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5th-wheel hitch has a 1-piece, wraparound jaw and easy-to-see lock indicator for maximum safety and security. Designed for half-ton pickups with the Reese Max Duty underbed mounting system.
Features:
Specs:
Note: Hitch is not compatible with factory-installed OEM underbed mounting systems.
The one-piece jaw on this fifth-wheel hitch provides absolute security with its wraparound design. Increased jaw-to-king-pin contact results in not only a stronger connection, but less noisy rattling and stiff chucking as well.
The jaw is also always ready to receive, so you don't need to use the handle to open it before backing up toward your trailer. As long as the bail pin is removed from the latching handle, the jaw will accept the king pin as it enters the hitch.
Finally, the jaw is self-latching, so it will automatically secure your trailer's king pin when it moves into the jaw.
This M5 hitch features a built-in king pin indicator to ensure proper hookup. This indicator is located on the back of the head along with a V-shaped notch that are both visible from the cab of your truck. The V-notch is lined up with the jaw at the front of the hitch, and can be used as a guiding point to line the king pin up with the jaw as you back up your truck. The jaw also has an internal plate that keeps the king pin from entering if it is too high to enter safely. As a result, the king pin indicator will only change from red to green if the king pin is fully engaged in the jaw.
This hitch's handle is designed for smooth motion and effortless operation. It requires only 2 fingers to use and won't bind up as you pull. In addition, the handle is long, so it's easy to access from outside of your truck bed. And the ergonomic grip makes it comfortable to hold and pull from different angles.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hello, everybody. This is Jeff at etrailer.com. Today we're going to take a look at this Reese M5 Fifth Wheel Trailer Hitch for the Max Duty Underbed Mounting System. This has a 14,000 pound gross towing weight capacity. Now, this fifth wheel hitch is designed to mount in your truck bed so that you can tow your fifth wheel trailer. As we mentioned, this hitch here is designed to work exclusively with the Reese Max Duty Underbed Mounting Systems that we do sell separately on our website.
And just to pop up an insert to show you what we're talking about, that's the Max Duty Underbed System that'll install in your vehicle. Once that's installed, this will allow you to drop this hitch right into the openings and lock it into place. And again, we do sell those separately on our website. Now, this hitch is a simple installation. All you have to do is open the latches on the side, drop the legs into the openings of that Max Duty Underbed System.
And I did wanna zoom in to show you how to do that. If you notice on each side, I'm gonna just show you one side, but you'll do the same on the other side. To install it, pop open the lynch pin, rotate the latch of quarter of a turn, that one a quarter of a turn, and then you'll do the same one this side, so in all four corners you'll open up the tabs, and now it's ready to drop into that underbed system. Drop this into the openings. Once they drop in the place, just rotate these handles back, and that rotates the tab at each corner as it's locked into the underbed system.
Put your lynch pin back in, it holds the handles in place, and you're all ready to go. One thing I do wanna mention is this hitch is not compatible with the factory installed OEM underbed mounting systems. As we mentioned, this is exclusively for the Reese Max Duty Underbed Systems. The jaw on this, it's a single piece, always ready talon jaw. It's designed to wrap around the kingpin to ensure proper connection.
