Unhitching 5er

[Bose04]

I know you have to be lined up to hitch Reese hitch but do you need to be straight to unhitching. Having trouble unhitching TV. It is on a slight hill. 5er is lower on hill

[Nascon]

The straighter the better but if you're on a slight angle it works.

[donanddona]

I've unhooked at many various positions. Biggest issue is lowering the tailgate and not hitting the RV. I have had to either back-up or pull forward slightly after blocking and raising the RV to release the slide bar. If you can lower your tailgate as part of the disconnecting process then you should be ok.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Bose04

I know you have to be lined up to hitch Reese hitch but do you need to be straight to unhitching. Having trouble unhitching TV. It is on a slight hill. 5er is lower on hill

What problems are you having and maybe we can better assist you.
Problems raising the trailer?
Problems releasing the pin?

I often hitch and unhitch my 5th wheel (Reese hitch) at angles without issues but there are a few tricks.

Let us know what's going on and we'll see if we can help.

[Bose04]

Problem releasing pin

[Bama Rambler]

Once you chock the RV you may need to either move slightly forward or backward to relieve pressure on the pin. That should allow you to open the jaws and release the pin.

[ben31]

I know my hitch doesn't want to release, unless I get pressure off of the hitch. I have to be able to see a slight bit of space between the teflon ring and the hitch plate.

[richp]

Hi,

I also find that if the truck is putting rearward pressure on the jaws, they won't engage.

Putting the transmission in neutral may allow things to neutralize, but every now and then I have to let it creep forward a smidge in gear to release the pressure.

Hope this helps.

Rich Phillips

[5picker]

As mentioned...

Chock the wheels.
Raise the pin box to remove pressure on the plate.
I like to lift mine until I can just see some daylight between the pin box and the hitch.(about enough to slide a piece of paper in there)

If the jaw handle won't release, get in the truck, put transmission in neutral and let the truck 'settle' one direction or the other. Then, put the emergency brake on and THEN put truck back in park. This keeps the truck from pinching back against the jaws when you put it in park as they all roll slightly.

EDIT:
I just seen you list the Reese Revolution in your signature.
If that's what you're using, those are a bit different as the wedge can hold the pin pretty tight in the hitch.
You are going to have to try the recommendations we listed and see if that helps.
Engaging (and disengaging) the pin jaws with the wedge/revolution is one of the small obstacles to overcome using this set-up.

[Chris N]

I have the same hitch. if you disengage at an angle, you need back up at the same angle. To align up to the wedge. It can ne a real pain.

[NMWildcat]

I've had a sidewinder on the last two rigs. The only 2 things you have to align is the 1) TV in line with the wedge, which is easy as you can turn the pin box to any angle, and 2), kingpin plate slightly below the hitch plate so it will slide up and into the jaws. We have hitched/unhitched at very strange angles with no problems.

If the wedge is too tight against the hitch making it hard to hitch/unhitch, back it off a 1/16" as stated in the instructions. I have helped several folks this way when they were griping about hitching problems with a sidewinder/revolution style.

Once you learn how to relieve pressure on the kingpin as explained above, adjust your wedge properly, and get used to using your hitch, you should be golden! Good luck and keep practicing!

[Bose04]

Thanks everyone. Putting truck in neutral and letting it settle then parking brake then putting TV in park worked like a charm. Should have asked here first instead of wasting many frustrating hours

[5picker]

Great! Glad it worked out for you and thanks for reporting back your success.

It will help others down the road when searching for answers.