Reese Sidewinder Pros & Cons

I replaced my damaged kingpin with this Sidewinder. I have included what I like and dislike about this kingpin.
See part II - • Reese Sidewinder Pros ...

[@daviddinkins4152]

I have the same Sidewinder and B&W Companion hitch, and I don't see any movement nor feel anything moving. I put mine on after I finally busted the window and cab corner. I'm very pleased with it now. I would triple verify that they sent you the correct wedge.

[@REESEProducts]

Hi Steve! Thank you for making this video on the sidewinder. Happy to hear you are enjoying it so far. As for your sway issue please ensure you have the correct wedge installed and that it is adequately tight. Our apologies that you are still waiting on a response from customer service team.

[@Cvan732000]

A PullRite SuperGlide hitch would be your best option, without the need for sway controls.

[@cbellaire]

Nice job.. thanks

[@John-te4nu]

Had a Reese 5th wheel that i used for years and moved from truck to truck and only problem is that one time would not unhook after i lubricated it worked great

[@Takingitslow]

I have heard from a few who state they had no problem. I worked with the company I bought it from and the manufacturer and it was confirmed I had the correct wedge and it was adjusted correctly. No one could give me an answer on how to fix the swaying. I sold the rv last year and now have a motorhome.

[@philsalsbery9994]

Thanks for your video. I am surprised at your displeasure with the Reese Sidewinder pin box. I have a 2017 RAM 3500 SRW 6'4" bed truck with Ram Boxes. It is a truck very similar to your Ford. I reached out to e-trailer for a solution for my desired 5th wheel towing and they recommended I get the Reese 19K Sidewinder pin box mated to the Reese 20K Titan 5th wheel hitch in the bed of my truck to tow my new at the time 2018 39 foot Montana 5th wheel. RAM would NOT install their 5th wheel puck system in my special order truck due to the possibility of a standard 5th wheel pin box impacting the insides of the Ram Boxes during sharp turns, from a liability standpoint, so I needed to install above bed rails in order to install my 5th wheel hitch . E-trailer recommended I use Reese on Reese products for pin box to hitch, for the best and safest fitment of the wedge on the bottom on the pin box to the hitch. I've been using this combination for 4+ years, with over 12K miles of towing all over the western United States with nothing less than a very comfortable, confident and safe towing experience. You only talk about the pin box, but you don't mention the hitch in your truck. Is it a Reese hitch? My Sidewinder came with 2 different wedge blocks for mounting one of them under the pin box in the correct position to ensure the best secure fit to the Reese hitch in the bed of my truck. Your truck's in bed 5th wheel hitch may be the problem causing the loose fitment and the resulting sway you are seeing while towing. My pin box fits perfectly into the hitch in the bed of my truck, so much so that it is sometimes difficult to disconnect the trailer from the hitch unless my truck is nearly straight to the trailer. I would recommend keeping your high $$$ Sidewinder pin box, and ensuring your wedge block is the correct one in the correct position to engage your truck's 5th wheel hitch. The pin box and lightly greased wedge block should slide in and lock with zero movement side to side or up and down. Save your $$$, because replacing your costly Sidewinder pin box, and purchasing a super heavy, bed space consuming, slider bed hitch will cost several thousands of $$$. At the very least, reach out to the folks at e-trailer and explain your issues with them. They are very helpful and will save you a bunch of $$$. I am just trying to help you out here as a fellow RV guy. Which Montana do you have? We have a 2018 Montana 3560-RL Legacy with full body paint and some other custom features . It cost me a damned fortune, but the wife wants what she wants, and it's the last RV we will ever be buying, so we special ordered it. I'd love to hear how you resolve your hitching and towing issues. Thanks again for the great video.

