Forum Discussion

harry_and_thea's avatar
harry_and_thea
Explorer
Nov 02, 2015

Reese Revolution Questions

I am about to buy a fifth wheel with the Reese Revolution pin box. The fellow I am buying the trailer from has a short bed truck and therefore has the revolution feature active. I have a crew cab long box and therefore could restore it to where it operates like a standard immobile pin box. I am wondering which mode would be advantageous for me.
I have always felt that I have a bit of a handicap in backing into a site because my extremely long truck takes so much space when countersteering during back-up. When that pin box is in the revolution mode in effect what happens is that you make your trailer shorter and your truck longer. So now the truck is even longer, which is not good, but maybe the trailer is more responsive to counter steering which is good. I'm having a hard time figuring out which mode would be better for me. Any opinions out there as to which mode would work best for me?
  • Dave_and_Sue's avatar
    Dave_and_Sue
    Explorer
    Nov 02, 2015
    I would try it the way it is.I have the Sidewinder(same thing).I really think the 5 er is more responsive to turns and quicker to move when backing up.It sure wont hurt tor try it both ways and see for your self how it works.
  • Mike_Taverniti's avatar
    Mike_Taverniti
    Explorer
    Nov 03, 2015
    I would not use the sidewinder if I had a long bed. There are no advantages if you don't need it.
  • magic43's avatar
    magic43
    Explorer
    Nov 03, 2015
    I recently installed a Sidewinder and it greatly increased the responsiveness when backing.
  • SkiSmuggs's avatar
    SkiSmuggs
    Explorer
    Nov 03, 2015
    I just posted these Sidewinder/Revolution tips on another forum.
    Tip#1 Don't use a Teflon disk
    Tip#2 Grease sides of wedge, skid plate and back of pin
    Tip#3 Check the torque of the 4 turret bolts on a regular basis. They are supposed to be 45 ft/lbs (or what your manual says). Tighter and it binds. Looser and you have slack that could over stress from excess movement.
    Tip#4 If it comes with the 5 1/2 lockout bolts, save them just in case. I had to find them at a hardware store when I finally needed them.
    That is about it.
  • harry_and_thea's avatar
    harry_and_thea
    Explorer
    Nov 04, 2015
    Well, differing opinions. I guess I'll have to try it both ways. Thanks Skismuggs for those four pointers. They are valuable and make a lot of sense. I'll take them to heart.
  • DHCamper's avatar
    DHCamper
    Explorer
    Nov 04, 2015
    I went from a short bed Revolution swinging to a long bed with the pinbox fixed. Backing is definitely more challenging with the fixed pinbox. Towing is smoother with the pinbox fixed. The side to side inertia of the swinging pinbox on the trailer seemed to be transmitted to the truck. The side to side motion disappeared once I locked the hitch. That was my experience, and it was enough for me to prefer to have it locked and deal with the small change in backing response.
  • Dayle1's avatar
    Dayle1
    Explorer II
    Nov 04, 2015
    Definitely, the trailer will respond faster when the Revolution is used as designed. And some owners with long beds prefer to use it that way even when cab clearance is not an issue. There is one more point, extended pin boxes like the Lippert 1621 have a potential problem that since they are longer than 1/2 the truck bed width, the back of the pin box may hit the truck bed sides during 90 degree jack-knifes. The Revolution in lock-out mode can do the same thing, but in normal mode it cannot. Just one more issue to consider. Try it both ways and find out what you prefer. At least you have choices.
  • DHCamper's avatar
    DHCamper
    Explorer
    Nov 05, 2015
    I forgot to mention the elimination of hitching problems by eliminating the wedge. I had some very frustrating experiences trying to resolve the finicky alignment required to get the wedge properly seated in the hitch. Without the wedge and the pinbox fixed, I don't even give hitching a second thought.
  • SkiSmuggs's avatar
    SkiSmuggs
    Explorer
    Nov 05, 2015
    Good points in the last 3 posts. Hitching and unhitching was more difficult with normal Sidewinder operation, probably due to the wedge. When I switched from an F150 to an F350, I couldn't raise the hitch to level the trailer due to the fiver's mounting plates interfering with the motion, so I had to lock the Sidewinder and move the wedge to the storage position. Because I had the Lippert 1621 setup, I now have to be concerned with extreme turns hitting either the side of the bed or the back of the cab. It looks like they would happen about the same time. But this is true once I replaced the Sidewinder with a MorRyde pin box as well.

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