BW Continuum hitch?

[DanielBoondock]

I’m wondering if the BW Continuum can be used with the Oliver? It appears not because of that long neck. Can anybody tell me how long the neck is to the V?

 

Attached are the dimensions required, thanks!

 

 

 

[Steph and Dud B]

As far as I know, only the Anderson can be used on an Oliver. Not sure if this is because of dimensions or the aluminum frame. If you have a 2500 or 3500 truck you might not need weight distribution at all.

[Mike and Carol]

9 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

As far as I know, only the Anderson can be used on an Oliver. Not sure if this is because of dimensions or the aluminum frame. If you have a 2500 or 3500 truck you might not need weight distribution at all.

Agree.  I’ve not seen anything but the Andersen used.  What tow vehicle will you use?

[topgun2]

A quick look at the B&W shows a couple of potential "problems" with mounting it to the Oliver.  The biggest of these would be that "strap" across the top of the frame.  This area is completely covered on the Ollie by fiberglass.

Second - one of the advantages of the Andersen is that it actually dampens the up and down movements of the union between the tow vehicle and the trailer due to those little red bushings at the end of the chains.  While the B&W uses "composite" "bars" versus the old steel type, I'd imagine that they are still not as efficient at dampening as the Andersen's are.

Bill

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I had a similar hitch on my cargo trailer.  In 2020, when moving to NE Oregon, I hit an I-84 expansion joint so hard it popped the hitch of the 2-5/16” ball.  The chains held, and in heavy traffic I made it to the very narrow shoulder.  Somehow I got it reconnected.  The hitch was properly connected.

The trailer now has a Bulldog hitch.

[jd1923]

15 hours ago, DanielBoondock said:

Can anybody tell me how long the neck is to the V?

Do it the old-fashioned way (lay on the ground face up and measure). 🤣

Seriously, I would never take another’s opinion on measurements.

What I’m sure of is you would have to cut into the fiberglass fascia as Bill already mentioned. You would also be shortening the tongue length, which may have adverse affects when turning and backing up! I love that as hard as I can turn my truck, the Oliver follows w/o incident, turn radius the same towing or not.

Since you have no forum signature, we have no idea regarding your tow vehicle, so I’m wondering if the Anderson WDH is issue or not?

Experienced trailer hitch installers would ask, why replace the reliable cast-iron Bulldog with a lesser coupler made with stamped steel? Not a good idea.

I’m making a few suspension tweaks so we can loose the annoying Anderson finally. I have this coupler in my eTrailer shopping cart so to have the larger hitch ball and our coupler does not open and close easily after 10 years of use. However, what OTT installed to your hull is perfectly fine unless it has been damaged

https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=Bulldog+12,500&furl=-pg-Straight_Tongue_Trailer_Coupler

[John Dorrer]

IMO, a bad idea. The Bulldog hitch has long proven to be a reliable hitch on the Oliver. If it ain't broke why fix it?

 

The Oliver tongue is designed for the Bulldog

 

 

 

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Do it the old-fashioned way (lay on the ground face up and measure). 🤣

Yeah @Patriot, I guess if you don’t own an Oliver, you can’t measure it! Double 🤣!

[DanielBoondock]

11 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Agree.  I’ve not seen anything but the Andersen used.  What tow vehicle will you use?

Don’t have it yet, buying a Sierra EV this year and a trailer (the Ollie is in the lead at the moment) next year. Ease of unhitching is important as most charging sites aren’t pull through friendly. Fortunately with 500 miles range I should only need one charge for a towing day. 

Anyhow this one is particularly easy, especially for my wife who would like to be capable. Dealing with chains or bars won’t work for her, pity. 

Thanks -

Edited Sunday at 11:33 PM by DanielBoondock

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, DanielBoondock said:

Ease of unhitching is important

Get a 2500 truck and you shouldn’t need the Anderson WDH.

Really, an EV truck as a tow vehicle? Think about that decision. The Oliver is an easier decision. You’d be the first here with an EV TV! Most RVers have enough trouble keeping their house batteries charged!

