Maintenance for the M5 Series 20K Fifth Wheel Hitch on a 2012 Ram 3500

Question

Question:

I have received no literature of any kind from my dealer when installed. My question is, what kind of maintenance does the owner have to perform and how often does it need to be done. All help is greatly appreciated! 2012 Ram 3500 Pro Series 20000

asked by: John K

0

Expert Reply:

The maintenance that M5 Series requires for their 20K Fifth Wheel Hitch, # RP30928, is to recheck the tightness of all hardware every 1,000 miles of use and to perform a Before Each Trip inspection on the hitch.

The Before Each Trip inspection consists of lubricating the skid plate surface, if you do not want to use automotive grease, then you can use a lube plate like part # RP83002, and grease the 1-1/2 inch diameter pivot pin. You will also need to lubricate the pivot points of moving parts within the hitch using engine oil.

Next, operate the handle and check that the jaw opens and closes properly and see that all hitch pull pins and spring retaining pins are in place.

expert reply by: John H

0

Answer 1

In general unhitching your 5th wheel trailer will be easiest when the truck and trailer are on level ground and with the hitch's slide bar and jaw well lubricated. You'll also want to be sure that if you have a padlock on the slide bar for…

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Answer 2

In the owners manual of fifth wheel hitches there will be a section that covers the maintenance schedule. I am not totally sure what you you have but for the Reese hitch part #RP30928 here's what Reese recommends. Basically you will need to check…

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Answer 3

My research on the Forest River website shows that their Rockwood Series of 5th wheel trailers currently comes equipped with a Reese Revolution hitch. The gross weights (GVWR) of the various Rockwood-series trailers varies considerably across models…

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Answer 4

You will have to go with a sliding hitch to allow the trailer to make tight turns. For a trailer 8 feet wide the only bed length that's going to allow 90 degree turns without a slider is a stationary hitch. That being said you have two options.…

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Answer 5

The OEM prep package consists of 4 "pucks" in the bed of the truck that will allow you to drop in puck style hitches for easy installation and removal, that gives you a completely clear bed when not in use. The B&W Companion OEM 5th…

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Answer 6

Choosing the right height setting for your 5th wheel hitch is a combination of a few different variables. First of all you want your towing setup to be as level as possible. With your Montana High Country 340BH level you will want to measure from the…

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Answer 7

Most fifth wheel rails are made to the same industry standard dimensions. They aren't all though. If you measure 22 inches on center between the two rails and they look like the rails of the #RP30035 that you referenced they would be the industry…

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Answer 8

Hey Jay. It sounds like you are on the right track here because a sidewinder pin box will be your only option for pulling your 5th wheel since you have a short bed truck with the Rambox. That said, you are right that the Reese Sidewinder cannot be…

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Answer 9

The old version of the #HBA-CAM used 4 wires, but the product was updated awhile back and now uses only two wires as shown in the photo on the product description page. The white wire from the HBA-CAM would tap into the white ground wire and the blue…

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Answer 10

If your current springs have 5 leaves then going to a 7 leaf spring will increase the height of the trailer a little and make the trailer more susceptible to sway. Regarding capacity if you go with springs rated higher than what is required it will…

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Answer 11

If you take a look at the linked diagram you can see the minimum recommended clearance distances between truck and trailer for 5th wheel towing. It is recommended to have at least 5-inches from the top of the bed rails to the bottom of the trailer…

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Answer 12

The head alone for the B&W Companion hitch #BWRVK3500 weighs about 70 pounds. Everything else weighs about 130 pounds. So the total weight of the hitch is approximately 200 pounds.

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