Sidewinder Hitch. Anyone have one? Any issues?

Yes, it's unusual force on the pin box when turning sharp but that's not done at 60 mph on a rough roads. I've never heard of damage from a SW. Craig

The Sidewinder / 5th AB combo will add to the hitched height (nose high).
Doesn't seem to cause any stability or tracking problems.
No other issues on the years we have owned it.

-Bryan

I have had a Reese Sidewinder with my KZ 30ft 1500 5th wheel and Dodge Mega Cab short box. It worked great and I would recommend for that combo.
The dealer had originally installed a slider but we had problems on the first time backing into our drive. With the slide activated the pin box would gouged our tailgate in a tight turn.
Solution Reese Sidewinder.

Hooking up was an issue as one member mentioned...you had to be
DEAD ON in order to make sure the blocks lined up....
solution dealer installed a Husky 16K-W. Its articulated features solved the hook up problem.

We now pull a 37ft Cougar RES with the Husky 16K-W and find hooking up to be a breeze. The 3 way articulation takes all of the guess work out of hooking up.

PS: we also upgraded our TV to an 8' box. World of a difference.
Regards, GPG

I had a Sidewinder on my Jayco, they work as advertised. You cannot tell any difference towing on the highway between the Sidewinder and a regular pin box. You can feel a little jolt sometimes on a curvy road due to slack in the wedge and side of the hitch. This jolt happens just before the pin box starts to pivot at the torrent, and I could only feel it during a slow speed sharp turn. The hooking up takes a little to get comfortable with, but after a few times becomes natural. I used mine for 4 years with a Reese Signature Series hitch, I liked it. At the time I had the Sidewinder, B&W didn't offer a sliding hitch or I would have never tried it. I pull Gooseneck trailers as well as Fifth Wheel, so the Superglide was not for me at that time. I will say my B&W is a much smoother, easier hitching system, but the Sidewinder does work, and is an option for many.

mfoster711 wrote:

N-Trouble wrote:
You don't have to use one to tell it WILL apply additional forces at the kingpin. Anytime you increase the length of a lever arm additional forces are going to be applied at the pivot point(kingpin).

I think you (and others) are forgetting that most new 5th wheels already have extended king pins. If you are replacing an extended king pin with the Sidewinder, which is the same length, then there is no difference and no additional forces applied.


If you replace the short king pin with a Sidewinder, or any other extended king pin, then you are applying additional forces to the frame. But, I think 95% of 5th wheels made in the past 5 years already have an extended king pin so most people are fine with the Sidewinder.

100% agree

N-Trouble wrote:
You don't have to use one to tell it WILL apply additional forces at the kingpin. Anytime you increase the length of a lever arm additional forces are going to be applied at the pivot point(kingpin).

I think you (and others) are forgetting that most new 5th wheels already have extended king pins. If you are replacing an extended king pin with the Sidewinder, which is the same length, then there is no difference and no additional forces applied.

To clarify, here is a short king pin:


And here is a standard extended king pin found on most new 5th wheels:


If you replace the short king pin with a Sidewinder, or any other extended king pin, then you are applying additional forces to the frame. But, I think 95% of 5th wheels made in the past 5 years already have an extended king pin so most people are fine with the Sidewinder.

Hunter11 wrote:
I love all the experts that can tell you how bad the Sidewinder is for your trailer but have never owned one or use one. We had one on our last unit for 7 years with no issues at all. It worked great. We have some friends that have had one on their unit for three years now with no issues.

As far as the comment about the wedge not staying in place I found that pulling the bolts, using Loktite and re-torquing them stopped that issue.

You don't have to use one to tell it WILL apply additional forces at the kingpin. Anytime you increase the length of a lever arm additional forces are going to be applied at the pivot point(kingpin). For some trailers this may not be an issue but there are numerous reports out there of kingpin damage as a result.

I knew all those physics classes in college would pay off sometime:)

Hunter11 wrote:
I love all the experts that can tell you how bad the Sidewinder is for your trailer but have never owned one or use one. We had one on our last unit for 7 years with no issues at all. It worked great. We have some friends that have had one on their unit for three years now with no issues.

As far as the comment about the wedge not staying in place I found that pulling the bolts, using Loktite and re-torquing them stopped that issue.

Yes on all you said... As soon as I read the post about bolts coming loose I made a mental note to add Loktite.

I love all the experts that can tell you how bad the Sidewinder is for your trailer but have never owned one or use one. We had one on our last unit for 7 years with no issues at all. It worked great. We have some friends that have had one on their unit for three years now with no issues.

As far as the comment about the wedge not staying in place I found that pulling the bolts, using Loktite and re-torquing them stopped that issue.

afishinado, sounds like you are getting what you need.

For what it's worth ... 24 months and 24+ trips (get out at least once a month, whether I need it or not!) and I'm happy with the setup. If you've got a short box, it is a solid option. I considered the Pullright Superglide (I think that was the name), but with my 1/2 ton truck, couldn't take the weight penalty of that hitch.

Safe travels.