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Old 04-11-2012, 06:30 AM   #1
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5th hitch

If you guys read my previous post, you know Kitty and I picked up our new 5er March 30. This is my first experience with a 5th wheel hitch. I'm having trouble getting it to hitch and un-hitch. (only did it twice)

By trouble, I mean, getting the king pin to slide in and the hitch to lock. Then getting the release handle to pull out to release the king pin.

Is there a trick to getting determining the correct height to have the trailer? How much weight can be left on the truck?

Any help is appreciated

Shorty
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Old 04-11-2012, 06:49 AM   #2
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I had the same problem when I got my 1st 5er. I greased up all of the hitch parts and pin. Been a piece of cake ever since. Grease is messy however so I switched to a Spray on graphite. Doesn't work quite as well but gets the job done. Good Luck.
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Old 04-11-2012, 08:51 AM   #3
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Had same issues when I first started unhooking. The dealer made it seem so easy!!

When parking make sure you are as level as possible from left to right. Too much of a slope and it will put some stress on the hitch. I get my unit level and then raise the front landings until you see a quarter inch of light/spacing between the hitch and your king pin. Too much and it will lift the truck, not enough and it will snag your truck. Once you have that gap, I pull my release handle. 9 times out of 10 the truck will just move past the 5th wheel jaws. I move the truck forward and then level unit front to back. In some areas I will also chock the wheels before I release the handle.

Reverse the process going back and ENSURE you do a pull test before raising the front landings all the way. There are trucks all over that have a bent tailgate after the trailer slid off the hitch.

Hope this helps.
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Old 04-11-2012, 09:51 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shorty Cox View Post
If you guys read my previous post, you know Kitty and I picked up our new 5er March 30. This is my first experience with a 5th wheel hitch. I'm having trouble getting it to hitch and un-hitch. (only did it twice)

By trouble, I mean, getting the king pin to slide in and the hitch to lock. Then getting the release handle to pull out to release the king pin.

Is there a trick to getting determining the correct height to have the trailer? How much weight can be left on the truck?

Any help is appreciated

Shorty
What brand of hitch do you have? I have a Husky 1600 and almost always have a difficult time unhitching. The dealer checked it out and said the hitch is ok. He hooked it up to a rig he had on the lot and had no problem. He said my difficulties are user error:lizard: I am having some success when I make sure that the truck and rig are level right to left...but I sometimes still have trouble. I lift the rig so that there is about 1/4 inch clearance and take front/back stress off the pin by moving the truck either forward or back. I also have been very generous with the graphite spray. All of the tricks and I still have to fight the hitch to get the handle to unlatch the pin. Is it possible that there is a design issue with the Husky hitch? Or is it probably just user error?
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Old 04-11-2012, 10:31 AM   #5
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Sounds like you are doing everything right. Any issues with the pin itself?
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Old 04-11-2012, 11:07 AM   #6
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I have the RBW Li'l-Rock'r 15,000lb hitch. When you slide into the pin you release a bar that slides in behind it. The pin is slightly loose so there is some movement and causes biers on the slide bar and this makes it hard to engage and disengage. I have to file the biers off the bar occasionally and I try and keep it greased.
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Old 04-11-2012, 01:47 PM   #7
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With me wheels chocked, I will back into the king pin until the jaws close. You don't have to baby it.
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Old 04-11-2012, 04:56 PM   #8
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With our old 5er we got better with practice. Don't forget to give it the shake test before driving off.
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Old 04-11-2012, 08:27 PM   #9
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I never had any problems unhitching the first three times we used it. It has only been the last few times that I have had the problems. That is why I took it back to the dealer for a check. We are going out tomorrow for a three night trip. Hopefully with all of the tricks I have heard about, it will unhitch easily.
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Old 04-12-2012, 06:09 AM   #10
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My in bed hitch is a Reese Pro series 15k. I have the Reese Revolution pin box on the 5er, which means there is a wedge installed at the king pin to prevent it from turning at the hitch. Maybe after a few uses, it will all loosen up and become easer, plus, there is always a learning curve involved.

Thanks to all for your input.

Shorty
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Old 04-12-2012, 07:45 AM   #11
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I noticed with our new FW that left-right level seems to be pretty important. When I am spot-on level, the FW hitches and un-hitches great. However, the other day at the dealer, we were a little off level and it was hard to get it to un-hitch. This is a new FW as we towed our old one for eight years with this hitch so maybe it's just a bit tighter than the old one. Time will tell. I think I will put a little lithium grease on it when we go to pick it up later this week.
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Old 04-13-2012, 10:47 PM   #12
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Hitchin and Unhitchin

IMHO when hitchin - wheels chocked. Pin box plate 1/2" lower than the center of the receiver plate. King pin within the middle of the V (left to right)
Angle of attack not more than 10 degrees off center if possible.

Unhitchin - wheels chocked. Gear down. Pin box plate just off the receiver plate i.e. no weight on truck. Jaws open. breakaway and power cord disconnected. Tailgate down. Parking brake off. Pull forward. Dont forget where you parked.

It's a whole different story with a Superglide. Also - a checklist might save a drop or a tailgate.

I'm just sayin...

happy trails
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Old 04-14-2012, 06:51 PM   #13
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I have the same 15K Reese Pro hitch. I have not had any issues with hitching or unhitching my unit. I do have the 10" teflon lube plate on my pin too. What I have found to work best for me is when disconnecting coming up till I just see light between the head and king pin. Then I pull the lever and pull ahead. When reconnecting I will line up and lift the trailer 1/4 - 1/2 inch when connecting. If there is too much height you will not hit the jaw right.

I have not have any hangups or issues with releasing the jaw on my unit and I only have added grease to the zurk on the head.
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Old 04-14-2012, 08:04 PM   #14
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I use a Reese Signature 16K, with a 10" nylon plate and no grease. The only problem I've ever had was when pulling in, then landing gear down, and handle won't release because of the king pin pressure against the jaws. In that situation, I just back the truck slightly to release the pressure, then the handle comes free immediately. The Reese has enough swivel side to side that leveling is not a problem.
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