[CRM]

3 hours ago, DanielBoondock said:

Don’t have it yet, buying a Sierra EV this year and a trailer (the Ollie is in the lead at the moment) next year. Ease of unhitching is important as most charging sites aren’t pull through friendly. Fortunately with 500 miles range I should only need one charge for a towing day. 

From what I've read, you'll get nowhere near that 500 miles range while towing an Ollie with that vehicle. Depending on which model you get, I'd be planning for closer to 200 to 225 miles between charges. 

[Jason Foster]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Get a 2500 truck and you shouldn’t need the Anderson WDH.

Really, an EV truck as a tow vehicle? Think about that decision. The Oliver is an easier decision. You’d be the first here with an EV TV! Most RVers have enough trouble keeping their house batteries charged!

I will second JD's comment here.  Don't buy into the EV propaganda.  They are still a LOOONG way from perfecting them.  Give them a few more years to work out the kinks.  In the meantime, embrace the raw power of a 3/4 ton.

[Jason Foster]

1 minute ago, CRM said:

From what I've read, you'll get nowhere near that 500 miles range while towing an Ollie with that vehicle. Depending on which model you get, I'd be planning for closer to 200 to 225 miles between charges. 

And less when it is cold.

 

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, Jason Foster said:

embrace the raw power of a 3/4 ton

Yes, Jason and @CRM are correct!

Since you like GMC, get the DURAMAX 6.6L TURBO-DIESEL V8 WITH ALLISON 10-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION! Wish I had an Allison 10-speed with exhaust brake attached to my 24-year-old Cummins!  But we do have the Cummins 5.9 Diesel with a tuner for 5 performance fuel settings, economy, towing, etc. and the factory Camper package (rear helper springs like the 3500).

5 hours ago, DanielBoondock said:

Fortunately with 500 miles range I should only need one charge for a towing day.

The only charge station I've seen in all of Prescott AZ is a couple at the Ford Dealership and I think the Hilton also has a couple! Neither location allows trailers on their lots. And they don't have EV chargers 100 miles from where we normally camp.

Honey, can you find the hook-up? The batteries are getting low! 🤣

Edited Monday at 05:36 AM by jd1923

[Mike and Carol]

15 hours ago, DanielBoondock said:

Don’t have it yet, buying a Sierra EV this year and a trailer (the Ollie is in the lead at the moment) next year. Ease of unhitching is important as most charging sites aren’t pull through friendly. Fortunately with 500 miles range I should only need one charge for a towing day. 

Anyhow this one is particularly easy, especially for my wife who would like to be capable. Dealing with chains or bars won’t work for her, pity. 

Thanks -

Where will you be camping mostly?  Getting half of the 500 mile range towing an Oliver would be optimistic.  With an EV you will severely limit travel routes and camping areas.  If you are interesting in boondocking, EV charging presents a real challenge.  Most of the areas and highways/roads in the western US aren’t EV charging friendly.  Something to think about.  Mike

[rideadeuce]

The new technology of the 2025 Ramcharger could be a game changer…

ChatGPT: Does the 2025 Ramcharger need to recharge when the battery and gas has been depleted?

Answer:

“ No, the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger does not require a public charger when both the battery and gas run out. It's designed as a plug-in hybrid with a 3.6-liter V6 engine acting as a generator to recharge the battery. This allows it to operate on electricity for a significant range and then transition to gas-powered operation when the battery runs low. 

Here's a more detailed explanation:

Plug-in Hybrid System:

The Ramcharger is a plug-in hybrid, meaning it has a large EV battery pack and a gas engine that acts as a generator. 

Generator Function:

When the battery depletes, the gas engine starts a generator that produces electricity to recharge the battery, effectively eliminating the need for public charging stations. 

Electric Range:

The truck has an estimated 145 miles of pure electric range. 

Combined Range:

With a full battery and gas tank, the Ramcharger targets a combined range of up to 690 miles. 

Charging Options:

While it can be plugged in to a DC fast-charger or use its onboard generator, it doesn't require frequent or long public charging sessions. “

 

The short answer is it is a powerful new technology that has quite the range even while towing. It is not reduced by 50% like the Tesla Cybertruck, etc. SO don’t count out EV trucks as tow vehicles. It only needs a refill of petrol just like any other gas or diesel truck but it is to power the generator to charge the batteries not the drivetrain. 

