Believe door tag shows 1/24 as build date.

 

OP here with what will probably be the final update on the fix for my truck. There's still a nationwide shortage on the hitch kits. My dealership sent their parts guy to a dealer in the next state over to hand deliver one that they had in stock. The service writer said through normal shipping options the hitch kits tend to come banged up with parts having fallen through tears in the boxes. The tech said my RVK3300 sat perfect when the new hitch prep kit was on the ground. He put the hitch prep kit in the truck, torqued it down, and the RVK3300 was back to rocking and not seating just like the original hitch kit. It turns out that the inside L bracket on the passenger side of my truck was welded too low. Despite how thick that hitch kit steel is, once you torque down the bolts the hitch kit frame flexes to the will of the L bracket, which pulls the back passenger side puck corner down. @Y2KW57 this lends credence to your original theory. There is no official fix from Ford for this condition... yet. The tech was sharp and fabricated a shim from a piece of 304 stainless exhaust plate that was the exact thickness needed between the L bracket and hitch kit frame. He wanted something that wouldn't rust and was the same size as the L bracket face to fully distribute the weight. Poor guy had to take my 8' bed off 3 times in total. Talking to the tech it didn't sound like cutting the bracket off and welding a new one in the correct place would be an authorized repair. I guess that leaves a full truck frame replacement on the table? I would much rather have a simple shim than the nightmare of damaged and missing parts that come with a frame swap.

I called B&W to let them know how things turned out for me so they could give customers a heads up on what they may be facing. The guy that answered said they had just gotten another super duty call in. I'll see if I can get any pictures of the shim job when the ground dries out.

 

Are you sure that's actually seated? I found while fiddling with mine that if the hole for the cotters pin was covered enough that it wouldn't go in it meant that corner of the hitch base wasn't dropping into the puck like it should. I could look under the hitch and see that the little oval pad on the underside of the hitch wasn't dropping fully into the puck. You shouldn't be able to see that if it's fully seated. I could get the cotter pin in on the side that wasn't seating by removing the washer on top of the handle like you did.

 

i dropped of my 2024 f350 srw buile date of march 2024 for this same problem. right rear puck sits about 1/4 inch low and i cant get the puck locked it. if i take the washer off below the castle nut i can get it to lock in but cant get a cotter pin back in the castle nut because of how far i had to back it off. even then with it locked in the 5 wheel base doesnt set flush on the right rear but does on the other 3 pucks. still havent heard anything back from the ford dealer, trucks also in the shop with 900 miles for the rear making a whirling noise, almost positive its the pinion bearing.

 

well

I thought it was seated… now you’ve got me second guessing myself. I’ll have to check it when I get it back Friday. I’m getting the on board air system and airbags installed.

 

I got lucky with mine because I got the one tech at the dealership that specializes in hitch installs. I think the issue intrigued him. Have your dealership check the bracket that's welded on the inside of the passenger side frame. They can measure from the top of the hitch kit frame to the bottom of the bed without pulling the bed. The tech that figured my problem out is Ian at Cavalier Ford Chesapeake Square in Chesapeake, VA if they want to try some kind of dealer to dealer info sharing. It could save you a lengthy wait on a new much kit if a shim straightens it out.

 

Well, count me as one of the lucky ones that my B&W Companion fits my 2024 F-250 pucks. (build date 02/24)

It didn't slip right in and hung up slightly on the passenger front puck but by not tightening the other three handles, I was able to seat the passenger front puck and then tighten all 4 handles. I even had to pull the cotter pins and tighten the passenger rear and driver front castle nuts one notch from what they were on my 2017. Once in and locked, it sits level on all 4 pucks.

 

This whole thread didn't affect me in the least because my 5th wheel days didn't last long to begin with and are long since passed. But it was interesting to follow and just wanted to say thanks to GentleBen for all of the updates and posting the final resolution. This just might save another person a whole lot of time and legwork.
So many times you see people post about a problem, get some suggestions from fellow forum members and then they disappear without ever telling anyone if a solution is found. I figure if you come here to ask for advice or suggestions it's only common courtesy to post your solution when you find it.