[@Takingitslow]

Thank You for the response and details. I am new to creating videos as you can see. My equipment is a 2017 F350 short bed, 2021 Montana 3790RD, Reese 20k Sidewinder, and a 20k Companion hitch. When I ordered the Sidewinder I did talk with the eTrailer sales team to ensure that I was getting a system that would work together. From there direction I ordered the wedge for my Companion hitch and the spacer plates as the Sidewinder mounting was narrower than the Montana mounting brackets. The instructions for the wedge were to have the 2 welds forward towards the hitch witch it is. I have also adjusted the wedge as far forward as it can go and still lock the jaws. I am going to pull the wedge and do another test fit in the hitch to verify where the block contacts the hitch. The paint on the block has worn off where I would expect it to on both sides but wonder if both sides are in contact at the same time. The block has a v-wedge on both sides, about 2/3 back from the front. If these are keeping the wedge from moving forward and keeping the front part of the wedge from making contact on both sides at the same time this would have to be the cause. I have also watched every KZbin video that I can find about this Sidewinder and I see the same movement. In these videos even though I see the same movement no one mentions it. I have also reached out to the manufacturer. It took them several weeks to respond asking for photos and measurements. I sent them right away over a week ago but have not heard anything back. I am not looking for no movement, as this would be unrealistic, but what I currently have is too much side-to-side movement.

[@philsalsbery9994]

@@Takingitslow Hi again, I can understand your frustration, because as by definition, the 'wedge' block should make solid contact on both sides of the hitch while towing to eliminate any side to side sway. I have wear marks on both sides of my wedge and on both sides of the hitch body just back from the jaws where the wedge is. I spray white lithium grease on both sides of both surfaces every time I connect my RV to my truck's hitch. While uncoupling, once the hitch lever is unlocked, I often need to bump my truck in both forward and reverse a couple times to loosen that bond between the wedge and the hitch with the front level up legs on the RV just barely off the ground by about a 1/2 inch, just for safety. My Reese Titan hitch has the lever which rotates up to unlock, but is often difficult to pull out. So, I use a rubber mallet to tap on the hitch arm to break that seal between the wedge and the hitch, then the arm slides out. I know it seems like it should uncouple easily, but while towing for many miles, that wedge nests itself into the hitch eliminating any sway type movement. Sometimes it releases easily, sometimes it needs some persuasion from the rubber mallet on the handle. Once the handle moves about an inch, it slides right out easily. I guess what I am getting at, is that the wedge needs to be relatively tight into the hitch, and just enough to allow the jaws to clamp onto the kingpin, while the wedge is tight fitting into the hitch. I gotta tell you, once you have the wedge in the correct orientation to make good contact with the hitch all along a good few inches of surface on both sides, the RV will tow like a dream with the only movement at the pivot point under the nose of the 5th wheel as designed. Seems to me that you need to ensure you have the correct wedge to make that perfect contact to the hitch. I hope all of this makes sense to you. Happy travels, best - Phil

[@philsalsbery9994]

This might also help, in order to find that perfect wedge location, provided you have the correct wedge to fit your hitch. Take just the wedge block and slide it into your truck's hitch to the point of contact on both sides, then measure from the center of the king pin location in the hitch to the front of the wedge block, then copy that measurement from the center of the kingpin on your pin box, and scribe a mark on the bottom of your pin box for the front of the wedge location. Then bolt your wedge with the front of it right on that scribe mark. You may need to back the wedge off no more than about 1/8" to avoid any possibility of heavy binding once fully connected. I'm just trying to help here my friend, as I fought to get my wedge in the perfect position. Once I found it, the ride has been nothing less than perfect.

[@Takingitslow]

@@philsalsbery9994 with my Companion hitch my jaws lock is a lever that I pull to the back to lock. I have had the wedge block too far forward where I could not get the lever back to the locked position and had to move the wedge back. I have noticed that it is important to back straight to the pivot point in order to get it to lock. I am guessing the wedge is hitting on one side and not the other preventing the kingpin from setting far enough in when this happens and have had to pull forward to align it. I did a test fit when I bought this setup and it looked good then. I to have wear marks on both sides of the wedge and receiver but this could be from it moving as I go down the road. I am planning on pulling the wedge to do another test fit. I will also measure the distance from the front of the wedge to the kingpin center and then place the wedge only in the receiver and measure that space too with the jaws in the locked position to ensure a good measurement. It would be nice if it is just an adjustment issue.

