Hi JD. Looking at these pictures one thing that stands out is the lack of impact damage to the back of the cab when the fifth wheel came detached. That in its self shows how much force the B&W hitch was able to absorb before failure. I 100% agree with you, B&W is truly a great hitch, and at the top of my list when I buy a fifth wheel! 🇺🇸
I was in a head on collision two years ago towing a 37’ fifth wheel going between 45-55 mph. Same scenario with a car pulling out in front of me. My hitch took the impact and showed no signs of failure. I had a companion slider that goes into the fifth wheel BW ball. The frame of my truck bent where the ball attaches. The front of the hitch went down approx 6 inches into my bed with the rear of the hitch sticking up about six inches. I was thankful that I had the BW hitch as my daughter was in the back seat. Went right back to another one
JD, what's happening? In my 8 years of towing I've tried Curt, Reese, Pullrite, Demco and B&W. When I switched to my B&W Companion I knew I'd found my last hitch. For me, there's no comparison. The B&W Companion has been the easiest to couple and uncouple, and is built the most solid, hands down. I'll never go back to anything else.
I've repaired tank trailers that have been rolled over at speed , I've welded aluminum asphalt trailers back together that have broken in half, I've seen king pins sheared off , everything breaks with the proper amount of tension and or compression, I'm B&M for life
Since the hitch travels in the forward position, no inertia is placed on the hitch head and the slider could not have made the accident any worse or better. The uprights were the failure point. it appears the uprights are twisted. I imagine that 5th wheel is approaching 40' and probably weighs around 14K#'s dry? I'd say B&W has nothing to be ashamed of there. I used a Companion for many years. They are beasts in the 5th wheel hitch world.
Unless there’s something I missed in the pictures the slider was in the forward position. It appears to me the removable part of the head is what failed not the slider mechanism or arms. I own and pull with the same B&W slider hitch and am a satisfied owner. But I do agree that hitch preformed great for the stresses it was subjected too.
I agree. The slider would be in the forward position going 55mph down the highway. The incredible force put on the hitch at impact caused the head to come off the uprights. Every manufactured product has a weakest point. I think for the stresses involved, this product performed admirably. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it.
Based on the pictures provided it appears the driver attempted to avoid the collision (normal reaction in a situation like this). Thus, the impact for the truck and trailer was not straight on, but at some degree of an angle to each other. This could help explain the pivot arms twisting and what looks like the hold down bolts shearing from the base from the force of the impact. The inertia force was great enough to also tear the head loose when the saddle handles split the polyurethane bushings apart. It does look like the slider was locked in the forward position and did not add or contribute to the inertia failure. The puck system held up as did the base design. I have pulled with a B&W for years now and would not consider a different hitch-period.
I wonder how my Gen-Y gooseneck would fare in a similar situation? I think that hitch saved them from a potentially worse situation. Pretty impressive!
So as an installer of hitches for years, as well as an owner of the same B&W 25k companion you have sitting in the video, seeing those pictures of the crash actually eased my only worry point. I have always questioned the bolts that attached the risers and their shear strength, this has put that to rest. I have installed many types of goosenecks and fifth wheels over my years and B& W was always the best built in my opinion which is why I chose that one for myself. I could have gotten away with the 20k model but chose the 25 just for a safety factor.
I've driven over two million miles as a driver and to me the weak point looks to be in the slide, I've been been using my companion for three years pulling a 35 foot 5th wheel the last year pulling a 45 foot 410TH and we've never had any issues, thank you for a great video, thank God your friend was able to survive and able to tell his story, God bless and Merry Christmas.
But in the photo, the fifth wheel hitch assembly did NOT slide ahead as that is in its "travelling" position which places the weight just slightly ahead or on the truck axle. You slide the fifth wheel assembly back when maneuvering in tight areas or unhitching. I am not saying it would not have failed otherwise but the slider had NO bearing in this case at all
Don't you tow with the slider in the forward position and only slid it back when you want to turn? If that is the case then the slider wouldn't fail on impact due to it slamming forward in a wreak.
The design of the gooseball hitch redirects a lot of the forward energy to an upward force into the airbag and springs. If it was to fail, it would have to be in the coupler, ball, or where the ball coupler is attached, IMO.