The jaw is self-latching, so it'll automatically secure your trailer's kingpin when it moves into the jaw. Now, I do want to demonstrate that. Basically, I have an example. Here's what the kingpin would look like on your fifth wheel. So what you want to do, like I said, this is all ready to go. So basically, when you go to hook up to your fifth wheel, your kingpin will slide right into place. You notice, you'll hear that jaw come all the way around. The handle drops into place, these holes line up, and it includes this pin and clip that you can drop in there and clip it, and that'll secure your handle. But what's nice about this is it comes with the pin and clip, but if you want extra security, the hole is made large enough. You could put a padlock through there for extra security, so to keep anybody from operating it. That lock is not included, we do sell those separately. Now, the design of this offers a nice jaw to kingpin contact for maximum security and minimum rattle. And also, as we mentioned, the jaw is always ready to receive, so you don't have to open the hitch before hooking up. Right now, we unlatch the pin. So if you're ready to unhook, all you have to do pull the handle out and rotate it all the way towards the cab as far as it'll go, and it'll stay in the open position, and it releases that latch. So then when you pull away from the fifth wheel, the kingpin will slide out just like that. And again, if you notice, this handle automatically goes back into ready to receive position, so you don't have to keep opening this, it's all ready to go to hook up again. Now, it does offer a high pin lockout to ensure proper engagement. Basically, the jaw has an internal plate in here that'll keep the kingpin from entering if it's too high to enter safely. And over on the corner here, it has a tow or no tow indicator, which is visible from the cab or the side of the bed. And what that indicator does, it'll show you, it'll change from red to green if the kingpin is fully engaged correctly. If it is not, it'll still show red over here. So just by looking at what color is showing, like right now, it's showing red, which means you're not hooked up. Once you install it with the kingpin, if it shows green, that means you're all ready to go. So it's a nice indicator for you if you're in the cab and you can just turn around and look at that. The head on this is a fully articulating head. You can see it goes front to back, side to side. It has a very extra-large landing area to ease the hook up, help them with chucking. And if you notice, right up here at the front has a V notch, so it makes it really easy to target your kingpin as you back up. The handle we showed you, it's an ergonomic, easy to reach handle. This will let you secure the trailer to the hitch with the pin and clips, as we mentioned, are the padlock for extra security. And what's nice about this handle is you can see, you can put two fingers on it and it operates just with two fingers. The wide center section on this creates a nice, solid, stable towing experience. And also, when you install this head into the cross member here, you can get improved cab clearance with an offset design. The head can be installed and have an offset of either one and a half inches front or rear. And again, as you install it into the cross member, there's a range of adjustable height settings to fit your application. It's always critical when you hook up that you have the correct height, so your fifth wheel and that your towing is gonna be level. It'll give you a range when you install this, anywhere from 14 inches to 18 inches of hitch height. And that's always measured from the truck bed to the top of the hitch head. Now, this is a sturdy steel construction. As you can see, it has a nice, durable powder finish on it. The handle is zinc. The latches, the jaw is all zinc plated to resist corrosion. A few specs on this, again, the gross towing weight capacity is 14,000 pounds. Vertical load limit is 2,800 pounds. But that's gonna do it for the review on this Reese M5 Fifth Wheel Trailer Hitch for the Max Duty Underbed Mounting System.
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (423 Customer Reviews)
5th-wheel hitch has a 1-piece, wraparound jaw and easy-to-see lock indicator for maximum safety and security. Designed for half-ton pickups with the Reese Max Duty underbed mounting system.First impressions are high. Seems to be very well built and first test tow went well. The biggest issue was the powder coat inside the screw holes. Makes getting the bolts started very difficult and with not a lot of room to swing the ratchet it makes for a long process to get those bolts to 220 ft/lbs... But it does make the back of my old truck look good! :)
The hitch came in 3 separate packages, all in the same delivery. Each package came with parts documents, care and assembly instructions. I did the assembly alone. Assembly was fairly easy, just cumbersome due to weight. During assembly, I believe the instructions have the center bolt inserted from the outside; not possible to clear the leg frame so I had to finagle the nut while inserting the bolt from the inside. I initially assembled the hitch unattached to the truck bed. When complete, I could not get the pucks to align with holes in the bed. I loosened the legs, set in the bed and tightened the bolts, which then made for a perfect fit. I have my hitch set to the highest setting for ensured bed rail to camper clearance; might lower later on. The hitch is easy to use; no issues connecting or disconnect the camper. I did have to replace the fifth wheel to base hitch pin clips with shorter ones because when the camper tilted, the clips got bent (unknown to me, the clips went vertical and could not clear the tilt of the fifth wheel and base). Wasn't a big deal to me, but could present an issue if not recognized. It is possible for the pins to contact the base as well. I use a neoprene or plastic disc on the hitch so I don't have to grease the wheel; makes for a clean and easier removal /installation. But as you can see, there are gouges/scratches just from normal connecting and disconnecting. I remove the fifth wheel from the base when removing/installing hitch just to reduce weight. Even without the wheel, the base assembly is still heavy. Overall, I think this is a good hitch; with that being said, this is the only brand fifth wheel hitch I've ever used and this one here is the only brand fifth wheel hitch I've ever owned.