From the RAM-TRX forum:

The Ramcharger combines a 92 kilowatt-hour battery pack with an onboard 130 kilowatt generator powered by a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, according to the company. The upshot is a targeted 690 miles of range in a truck that promises 663 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque while it manages a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and towing of up 14,000 pounds.

This is the way to go with an EV. All the benefits of the electric motor torque, power and daily convenience without the disadvantages of range limits and charging headaches on long trips.

Edited Monday at 10:34 PM by rideadeuce

[DanielBoondock]

8 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Where will you be camping mostly?  Getting half of the 500 mile range towing an Oliver would be optimistic.  With an EV you will severely limit travel routes and camping areas.  If you are interesting in boondocking, EV charging presents a real challenge.  Most of the areas and highways/roads in the western US aren’t EV charging friendly.  Something to think about.  Mike

West Coast up to Canada with occasional East Coast trips. Thanks I'm very familiar with charging, it's changing dramatically. There's the NEVI funding which is 3B before the administration paused, but private industry is barrelling ahead anyhow. GM in particular is spending billions via Pilot/Flying J, the Ionna consortium, etc. Even now you can get pretty much anywhere except the top center of the country (Dakota)

 

56 minutes ago, rideadeuce said:

The new technology of the 2025 Ramcharger could be a game changer…

I doubt it personally. One is that RAM isn't serious about EV's, they planned three battery plants and only have one, so they don't have much kWh capacity. And that hybrid is kind of overkill - you have to gas AND charge which is a pain. With all the trouble of a gas engine, plus a limited battery and the complications of both (two cooling loops!). All to get an extra 100+ miles over a Silverado ... really it's better to just go either gas, or EV IMO.

 

19 hours ago, CRM said:

From what I've read, you'll get nowhere near that 500 miles range while towing an Ollie with that vehicle. Depending on which model you get, I'd be planning for closer to 200 to 225 miles between charges. 

Yeah that's not what I was saying, three hours driving (60 mph is my speed) is 200+ miles. Have 500 to use half with towing losses.

Edited Monday at 11:16 PM by DanielBoondock

[ScubaRx]

On 4/20/2025 at 6:32 PM, DanielBoondock said:

Don’t have it yet, buying a Sierra EV this year and a trailer (the Ollie is in the lead at the moment) next year. Ease of unhitching is important as most charging sites aren’t pull through friendly. Fortunately with 500 miles range I should only need one charge for a towing day. 

Anyhow this one is particularly easy, especially for my wife who would like to be capable. Dealing with chains or bars won’t work for her, pity. 

Thanks -

I'm going to just tell you like it is. Forget that LIGHT-DUTY ELECTRIC PICKUP for towing. A 500 mile range towing? Not in your wildest dreams, maybe 150 miles. And why would you be planning a 500 mile day anyway? That's just crazy. Get yourself a capable ICE truck, at least a 3/4 ton, preferably diesel. Hitching and un-hitching is a simple matter of two chains and the coupler. 

We just bought our granddaughter a Tesla for her sixteenth birthday. I drove it, first time I've ever been in an electric car. It's impressive, 0-60mph in under 3 seconds. My 1970 Corvette with a monster engine was about twice that. I have no idea how long it would take our Silverado 3500 diesel pulling the  Oliver to get to 60mph. Probably about 30 seconds or so. I don't worry about it, and anyway the whole rig weighs nearly 18K pounds. EV's are fun for around town and will get better with time.

Just for fun, I went online and "built" one.  Starting price is $92K. They are only available with a short bed (71 inches). Just be aware that a regular sized Clam enclosure will NOT fit in that bed unless it is placed diagonally (terrible for packing). I chose the Max Range Denali 4WD since I would be towing, Now I'm at $100.5K. I see that you CAN spend up to an extra $4k on exterior paint but I chose the no cost white. I hate that there is no other option on wheels/tires than 24". I would never be able to find a set of HD tires for it.