I have a B&W Companion fixed and am very pleased with it. I used to have a cheaper Reese slider in a previous truck. The slider came disengaged while towing 2 x on me. The first time I forgot to engage the lock. The 2nd time I did not forget-it came loose! Not a great feeling while driving! After the 2nd time, I took very precise measurements to ensure that slide action was not needed for my truck and camper configuration while maneuvering. I installed 4 grade 8 bolts that locked the head rigidly on the slide so it was no longer able to disengage. On my next truck I invested in a full bed length and a B&W and haven’t looked back!
I used a B&W fifth wheel hitch with my 2002 Tacoma and 6700lb gvw fifth wheel camper. When I bought my 2017 Tacoma I wanted something a little cleaner, quicker and easier. I installed a gooseneck hitch from a Tundra and custom side brackets combined with the Reese Goosebox. I love it! And yes, I tow a fifth wheel with my Tacoma! 4500lbs empty, 6700lb gvw. I do have videos in my Tacoma and Camper playlists if curious or just bored. But the Goosebox is awesome! Highly recommend.
Has he had any contact with B&W? Their engineers may be interested in the crash data. Plus, they might be interested in some PR work, maybe supply this customer with a replacement when he's ready.
The slider mechanism looks to have only deformed, NOT failed. It appears that the head separated from the uprights. Hopefully B&W is able to analyze this failure. See if they want to redesign the attachment. My preference in an extreme collision would be for the pin box to deform as well. Not sure if it did in this case. I fully acknowledge that NO product can be designed for every situation. Also, that literally every vehicle involved in this incident was written. Last, towing products much like safety products should NOT be re-used when subjected to extreme situations.
JD always glad to see honesty even if it’s not always complimentary. As far as a sliding hitch vs. a fixed hitch goes anything can fail, it’s physics, but I’d venture to say that in that kind of accident the slider didn’t help. The sudden stop with the hitch moving forward most likely contributed to the failure, but that’s not to say that a fixed hitch would have fared better. The most important thing though is that everyone walked away from such a violent crash. Things can be replaced, people can’t. Merry Christmas
Hi JD. That hitch didn't slide under impact as it would already be in the forward position when underway. The hitch is only slid back during a backing or tight turning situation.
Oh my gosh, what a video. Do you think that slider may have reduced the velocity of that fifth wheel, saving them from even more damage? (Even tho the truck looks totalled amyway).
I think JD that the slider helped take out the inertia of the reck because if he had a standard bolt-down hitch, that amount of force probably would have sheared off the bolts, and the fifth wheel would have gone through the back, and that accident would have been a lot worse. The B & W hitch is a well-built hitch. Great video. Have a safe and very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
This type of scenario begs the question, how would the Anderson 5th Wheel Ultimate stack up against the B & W Companion Slider? I’m in the market for a 5th Wheel and all the dealers are pushing the Andersen.
This is the second B&W hitch I've seen on the internet with the hitch head coming off the uprights. The first one was a trailer roll over which tore the hitch head off the uprights when it rolled over in an accident. The truck did not roll with the trailer. I have the B&W Companion in my 22 F450 and would not have a different hitch unless I went to a gooseneck type of hitch. I have to wonder if the trailer brakes were setup properly and if not, then when the accident happened the trailer wasn't being held back by the brakes enough which caused it to lurch forward upon impact taking the hitch with it. In your video you said the owner was a new 5th wheel owner and maybe brakes not adjusted correctly or as we all know with electric brakes just not working as good as they should be. I do know that Disc Brakes on trailers work way better than electric brakes.
So glad the accident wasn’t worse. All that weight behind you pushing you could’ve been a lot worse. Everything has its limits. Still impressive considering.
Well as a 40 year over the road driver pulling tankers I don’t know why you can’t use the same fifth wheel for a fifth wheel trailer. If you need height the put riser blocks under it. Sliders,, no problem, put a manual slider track in and on that not there are stops at the front of the tracks for such events or accidental sliding too far forward. Look into it. As for myself I’ve owned Motorhomes for decades and no experience on the fifth wheel campers. No doubt I’ve got the experience to pull one tho😊
I wonder how a goose ball connection would have fared in a similar crash. Does the NTSB do any such "crash" testing?? Maybe they should. It would be interesting and help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions. I'm not an advocating addition governmental regulations but it would be useful information.
