Troubleshooting Coupling Issues With A Reese Sidewinder Pin Box And Reese 5th Wheel Hitch

Published 05/27/2022

Products Featured in This Question

Reese 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch - Dual Jaw - 16,000 lbs

(396)

$520.01

LubriMatic White Lithium Grease - 14 oz. Cartridge

(76)

$9.02

Lube Plate for Reese 5th Wheel Trailer Hitches - 10" Diameter

(630)

$9.94

5th Airborne Custom Wedge for Select Series Fifth Wheels

(25)

$71.60

Question:

Good day to you Kevin The 15K or is it the 16k dual claw Reese hitch and Sidewinder 20K are both brand new The dual claw operates perfectly every time when nothing is hitched It's impossible to have both units perfectly level every time from campsite to campsite There has to be some type of give The witch plate on it looks to be the proper one it was installed by the dealer and looks like it showed on the picture I can take pictures of it tonight and send to you if that's any help to confirm that I have the right wedge plate Should there not be some type of give on the angles a little bit seeing how the kingpin box has full 3d motion so it should be able to pretty much self-adjust to the other would it not

asked by: Louis D

Expert Reply:

There are a few options to help ease your Sidewinder's coupling with your Reese 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch # RP30047:

1. Make sure that your trailer is level. This will ensure that the king pin is going in straight. The jaws of a hitch are usually pretty forgiving but can bind up if the king pin is off center too much.

2. You can use a lube plate like # RP83002. This helps the king pin slide into hitch with ease and also helps prevent scratches to the skid plate.

3. Lube the jaws of the hitch. You can use some white lithium grease like # L11354 to help grease the jaws to make operation much smoother.

4. Make sure the jaws are fully opening when the handle is pulled back. You could have a worn spring or gear causing the hitch to malfunction. I the spring is the issue you can replace it with # 30776, if a gear is the issue then you would need to replace the head of the hitch with # RP58146.

5. Ensure you're using the correct wedge kit for your hitch. For the # RP30047 you'll need # SWW-03.

expert reply by: Kevin C

Louis

5/27/2022

Kevin C.

5/27/2022

There is definitely some give but I've seen people try to hookup with the king pin completely crooked to the hitch so I always start with first making the two as level with each other as possible. From there the pin box should be slightly lower than the skid plate of the hitch to ensure there's no gap between the pin box and hitch when coupling. If you have a gap between the hitch and pin box height-wise that can lead the king pin not being in the correct position for the jaws to close.