Reese R16 Hitch

[bogart661]

Anyone with a Reese R16 or R20 hitch that has the yellow isolators should check them. I discovered that the 5/8" bolt that secures the head to the base on my hitch was off center and the hole in the isolators was elongated. I called Reese and they said they had a problem with the rubber being too soft in the yellow isolators. They sent me new up graded isolators that I just installed.
Here is a picture of the old ones and the new ones installed.

[jerem0621]

This thread is reading like a b&w commercial.

Are Reese hitches really this much trouble? Or is it just post USA made Reese products?

In the TT tread there is a tread about a Reese shank that sheared in half.

There was the Reese fifth wheel hitch that let the king pin pop out of the jaws damaging the truck. The owner did a visual check and a pull test too iirc.

What's going on at Reese/cequent?

[DJsFolly]

Got my first 5th wheel last Oct., first addition was the Blue Ox Bed saver. Read too many stories about latching situations. Saw what bed walls look like, nice TV needs new bed.

[TomHaycraft]

TJS3360 wrote:
Not to highjack your post, but does anyone else have trouble with this hitch latching. We've had our R16 for a year and every time I hook it up I have trouble getting it to fully close so I can insert the safety pin. Had alot of trouble leaving the campground this weekend. Calling Reese today to see if they have any suggestions.

I found the hitch challenging at first. Through trial and error, I found a bit of lube (I have been happy with the white lithium) on all contact surfaces and setting the height of the king pin about 1 to 1 1/2 inches below the height of the hitch, lifting the trailer slightly when backing into it. Pops right in and latch closes every time. Just be sure wheels are chocked!

A bit more challenging for me was to get it unlatched when unhooking. I found by running the landing gear down to put where truck was lifting some, taking the weight off the hitch/king-pin has allowed me more success.

One other point to consider, I'm also engaging with Reese's Sidewinder and mindful of hitting it as close to straight as possible due to the wedge.

Hope it helps!

[TJS3360]

bogart661 and rhagfo, thank you for the replies. Reese is sending a new head with the new isolators in it. Anxious to see if that helps. I'll report back. Great forum here.

[bogart661]

Not to highjack your post, but does anyone else have trouble with this hitch latching. We've had our R16 for a year and every time I hook it up I have trouble getting it to fully close so I can insert the safety pin. Had alot of trouble leaving the campground this weekend. Calling Reese today to see if they have any suggestions.

We've had this hitch for about a year also, when we first got it I could not get the locking arm all the way down to insert my lock. I called Reese and we went through a bunch of procedures on the phone, none of which worked. They sent me a new head and it worked the same way. I started to try different things and found a solution, leaving my trailer wheels chocked and the landing gear just off the ground I pull forward and for some reason that relieves the pressure on the jaws and the handle moves to the complete locked position.

[rhagfo]

TJS3360 wrote:
Not to highjack your post, but does anyone else have trouble with this hitch latching. We've had our R16 for a year and every time I hook it up I have trouble getting it to fully close so I can insert the safety pin. Had alot of trouble leaving the campground this weekend. Calling Reese today to see if they have any suggestions.

Is your pin and the jaws clean of dirt and excessive grease? Does the handle easily rotate down to the locked position? Does the pin line up when not hitched.

[TJS3360]

Not to highjack your post, but does anyone else have trouble with this hitch latching. We've had our R16 for a year and every time I hook it up I have trouble getting it to fully close so I can insert the safety pin. Had alot of trouble leaving the campground this weekend. Calling Reese today to see if they have any suggestions.

[Shepherd]

I have the 16k and there are no such items on mine.:h