Anyway it totaled out at $100,845. But, if I buy it before the end of the month and pay cash, I'll get a $3K Purchase Allowance leaving be owing $97,845 not including tax, title, license and dealer fees.

I also spec'd out a very well equipped 1 ton Denali diesel with all the bells and whistles for comparison. It was "only" $88,270.

 

[DanielBoondock]

54 minutes ago, ScubaRx said:

Forget that LIGHT-DUTY ELECTRIC PICKUP for towing. A 500 mile range towing? Not in your wildest dreams, maybe 150 miles. And why would you be planning a 500 mile day anyway? That's just crazy. Get yourself a capable ICE truck, at least a 3/4 ton, preferably diesel. Hitching and un-hitching is a simple matter of two chains and the coupler. 

Sorry, if you can slow down I can tell you a few things. I’d rather not have to, I’ve been down this discussion too many times but you started the discussion so I feel I have to address it.  And I’m not trying to start a forum war, but I think you’re not aware of the facts. Any electric truck on the market has better HP and better torque than any ICE. 754 HP and 785 lb.-ft. of torque, from zero to full speed. What does an ICE Sierra have? 350, maybe 400. This is just physics. 

Now if you’ve ever driven one, or watched some videos this is a long established fact. Do you know the TFL channels? Old time truck guys with the biggest truck channels on YouTube, They cover EV trucks and constantly relate how they can’t even tell they’re pulling a trailer. No heating issues, they don’t even show the temps because they never change. These aren’t ICE - they have midsize payload (2k) and tow capacity (10k), with HD+ performance.

On range sorry that’s just misinformed - a trailer affects range on a ICE or EV exactly the same - this is just physics. All the folks who are towing now, with these trucks are talking about their ranges on the forums and these are real numbers. In addition to no maintenance and lower running costs, they have other advantages. How would you like to not use your truck or trailer brakes going down the IKE? Or using a trailer gain of 2, because you can capture that energy back into the battery? 

Look, to be honest I’m not interested, if you don’t like EV’s or whatever that’s fine, I don’t care, people asked what I’m driving and I answered, I don’t need another lecture about ICE and don’t need to be tutored about a subject I’m well informed on, especially when I drive the damn things. I’m sure you mean well, but let’s just talk about the trailer OK? And to be clear I’m not soliciting unasked for advice about my tow vehicle.

If we can drop that subject, I’m happy relating my experiences with this rig if anybody is interested. By the way I’ve driven ICE trucks my whole life and EV’s the last decade so have been on both sides of this equation and understand it intimately. 

☮️

Edited Tuesday at 12:59 AM by DanielBoondock

[Jason Foster]

59 minutes ago, DanielBoondock said:

Sorry, if you can slow down I can tell you a few things. I’d rather not have to, I’ve been down this discussion too many times but you started the discussion so I feel I have to address it.  And I’m not trying to start a forum war, but I think you’re not aware of the facts. Any electric truck on the market has better HP and better torque than any ICE. 754 HP and 785 lb.-ft. of torque, from zero to full speed. What does an ICE Sierra have? 350, maybe 400. This is just physics. 

Now if you’ve ever driven one, or watched some videos this is a long established fact. Do you know the TFL channels? Old time truck guys with the biggest truck channels on YouTube, They cover EV trucks and constantly relate how they can’t even tell they’re pulling a trailer. No heating issues, they don’t even show the temps because they never change. These aren’t ICE - they have midsize payload (2k) and tow capacity (10k), with HD+ performance.

On range sorry that’s just misinformed - a trailer affects range on a ICE or EV exactly the same - this is just physics. All the folks who are towing now, with these trucks are talking about their ranges on the forums and these are real numbers. In addition to no maintenance and lower running costs, they have other advantages. How would you like to not use your truck or trailer brakes going down the IKE? Or using a trailer gain of 2, because you can capture that energy back into the battery? 

Look, to be honest I’m not interested, if you don’t like EV’s or whatever that’s fine, I don’t care, people asked what I’m driving and I answered, I don’t need another lecture about ICE and don’t need to be tutored about a subject I’m well informed on, especially when I drive the damn things. I’m sure you mean well, but let’s just talk about the trailer OK? And to be clear I’m not soliciting unasked for advice about my tow vehicle.

