Rundown: B&W Companion Fifth Wheel Hitch

The B&W Companion Hitch utilizes the single point attachment on of the B&W Turnover Hitch frame to convert your hitch from a Gooseneck to a fifth wheel hitch in minutes!

The Turnover

The Turnover Hitch frame installs underneath your truck bed, bolted directly to your frame using existing holes with no welding or drilling required. This ensures a solid mounting point to ensure a safe trailer towing experience, no matter what your truck is hauling. To find out more about the Turnover hitch, check out our Rundown of the product.

The Companion

Classified as an accessory to the Turnover Hitch, the B&W Companion Fifth Wheel Hitch utilizes the already mounted Turnover bracket to adapt the gooseneck hitch into a fifth wheel hitch, which means no mou nting rails are needed. The latching handle locks a 5/8" steel peg in place, right through the stem of the Companion, to secure the hitch. When you don't need it, the mount can be removed in minutes by pulling the locking handle out and rotating it 1/8 of a spin to lock it open. Once removed, you will have full truck bed access with no pesky rails to contend with so you can haul as much cargo as you need to. If you aren't going to use the Turnover as a Gooseneck Hitch, your can purchase a plug to fill the hole when your hitch isn't in use to keep your truck bed flat. 

The Cam Action Latching Handle allows you to easily disconnect your trailer anywhere, even on uneven ground! Its wide stance offers improved stability, and the fully articulating head allows for front to back and side to side movement for maximum versatility while towing. The hitch can even be adjusted to three different heights between 14.75" and 16.76", and has a 4" range of adjustment forwards and backwards with three couple positions. The 1" thick wrap around jaws fit a kingpin perfectly. Polyurethane brushings make for a smooth, clean, and rattle free towing experience.

With a 20,000 lb GTW and 5,000 VTW, the B&W hitch set up can haul anything your truck can, and it's the most versatile way to haul your trailer. For more information, or to purchase your Companion today, visit our website, give us a call or email, or visit our Calgary location.

Auto Truck Depot

107, 42 Ave SW, Calgary Alberta

Toll Free: 1-855-253-4330

Local: 403-253-4330

info@autotruckdepot.ca

www.autotruckdepot.ca 

How To Find Your Truck's Towing Capacity

It may seem like a simple thing, but it's extremely important to know your truck's maximum towing capacity. I wish I could tell you there's a hard and fast answer to the question, but it varies not only with your year, make, and model but also by engine size, gear to axle ratios, and even your transmission. If you don't observe your vehicle's limitations, you may end up operating beyond the design limits which can accelerate vehicle wear, or even cause damage or breaking of components while you're on the road.

Check Your Owner's Manual

As with many things, the first step is always to check the Owner's Manual. When something gets as technically complicated as a truck, and puts as much on the line as towing a trailer does, you want to make sure you do it right to start.

Check the Manufacturer's Website

If the information can't be found in your manual, or proves to be too confusing and muddled, try checking your manufacturer's website. Often important technical details about your make and model will be listed there. If you're looking into buying a new vehicle, it may be a good idea to find the information beforehand to make sure the vehicle you're buying can handle what you need to do.

Call Your Local Dealer

If you are still having trouble, or you just want to be 100% sure, contact your local dealer. They will often have all of that information readily available, even for older vehicles. Make sure you have your VIN number handy. 

You can also check other online sources for corroboration or firsthand information as well. Just remember to double check any information gathered from a third-party source with at least one other source. The link below has pdf copies of Trailer Life magazine issues. Find your vehicle to get all kinds of information, including tow ratings and much more.

http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/ 

Stay tuned for a future blog post on best towing practices, and details on Tongue Weight and more.

Auto Truck Depot

107, 42 Ave SW, Calgary Alberta

Toll Free: 1-855-253-4330

Local: 403-253-4330

info@autotruckdepot.ca

www.autotruckdepot.ca 

CURT Manufacturing: Select Hitches Sale

CURT Manufacturing is a United States based producer of high quality hitches, brake controllers, and other towing accessories. Using the latest technology and design software, CURT creates some of the most reliable towing products out there. For a limited time, we are offering select hitches at a discounted rate, starting as low and $99!

Fifth Wheel Hitches

CURT manufactures a variety of fifth wheel hitches at a range of prices. The one thing they all share is great durability for the price, whether you're looking at the E Series 16K or the 20K A Series. CURT also makes adapter plates and a fifth wheel roller designed to work with their products.

Brake Controllers

Rigging up a new hitch system? Replacing an old brake controller? CURT Brake controllers are a great option! Able to control trailer breaks on multiple axles, mounting anywhere inside your truck with bright LED displays with the ability to time brake application.

Gooseneck Hitches

Built to last and easy to install, gooseneck hitches are another great option. They take up little space in your truck bed, leaving room for you to carry more of the things you need when you're working or off camping. If you're not planning on taking the trailer and you need more bed space, Gooseneck hitches can be removed quickly by pulling out the four pins, giving you full truck bed access.

