Difficulty Hooking Up/Unhooking 5th Wheel Trailer Using Reese Revolution Pin Box

Updated 04/30/2018 | Published 04/29/2018

Question:

Revolution hitch and Reese 30047. Is there a trick to hookup and unhooking I always seem to run into problems both ways but have spent hours trying to get unhooked. Thanks for any tips.

asked by: Mike H

Helpful Expert Reply:

The straighter the truck and trailer are and the more level they are the easier it will be to hook up and unhook the 5th wheel trailer. When using a Revolution or Sidewinder pin box you pretty much have to be straight. The reason is the wedge that locks out rotation of the hitch is in the way. You could remove the wedge to hookup or unhook as long as you remember to put in back into place every time.

There are some things that can make it difficult. Basically if the trailer king pin is putting pressure on the hitch jaws that can make if very difficult to release the jaws. You may need to pull a little forward or back up a little to relieve the tension.

Hooking up is best done when lined up straight and level. The 5th wheel hitch head should be angled down and the pin box skid plate should be slightly lower than the bottom edge of the hitch's skid plate. that way the trailer sort of ramps up into the hitch and you avoid "high hitching" which is when the king pin sits on top of the hitch jaws.

If the hitch is difficult to operate even without the trailer coupled then the inner mechanisms likely need to be lubricated with automotive chassis grease.

expert reply by: Michael H