About B&W Hitches
B&W Hitches is an American company that has been manufacturing high quality hitches and towing accessories for over 30 years. The company was started by Roger Baker and Joe Works in 1987 in Humboldt, Kansas. The two friends were building custom truck beds when they had an idea that would change the trailer hitch industry forever.
When purchasing a new hitch, there are several different factors that need to be taken into consideration, and these are the same factors that B&W took into account as they designed each and every B and W Hitch and all their accessories.
When considering which B&W hitch you want or need, consider first what you are going to be towing. Knowing what you are towing will help you decide on various factors such as:
- Weight capacity: It is crucial that you make sure that your B&W hitch and ball are rated for the weight of your trailer and any load you plan to tow. Having a hitch with a greater weight capacity than the weight of your trailer and load ensures safe and secure towing.
Remember, the weight you want to plan for is the weight of your full trailer, not the weight of the empty trailer.
- Compatibility: Every vehicle has a different max capacity. It is important to check to make sure your vehicle, the B&W hitch, and the trailer or load, are all compatible with your vehicle’s towing capacity and receiver size.
It is never recommended to tow anything with your vehicle that is above its compatibility rating. If you are planning on towing something beyond your vehicle’s prescribed limits you may be putting your vehicle’s health at risk.
- Towing type: There are various types of towing, and each has recommended methods to best get the job done. Consider the type of towing you plan to do (e.g. flatbed, fifth-wheel, gooseneck, etc.) to best choose the B&W hitch that will be suitable for your needs.
- Durability: While cheaper options might mean less money now, they are often cheaper because the materials and processes used to create them are of lesser quality. Low-quality usually means low reliability. By looking for a hitch made from high-quality materials that was built to last you will save yourself time, money, and possible property damage that could occur from low-quality products. B&W hitches not only use high-quality materials, but they also take measures, such as powder coating, to help their products last longer.
- Ease of use: Hitches, in general, are solid, and solid things are heavy. When considering which B&W hitch to use, it is important to think about the installation process. There are many options out there for hitches, and along with considering the time and effort it takes to install them, there is also the time it takes to change out trailer balls, and the possible need for conversion between bumper towing and flatbed models. While not all of these may be applicable to the job you have now, they might be things that you need to consider in the future.
- Adjustable height: Being able to adjust the height of your B&W hitch not only makes it easier to match the height of your vehicle and trailer, which is imperative for a level and stable connection, but it also allows you to use the same equipment for various jobs, instead of needed to switch out your equipment for each scenario.
- Locking system: People steal hitches all the time, and nothing ruins a vacation worse than waking up to find that you can’t tow your trailer because someone has walked away with your hitch, or even worse that your trailer is no longer attached to your vehicle. Making things harder for thieves is always a plus, as most thieves will turn away from a more difficult prospect. B&W hitches have been built to help deter thieves by making the ball on most hitches part of the hitch itself.
B&W Hitches does recommend adding an additional lock to the hitch pin for added security.
- Brand reputation: The old adage “you’ll never know unless you try” is not as accurate as it used to be. The internet has made it more possible than ever before to learn from the experience of others. When it comes to researching brands it is important to look for brands with a history of producing high-quality hitches. B&W Hitches has worked hard for their good reviews and ratings. We invite you to look at what other customers are saying about their products so you can make an informed purchase decision.
By considering these and other factors, you can find a towing hitch that meets your needs and provides safe and secure towing for both your trailer and your vehicle. As we said, B&W Hitches has considered these factors and more as they have created their products. Here are just a few of their main products and details on what they have done to address all the factors that were mentioned above.
About B&W Hitch Products
B&W Turnover Gooseneck Hitch
The idea for the patented B&W Turnover® ball hitch design came to Baker and Works, as they were working with towing hitches welded to the bed of a truck. They figured there had to be a better system for gooseneck hitches that didn’t take up bed space when the hitch wasn’t in use. They came up with the design that allowed for both a flatbed configuration to maximize bed space, and a towing configuration.
At the time, this configuration was unique, but has become a mainstream configuration today because of its superior design. The top features of the B&W Turnover Gooseneck Hitch include:
- Efficient use of space: Since the B and W hitch isn’t always needed for towing, the turnover gooseneck hitch is removable which allows for the full bed of the truck to be utilized when it needs to be.
- Convenient installation and use: The B&W Turnover ball design makes it easy to install and convenient to use, as you switch between flatbed and towing modes. Why is it called the “Turnover”? Because all you have to do to make it virtually disappear is unpin it and turn it over. It sits flush with the truck bed allowing you to use your full space without a pesky ball getting in the way.
- Tow heavier loads: The turnover gooseneck B&W hitch is able to tow heavy loads safely and securely.
- Better turning radius: The B&W Turnover Gooseneck hitch makes it easier to handle your trailer in tight spaces due to its tight turn radius.
