How Do I Determine The Correct Pivot Arm Position For My B&W Companion Hitch?

Question:

I have a 2023 ram 2500 mega cab and I just bought the rvk3600 fifth wheel, and I question is, what position should I put the pivot arms on? I have like 12 options and I’m a little confused

asked by: Mel R

Expert Reply:

Good question Mel, and I don't blame you for being confused since there are a lot of options and there is probably more than one right answer. The correct pivot arm position will depend on the clearance between the nose of the camper and the cab of your truck. I have included some pictures below to help illustrate.

If your truck is a long bed, clearance should not be an issue, and you will want to use the one of the centermost positions. Basically, you want to keep the Kingpin centered over the rear axle, if not 2" forward of the axle for the best ride quality. For long bed trucks I would say start with the 18" tall over axle, or 18" tall 2" in front of axle position.

Short bed trucks will usually use the rearmost position for the pivot arms, in order to gain clearance between the nose and the cab. So, you might be looking at the 18" tall 4" behind axle position. Since you are using a fixed hitch # BWRVK3600 I assume your truck is a long bed though.

The height of the pivot arms is determined by the camper. Basically, you will use whatever position allows the camper to ride as level as possible. If the back end of the camper is riding low, you can use the lowermost position for the arms to help level things out. Once again, the 18" setting is probably a good place to start.

expert reply by: Jesse M

Ram Companion Options
(click to enlarge)

Companion Measurement Guide
(click to enlarge)

Mel

3/14/2024

Good information thank you, and yes my truck is a short bed because of the mega cab I have, but 4 inches behind the axle is not going to give me a bad ride?

Jesse M.

3/14/2024

@Mel Not necessarily going to give you a bad ride, but it can cause the truck to squat a bit more than usual which can negatively affect ride quality. If you do have a short bed, I recommend the 4" behind position for sure. You can always measure to determine your exact clearance.