B & W Continuum Hitch

[crispyboy]

A few weeks ago I attended the National Farm Machinery show in Louisville, KY. This is a really big show for machinery of course but also every gadget and tool that can be used with machinery. Sensory overload - but fun!
One of the manufacturers there was B & W hitch. They make some of the best gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches in the industry - all domestically made products.
They had a new weight distributing hitch that looks very different from many others.
I'm not in the market for a hitch but I thought I would throw this out there for a fun forum discussion. Installation looks to be a breeze.


https://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/pro...ribution-hitch


WDHK4500 (pn 4510-210) 01 18 2023.pdf

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by crispyboy

A few weeks ago I attended the National Farm Machinery show in Louisville, KY. This is a really big show for machinery of course but also every gadget and tool that can be used with machinery. Sensory overload - but fun!
One of the manufacturers there was B & W hitch. They make some of the best gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches in the industry - all domestically made products.
They had a new weight distributing hitch that looks very different from many others.
I'm not in the market for a hitch but I thought I would throw this out there for a fun forum discussion. Installation looks to be a breeze.


https://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/pro...ribution-hitch


Attachment 428721


Attachment 428720

Interesting, and doesnt consume a huge amount of tongue real estate. I assume sway dampening is through friction in the head below the ball? What did they say about how that is accomplished? Do I see a couple grease zerks there??

[DCPAS]

That looks clever. The weight distribution by hydraulics makes sense. Not really sure where the friction sway control is coming from in that setup.

[crispyboy]

I read down through the installation documentation and I am unimpressed with the FAQ about sway. I can't identify what part of the hitch assists with dampening sway other than having a properly loaded trailer. That of course goes a long way to keep sway in-check. I thought that the trailer ball might be like the Andersen hitch ball but it doesn't look like it in the pictures. Here is a snip from the installation manual.

[Steamy1]

It would be interesting to learn what the weight is to compare to other WD hitches, which tend to be fairly heavy. I cannot seem to find this. It would be a positive attribute to have a lower hitch weight.

[pjshier]

addresses sway late in the video. Interesting set up...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhnZ7ZTbtwA

[DCPAS]

Very confusing. It seems like they are talking of the slight sway damping effect inherent in a weight distributing hitch and not a separate or integrated friction device. This is from their FAQ: "We learned that all brands provide some level of sway control, but that it takes very little force to overcome them. Some brands don’t load until the angle of the trailer is 2-4 degrees or more."

[PB_NB]

Looks pretty low to the ground! I would be dragging that coming out of the driveway.

With all the issues surrounding sway and the prevention of sway. They seem to be relying on the other factors that can be controlled like properly loading of the trailer to achieve the desired tongue weight; keeping speed down and avoiding the crappy road conditions.

If I was a complete trailering novice, I would hope that someone steers me to getting a PPP hitch or similar. This will certainly help me be safer but ultimately I can still find a way to do some damage if I drive too fast and the conditions are not the best.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Someone here will by one and we'll have another never ending opinion thread to choose from.

Our opinion, friction has never been the the most reliable form of control.
It may be they have discovered a new form.

It certainly is an interesting design.

POI...35+ years of bucklenusting I have repaired quite a few leaking hydraulic pressure lines.

Bob
🇺🇸

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by Steamy1

It would be interesting to learn what the weight is to compare to other WD hitches, which tend to be fairly heavy. I cannot seem to find this. It would be a positive attribute to have a lower hitch weight.

Continuum shipping weight is 114 lbs.

[hikingcamera]

Haven't watched the video yet, but BigTruckBigRV reviewed it, apparently. Scratch that, he just unboxes it. Apparently there is another video where he talks to the B&W folks, but that probably is not much different from the other video shared. I'll be curious when he does review it. I'm also curious if it will fit as close as the propane tanks are to the tongue jack on most Airstreams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78IHy9on1nI

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by hikingcamera

Haven't watched the video yet, but BigTruckBigRV reviewed it, apparently. Scratch that, he just unboxes it. Apparently there is another video where he talks to the B&W folks, but that probably is not much different from the other video shared. I'll be curious when he does review it. I'm also curious if it will fit as close as the propane tanks are to the tongue jack on most Airstreams.

Mine arrives tomorrow. According to UPS the two boxes coming weigh 114.2 lbs. I have checked my measurements and since I don't have propane bottles and the propane supports are removed, it appears the hydraulic cylinder will be in the optimal place for this installation. If it arrives on time it should be on the trailer by Sunday.

First short review here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A19WD1eAaZg

[tjdonahoe]

I will keep my Reese duel cam , it has been proven

[TNOutback]

When disconnected, that yoke seems to rest on a mount placed above the tongue jack foot. There doesn’t seem to be any room for that if you retract your tongue jack completely when traveling. I also don’t see room for that cross bar between the tongue jack and the propane tanks. Interesting design though. It does look pretty low to the ground.

[goldenchase]

Continuum arrived. The workmanship is outstanding.

[goldenchase]

Continuum installed in 2 hours this morning. Very, very easy installation. First test drive was outstanding. No noise at all making tight turns. Motion over uneven payment dampens in one cycle, versus two or three with Blue Ox TrackPro. Because weight distribution force is directly proportional to hydraulic pressure you can dial in front fender height to any number. With the bar system on the Blue Ox WDH I found the 1,000 lb bar was too much and the 800 lb bar was too little. Dialing in hydraulic pressure lets me set the front fender height exactly to the position it was before the trailer was on the hitch.

The Continuum hitch is about 3" shorter pin to ball than the Blue OX WDH.

For those with propane bottles it will take a little "grinder surgery" to remove a section of the propane bottle supports to allow the cross beam to be flat across the hitch. No big deal but just not enough room on my 25' GT FB. I had previously removed all the propane stuff with the electric conversion. I have more install images if anyone is interested.

Before



Two hours later.

[Ndcctrucks]

Quoted from their site under the first question inFAQ:

“…While traditional WD hitches are either ‘loaded’ or ‘unloaded’, the Continuum uses a pump to allow you to fine tune the amount of weight you are moving to better control your towing experience.”

Basically, they infer that other brands are not adjustable.

“Loaded or unloaded”

Hmmm

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by Ndcctrucks

Quoted from their site under the first question inFAQ:

“…While traditional WD hitches are either ‘loaded’ or ‘unloaded’, the Continuum uses a pump to allow you to fine tune the amount of weight you are moving to better control your towing experience.”

Basically, they infer that other brands are not adjustable.

“Loaded or unloaded”

Hmmm

Not sure what they are inferring but I think the key is that this hitch can be "finely" adjusted to your hitch weight versus changing bars or moving chains. You just give some pumps on the handle then dial in the pressure that gets your front fender to the right height given the load on the hitch.

[dznf0g]

Ok, propride and Hensley have been "finely adjustable" forever. So are the others when the strap is used.
Chains? Not so much.

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Ok, propride and Hensley have been "finely adjustable" forever. So are the others when the strap is used.
Chains? Not so much.

And bars too. Only grossly adjustable. Bars and chains seem very medieval.