If we can drop that subject, I’m happy relating my experiences with this rig if anybody is interested. By the way I’ve driven ICE trucks my whole life and EV’s the last decade so have been on both sides of this equation and understand it intimately. 

☮️

I can probably vouch that everyone, including myself, trying to talk you out of an EV, don't particularly have any hate for them and we all mean well.  If you are dead set on it, let us all move on.  :) 

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, DanielBoondock said:

They cover EV trucks and constantly relate how they can’t even tell they’re pulling a trailer.

None of that matters! All the specs again do not matter. With a name like @DanielBoondock you must have dreams of Boondocking after your retirement. Boondocking and an EV truck just don’t fit, like oil water don’t mix.

Also, whether you get 500 miles, you’re dreaming, or even 200 miles like the several comments above… Again, this spec doesn’t matter. The question is, do you want to spend every day, or every other day taking a detour just to charge? and wait, and wait…

I’d rather fill a tank of diesel and drive 2,3,4 days without care and enjoy our travels.

There’s not a National Park, nor state park, or RV park with level I EV chargers. You rig an EV charger and attach to the 30A or 50A service at a campground or RV park. I would call that stealing. It’s just this simple. No physics here, no 0-to-60 in 2 seconds, just the simple realities of travel.

We can go 10 days off-grid with 600Ah LiFePO4, 720W solar, 3KW inverter, 32-gal FW in the Oliver and another 35-gal fresh in the truck and the LAST thing in the world we would want is to charge a stupid EV every other day, OMG! 🤣

You will trade in that toy after some real travel, get stuck somewhere without power and resale in EVs is not good, as who wants to get stuck with replacing batteries on a used EV?

[Patriot]

An interesting and entertaining opinionated thread. 😄

Edited Tuesday at 02:43 PM by Patriot

[Jason Foster]

19 hours ago, Patriot said:

An interesting and entertaining opinionated thread. 😄

 

23 hours ago, jd1923 said:

None of that matters! All the specs again do not matter. With a name like @DanielBoondock you must have dreams of Boondocking after your retirement. Boondocking and an EV truck just don’t fit, like oil water don’t mix.

Also, whether you get 500 miles, you’re dreaming, or even 200 miles like the several comments above… Again, this spec doesn’t matter. The question is, do you want to spend every day, or every other day taking a detour just to charge? and wait, and wait…

I’d rather fill a tank of diesel and drive 2,3,4 days without care and enjoy our travels.

There’s not a National Park, nor state park, or RV park with level I EV chargers. You rig an EV charger and attach to the 30A or 50A service at a campground or RV park. I would call that stealing. It’s just this simple. No physics here, no 0-to-60 in 2 seconds, just the simple realities of travel.

We can go 10 days off-grid with 600Ah LiFePO4, 720W solar, 3KW inverter, 32-gal FW in the Oliver and another 35-gal fresh in the truck and the LAST thing in the world we would want is to charge a stupid EV every other day, OMG! 🤣

You will trade in that toy after some real travel, get stuck somewhere without power and resale in EVs is not good, as who wants to get stuck with replacing batteries on a used EV?

My wife and I were lounging in our camper one night when a white Tesla backed into the lot next to us.  A middle aged dude with a huge belly got out and started walking around talking to his phone which he kept pointed at himself.  He mounted it on a tripod and removed this horrendous looking world war something tent out of his frunk.  After 30 minutes of huffing, puffing, resting and more puffing, he got it set up.  He then started cooking this amazing smelling food which he proceeded to eat in front of his phone talking animatedly between bites.  I swear the dude looked like Alfred Hitchcock sporting a bright Hawaiian style shirt, some shorts stolen from Al Borland and knee high socks.  I would have expected deck shoes or penny loafers but he preferred purple Crocs.    His car made noises and flashed like a Christmas tree and other than the awesome food smells, he was completely annoying.  I don't know why I'm telling this story.  All this talk about EVs and camping I guess.