 

Got a 24 f450 platinum last week. Brand new and has 900 miles on it now. Got my new b&w puck hitch today and was installing it. Looks like my passenger rear puck is about 1/4" low. Can't get the hitch seated correctly. I can get all 4 arms closed but the passenger rear the castle nut is backed off so much I can't get the cotter pin through. The 1/4" gap doesn't get pulled tight either. I'm hoping a shim and a longer threaded shank will make it usable.

 

So, that's kind of where I started with mine while waiting for the dealership to get my replacement hitch kit in. But, if you look at the bottom of the hitch, that oval part of the foot is supposed to drop down into the puck and then get locked into place with the cam lock when you twist the handle. With a shim on top of the puck there's really nothing solid to keep that oval hump from sliding around if sideways force is applied to it. The shim would only help with downward force.

Hitch foot.

If your truck is suffering from the same manufacturing detect as mine, there is also the question of what twisting the hitch kit frame will do to the hitch kit over time. Or, for that matter maybe even the frame of the truck.I was surprised to hear that as thick as the metal on the hitch kit is the one bracket being low was enough to pull the whole corner down when the bolt was torqued to spec.

All that being said, I found that removing the washer from under the castle nut gave me enough thread to get the cotter pin in. I was considering replacing the castle nut with a jam nut before just removing the washer. I reached out to B&W on the castle nut specs and they said it's 5/8-18 Grade 5.

 

I doubt there are huge sideways forces on the base. Remember, B&W makes a hitch base for the Companion that attaches to the gooseneck ball and the base simply sits in the bed of the truck.
Mine looked much like @24 f450 platinum did when installing (from the photo, that doesn't look like a 1/4" gap as the rectangular boss is already started into the puck) and a couple whacks with a 5# dead blow hammer sent that corner into place.
Also remember, turning the handle doesn't "pull " the hitch base downward, it simply locks the T-bolt.
Once mine was in, I latched the bolts and THEN tightened the castle nuts and got plenty of nut to install the cotter pin.
Even B&W recommends checking the castle nut tightness with the 5th wheel sitting on the hitch.

I'm not saying there isn't issues with both the pucks and/or the hitch.
What I am saying is, of the three trucks I've owned with factory pucks, ALL THREE exhibited some sort of hang-up when installing the B&W hitch. A long pry bar (to manipulate the puck position) and/or a dead blow hammer got them all in place.

 

Can you please explain what you mean, or better yet, show us what you do with a long pry bar to manipulate the puck position?

 

I have a 6' digging bar where one end is tapered and shaped almost like the rectangular hole in the puck and actually fits down into the puck pretty well.
When attempting to install the hitch on my prior two trucks, I set the hitch base in and one of the pucks were off like shown in some of the photos.
I removed the hitch base, inserted the bar into the offending puck and gently manipulated the puck position (read bend) to accommodate the boss on the hitch to fit into the puck.
It doesn't take much and surprisingly, they move/bend without much effort at the opposite end of a 6' bar.

Keep in mind, FORD does not build these puck bases to fit B&W's hitches. They (Ford) build them to a spec and offer a hitch (Reese) with adjustable latching mechanisms to fit. (knowing they won't all be the same??)
Because B&W does not offer a hitch with adjustable latches doesn't automagically mean they (B&W) are built to fit every Ford pucks without some manipulation somewhere.

 

In your gentle manipulations, are you lifting the puck? Or are you tilting the puck?

Many of the members here who have reported issues, reported that the passenger rear puck was too low.

If a 6' pry bar is inserted into the mouth of the puck for prying, how do you raise the puck height evenly?

 

Nope, not "lifting" the puck, just aligning it so the boss on the hitch base fits into the rectangular part of the puck.
On mine, the hitch sit up because the puck slot was not in alignment with the boss on the hitch base. Once aligned, the hitch base sit evenly (or almost) on all 4 pucks.
Then, tightening the castle nut(s) did make full contact on all 4 corners.
Obviously, if yours is in alignment but the puck simply sits too low, my method does nothing for that.
Not all the photos in this thread represent a puck that sits too low. Some simply are out of alignment and the boss won't go down into the puck. Hence, the grinding, etc mentioned in those posts.
My method makes those fit without any grinding/removal of material. At least it did for me.