Fifth wheel hitches
B&W Companion OEM Puck fifth wheel hitch review
Most fifth wheel hitches need rails bolted across the bed before they can mount at all, and rails need vehicle-specific brackets carrying them into the frame. A truck built with a factory puck prep package skips both of those steps: the hitch bolts directly into pucks the manufacturer already installed at the factory.
The B&W Companion OEM Puck line takes advantage of exactly that, with versions built for Ford and for Chevrolet and GMC puck systems. This review covers what B&W publishes across the puck lineup, the vehicle-specific catch that makes this the opposite of a universal hitch, and what to buy if a truck was not built with the prep package.
On this page
- What is a factory puck system, and what does the Companion OEM Puck actually publish?
- How do the three OEM puck ratings compare against a CURT puck hitch?
- What is published across the B&W OEM puck lineup?
- What is the catch with a puck-specific hitch?
- What are the alternatives if your truck was not built with the puck prep package?
- What should you check before buying an OEM puck hitch?
What is a factory puck system, and what does the Companion OEM Puck actually publish?
A factory puck system is a set of receptacles the truck manufacturer welds into the bed frame at the factory, specifically so a fifth wheel or gooseneck hitch can bolt in without rails or drilling. The B&W Companion OEM Puck for Ford is built to match the Ford version of that system and B&W rates it at 25,000 lb GTW and 6,250 lb vertical tongue weight. The Chevrolet and GMC versions of the same hitch, the RVK3300 and the RVK3405, are rated at 20,000 lb and 25,000 lb respectively, sized to the GM puck hardware rather than the Ford one.
How do the three OEM puck ratings compare against a CURT puck hitch?
Every hitch here shares the no-drill, no-rail install. The published GTW ratings differ by brand and by which puck hardware each model is built to match.
| Published rating | B&W Companion OEM Puck Fifth Wheel Hitch for Ford, 25,000 lb | B&W Companion OEM Puck Fifth Wheel Hitch for Chevrolet and GMC, 20,000 lb | B&W Companion OEM Puck Fifth Wheel Hitch for Chevrolet and GMC, 25,000 lb | CURT A20 Fifth Wheel Hitch for GM Puck System, 20,000 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,399.00 | $1,199.00 | $1,399.00 | $1,311.95 |
| Gross trailer weight rating | 25,000 lb | 20,000 lb | 25,000 lb | 20,000 lb |
| Mount type | Puck system | Puck system | Puck system | Puck system |
| OEM puck system | Ford OEM | GM OEM | GM OEM | GM OEM |
Every figure here is the manufacturer's own published rating. A blank is a figure the maker does not publish, and we leave it blank rather than estimating it. The rating stamped on the part you actually receive is what governs.
What is published across the B&W OEM puck lineup?
B&W rates the Ford and heavier GM puck versions at 25,000 lb GTW, and the lighter GM version at 20,000 lb.
Published standard A published, traceable figure: a standards body, a federal regulation or a manufacturer specification states it.
| Model | Puck compatibility | GTW rating | Vertical load rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| RVK3305 | Ford OEM | 25,000 lb | 6,250 lb |
| RVK3300 | GM OEM | 20,000 lb | 5,000 lb |
| RVK3405 | GM OEM | 25,000 lb | 6,250 lb |
These are B&W published figures for the hitch hardware. They are not a statement about what any specific truck configuration can tow.
What is the catch with a puck-specific hitch?
A puck hitch is vehicle specific in a way a universal rail system is not. The Ford version of the Companion OEM Puck bolts only into a Ford factory puck layout, and the GM versions bolt only into the GM layout. Buy the wrong brand and it does not fit at all, no matter how correct the GTW rating looks on paper. It also does not transfer cleanly if the truck is ever swapped for a different brand or a truck without the factory puck prep package, unlike rails, which a new bracket kit can often adapt to a different frame.
The prep package itself is not universal within a brand either: not every trim, cab and bed combination of a given truck ships with the puck system installed. Confirm the specific vehicle actually has the puck prep before ordering any puck-mounted hitch.
What are the alternatives if your truck was not built with the puck prep package?
A truck without factory pucks needs a rail-based hitch instead. The CURT A16 bundles the rails with the hitch in one purchase, which is the simplest route for a bed with nothing installed yet. A reader who wants the bare rails separately, perhaps because a hitch upgrade is planned later, should look at the CURT 16204 universal rails and the vehicle-specific installation brackets that carry them into the frame; rails and brackets are two separate purchases and neither substitutes for the other.
