Reese M5 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch - Single Jaw - 27,000 lbs

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! :)1564256

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Jerry

4/29/2024

Function has been great. Hooking up and unhooking is a breeze. Still very disappointed in the powder coating, lots of flaking and rust beginning to bleed through.

This is my second Reese 5th. wheel hitch. My first was the 16K. We upgraded to a 44Ft. toy hauler and I stayed with Reese. My first hitch did as expected and so far I have nothing bad to say about this one. Works well and is easy to hitch and unhitch. Very dependable.1420750

Great product, Great dealing with E tra iler.1107619

by: Dale 08/23/2022

Fit great and works great very simple to use see the green and you know it’s fully engaged1371941

Great experience! Fast delivery. Will definitely use them again!1263537

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by: Jason05/21/2023

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.1584060

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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.1692409

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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 taped1542096

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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.1567051

Very good design, fairly easy straight forward install on my new 2022 Chevy 3500 Drw with puck system in floor of body1387781

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by: Spencer03/06/2024

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.1743344

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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 far1706412

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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.1489429

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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.1713766

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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.1118439

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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 Patricia1128614

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by: Stan01/18/2024

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?1712158

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.1751161

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by: Mark07/08/2020

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 etrailer829792

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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.
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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.
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by: Russell 12/27/2022

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.1490021

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 them1753164