Custom Sidewinder Wedge for Reese 14K 5th Wheel Trailer Hitches

Question:

I recently acquired a Reese sidewinder hitch from a friend and then purchased a Reese ST400 Turret from ETrailer.com. I have an older model Reese hitch 14,000 K slider with no bearings or rollers.... stickers say part numbers 300031 - 30037 and 30726 Everything went well until I tried to get the wedge to work properly. I have the universal wedge .... when the long end is mounted forward, there is no slot and the bolt head rest on the jaws then the jaws can not be opened after the trailer is connected I can pull the pins out - raise the trailer - drive out from under the king pin and the disconnected part of the hitch - then after all weight is off the hitch I can open the jaws .... if the short end is mounted forward, the wedge will not allow the pin to go far enough for the jaws to fully clamp around the pin. What are your suggestions?

asked by: Bill

Expert Reply:

I spoke with my contact at Reese and they told me that there is a specific wedge that will need to be used with your 14K Reese 5th Wheel hitch and Sidewinder kingpin. The correct wedge for you is the 5th Airborne Custom Wedge for Select Series Fifth Wheels part # SWW-03.

expert reply by: Conner L