No matter the task, CURT Manufacturing products are ready to go to work. Whether you're preparing for the camping season, upgrading your rig, or looking to buy a new trailer, CURT should be your first choice for towing accessories. From hitches to brake controllers, and even accessories like wiring harnesses and weight distribution bars, they've got the gear to get your truck rigged up quick. And now, for a limited time, Auto Truck Depot can have you set up and ready to go for less! Our professional technicians will even install the products for you. To find out more, give us a call.

Auto Truck Depot

107, 42 Ave SW, Calgary Alberta

Toll Free: 1-855-253-4330

Local: 403-253-4330

info@autotruckdepot.ca

www.autotruckdepot.ca

Do You Need a Fifth Wheel Hitch?

Many of today’s truck owners love buying accessories for use with their precious vehicles. Unfortunately, many of them love it a little too much and resort to buying accessories that they don’t actually need or won’t use often. A fifth wheel hitch is one of those products that not all truck owners need. Generally, unless you plan to be hauling a trailer, an RV, or some other large piece, this device is not really necessary for you. If you do happen to need one, however, you’ll be glad to know that Auto Truck Depot offers many affordable options to meet your needs.

Whatever you do, however, don’t make the mistake of using a regular hitch with your large load and thinking it will work just as well as a fifth wheel hitch. These specialized hitches are the only ones designed specifically to tackle oversized loads. Furthermore, these hitches attach to the truck’s bed, not to the rear bumper, which wouldn’t be strong enough to handle loads of such large sizes. If you’re unsure about whether or not you need a special hitch or a standard model, don’t hesitate to ask the friendly experts at the Depot.

As a final word of wisdom, do be sure that you go through the installation process as carefully and safely as possible. Installation of the hitch is not difficult, but for your safety and the safety of your trailer or other cargo, it does need to be done correctly and securely. If you don’t want to tackle installation on your own, have a professional do the job. Sure, you’ll probably have to spend a little extra money, but the peace of mind is well worth it.

Finding a Versatile Fifth Wheel Hitch

When you have a fifth wheel to haul around for trips or business purposes, it's important to find a reliable fifth wheel hitch. After all, without a hitch, there's no way of getting that cool fifth wheel from Point A to Point B. And since safety is such a key issue, we always tell people to buy a better hitch than they think they'll need, in terms of playing it safe. There is another key feature that sets the good fifth wheel hitches apart from the not-so-good – versatility. You may not think in terms of buying a hitch that's versatile, but it's more important than some people think.

What Do You Mean – Versatility?

Before we start talking about a fifth wheel hitch being versatile, and finding out which company makes the most versatile, high quality hitches for 5th wheels, let's slow down a bit and explain why versatility is so important.

Some people will be installing a hitch either across the bed or along the bed of their trucks. A versatile hit, like the Hijacker 5th Wheel Hitch, can be attached to either type of set up. And that's why Hijacker is considered the most versatile type of 5th wheel hitch. They know that people will use varied means of installation, so they make hitches that can be easily installed either way, so people don't have to decide on which method is the best.

Plus, the Hijacker 5th Wheel Hitch products are also upgradeable in terms of weight – from 16,000 pounds to 21,000 pounds. That gives these hitches the edge when it comes to versatility.

Of course, if all this is sounding like too much to consider, you can contact us at Auto Truck Depot, or at our website AutoTruckDepot.ca, and one of our experienced staff members can help you to make sense out of which type of hitch to choose for your fifth wheel hauling needs.

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Do I Need a Fifth Wheel Hitch?

Most of the time, people can get away with using a standard ball hitch for their trailer.  However, larger trailers (RVs, campers, livestock trailers, etc.) require a fifth wheel hitch because they allow for appropriate weight distribution.  The whole fifth “wheel” thing is a bit of a misnomer in modern configurations and dates back to the days of carriages when there really was a “fifth wheel”.  Today’s configuration consists of a coupling that has been installed in the bed of a pickup that consists of a “coupling pin” and a horseshoe shaped device (the “fifth wheel”).

When do you need a fifth wheel hitch?  Well, you absolutely need one when you are hauling larger livestock trailers, campers, or semi-trailers. You could use one when you have a medium sized trailer that requires the type of extra support and weight distribution that these hitches provide.

Once you’ve made the decision to purchase a fifth wheel hitch for your truck, stop by our showroom.  We work with several different manufacturers, each with their own set of strengths. It is easier to discuss which one is best for your vehicle in person because it allows the sales staff to physically point out things about the hitch or your vehicle that might help you make the right purchase. 

To answer the original question: when do I need a fifth wheel hitch?  The short answer is that if you’re hauling a second home with your truck, if you’ve got 20 head of steer you need to move, or your truck is actually a “semi” then you need a fifth wheel hitch.

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