment was manufactured as a supplied part.



I happened to have a Reese puck subframe kit for Commercial Trucks, as well as the Reese puck mounted gooseneck hitch, which I used as references to compare the location, height, and horizon flatness of each puck relative to a horizontally opposed puck in the Commercial rail, and relative to an apparatus designed to ride on and align with the pucks.
















What I found out is that my initial bias (that the Ford OEM hitch prep being "off" was more due to the prep kit's installed state in the truck as a system, rather than OEM prep kit being an ill manufactured part in isolation) was NOT confirmed.

The constellation of welded pucks in Ford OEM hitch prep kit were actually off kilter. I was kind of surprised at this, despite reading so many tales of woe, which should have prepared me for this finding.

The Reese gooseneck hitch literally rocked back and forth on top of the Ford puck hitch prep weldment, whereas it layed dead flat and steady on the Reese commercial rail puck base, without rocking.

I measured, at minimum, a half a mm difference in all three dimensions (laterally, longitudinally, and height) between pucks on the Ford hitch prep kit.

I could not complete testing as I envisioned, because I seem to have misplaced my Reese 5th wheel hitch (how I can lose a $1,600 hitch I'll never understand, but I stored all of the T bolt hardware and lock handles with it, where ever it is).

But I did not want to let my lack of completeness delay my report of what shook me up a bit, as it shattered my working theory of variances involved with installation.

The Ford OEM hitch prep kit that was removed from a 2021 Super Duty that underwent a bed change is off kilter by a bit all by itself. Probably not enough to affect some hitch installations, but enough to feel a hitch apparatus rocking when resting on top of it.

 

I just put mine in yesterday. The fitment was perfect. No issues and only minor adjustments. It is interesting the comparison of the new companion base versus the old one.

 

I put one on my 2022 f350 for a couple days back in the fall. It was very tight, and 3 corners would go in but the 4th wouldn’t. I beat the hell out of it with a hammer and it went in the hole. It was tight to turn the handles to the lock position on the last handle (the 4th handle), it didn’t matter what order I went. I had to beat it closed with the hammer.
it was a real pain to get the hitch back out also, because one side would want to get stuck into it. You have to basically fight it and tilt it out.

went back into the 2018 f250 where it permanently stays and it’s kinda tight but locks in so easy, if you don’t put the safety pins in, it will actually juggle to the unlock position.

something has changed slightly in the 2020+ trucks, my f450 is the exact same as the f350. It could be the powder coat also is what I blame it on, on the 2018 it’s worn off and rusty in the holes, whereas this was the first time ever I’ve placed it in my 2022s just for the weekend.

 

Mine went in yesterday but two of the castle nuts were backed off as far as I could and still get the cotter pin reinserted. I even removed a washer from one of them or I would not have been able to lock it.

it wasn’t as easy as that 2023 XLT for sure. But it’s in. I hate it for you guys that are having this issue.

 

I have a 2024 F-350 8’ bed 6.7. On my new companion the driver side and rt front passenger side goes right in but I have to step on the hitch to get the passenger rt rear to seat properly. Then to get it out that right rear hangs up. My latch handles are very finicky to get adjusted correctly, seems that I have to loosen the nuts on 3 out of 4 to get them to lock in. I wasn’t comfortable with how loose they were so I called BW. They told me once the 5th wheel weight is on the hitch to tighten the castle nuts down. He said not to use force from a hammer or anything to lock them in. Anyone else have issues with locking the levers in? I can go from the levers turning freely and locking it in and adjusting the nut 1 hole to put the cotter pin in and you can’t move the lever with your hand. Very annoying.

 

I sold my B&W Companion Slider last weekend. I had it in my 2017 F350 from the get go, and it went effortlessly into a 2023 F350. We did have to back off the castle nuts a bit, but everything else was good.

 

Had the Companion in my 450 for a while but got tired of the loss of my bed and having to muscle it in and out when I pulled the livestock gooseneck. So I just ended up converting the camper to gooseneck with the Reese Goosebox. Best decision I ever made

 

Just wanted to share that my B&W companion RVK3300 OEM base fit in my '24 F250 without issue dropped right in didn't even have to adjust the handle nuts at all.

 

Do you happen to know what month your truck was built? Seems like build dates in around March to April have been problematic.