I think the truck was at an angle to the RV so the hitch was also at an angle. The forward force from the RV seemed to twist and I think that contributed to the twist failure you see in the hitch.
I think it could be a possibility that the slider actually absorbed some of the forward momentum of the trailer until it failed. After the slider failure then all the stress was put on the upright arms.
I think the slider was the point of failure. They look like they're weaker due to moving parts. My regular B&W, which I've towed my 16,500 lbs 5th wheel on my Ram dually for 6 years is a tank, and so solidly hooked to the frame, that the truck would fold in half before the hitch failed. Every connection point is at least 1/2 steel, and the thinner components rely on structural bending for additional strength. In essence, the hitch is stronger than the pinbox.
I would like to think that the slider hitch may have had something to do with it. But it may have been what absorbed some of the hit and slowed it down
Making an assumption… under normal towing the slider would be to the rear. With the extreme force applies during braking followed with the sudden stop of the impact caused the slider to shift forward and when the mass of the RV reached the slide stop the upright hitch support bent. I speculate that maybe if it was not a slider it may not have bent. I believe a lesser hitch the RV may have crushed the bed of the truck and ended up in the front seat. I love my B&W Companion and wouldn’t feel comfortable towing with anything else.
I agree, his trailer on that slider became a 15k # slide hammer. By the way, on his truck I'm pretty certain it's attached directly to the chassis on a puck system so the pickup bed doesn't support any of it.
Under normal operation, one should be traveling down the road with the slider hitch in the position shown in the pictures, forward towards the cab.. It wouldn’t normally be to the rear and be able to slam forward in an accident, it would already be forward and only slid to the rear for turning to create space between the trailer and the cab. If that’s what you were trying to say then never mind.
@ Thanks for the clarification since I don’t and haven’t used a slider hitch since I run a long bed dually. I wasn’t aware the hitch is normally run in the forward position so that would change my assumption. I still stand by the hitch.
I have the slider hitch also and when driving the slider is innthe forward position. So i dont think the it failed because it sled forward. Youbonly slide it back when you are doing tight maneuvers like when your backing up .
as a retired truck driver and owner operator of 30 +years and having a pickup truck and 5th wheel trailer for RV use , ANY FAILURE OF 5TH WHEEL is unacceptable...PERIOD!
The picture with the trailer landing gear is down along with the tailgate and the rear of the trailer appears close to the ground? Plenty of truck for that trailer. Point is, you cannot form an assessment on a shadowed picture taken at a distance and the truck is not hooked up.
Everything has a failure point. It seems reasonable that the hitch "failed" as a result of this crash. The only time such a failure should be considered unacceptable is during normal operation.
Hi JD. Looking at these pictures one thing that stands out is the lack of impact damage to the back of the cab when the fifth wheel came detached. That in its self shows how much force the B&W hitch was able to absorb before failure. I 100% agree with you, B&W is truly a great hitch, and at the top of my list when I buy a fifth wheel! 🇺🇸
It was stopped mainly by the rear bumper/frame/tailgate of the truck.
Considering that it was involved in a accident and didn’t fail during everyday operation, I’d say it’s a sturdy product
I was in a head on collision two years ago towing a 37’ fifth wheel going between 45-55 mph. Same scenario with a car pulling out in front of me. My hitch took the impact and showed no signs of failure. I had a companion slider that goes into the fifth wheel BW ball. The frame of my truck bent where the ball attaches. The front of the hitch went down approx 6 inches into my bed with the rear of the hitch sticking up about six inches. I was thankful that I had the BW hitch as my daughter was in the back seat. Went right back to another one
JD, what's happening? In my 8 years of towing I've tried Curt, Reese, Pullrite, Demco and B&W. When I switched to my B&W Companion I knew I'd found my last hitch. For me, there's no comparison. The B&W Companion has been the easiest to couple and uncouple, and is built the most solid, hands down. I'll never go back to anything else.
