B&W Companion Slider 20k 5th Wheel Hitch with 21,000-lb 5th Wheel- Margin of Error for Safety

Question:

I bought the bandw companion 20k slider 5th wheel, and need to haul a 20k gvwr toyhauler across country, is there a slight safety margin built into the units or am I going to be at the edge of use?

asked by: Greg N

Expert Reply:

It is generally best to leave a little room for error when applying the weight limits on your 5th wheel to the hitch; if you've got a 20,000-lb 5th wheel, you should be towing with a hitch with a rating above that- something like the # BWRVK3600 which is rated for up to 25,000-lbs (you could get away with a 22,000lb rated hitch as well, like the # RP30033 ).

Generally speaking, these hitches do have a small margin of error built in; plus B&W hitches are a little bit more "overbuilt" than other hitches in the same weight class. With that being said, if any type of malfunction occurred or accident, the overweight trailer would void any manufacturer's warranty as well as likely void any insurance claims that would result from the incident; you may be able to get away with doing it once for a couple of miles in an emergency, but it's definitely not advised for a cross country trip.

expert reply by: Erik B