The magnetic properties of the R 2 Fe 14 BH x (RϭGd, Pr, and Dy͒ compounds have been studied by measuring low-field ac magnetic susceptibility vs temperature and magnetization vs temperature and applied magnetic field on magnetically aligned samples. A strong reduction in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the Gd-based compounds is observed, and the compounds remain axial in the measured temperature range. A hydrogen induced spin reorientation transition ͑HISRT͒ takes place in the Dy 2 Fe 14 BH x series for xу1, with the transition temperature T s increasing with increasing hydrogen content. In the Pr 2 Fe 14 BH x compounds no HISRT is found, however for 0Ͻxр3 we observe first-order magnetization processes ͑FOMP͒, with the critical field H c decreasing with increasing hydrogen content. For the Pr 2 Fe 14 BH 5.5 compound the reduction is so strong that H c Ϸ0, and the compound remains in a conical phase in the studied temperature range ͑5 -470 K͒. We have combined analytical methods and a crystalline electric field-mean field model to obtain a quantitative evaluation of the effect of hydrogenation on the magnetic and crystal-field interactions. We have found that the observed behavior in the Gd, Dy, and Pr series can be explained by a decrease of the Fe sublattice anisotropy and by a decrease ͑in the Dy and Pr series͒ of the crystal-field parameters B n0 (nϭ2, 4, and 6͒ under hydrogenation. The hydrogen induced variations of the R-Fe exchange interaction seem to have a minor influence on the observed magnetic behavior.