Make tight 90-degree turns with your short-bed pickup while towing your fifth-wheel trailer using this extended pin box. The pivoting action lets your trailer turn and clear the cab so you don't have to exit your truck to adjust when turning.
Features:
Specs:
Use the formula below to ensure that there will be enough space between your truck cab and trailer when you are executing a 90-degree turn with the Sidewinder installed.
(A + B) - C = Clearance
A = Distance from center of fifth-wheel hitch jaw to truck cab in inches
B = Length of Sidewinder arm in inches (22")
C = Width of trailer in inches divided by 2
For example:
If you are using the 20,000-lb Sidewinder, then B = 22"
If the distance from the center of your hitch to your truck's cab is 36", then A = 36"
And if your fifth-wheel trailer is 102" wide, then C = 51"
102/2 = 51
Therefore,
(36 + 22) - 51 = 7" of clearance
It is now possible to turn your short-bed truck 90 degrees without having to worry that your trailer will collide with the cab of your truck. The universal king pin locking wedge included with this Sidewinder prevents your trailer from turning or pivoting at the fifth-wheel hitch. Instead, the rotating turret at the end of the Sidewinder allows turning and pivoting to take place an additional 22" away from the cab.
Custom King Pin Locking Wedges: The included universal wedge prevents the king pin from rotating in most fifth-wheel trailer hitches. Certain hitches, however, require a custom wedge (sold separately).
Note: Do not use the Sidewinder with any of the following:
Alternate Instructions
Average Customer Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (28 Customer Reviews)
Make tight 90-degree turns with your short-bed pickup while towing your fifth-wheel trailer using this extended pin box. The pivoting action lets your trailer turn and clear the cab so you don't have to exit your truck to adjust when turning.Parts where on back order per information given by my 2 other vendors etrailer had it in stock and arrived on time before original ETA
As a owner of a small business etrailer is great to work with and always helpful.
Sidewinder worked great for my short bed Ram. Be sure to get the matching wedge for your hitch.
Thanks etrailer. I will be using you for all my trailer components
I'm an absolute green horn, jumping in big time with a 45' Momentum and desired RAM 3500 HO Mega cab. After extensive research, I was glad to find validation here for an "ultimate short bed solution" with the Sidewinder cushioned on a BD5 Trailer.
My only other consideration at this point would be the Reese goose ball.
It may not offer quite as much turning angle or cushioning, but has the bed space advantage. Thank you!
I am using this pinbox with a 6.6' bed on my Ram with Ramboxes. My old pinbox would hit the sides and limit my turning ability. This was an awesome solution, very happy.
Had a 16k sidewinder inbox it cracked traded it out for a20k w/o air bag much beefier unit etrailer helped me out to warranty the pinbox with out a problem Reese drug me along for 3months with no results.
But Paula T. got me taken care
Side note I don’t think it’s right to have to pay freight to return a faulty part that is not my fault. Just wrong. If it was my fault that would be ok. etrailer should change there policy on this !!!!
Cumbersome to unfold and re-fold
The A team!
E trailer and camco sewer hose support system is excellent
Nice compact storage good quality.
Great customer service and quick shipping.
My only regret with this kingpin is not switching to it sooner. I recently changed up my entire set up to this kingpin and a Hensley BD5 Trailer Saver hitch, for my 41ft Jayco Seismic Wave. If you use a slider hitch, whether auto or manual, you know there's a significant lag in response from the trailer when turning and backing. This kingpin eliminates that lag time. My hitch/kingpin combo is a pricey upgrade, but if you tow often then it will be money we'll spent.
Good quality, I like the caps. Fits gre at.
Excellent product! Took seconds to set up and worked prefect! Unfolds easy , nice carring handle. I would highly recommend this. Price and shipping is great.
I needed the sidewinder hitch due to transferring from a standard bed truck to a short bed. I installed it my self and the setup was very easy. It works just as it should!
I really like this. Simplifies the dump for sure.
