i think ive narrowed my search down and figured out that i have a "Lock and Load" GN hitch made by putnam hitch products. they make an adapter to tow my 5er called the "Hawkeye over/under" but im having trouble finding any information because the company went under.

i have noticed what they call "H-brackets" that drop into the cup of the GN hitch and adapt a regual rail style hitch. I have a reese 15k classic and a set of rails, i want to keep to GN because a purchase of a trailer is in my future and i love the clean finish instead of having those pesky rails to collect dirt and whatever else.

my question now is has anyone ever made a homemade H-bracket? i have a friend that runs a welding/fabrication shop. im thinking about seeing what he can do for me. the h-brackets that i have seen online (that adapt B&W and Curt hitches) say that i need a truck bed re-enforcement kit... but yet the B&W companion doesnt require anything and its basicly the same concept on the bottom half.

i would love to just slap in a new B&W with a companion but the money isnt here just yet. i figured this would make what i have work and get me going without spending upwards of $1000. any ideas or help of anykind would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

One of my friends has a hitch similar to that. He bought a B&W companion and had a machine shop make a custom pin from solid stock that was square on the top for the B&W and round on bottom for the GN hitch. He has towed his camper all over the place without any issues. I am not saying it is anywhere near as strong as a B&W setup. I am just saying that similar things have been done.

 

After seeing how well the companion is made I would not suggest converting your Reese. I had the companion side by side of my DSP hitch which is similar as the rails run for and aft. The companion is in a different league, the steel is much thicker, there are more cross members and it weighs about twice as much.
I would check with Reese and see if they have anything already made I know they have different pins to use their hitch on different under bed goose hitches.

 

so this would eliminate buying a factory made H-bracket like this even if i had a B&W?
http://www.etrailer.com/p-V70881.html

 

I thought you were talking about the "H" shape that makes up the frame of the hitch like the B&W companion and the DSP. I actually didn't know that the adapter in your link existed but I have never owned a hitch that the rails ran across the bed. That does seem quite pricey for what it is.

 

thats why im considering having my cross bed rails converted to an "H bracket". i have a very reliable welder that would make it for next to nothing, then there would be no need to do anything else other than slap it in my GN hitch, lock the pin, and roll down the road. and in my eyes will eliminate the stress factor that comes with the 5th wheel to gooseneck adapter that there seems go be an on going good/bad discussion about. i just dont understand why they say it requires a bed re-enforcement kit

 

It could be the B&W doesn't need it because they have you torque the companion down (40ftlbs) tight against the pin that locks it in. The pin then cannot be moved. That H adapter looks like it just sits there and is just located on the pin. If you think about it each rail carries half the pin weight, that's not very much and if the rails were bolted in they still just sit on the bed.

 

i get your point now. i found a used B&W that fits my price range a little better, but its for a chevy. now i just have to find dodge brackets for my truck... the search continues

 

What year is your truck? I bought a used B&W for a 2004 i think and fabricated it into a 93 I have the frame brackets still here.

 

im runnin an 05 dually qd cab. The hitch i found was from a 99 chevy. i have to call and get the full details on it to figure out exactly what it came from and call B&W too see if it can be put in my truck with just new frame brackets

 

A lot of B&Ws use the same center pieces. The one I used has the ball ofset closer to the edge. I used the "rails" for the 93 install. In the original app the rails ran over the frame to a side plate. The side plate was bolted to the frame using U bolts. I think I have the bolts. I know I have the side plates.

 

here is the link to the hitch. http://rochester.craigslist.org/pts/2294312639.html

what are the "rails" that you speak of?

when i can find out if this will work for my truck, i am certainly interested. if not... i will have to look for a complete set up...

 

The front rail was a piece of 1x2? bar stock. The rear was a piece of 2x2 1/2x3/8 angle. all this was under the bed floor

 

did that center piece from the chevy look the same as the one you used?

 

The center looks very similar to the center section of the BW for my 98, so do the front the rear pieces, thought though they could be shorter or longer, do you know how wide the chevy frames are.