Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.
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:
California residents: click here
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.
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!
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
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.
I haven't had a chance to put it on my trailer yet it looks much stronger built a lot better than the factory pin box exited to use it on my short bed
i got my hitch in good time and good condition. i installed it myself with the help of my yard tractor loader. very easy install
Great product, wish I had before I broke my back window and smashed my roof. Fast easy transaction and delivered on time in good order
Was delivered without being informed. Also. Would only fit 1 bolt pattern that fit to the bolt pattern on the pin box.
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.
Brian
1/12/2023
Its been a year since I upgraded my hitchkingpin set up and my feelings are still exactly the same. The kingpin is great. I love how much faster the trailer responds, especially when backing up, compared to my old slider hitch. Definitely money well spent.
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.
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 !!!!
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.
Got expert advice from David B. This arrived along with my Reese fifth wheel hitch and they work beautifully together to solve my problems with towing a fifth wheel with a ram that had a ram box. Giant pain in the butt but problem has been resolved thanks to y’all
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!
The sidewinder works exactly as advertised, We installed this on our 41' Heartland Landmark 365 and the increase in manuverability is awesome.
The quality is top notch and I would recommend this product all day long.
I installed this myself and it bolted right into place with zero issues.
If your on the fence about purchasing this product I highly recommend pulling the trigger, you won't regret it...
The sidewinder is an Awesome Product thanks etrailer!!
Excellent customer service. Teresa was very helpful, listened to my setup questions and knew right where to go. I enjoyed the buying experience and felt confident that my money was going to the right product and company. Thanks Teresa and etrailer.
Do you have a question about this 5th Wheel Pin Box?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer.com we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
Gwendolyn Y.
2/28/2025
Hey Delbert. Good luck on the install! Let me know how you like the new pin box when you get a chance to use it :)