I've repaired tank trailers that have been rolled over at speed , I've welded aluminum asphalt trailers back together that have broken in half, I've seen king pins sheared off , everything breaks with the proper amount of tension and or compression, I'm B&M for life
Since the hitch travels in the forward position, no inertia is placed on the hitch head and the slider could not have made the accident any worse or better. The uprights were the failure point. it appears the uprights are twisted. I imagine that 5th wheel is approaching 40' and probably weighs around 14K#'s dry? I'd say B&W has nothing to be ashamed of there. I used a Companion for many years. They are beasts in the 5th wheel hitch world.
Yes over weight.
Unless there’s something I missed in the pictures the slider was in the forward position. It appears to me the removable part of the head is what failed not the slider mechanism or arms. I own and pull with the same B&W slider hitch and am a satisfied owner. But I do agree that hitch preformed great for the stresses it was subjected too.
I agree. The slider would be in the forward position going 55mph down the highway. The incredible force put on the hitch at impact caused the head to come off the uprights. Every manufactured product has a weakest point. I think for the stresses involved, this product performed admirably. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it.
Based on the pictures provided it appears the driver attempted to avoid the collision (normal reaction in a situation like this). Thus, the impact for the truck and trailer was not straight on, but at some degree of an angle to each other. This could help explain the pivot arms twisting and what looks like the hold down bolts shearing from the base from the force of the impact. The inertia force was great enough to also tear the head loose when the saddle handles split the polyurethane bushings apart. It does look like the slider was locked in the forward position and did not add or contribute to the inertia failure. The puck system held up as did the base design. I have pulled with a B&W for years now and would not consider a different hitch-period.
I wonder how my Gen-Y gooseneck would fare in a similar situation? I think that hitch saved them from a potentially worse situation. Pretty impressive!
So as an installer of hitches for years, as well as an owner of the same B&W 25k companion you have sitting in the video, seeing those pictures of the crash actually eased my only worry point. I have always questioned the bolts that attached the risers and their shear strength, this has put that to rest. I have installed many types of goosenecks and fifth wheels over my years and B& W was always the best built in my opinion which is why I chose that one for myself. I could have gotten away with the 20k model but chose the 25 just for a safety factor.
I've driven over two million miles as a driver and to me the weak point looks to be in the slide, I've been been using my companion for three years pulling a 35 foot 5th wheel the last year pulling a 45 foot 410TH and we've never had any issues, thank you for a great video, thank God your friend was able to survive and able to tell his story, God bless and Merry Christmas.
But in the photo, the fifth wheel hitch assembly did NOT slide ahead as that is in its "travelling" position which places the weight just slightly ahead or on the truck axle. You slide the fifth wheel assembly back when maneuvering in tight areas or unhitching.
I am not saying it would not have failed otherwise but the slider had NO bearing in this case at all
Don't you tow with the slider in the forward position and only slid it back when you want to turn? If that is the case then the slider wouldn't fail on impact due to it slamming forward in a wreak.
Now I’m curious to know what would happen with a goose ball hitch in that type of situation. Hope everyone involved was okay.
The design of the gooseball hitch redirects a lot of the forward energy to an upward force into the airbag and springs. If it was to fail, it would have to be in the coupler, ball, or where the ball coupler is attached, IMO.
I have a B&W Companion fixed and am very pleased with it. I used to have a cheaper Reese slider in a previous truck. The slider came disengaged while towing 2 x on me. The first time I forgot to engage the lock. The 2nd time I did not forget-it came loose! Not a great feeling while driving! After the 2nd time, I took very precise measurements to ensure that slide action was not needed for my truck and camper configuration while maneuvering. I installed 4 grade 8 bolts that locked the head rigidly on the slide so it was no longer able to disengage. On my next truck I invested in a full bed length and a B&W and haven’t looked back!
I used a B&W fifth wheel hitch with my 2002 Tacoma and 6700lb gvw fifth wheel camper. When I bought my 2017 Tacoma I wanted something a little cleaner, quicker and easier. I installed a gooseneck hitch from a Tundra and custom side brackets combined with the Reese Goosebox. I love it!
And yes, I tow a fifth wheel with my Tacoma! 4500lbs empty, 6700lb gvw. I do have videos in my Tacoma and Camper playlists if curious or just bored. But the Goosebox is awesome! Highly recommend.
