Slider hitch, locking question

[jamnw]

I am a new 5th wheel owner. I have a slider hitch. The slide lock has 3 positions.

Lock: Maneuvering

Free

Lock: Towing


What is the difference in the two lock positions?

[Allworth]

The handle should only be in the "free" position (straight up on mine) when you are in the process of actually repositioning the hitch on the rails.

On my 10 year old Reese, if the hitch is to the front (travel) and for some reason the handle is in Maneuver, the hitch will slide back as soon as you put any pressure on it. Sometimes with quite a bang. It will then be locked to the rear until you release it again. Newer hitches may be different. Look at the square holes in the tops of your rails and you will see where the "dogs" lock in for each position.

I believe you always want the handle position to agree with the hitch location on the rails.

[Old-Biscuit]

IIRC a manual slider will NOT change positions unless placed in 'free' position then it can move either forward or backwards (depending on motion of truck and trailer brakes being locked)

Lever can not be moved to 'locked' until slider has moved.

So YES....if someone messed around with position of lever (moved to 'free') then hitch could slide backwards upon acceleration and forwards upon braking.

Whenever we stop (rest areas/lunch etc.) I have made it a habit to do a walk around twice.
1st one is when we initially stop......check tires/rig doors/compartments/lights.
2nd one is when we come back and getting ready to drive on...check tires/hitch/pigtail
Just routine anymore

[jamnw]

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough on my question.

If the slide is physically in the TOW position, and someone moved the lever to the LOCKED MANEUVER position. Or visa versa. Would the slide still stay locked or would it possibly move to the position indicated on the lever?

I have only pulled this from the dealer to home. Getting ready to take a long trip.
The guy at the dealer who did my walk through didn't know, but he told me that he's had people come out of a store and someone had pulled the pin on their hitch or messed with other things.
I never had any issues like that with my TT, but I also kept it locked. Which I will also do with this hitch. There is a place to lock the pin lock, but not the slide lever.

[romore]

The lock maneuvering is the rear most position, it allows the trailer to turn sharper without contacting the cab. The lock towing or forward position is what you should be using for towing. It positions the pin slightly ahead of the truck axle for maximum stability.