Will Using Custom Reese Sidewinder Wedge with 30047 Make Connecting Easier

Updated 06/28/2021 | Published 06/26/2021

Products Featured in This Question

Sidewinder Wedge Kit for 20,000-lb Reese ELITE, M-Series, or ProSeries Fifth Wheel Trailer Hitches

(53)

$60.90

5th Airborne Custom Wedge for Select Series Fifth Wheels

(25)

$71.65

Question:

I had one of the original Sidewinder in 2007, never an issue to hook or unhook. I now have another 5th wheel, so I wanted another Sidewinder. The new one has a bearing instead of the sleeve on the original. I have had trouble constantly trying to get hooked up, about 10-20 times backing into the hitch pin. The locking arm on my Reece 16K, #30047, needs about an inch to go the rest of the way in to lock the jaws around the king pin. I have been backing off the wedge all the way, then hooking up. Crawling in the truck bed under the Sidewinder and moving the wedge up into the throat of the hitch with the adjusting wheel made into the Sidewinder. Most times, I will have to pull forward and the backwards with the 5th wheel so I can get the wedge in far enough so I don’t have two pivot points. This is really getting old and I’m not happy with this situation now. I am using the wedge that came with the Sidewinder, so is there another wedge that would work better. I never had these issues with my older Sidewinder, so something has changed in the throat area preventing easier hook ups. The older Sidewinder wedge had larger guide wings, like the 30850. Could this be the issue, the smaller wings on the new wedge causing it to binder in the throat instead of guiding it in? The bolts are larger for the new universal wedge than the 30850. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

asked by: Tom M

Expert Reply:

Using a custom fit wedge with your Sidewinder will make your connect/disconnect much easier. Since you said you have the 30047 hitch the correct wedge would be the part # SWW-03 and you'd be set!

expert reply by: Jameson C