Has he had any contact with B&W? Their engineers may be interested in the crash data. Plus, they might be interested in some PR work, maybe supply this customer with a replacement when he's ready.
Premieres in 2 hours???
My friend, with that photo and that title, you are an absolute tease.
I use the B&W Companion 20K 5th wheel hitch. I trust it.
The slider mechanism looks to have only deformed, NOT failed.
It appears that the head separated from the uprights. Hopefully B&W is able to analyze this failure. See if they want to redesign the attachment.
My preference in an extreme collision would be for the pin box to deform as well. Not sure if it did in this case.
I fully acknowledge that NO product can be designed for every situation. Also, that literally every vehicle involved in this incident was written.
Last, towing products much like safety products should NOT be re-used when subjected to extreme situations.
Damm good hitch. Like you said 55 miles an hour the forse would be a lot. It helt up really good I say.
JD always glad to see honesty even if it’s not always complimentary. As far as a sliding hitch vs. a fixed hitch goes anything can fail, it’s physics, but I’d venture to say that in that kind of accident the slider didn’t help. The sudden stop with the hitch moving forward most likely contributed to the failure, but that’s not to say that a fixed hitch would have fared better. The most important thing though is that everyone walked away from such a violent crash. Things can be replaced, people can’t. Merry Christmas
Hi JD. That hitch didn't slide under impact as it would already be in the forward position when underway. The hitch is only slid back during a backing or tight turning situation.
Oh my gosh, what a video. Do you think that slider may have reduced the velocity of that fifth wheel, saving them from even more damage? (Even tho the truck looks totalled amyway).
I think JD that the slider helped take out the inertia of the reck because if he had a standard bolt-down hitch, that amount of force probably would have sheared off the bolts, and the fifth wheel would have gone through the back, and that accident would have been a lot worse. The B & W hitch is a well-built hitch. Great video. Have a safe and very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
This type of scenario begs the question, how would the Anderson 5th Wheel Ultimate stack up against the B & W Companion Slider?
I’m in the market for a 5th Wheel and all the dealers are pushing the Andersen.
This is the second B&W hitch I've seen on the internet with the hitch head coming off the uprights. The first one was a trailer roll over which tore the hitch head off the uprights when it rolled over in an accident. The truck did not roll with the trailer. I have the B&W Companion in my 22 F450 and would not have a different hitch unless I went to a gooseneck type of hitch. I have to wonder if the trailer brakes were setup properly and if not, then when the accident happened the trailer wasn't being held back by the brakes enough which caused it to lurch forward upon impact taking the hitch with it. In your video you said the owner was a new 5th wheel owner and maybe brakes not adjusted correctly or as we all know with electric brakes just not working as good as they should be. I do know that Disc Brakes on trailers work way better than electric brakes.
So glad the accident wasn’t worse. All that weight behind you pushing you could’ve been a lot worse. Everything has its limits. Still impressive considering.
Brice, glad everyone was okay. I hate the on/off ramps on HWY 19
The hitch rides at the forward most position. I don’t think the slide would had any determination in the situation. 😊
Well as a 40 year over the road driver pulling tankers I don’t know why you can’t use the same fifth wheel for a fifth wheel trailer. If you need height the put riser blocks under it. Sliders,, no problem, put a manual slider track in and on that not there are stops at the front of the tracks for such events or accidental sliding too far forward. Look into it. As for myself I’ve owned Motorhomes for decades and no experience on the fifth wheel campers. No doubt I’ve got the experience to pull one tho😊
I wonder how a goose ball connection would have fared in a similar crash. Does the NTSB do any such "crash" testing?? Maybe they should. It would be interesting and help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions. I'm not an advocating addition governmental regulations but it would be useful information.
I think the truck was at an angle to the RV so the hitch was also at an angle. The forward force from the RV seemed to twist and I think that contributed to the twist failure you see in the hitch.
Were the two lock pins that locks the hitch head to the up rights broken or still in the head that was still hooked to the king pin box ?
Good question
It wasn’t tested to the max. It was way beyond the max. It was a 55 mph CRASH! All bets are off.