When we ordered the Yakima Sidewinder, we hadn't realized that the luggage rack on our new RAV4 was a newer style that did not fit the couplings included with the Sidewinder. We spoke with a rep at Yakima who helped us find a fix (a set of couplings that worked) and discounted the price to us. We have a tandem bike that is quite heavy. This product makes it possible for us get the bike on the top of the car (my wife has a bad back, so I need to do most of the heavy lifting myself) and go anywhere. The product feels good and solid, too. We're secure using it and driving all over the cities and rural areas near Minneapolis.
I purchased this just over one year ago and it has performed its mission flawlessly. I have moved my tandem multiple times and thousands of miles on a 2005 Chevrolet Uplander LT without incident. The bike is held securely at the front fork and the bottom (horizontal) tube between the bottom brackets. I was concerned initially, but this does hold the bike very securely. In my opinion, the biggest benefit of this design is the incredible ease of loading the bike. The front pivoting feature makes loading a tandem easier than loading any other bicycle on any other rack I have ever used. I can do it alone and my feet only need to leave the ground to attach the bottom tube restraints, much less than what I need to do when loading single bikes.
I drive a RAM 2500 shortbox diesel with the Rambox feature that I really like. It also had the factory puck system in the bed. But when I found the 5th wheel I wanted i soon realized that the stock Lippert pin box would not work with my truck. I wanted to use the Curt A20 hitch that I already had but assumed that I would need to replace that for a sliding hitch. When I discussed my issues with the etrailer support tech he told me about this Reese sidewinder and all the reasons it would work with my truck where nothing else would. He was spot on with his advice. I've now had the Reese for a year and have been out many times without issue. I can even make 90° turns and the trailer cap doesn't even come close to the truck cab. I can even open the Rambox most of the way with the trailer mounted. I'm very happy with the product. This hitching stuff can be complicated and risky and I'm glad I talked to the support team before I may have made a stupid mistake.
Having a Ram 3500 Megacab, short bed, I was terribly worried about hitting the cab with my Momentum toy hauler given it's 102" wide. My choice was slider or this Reese Sidewinder. I chose the Sidewinder and darn glad I did. It works as advertised and I can turn a full 90 degrees with about 5" of clearance between the cab and my front nose of the trailer. Some words of caution: this pin box is heavy! Get it professionally installed by your RV dealer. The wedges for your particular hitch will take some getting used too. Move wedge back to hitch, move forward to lock into place. Even still, I need to lay in the bed and have rigged up a heavy wire to assisting getting that wedge tight in the funnel. If you don't, the hitch will move on corners and you feel a big shift of weight.
Bottom line, I like it, it was the right decision for me and didn't take up any more payload than necessary unlike a heavy slider hitch. Recommended! And etrailer delivered on time as promised.
I don't always need a hose support system but when I do I use this. Yes it's light plastic so careful. Used about 4 times and nothing has broken.
Prompt delivery from etrailer. Price was good. Not the first time I’ve ordered from them and they have never failed to please
For those who are considering a “slide hitch” this is a better alternative. Rather than get into a bind and need to release the slide feature, the Sidewinder pin box pivots farther back than a typical pin box so it never puts your pickup in a compromising position. I purchased a 20k standard hitch to use in conjunction with the Sidewinder. I have no regrets and I highly recommend this pin box.
It is the best thing that a novice 5th wheel owner could ask for. Having to go get a class A license to pull my trailer, it made it easy for me to pass the test with litte 5th wheel experience but a lot of bumper tow experience. The mechanical aspect of this unit is what sold me. Few moving parts and no sliding components made me feel safe and confident while navigating my trailer in some difficult situations. And pulling a 19,000 pound trailer accross California's raods, you need all the confidence in your equipment you can get.
Needed a pin that would fit my short bed and Ram Boxes. After extensive research I coupled this along with the B&W patriot 18K hitch and I have full clearance on my trailer and cab. I now have an extra 22 inches that other hitches wouldn't and couldn't give me.
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