This is the Continuum load bar unit ONLY. It is not a complete hitch and it will not go into your truck's receiver on its own. The complete kit is WDHK4501 with a 2" shank or WDHK4503 with a 2.5" shank, and a working Continuum also needs a head unit, which is the shank-and-ball half that mounts to the truck. What you are buying here is the expensive and clever half of the system: the tapered LITEFLEX composite spring bars that Hendrickson makes for B&W, the hydraulic hand pump with its pressure gauge, the cylinder and hoses, and the brackets that clamp to your trailer frame. This version is built for an underslung coupler, the style that hangs below the trailer's A-frame, and it includes the bracket that layout needs. Because the bars are composite rather than steel, this one unit covers the whole 600 lb to 1,600 lb tongue weight range, so changing what is in the trailer means a few more strokes of the handle rather than a different set of bars. Buy it on its own if you are moving a Continuum between two trucks that need different head units, or replacing a damaged unit; otherwise buy the complete kit.
What's Included:
Continuum load bar unit, underslung coupler configuration
Tapered LITEFLEX composite spring bars, rated 600-1,600 lb tongue weight
Hydraulic hand pump with pressure gauge, needle valve and pressure relief valve
Hydraulic cylinder and DOT-approved hoses and fittings
Trailer frame brackets and mounting hardware
Features
This Is the Load Bar Unit, Not a Hitch Sold on its own as a service and configuration part. There is no shank, no head casting and no ball in this box, so nothing here goes into the truck. Pair it with a Continuum head unit (WDHH4500 or WDHH4502), or buy the complete kit (WDHK4501 with a 2" shank or WDHK4503 with a 2.5" shank) if you are starting from nothing.
Composite Spring Bars Covering 600 lb to 1,600 lb B&W went to Hendrickson, which builds suspensions for heavy trucks, for the tapered LITEFLEX bars. They are roughly five times more flexible than steel at similar strength and considerably lighter, which is why one set spans the whole tongue weight range instead of being sized to a band. They are corrosion resistant, so they are not a maintenance item.
The Hydraulic Pump, Gauge and Cylinder This is where the Continuum's setup lives. You pump the handle to move weight onto the truck's front axle and read the result off the gauge, then twist the needle valve to unload before you unhitch. The pump cartridge, needle valve, relief valve and gauge are all purpose-designed, it is a closed loop, and B&W tested it from -40°F to 150°F. Maximum pressure is around 3,000 lb with the relief valve set at 2,500 lb, so you cannot over-pump it.
Built for Underslung Couplers This is the difference between the two load bar units, and it is the reason to get the choice right. This one is for an underslung coupler, the style that hangs below the trailer's A-frame, and it includes the bracket that layout needs. Look at your trailer's A-frame from the side before you order.
Always Loaded, So Sway Prevention Is Always Working Because the bars stay under load rather than being latched and unlatched, the friction resistance is present from the first mile instead of arriving after the trailer has already started to move out of line. B&W's own testing on air casters found that several leading systems do not begin to resist until the trailer is 2 to 4 degrees off, which on a 25' trailer is several feet of lane.
Removable When You Do Not Need It The spring bar assembly lifts off the head, so a small trailer that does not need weight distribution can be towed on the ball mount alone. You can also stow the assembly between the bottom of the trailer frame and the spring bar holder on the jack foot by raising the jack until it is snug.
Fitment & Compatibility
What Has To Match
This Load Bar Unit
Trailer coupler style
● Underslung
Trailer tongue weight
● 600 lb to 1,600 lb
Trailer gross weight
● Up to 16,000 lb
Trailer frame
● 5" or 6" with no center rail; 4" or 7" with different cylinder mount hardware
Clear frame needed ahead of the brackets
● 2"
Head unit required
● WDHH4500 or WDHH4502
Complete kit equivalents
● WDHK4501 with a 2" shank or WDHK4503 with a 2.5" shank
Fit guidance: This is a component, so it fits the same trucks and trailers as the complete kit it belongs to. Nothing about this part is decided by your truck; the receiver size is the head unit's business. What this part decides is the trailer side: it is built for underslung couplers, it clamps to 5" and 6" frames without a center rail (4" and 7" frames need different cylinder mount hardware), and it needs 2" of clear frame ahead of where the brackets land, so check for wiring, propane lines and battery boxes in that space. The complete hitch is rated to 16,000 lb gross trailer weight with tongue weight between 600 lb and 1,600 lb.
Specifications
B&W Part Number: WDHL4511
What This Is: Continuum load bar unit only, a component of a complete Continuum kit
Complete Kit Part Numbers: WDHK4501 with a 2" shank or WDHK4503 with a 2.5" shank
Head Unit Required: WDHH4500 or WDHH4502, depending on your receiver size
Trailer Coupler Type: Underslung
Series: Continuum
Max Gross Trailer Weight: 16,000 lb
Tongue Weight Range: 600-1,600 lb, covered by one set of spring bars
Spring Bars: Tapered LITEFLEX composite, made for B&W by Hendrickson
Weight Transfer: Hydraulic hand pump with pressure gauge, operated from the driver's side
Sway Control: Friction sway prevention, immediate and continuous because the bars stay loaded
Trailer Frame Compatibility: 5" and 6" frames without a center rail; 4" and 7" frames with longer or shorter cylinder mount hardware
Clearance Needed for Frame Brackets: 2" of clear frame ahead of the bracket location
Hydraulic System: Closed loop, pressure relief set at 2,500 lb, tested from -40°F to 150°F
Finish: Black powder coat
Warranty: B&W Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty
Made In: Made in the USA, built by B&W in Humboldt, Kansas
Shipping Weight: About 67 lb, this component only
UPC: 843233011517
Installation
Type: Brackets bolt to the trailer A-frame; the assembly then pins to a Continuum head unit · Time: About 30 minutes for the first setup · Tools: 9/16" wrench, tape measure · Difficulty: Straightforward, DIY-friendly
Level the trailer, set the head unit's ball height to match, then mount the pump and cylinder to the trailer frame and pin the cylinder to the spring bar assembly. The bar assembly arrives pre-assembled. If you are fitting this to an existing head, re-check ball height and re-set the pump pressure rather than reusing an old setting. Work from B&W's Continuum installation manual, which covers the whole system.