Talk about disappointment, ordered this in early October to replace a curt q20 slider hitch I had on a previous truck. It arrived well enough considering how heavy the parts are. There was no obvious signs of damage, install was relatively simple enough. Early November rolls around and we are going to be moving our 5th wheel, I go to hook up to measure clearances of bed rails etc. It turned into a multi-hour ordeal. Backing in following the directions allowing the pin to slide up to the hitch it binded in a spot where I was unable to release it(pictures attached), after spending quite a while raising all the weight of the truck moving backwards and forward with it partially latched trying to get it to move some way I was finally able to get it released by using a crow bar to push the jaw open and drive the truck out. So now I need to find out the problem I fully reset it back to its receiving position with the handle in the latched but not locked position. Try again, the exact same thing happens. So I took the head of to experiment and see if it will slide on to the king pin maybe there is another issue I'm not noticing, works well and fully seats with the green indicator but again doesn't release without using a crow bar on the jaws. Now mind you I fully lubed this as the instructions state, even using the needle grease gun attachment, so I didn't think that was the issue. Still decided more lubrication couldn't hurt the situation, I used dry lithium grease everywhere, moving every part that can move while doing it. Hooked it back to the truck, success, well partially. Got a full seat of the king pin with the handle in a very not latched position got it moved in to the correct area and after a few thumps it allowed me to seat the safety pin. Try and hook it up again, now the arm doesn't fully close when attached to the king pin. At this point we get it off again, having to use a crow bar, and notice the internal latch that locks the arm in the safe or unsafe position is lose and one of the springs had come off, thankfully it didn't get lost as its about 2in long and small. At this time its been almost 3 hours of frustration. I spend another hour getting the tiny spring reattached in what seems to be the correct position(unable to find a diagram of the internal springs online). Go to hook it up again, this time we get a full successful latch and the locking arm perfectly closes and allows the safety pin, but alas we are still unable to unlatch the 5th wheel without moving the jaw with a crowbar.
I have never had such frustration with something that's so critical to the ability of me to tow my 5th wheel. I am unsure if I can trust it to work correctly.
Just received the 3 boxes for my hitch and the first thing I see when I open the box with the jaw head is that the plastic locked indicator is busted, also the box containing the legs is crushed/ re taped
Arrived very quickly. Came in three boxes. Boxes where in good shape.
Install was very straightforward. Only issue was that the flimsy, plastic red/green latch indicator was broken. It's not designed we'll. I fixed it with hot glue and a tire air stem cap.
Now I'm ready to tow.
Hint...watch online install and use videos. They help.
Very good design, fairly easy straight forward install on my new 2022 Chevy 3500 Drw with puck system in floor of body
Went together easy, no issues, functions exactly as it should, well built, no complaints. We pull a 45 ft 5th wheel TH. Would not hesitate to buy it again.