What should you check before buying an OEM puck hitch?
Confirm the exact factory prep package on the specific truck, not just the brand, since puck systems vary by model year and configuration within the same manufacturer. Compare against a rail-mounted option using the puck versus rail comparison, and once installed, weigh the loaded trailer and check pin weight with the fifth wheel pin weight calculator rather than assuming the hitch GTW rating describes what the truck itself can carry.
How we chose
We did not test this hardware in person and we never claim to. Picks are researched from manufacturer specification sheets, published towing standards, and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews. Every pick is matched to a real gross trailer weight rating, a real tongue or pin weight rating, a real receiver size or a real load index rather than to a price bracket, and it is placed in the tier where its published capability actually belongs. We rejected the unbranded flood that dominates the search results in several of these categories, because a weight distribution hitch, a brake controller, a trailer tire and a set of safety chains are all parts whose failure puts a loose trailer on a public road. Where a figure is towing convention rather than a published standard we label it that way, and where a manufacturer does not publish a figure we leave it out instead of estimating it.
Sources
- B&W published specifications for the Companion OEM Puck, Ford and GM versions
- CURT published specifications for the A20 puck hitch
Frequently asked questions
What is a factory puck system on a truck bed?
A factory puck system is a set of receptacles the truck manufacturer welds into the bed frame at the factory so a fifth wheel or gooseneck hitch can bolt directly in, with no rails and no drilling. Not every truck of a given brand ships with this prep package, so confirm the specific vehicle has it before buying a puck-mounted hitch.
Can I use a Ford OEM Puck hitch on a Chevrolet or GMC truck?
No. Puck systems are brand specific hardware, and a hitch built to match the Ford puck layout will not bolt into a GM puck layout or vice versa. B&W sells separate Companion OEM Puck versions for Ford and for Chevrolet and GMC for exactly this reason.
What is the difference between the 20,000 lb and 25,000 lb GM Companion puck hitches?
Both mount into the same GM factory puck system. The RVK3300 is rated at 20,000 lb GTW and 5,000 lb vertical load, and the RVK3405 is rated higher at 25,000 lb GTW and 6,250 lb vertical load. Choose based on the loaded trailer weight, not the truck brand alone.
Does an OEM puck hitch require any drilling to install?
No, that is the main advantage of the puck system. The hitch bolts directly into the factory-installed receptacles, with no drilling and no rail installation needed, unlike a bed without pucks, which requires rails and vehicle-specific brackets before any fifth wheel hitch can mount.
What should I buy if my truck does not have the factory puck prep package?
A rail-mounted fifth wheel hitch instead, such as the CURT A16, which bundles the rails with the hitch in one purchase. A bed with neither pucks nor rails needs both the rails and vehicle-specific installation brackets before any fifth wheel hitch can be mounted.
Does the GTW rating on a puck hitch tell me what my truck can tow?
No. The GTW rating is what the hitch hardware itself is rated to carry, not a statement about what your specific truck configuration can tow. Your payload, GVWR, GCWR and axle ratings come only from your own door jamb sticker and owner manual.
Free download
Get the complete tow rig setups emailed to you
Both ladders, conventional travel trailer and fifth wheel, at beginner, intermediate and expert budgets, every item priced and linked with a running total, plus a printable pre-trip weighing worksheet you can fill in at the scale.
One email with the setups. No sequence, no sharing your address, unsubscribe any time.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published standards, manufacturer towing guides and product specifications, and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Figures described as a rule of thumb are towing convention rather than published standards, and they are labelled that way wherever they appear. Nothing here overrides your own ratings. Work your payload sum before your tow rating, because payload is the limit that actually binds on most half ton trucks and nearly every SUV. Load a conventional trailer to 10 to 15 percent tongue weight and a fifth wheel to 15 to 25 percent pin weight, and never lighter: a tail heavy trailer is what starts sway. Weigh the rig loaded rather than trusting a brochure dry weight. A weight distribution hitch and a set of air bags both restore ride height and control, and neither one raises a single rating. Trailer brakes are required by state law above a threshold that varies by state, and a breakaway battery that has quietly gone flat is the normal condition of most trailers on the road.