- Improved ride quality: The design of the B&W Gooseneck Hitch helps to reduce stress on your tow vehicle and trailer, providing a smoother and more comfortable towing experience.
- The design of this towing hitch allows for a variety of applications: flatbed towing, fifth-wheel towing and any other gooseneck application you might have.
- High-quality construction: B&W Hitches are known for their high-quality construction, using only the best materials and construction methods to produce durable and long-lasting hitches.
- Easy installation: No welding required, the B&W gooseneck hitch can be easily installed and secured to the bed of your truck with bolts.
- Accessories galore: B&W Hitches understands that when towing, a one ball fits all mentality is not efficient or true. That is why they developed their Goose and fifth-wheel B&W hitches to work with a wide variety of interchangeable B&W hitch mounts.
- Square pegs: B&W Hitches uses square pegs in their design for a couple of different key reasons. The first being that when you have a square in a circle it is more secure, and less likely to turn. The second reason is that dirty sockets tend to seize up, so by having a “corners only” fit of a square in a circle, it allows the majority of the dirt and dust to fall through and not get in the way.
B&W Tow and Stow Hitches
B&W focuses on four major traits in the design of their B&W Tow and Stow hitches: Adjustability, Stowability, Versatility, and Security.
- Adjustability: These B&W Stow and Tow hitches are designed to make height adjustment easy. Just pull the two pins and slide the ball to the desired height. Reinsert the pins and you have a sturdy B&W hitch ready to tow.
- Stowability: While this ingenious design makes towing itself easier, what’s even more ingenious is the design to hide it when it isn’t being used. For easy stowability, the ball is connected to the shaft by a slide pin which allows the ball to be stowed conveniently underneath your truck by tucking the majority of the ball mount securely up against the receiver tube.
- Versatility: The B&W Stow and Tow hitch makes changing between trailers easy. Instead of requiring you to own and store multiple trailer balls, they come with them pre-installed. Even better, all it takes to switch from one size to another is to pull out a pin, and swivel the head to the desired position.
To add to the versatility of the B&W hitch, B&W hitches have various choices for shank size, drop depth, and ball configuration.
- Security: Trailer balls are heavy, smooth and surprisingly easy to drop. This not only creates a hazard for anything underneath them, such as human toes, but dropping trailer balls onto concrete or other hard or rough surfaces can damage them. This B and W hitch protects the trailer ball from fall damage by keeping it securely connected to the adjustment shaft by the sliding pin, so that even if the ball is dropped during a height adjustment, it will only fall to the end of the shaft.
B&W Hitches has also taken steps to help protect your equipment from potential thieves. Unlike other ball mounts where the ball can be removed, the swingarm and hitch balls of the B&W Tow and Stow hitch are kept securely attached to the shaft by the sliding pin. The only way a thief can take these hitches is to steal the hitch itself. So, thanks to their innovative design, all an owner has to do is put a lock on the hitch pin, and their B&W hitch will stay where it should be.
For heavier duty loads, The B&W Stow and Tow hitch also have Multi-pro/Multi-flex models which are designed for a higher weight capacity.
B&W Pintle Hitch
For those unfamiliar with pintle hitches, the word pintle refers to the design of an engineering device that is used in many different applications including hinges, furniture, and trailers by resting a ring (commonly called a gudgeon) on a peg (commonly called a pintle) to create a swivel. Pintle hitches are generally used for industrial or agricultural towing jobs, and while they can usually tow more weight and have a more secure hold than the average ball coupling, they do tend to ride a little rougher. Traditional pintle hitches, often called “pintle hooks” look much like a claw and can only be used with trailers that have a suitable lunette ring or other gudgeon installed on them.
The B&W Pintle hitch is designed with versatility in mind: By combining the locking top of a traditional pintle hook with a B&W Tow & Stow hitch body and ball, they have created a hitch that can work for both the pintle coupling and ball coupling.
Additionally, because these are generally used for more industrial or agricultural purposes, the B&W Pintle hitch is designed to carry more weight than its regular or Multi-pro/Multi-flex counterparts.
It is important to note that the B&W pintle hitch does not come with a multi-ball swivel, and while the ball can be changed out, it will take the use of a couple of wrenches to do.
The shank, drop depth, and initial ball configuration are still customizable though, and it has similar security features as the other models.
B&W Gooseneck Ball and Safety Chain Kit
These accessories were specifically designed with safety and ease of use in mind. Being that gooseneck balls are generally greased, B&W created theirs with a nifty handle so that you can easily maneuver it without needing to get your hands dirty. The handle also locks to make sure that it stays in place. The safety chain anchors are designed to fit well with commercially available safety hooks, making your securing process easier and safe. Also, all internal and external parts are either made from or plated with stainless steel to help prevent corrosion.