Received in good condition with all parts. Instructions best looked up on line. My legs were free of powder coat for bolts. Mine came with lynch pins and not cotter pins. Does take torque wrench of 250 ft/lbs to torque to recommended 220 ft/lbs but not too difficult . Got one at Harbor Freight. I noticed that an impact 15/16 socket 6 tooth was tighter fit on bolts than the 24 mm recommended. Of note it has a needle grease zerk under blue label on front and one at back which serves side to side center section bolts in addition to one on top of head. I put on highest setting and had 7” of bed rail clearance on my 2024 Duramax which was one of my major concerns since we boondock a lot. . I had 6” with a Reese 16k slider mounted on the middle setting on my 2016 Duramax with our Montana that has a Morryde pin box hitch. Nice to have a clean bed with hitch removed. It is heavy at about 150#. Remember to mount head section with tips of springs situated so they force head to flex towards rear of truck for hitching. Handle does go below bed rails when tilted. Over all very pleased so far
Couldn’t be easier to use or more heavily built and secure. Only one issue. Though I didn’t have to change out bolts or use a tap and die set to put the base together, I would highly recommend having the correct tap and die available, just in case. From what I have read many people have had problems with these bolts/holes. I only had an issue with one, but it wasn’t fun. I don’t have a T and D available. Pretty sure it would have been a cinch if I had. ALSO, most people I know don’t have the correct type of torque wrench for the job. If you have to buy one it might be cheaper to have a trusted shop assemble the hitch. It’s pretty easy, but the wrench isn’t cheap, even if you buy an inexpensive (cheap) one. I rated 5 stars because I read all of the reviews and issues, bought with my eyes wide open, and was very happy to find that the bulk of the comparatively few negative reviews were either exaggerate, a QC issue that had been dealt with, or I just got plain lucky. I’ve had the hitch for 7months pull a 16,000 GVWR 5th wheel of my own and have pulled for friends.
This is a nice hitch but i had a few problems. The least of which and did not affect the rating I gave was that the leg sets do not have the perforated blue cover on their sides but a palm sized M5 medallion. This was a Reese change and is not a fault of etrailer.
The main concern is that I had to reorder the leg set due to what I thought were under tapped holes. The new leg set came in with he same issue. It turns out that Reese did not mask the threads and paint in the tapped holes caused the bolts to jam up on the paint. One bolt was ruined and the other would have been too if I had tried it. I'm not sure if the tapped hole were ruined as well. I bought a M16x2 tap and chased the holes to fix the problem. In the attached photo you can see that the cuttings were black paint and not shiny metal.
This would be a three but etrailer's customer service is excellent. Everyone I've dealt with has been exceptional.
Reese needs to get their act together. Three month backorder (okay COVID-19 has everyone backed up). Finally get the order and the release handle grip is destroyed, just crumbled almost like it was cooked. I have to adjust the pucks, which is expected, but Reese installed the Carter pins, which are a [beast] to remove in order to adjust the puck, suggestion Reese just leave them out for the installer to install. The the final [blow] from Reese on top of their otherwise great paint job, the bolt holes for the assembly are filled with paint, Reese howabout running a thread chase through these threads so the installer doesn't risk cross threading the bolt, it's just the small things that would make an otherwise outstanding hitch better.
We are so very pleased with our 27K hitch! The order process was easy and delivery was very fast. We have used a Reese hitch for years now. We just upgraded our fifth wheel RV and it wieghs in at 16K our old hitch was an 18K hitch so we were within 2K of max weight. We felt that that was too close so we went big, it feels (pulls) better and I feel more safe knowing that we have plenty of hitch. Thank you for such great products.
Jason and Patricia
Like the hitch, but sometimes does not latch all the way. Green indicator 3/4 latched, have to keep bumping it, to latch and install lock pin. Have lubed with lithium grease and regular grease on zerk on 5th wheel plate. Thinking the spring to lock could be week?
All of the pictures show the M5 with blue mesh sides on the front and back
Mine has black steel on the sides with just the M5 logo.
After a lot of research, I chose the Reese M5. The design is great. Assembly was a breeze, and it installs and removes very easily. The fitment with my 2019 Silverado puck system is perfect. I am much more comfortable with the single jaw hitch and with the M5's Easy Latching Handle, its a breeze to hitch and unhitch. etrailers price made it an even easier decision. Sometimes a lower price means a lower quality. Absolutely not the case here with etrailer. Couldn't be more happy with this purchase, Reese and etrailer
I recently purchased a Reese M5 20K hitch for my new Silverado 3500HD, Crew Cab, 8’ bed. As usual, Etrailer pricing was very good and with free shipping to boot. The hitch arrived via UPS in just a few days after placing the order.