Watch the installation walkthrough:
Warranty, Shipping & Returns
Warranty. B&W covers this product with its Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty. B&W warrants its products to the original consumer purchaser, for as long as that purchaser owns the product, against defects in material and workmanship. The remedy is replacement, or repair or a full refund at B&W's option. Installation and removal labor, shipping costs, and damage caused by misuse, overloading, alteration or improper installation are not covered. Warranty service goes directly through B&W at 800-248-6564, which issues a return authorization before anything is sent back. B&W states that it does not authorize dealers or distributors to create any other warranty, so what is described here is B&W's own coverage and nothing has been added to it.
Free shipping. This item ships free to the lower 48 states. Because it is an oversized item, it ships by freight and typically arrives in 3 to 7 business days.
Inspect on delivery. Please inspect the packaging before signing. If you see any damage, note it on the delivery receipt and contact us right away, and we will make it right.
About B&W Trailer Hitches
B&W Trailer Hitches started in 1987 in a Humboldt, Kansas garage, where Roger Baker and Joe Works built the first Turnoverball gooseneck hitch. The idea was simple and nobody else had done it: a gooseneck ball that turns over and stores flush with the bed floor, so the truck bed goes back to being a truck bed the moment you unhook. That one product built the company, and B&W still makes its hitches in Humboldt, in a plant that has grown to about 600,000ft². The company has been 100% employee-owned since 2007, with roughly 500 employee-owners who have a stake in what comes off the line.
The testing story is worth knowing, because it is not how the rest of the industry does it. SAE J-2638, the standard for gooseneck and fifth-wheel hitches, is a recommended practice, and it is common to satisfy it with a fresh sample for each test. B&W runs a single hitch through all three 300,000-cycle dynamic tests and the six static tests, one after another, on the same unit. The Tow & Stow line is tested to SAE J-684. Every B&W-brand product is covered by the company's Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty to the original consumer, against defects in material and workmanship, for as long as that person owns it.
Prestige Truck is an authorized B&W dealer. Every B&W product we ship is new, in the factory carton, and backed by B&W's own warranty and its US-based support team in Humboldt, Kansas.
The Load Bar Assembly Explained
A close look at the load bar assembly: the tapered LITEFLEX composite bars, how they attach at the head, and how they take load through the cylinder.
Useful if you want to understand what you are buying before it arrives.
Standard Or Underslung: Which Continuum Do I Need?
The single most important question to answer before ordering, because the coupler style on your trailer decides which kit fits.
B&W shows both coupler types side by side so you can identify yours by looking at the A-frame.
Built The B&W Way
A look inside B&W's Kansas plant at how the company approaches quality, from raw steel to the finished hitch that goes in your truck.
If you want to know what separates a B&W from an import hitch, this is the culture that does it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers on specs, fit and support
Is this a complete weight distribution hitch?
No. This is the Continuum load bar unit ONLY. It carries the spring bars, the hydraulic pump and cylinder and the trailer frame brackets, but there is no shank, no head and no ball in the box, so nothing here mounts to your truck. The complete kit is WDHK4501 with a 2" shank or WDHK4503 with a 2.5" shank. If you do not already own a Continuum head unit, buy the kit rather than this part number.
Which head unit do I need with it?
One that matches your truck's receiver: WDHH4500 for a 2" receiver and WDHH4502 for a 2.5" receiver in the standard shank length and standard drop. B&W also makes extended-shank and extended-drop heads (WDHH4504, WDHH4506, WDHH4512 and WDHH4514) if your truck and trailer heights need them.
Standard or underslung, how do I tell which I need?
Look at the front of your trailer from the side. If the coupler body sits on top of the A-frame rails, that is a standard coupler. If it hangs below them, that is underslung. This unit is the underslung version. It is the single most important thing to get right, because the coupler style decides where the spring bars can sit.
Why is the load bar unit so much more expensive than the head?
Because almost all of the Continuum is in it. The composite spring bars, the hydraulic pump with its gauge and valves, the cylinder and hoses and the trailer frame brackets are all here. The head unit is a shank, a casting and a ball. That price split is also why buying a second head to move one Continuum between two trucks is a reasonable thing to do, and buying a second load bar unit usually is not.
Do I need different bars if my tongue weight changes?
No. The tapered LITEFLEX composite bars cover 600 lb to 1,600 lb of tongue weight as one set, so a heavier load is a few more strokes of the pump handle rather than a bar swap or a head adjustment. That range is the working range of the hitch, not a rating for a particular ball, and the complete hitch tops out at 16,000 lb gross trailer weight.
Why does the photo show a complete hitch?
Because B&W does not photograph this part on its own. The load bar unit has no consumer product page; it is a service and configuration part sold through dealers. Rather than leave the listing without an image we show the parent kit's own product photograph and say so plainly here and in the alt text. What arrives is the load bar unit alone, in a carton of about 67 lb.
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