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  1. #1
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    B&W Companion 5th Wheel Hitch Issue

    Help needed for our new to us 5th wheel hitch.
    We are seasoned RV'er for many years in a travel trailer but this is our first 5th wheel.
    Recently purchased a 2017 F350 CC LB Lariat.
    It had a B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch included with the sale.
    This hitch is mounted in the Ford factory pucks.
    Hopefully that is enough background info.

    We ordered a Reflection 337 RLS and traveled to Indiana to pick it up.
    Our return trip to SoCal from Indy was uneventful and had no issues with hooking, unhooking 5th wheel hitch.
    Everything seemed fine with the new RV experience until today.
    Hooked up the new 5th wheel no issues, arrive at campground for a couple of days enjoying new RV.

    Got situated in campsite, started the unhooking sequence with the Auto level on the 337RLS as before.
    Lifted the front legs to unhook the truck. Got it to the point of the RV plate is off the hitch and the pin is ready to come free.
    I take out the hitch pin lock and swing out the bar to unlock the pin from hitch.
    Here's where the issue begins.........................

    The jaws will NOT open up to release the pin from the hitch. The arm that releases the jaws WILL swing to the open position.
    I tried raising/lowering the RV to see if maybe I wasn't in the proper position as well as pulling forward/back to see if it would release.
    Will not release to open up the jaws.
    I double checked the position of the pin in the jaws and it was centered.

    I resorted to taking the two pins out of the top of the hitch so I could get the truck out from under the RV and out of the way.

    What am I missing? Anything else to try? is there a spring of some sort to "fix"?

    I need to get that top piece of the Companion hitch off of the pin box but before I do I'm looking for some guidance from anyone.

    Thanks in advance for any feedback.
    Bob & Sheran
    2017 Ford F350 DRW CC LB Lariat 6.7 PS
    Companion 5th Wheel Hitch in Ford Pucks
    2020 Reflections 337RLS

  2. #2
    Big Traveler Txfivver's Avatar
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    Sounds to me like you might have lifted the pin a little to high off the hitch plate. There is a very fine line there and just a hair too high will make it difficult to release. I always stand by the left front corner of the trailer and just ease it up till you see maybe a quarter inch of daylight above the hitch plate. It should pull right out even on uneven ground. You will not see the jaws open, that's the cam action working as designed. If you release the arm and have a little daylight showing above the hitch just slowly pull out, it will release promise!
    2019 Solitude 375RES Onan 5500 Splendide W/D Samsung res. fridge
    2020 Ford F450 Platinum dually 6.7L 4:30 gears
    B&W Companion for Ford puck system 20K lbs
    Jeff

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Txfivver View Post
    Sounds to me like you might have lifted the pin a little to high off the hitch plate. There is a very fine line there and just a hair too high will make it difficult to release. I always stand by the left front corner of the trailer and just ease it up till you see maybe a quarter inch of daylight above the hitch plate. It should pull right out even on uneven ground. You will not see the jaws open, that's the cam action working as designed. If you release the arm and have a little daylight showing above the hitch just slowly pull out, it will release promise!
    Thx for your response Txfivver, appreciate it. In all of the hooking/unhooking on the trip home, I always looked at the height of the pin box to the hitch, but never the jaws. until this time when it would not pull out and noticed the jaws were not open. NEVER noticed or looked to see if they were actually open before my DW would pull the truck forward.
    Soooooo, are you saying that the jaws DO NOT necessarily need to be open after releasing the arm, they will open upon moving the truck forward if not opened already.

    The last thing I said to my DW was that in all of our previous setups, we were never this far out of level when we unhooked, so maybe that could be the issue.

    I guess, I just put it back together and "pull er out".

    If this is the case, then, conversely, will I get that top part of the hitch off and reset it on the base, will I have an issue reconnecting because of the unevenness and just , "pull er in"?

    I will try this and as soon as I get back to it I will return with the results.

    Thanks again
    Bob & Sheran
    2017 Ford F350 DRW CC LB Lariat 6.7 PS
    Companion 5th Wheel Hitch in Ford Pucks
    2020 Reflections 337RLS

  4. #4
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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    Agree with the above, I have a Curt hitch, but even with mine at times the jaws stay "shut" after pulling the handle. After you have parked and put the front legs down to remove the weight off the hitch it is good to put the truck in neutral, take your foot off the brake for a moment and then put it in park. This removes the forward or aft stress of the pin on the jaws. This doesnt always work if on very unlevel ground.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
    2023 Momentum 398M-R
    2023 Ford F-450

    SOLD - 2021 Reflection 311BHS
    SOLD - 2017 Momentum 399TH

  5. #5
    Seasoned Camper
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    We use a B&W Companion in our Ram. If it does that, just pull away. As long as the handle is open, the jaws should open as you pull away since they won't be locked in place. You might want to put the in in the hole AFTER the handle is open to make sure it doesn't shut again. It's a really nice design.

    It would be nice if dealers were more familiar with it. When we went to pick our Momentum up at General RV in Draper, UT after a major warranty repair, the tech had me back up, then had me pull away a couple of times (after he opened the handle). The third time I got out and asked what was wrong. "It never snaps shut, you should hear a SNAP". He was wrong.

    I told him to step back and watch, and backed in again. The handle closes but there is no snap like some others (Curt being one). I showed him how to visually confirm the jaws are around the kingpin, and how to see that it's not high-hitched, then put the pin in to lock the arm. It was done the first time, but he was expecting something that would never happen.
    Last edited by [email protected]; 07-20-2019 at 03:03 PM.