Following the detailed instructions provided by Reese, the install into the factory “puck” system, was fairly straight forward. However, a word of caution concerning the install. There are 4 15/16” bolts that need to be torqued to 220-foot pounds and are somewhat difficult to get to. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a torque wrench that would accommodate the recommended foot pounds of torque.
Also, you may have an issue if you need to place the hitch at its highest position. The release handle might protrude above the bed rails of your truck in this position. This will be a problem if you have a bed cover. Reese is/was well aware of this issue and sells an after-market handle that will correct this issue. Etrailer lists this handle on their Web page.
Installed in a 2018 GMC 3500 LB SRW
Overall it was really easy to put together. Its light enough move in and out and very sturdy. I did not have a clearance issue with the Backflip cover regarding the stock handle. See pics.
Just a heads up, I had an issue with the threading in the legs, etrailer was very understanding and sent me out replacements supper fast. I contacted Reese regarding paint guncked up in the threading and they were aware of the issue, they recommended running a wire brush or a tap to clean it out.
This hitch was easy to assemble, mounted perfectly in my truck, and is simple to use. I have total confidence in hitching up, as the locking jaw is either locked or it's not, there is no question of it's security.
etrailer is great but Reese does not give good install information, tried to call on hold 45 minutes and still could talk with service, because of safety concerns with out having good support I would not recommend Reese hitches, I will not buy from them
The Hitch worked properly the first couple of times I hooked up to my fifth wheel but after that it got to where the cheep plastic indicator that goes from red to green when the hitch is properly connected/closed would not go to green. Meaning that the latch was not properly going around the trailer pin all the way. After constantly having issues with the device, I removed the plastic indicator and it worked a lot better for awhile but now it’s back to being a constant problem every time I hook up. Almost every time I try to hook to the camper, the coupler only goes part of the way around the pin. The only way I can get it to connect properly is to get in the back of the truck with a pry bar and steal bar and hit the coupler or pry it to make it go into position. I’ve tried adjusting the position of the wedge several times and nothing seems to help. I gave it 2 stars only because I like the way the hitch pivots at the camper instead of on the fifth wheel because I have a short bed truck. If the hitch would connect properly it would be a great product. The only other issue I’ve had was when I was traveling and came to an intersection where the road I was on was at an angle to the road I was turning right onto. There was a dip/low area where the roads connected. It was a swell that allowed the rain water to flow from one side of the road to the other. When I went through the swell and turned right as the rear tires of the truck went down it caused the front of the camper to tilt down and the front of the truck because it was past the swell went up. Because the truck was in a sharp turn the camper made contact with the cab of the truck causing a small dent in the back of the truck cab near the cargo/brake light and scrubbed the paint off the corner of the camper about the size of a quarter. I would like someone from Reese to assist me with the issue I’m having with there hitch not connecting properly.
Works very well. Easy to unlatch. Red Green indicator is great to have. Fairly light weight. Easy to install and remove from truck.
Great hitch! Went together as per the instructions, pulls our 20,000 lbs 5th wheel great. Love the positive "Green" when the pin is in place as well as the wrap around jaw, real selling points for me.
Tried to install this on a 2001 Chevy Silverado 3500, dual rear wheel, long bed, 4x4, diesel engine truck. The clamp style mounting simply does not work. The ONLY way I can see this working is by drilling added holes in the frame of the truck at the front end of the side plates. This is because of a bend in the frame at the clamp location. Also at this location the frame is boxed in and any bolt holes will be hidden. Bolts would have to fished in with bolt wires.
Do not hesitate to buy this hitch. I made the mistake of buying a Demco Recon before this.
Overall, the M5 hitch is solid in build and performance. I like the green indicator window showing positive latching plus unlatching, even under some pressure, is easy. The latch handle is an easy reach but the upward pointing handle with hole in the plastic grip collects water inside. Consequently, the steel tube handle interior rusts which drips rusty water while still and flings the staining water when latching.
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