I think it could be a possibility that the slider actually absorbed some of the forward momentum of the trailer until it failed. After the slider failure then all the stress was put on the upright arms.
Well, it looks like there was a major failure before the hitch failed.
Very scary
JD do you know if he had drum brakes or disk on the rv? Would be interesting to see if disk would have slowed him down quicker.
I believe probably drum brakes, unless he had disc brakes added aftermarket, which I don't know
I think the bigger issue was the short distance and reaction time he had when the knuckle head pulled out in front of the driver.
I think the slider was the point of failure. They look like they're weaker due to moving parts. My regular B&W, which I've towed my 16,500 lbs 5th wheel on my Ram dually for 6 years is a tank, and so solidly hooked to the frame, that the truck would fold in half before the hitch failed. Every connection point is at least 1/2 steel, and the thinner components rely on structural bending for additional strength. In essence, the hitch is stronger than the pinbox.
i have a B And W goose neck hitch with a gen Y adapter I would like to see what the difference would have been.
J.D. I have a B&W Companion and outside of the weight (GOOD QUALITY) the only concern i have for it failing is if I install it incorrectly.
Have you heard anything from b and w? Concerning this situation
I have not. I am considering reaching out to them.
I would like to think that the slider hitch may have had something to do with it. But it may have been what absorbed some of the hit and slowed it down
Making an assumption… under normal towing the slider would be to the rear. With the extreme force applies during braking followed with the sudden stop of the impact caused the slider to shift forward and when the mass of the RV reached the slide stop the upright hitch support bent. I speculate that maybe if it was not a slider it may not have bent. I believe a lesser hitch the RV may have crushed the bed of the truck and ended up in the front seat. I love my B&W Companion and wouldn’t feel comfortable towing with anything else.
I agree, his trailer on that slider became a 15k # slide hammer.
By the way, on his truck I'm pretty certain it's attached directly to the chassis on a puck system so the pickup bed doesn't support any of it.
Under normal operation, one should be traveling down the road with the slider hitch in the position shown in the pictures, forward towards the cab.. It wouldn’t normally be to the rear and be able to slam forward in an accident, it would already be forward and only slid to the rear for turning to create space between the trailer and the cab. If that’s what you were trying to say then never mind.
@ Thanks for the clarification since I don’t and haven’t used a slider hitch since I run a long bed dually. I wasn’t aware the hitch is normally run in the forward position so that would change my assumption. I still stand by the hitch.
@@Itsa_Mea It was attached to the frame until it wasn’t… well the base remained attached and considering the force applied, it’s very impressive.
@JudgeMeNotLeMans based on the rest of the damage on the truck, the hitch is the least of the damage.
I have the slider hitch also and when driving the slider is innthe forward position. So i dont think the it failed because it sled forward. Youbonly slide it back when you are doing tight maneuvers like when your backing up .
as a retired truck driver and owner operator of 30 +years and having a pickup truck and 5th wheel trailer for RV use , ANY FAILURE OF 5TH WHEEL is unacceptable...PERIOD!
How did the 5th Wheel RV do? Just curious how the frame held up.
Regardless of the hitch head popping off, look at the truck! The hitch was least of the problems here. That truck is disabled completely.
Was that truck properly sized for the RV?
Looks a little saggy in the picture in the field.
The picture with the trailer landing gear is down along with the tailgate and the rear of the trailer appears close to the ground?
Plenty of truck for that trailer. Point is, you cannot form an assessment on a shadowed picture taken at a distance and the truck is not hooked up.
Are they rated for a lesser mph impact...if not why is it a catastrophic failure?
Catastrophic simply means a sudden and total failure in which recovery is impossible. That's what occurred here regardless of how it occurred.
In simple words, Catastrophic = You're not driving it home.
Everything has a failure point. It seems reasonable that the hitch "failed" as a result of this crash. The only time such a failure should be considered unacceptable is during normal operation.
I believe that there would be less damage, I believe. I own one for my f550 for my 5th wheel RV toy hauler
Wonder if the slider absorbed some of the energy.
Everything has a failure point.
We have the same B&W and even with this video still not use any other hitch
I don’t think any pickup fifth wheel hitch would survive that