Fifth Wheel Hitch for a Rotating Kingpin on a Grand Designs Reflection 150 Series Trailer

Updated 05/05/2020 | Published 02/22/2018

Products Featured in This Question

Demco Recon 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch - Single Jaw - Above Bed - 21,000 lbs

(89)

$729.00

Replacement Universal Wedge for 5th Airborne Sidewinders

(5)

$76.41

Demco Premier Series Above-Bed Base Rails and Custom Installation Kit for 5th Wheel Hitches

(22)

$416.51

Question:

Im new to 5th wheels. Always had Travel Trailers and trying to sort out the maze. I have a 2015 Ram 2500 sb and Im purchasing a grand design Reflections 150 series 5th wheel that has a rotating kingpin similar to the sidewinder. What are the preferred recommendations since I dont think I need a slider being mindful of the clearances? I was kinda looking at the demco recon but yet not sure. Also thought of keeping the pin locked and going Anderson. Any suggestions /info would be great as we go all over the country. Thank you.

asked by: James W

Helpful Expert Reply:

Part of your Grand Design Reflections 150's best features is the 90 degree pivoting pin box, and it would be a shame to not use it. You're right in that you don't need to have a sliding hitch given its design. However, you'll want to verify the clearance. I've included a link to our Sidewinder FAQ so you can get a similar idea of its features.

Most importantly, in this article is how to calculate the clearance to verify if you need a hitch with offset to make the most of your pivoting pin box. You can substitute in the distance from the center of your axle to the rear of the cab to approximate the distance of the fifth wheel hitch.

For the installation, you'll need a fifth wheel hitch, fifth wheel bar kit, and a wedge for your hitch if you don't already have one.

The Demco Recon, part # DM8550043 isn't directly recommended for short bed variants of the 2015 Ram 2500, but Demco notes in its instructions that if your clearance is four (4) inches wider than half your RV's width, you can use it on the shorter bed trucks. Since your trailer has the integrated Sidewinder style pin box, its likely more compatible than it initially appears.

For your base rail, I recommend Demco's HiJacker Series, part # DM8552025-71. This kit is compatible with the recon and is a custom fit to your vehicle, minimizing the amount of time spent drilling into the vehicle's bed to fit the rails.

If you have a Sidewinder or Revolution branded pin box, I recommend Reese's Universal Wedge, part # 201100. This will install to the Demco Recon and stop the hitch from rotating, and allowing the included rotating pin box to operate correctly.

I've included videos of all of the parts except the wedge, so you can get an idea of their contents and features.

expert reply by: Jacob W

Ryan J.

5/3/2020

I have a 2016 grand design 375RE. It’s has the king pin design. I have the B&W ball in my truck. Is there some sort of attachment I can put on camper? I already try the Convert-A-Ball C5G1216 5th Wheel to Gooseneck Adapter, and this did not work. Please advise

Chris R.

5/5/2020

Unfortunately there's not an adapter available that allows a rotating pin box to be used with a gooseneck hitch. If you want to keep the B&W gooseneck in place, your only option would be to add the Companion Hitch # BWRVK3500 and lock out the pin box so that it only rotates at the hitch like a standard model.