  6. #6
    Big Traveler Txfivver's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rjswift View Post
    Soooooo, are you saying that the jaws DO NOT necessarily need to be open after releasing the arm, they will open upon moving the truck forward if not opened already.
    Yes that is correct. As long as you can see a little daylight above the hitch plate and you're not at too crazy and angle (trailer side to side etc) then when you pull the lock handle not much happens (jaws don't pop open) but it will pull right out. Good luck and after you do it a couple of times you'll see its easy. Good luck!
    2019 Solitude 375RES Onan 5500 Splendide W/D Samsung res. fridge
    2020 Ford F450 Platinum dually 6.7L 4:30 gears
    B&W Companion for Ford puck system 20K lbs
    Jeff

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Txfivver View Post
    Yes that is correct. As long as you can see a little daylight above the hitch plate and you're not at too crazy and angle (trailer side to side etc) then when you pull the lock handle not much happens (jaws don't pop open) but it will pull right out. Good luck and after you do it a couple of times you'll see its easy. Good luck!
    OK Txfivver, I got over my newbie 5th wheel frustration after your, and others, tutelage and decided it was time to tackle that hitch. With my new found confidence I pulled the pin out of the handle of the head unit of that hitch, hanging from the pin box, and it sprang free, hanging loosely on the pin. I simply lifted it off the pin and reinstalled it onto the base unit in my truck bed.

    Upon backing the truck up to connect the RV back to the truck I was able to see that my truck was a couple of inches off of right to left level from the level RV . I approached the pin box with new found knowledge that it WILL go in. AND it did so with a big clunk and the jaws grabbed and lock. Success! I closed & locked the swing arm with the pin and completed my towing breakdown checklist.

    All is well and another situation that I felt was an "Oh s#!t" moment into a "Oh yea, no problem" now, thanks to you and this great forum. I'm sure I'll have more with this new 5'er, that we LOVE, by the way.

    We are soon to be full timers as soon as we break this one in. (and get our house sold).

    Thanks again!
    Last edited by rjswift; 07-20-2019 at 08:52 PM.
    Bob & Sheran
    2017 Ford F350 DRW CC LB Lariat 6.7 PS
    Companion 5th Wheel Hitch in Ford Pucks
    2020 Reflections 337RLS

  8. #8
    Seasoned Camper Luv2Ski's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rjswift View Post
    ...We are soon to be full timers as soon as we break this one in. (and get our house sold).
    As full-timers, if you choose to re-domicile to SD, TX or FL you'll no longer have to pay the stiff CA income or vehicle registration taxes. My brother did that w/SD and his vehicle and trailer tax is now < $100 each. Might consider changing cell numbers though that's not required.
    Steve and Cheryl

    2017 Momentum 328M w/Dual Pane Windows and 3rd A/C. Aftermarket mods: Titan EOH Disc Brakes, MORryde IS suspension and Reese 5th Airborne Sidewinder pin box
    2014 Ram 3500 Longhorn Megacab 4x4 DRW with 6.7 HD Cummins Turbo Diesel, AISIN trans, 3.73 axles and a Reese 20K puck mount hitch
    Call sign: AAØSB, Class: Extra



  9. #9
    Big Traveler Txfivver's Avatar
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    Thats great to hear rjswift and you're welcome! Happy travels!!!
    2019 Solitude 375RES Onan 5500 Splendide W/D Samsung res. fridge
    2020 Ford F450 Platinum dually 6.7L 4:30 gears
    B&W Companion for Ford puck system 20K lbs
    Jeff

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by rjswift View Post
    OK Txfivver, I got over my newbie 5th wheel frustration after your, and others, tutelage and decided it was time to tackle that hitch. With my new found confidence I pulled the pin out of the handle of the head unit of that hitch, hanging from the pin box, and it sprang free, hanging loosely on the pin. I simply lifted it off the pin and reinstalled it onto the base unit in my truck bed.

    Upon backing the truck up to connect the RV back to the truck I was able to see that my truck was a couple of inches off of right to left level from the level RV . I approached the pin box with new found knowledge that it WILL go in. AND it did so with a big clunk and the jaws grabbed and lock. Success! I closed & locked the swing arm with the pin and completed my towing breakdown checklist.

    All is well and another situation that I felt was an "Oh s#!t" moment into a "Oh yea, no problem" now, thanks to you and this great forum. I'm sure I'll have more with this new 5'er, that we LOVE, by the way.

    We are soon to be full timers as soon as we break this one in. (and get our house sold).

    Thanks again!
    If you have to physically close the handle on a B&W hitch then something is wrong. When you back into the hitch with the handle in the open position the handle should close when the king pin is in the jaws. You should not need to move the handle by hand. When disconnecting from the hitch the handle should remain the the open position by itself. Sometimes the handle will not remain in the open position on it's own due to friction or twisting at the hitch king pin interface due to uneven ground. In that case there is a hole in the hitch to drop the safety pin into after holding the handle in the fully open position. Open the handle all the way and drop the safety pin into the hole to hold the handle open. Get in the truck and slowly pull forward and the king pin will be free. Remember to always do a pull test before fully retracting the landing gear.
    Jim & Georgianne
    N. California
    2016 Reflection 29RS
    2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty PSD
    B&W Companion hitch
    Rubber turtle with no name

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