My 5th Wheel Hitch Has Small Gap on Jaws When Connected to King Pin

Updated 05/07/2021 | Published 05/05/2021

Question:

I just purchased and installed the Reese 30051 hitch and used it for the first time. I noticed when I locked the jaws around the king pin, there was about a 1/2inch gap between the jaws. Definitely not enough for the king pin to slip out but I just wondering if that is the way it should be. Of course with no king pin in the jaws, they close until they touch each other. Should there be that small gap?

asked by: Brian O

Expert Reply:

The jaws on 5th wheel hitches like your Reese # RP30051 aren't going to be perfectly circular and actually have a slight elliptical shape to them. Due to this elliptical shape the jaws will not completely close around the pin when hooked up to the trailer and a small gap is common.

A gap of approximately 1/8 of an inch is well within in tolerance limits. If you have this small gap, and the handle is properly secured as you have mentioned then you should be good to go. You're indicating that your head might have a slightly larger gap, but I would want to know if the jaws are locking around the kingpin. If you can send a photo in I'm happy to take a look and see if the gap looks normal.

expert reply by: Erik B