[@Takingitslow]

Finally got the right socket to pull off the wedge. I tested it in the fifth wheel slot and it is a very nice fit touching three inches on both sides. I measured the space between the wedge and the back of where the jaws lock around the kingpin. On the test fit there was a 1/2" gap. With the wedge mounted back on the swivel it is just over a 1/2" gap. If I turn the adjusting wheel one lobe I am not able to lock the fifth wheel jaws. (This one lobe is all of the forward adjustment it has left.) Putting it back the one lobe and I can close the jaws with some force on the locking arm. I am not able to move the wedge any further forward and the test fit of the wedge was tight. So as I see it I live with the side-to-side movement or remove the swivel hitch for a solid one and put a sliding fifth wheel in the truck bed.

[@robh063]

It looks to me that you have the wrong wedge. The wedge the Reese Sidewinder comes with is for the Reese hitch. You have to order a wedge for the B&W hitch. I had the same issue until I realized what the issue was.

[@Takingitslow]

I have reached out to them a couple of weeks ago about this side-to-side movement but they have not responded.

[@jefferycomrie]

How does your "tri-pod" work under your pin box and is it really necessary?

[@Takingitslow]

I modified the tripod so it set under the hinge point versus connecting to the king pin. The tripod adds a lot of stability to the nose from moving left and right.

[@Kevin-midmichigan]

Did you order the correct Block for the companion fifth wheel

[@Takingitslow]

I had the correct wedge. It was verified by Reese. The issue was the space/gap around the King Pin and the locking jaws.

[@zoodski]

I have a 22 F350 short bed and a 22 Montana high country 331RL. I also have a B&W companion hitch. I can turn about 80 degrees and still have clearance to my cab. Do you have the arms on your companion hitch pointing towards the cab instead of towards the tailgate? This would make a huge difference on your clearance to your rv.

[@Takingitslow]

I have the arms forward and in this position, I can turn more than 90 degrees. At first I had the arms towards the back and noticed I had a lot of clearance so I moved the arms full forward to move the weight forward. I still have a lot of clearance and can turn as tight as I need to, more than 90 degrees. I also found out the hard way that this tight of a turn will and in my case did break a rear leaf spring hanger bracket. Keystone provided the wedge block to weld inside of the hangers. Your 22 model should already have these blocks.

[@jefferycomrie]

How often do you "lube" the pin box?

[@Takingitslow]

When I had it I added lube at least once a month. It really depends on your use and the weather.

[@Propnut48]

Looks like it going to rip the head unit off the hitch.

[@hectortaboada1474]

I have just ONE question lol what kingpin stabilizer do you have?!?!

[@Takingitslow]

This setup does not have a stabilizer. I am not aware of one existing.

[@hectortaboada1474]

@@Takingitslow then what’s the tripod under it at the beginning of the video?

[@Takingitslow]

That stabilizes the nose of the 5th when parked, unhooked from the truck. It minimizes side to side movement. I thought you were talking about a stabilizer while towing.

[@hectortaboada1474]

@@Takingitslowlol I’m sorry I can see how that’s confusing but yes what tripod do you have and is it worth it? Because the king pin stabilizers I’ve seen and asked there’s none specific for the sidewinder

[@Takingitslow]

@@hectortaboada1474 You are right they do not make a stabilizer for the sidewinder. I had purchased the one you see prior to converting to a sidewinder. So it was designed to fit around the king pin. But after installing the sidewinder connecting it to the king pin would be of ZERO value. What I found with mine was I was able to open the side brackets on the stabilizer, vise grips did the job, enough to fit around the knob on the bottom under the pivot point. The stabilizer wont hang for this point like it does on the king pin but it does hold the nose of the RV. My stabilzer has three side flanges and I bent the two side ones our just enough to go around the sidewinders knob. Hope this make sense.

[@John-te4nu]

Better put some tape on to hrelp you back into it straight