Acceptable Front-to-Back Play of Reese M5 5th Wheel Hitch, Part # RP30921, in 2012 Ford F-350
Question:
-350I have a 2012 F350 Dually with the factory hitch prep. I have an 20k Reese M5 mounted in the pucks. Ive tried to adjust the feet to fit as tightly when latched as possible. A couple are snug and a couple are not but per the manual this is fine. I can however pull on the Reese and move it fore and aft about 1/4 - 3/8inch within the pucks. Is this play between the latching feet and the hole in the pucks that they pass thru normal? To be clear - the fore and aft movement is between the Reese and the Bed of the truck. I have no up and down movement i.e. I cant lift the Reese off of the pucks so its snug in that plane - just has some slight fore and aft movement - mostly noted when stopping and starting and Im worried about wear of the latching pins or the puck holes over the long haul. I do apply some grease to the feet and inside the puck holes to try and prevent wear. Thoughts?
asked by: Greg
Expert Reply:
I spoke to my contact at Reese and they confirmed that some front-to-back play, such as what you are experiencing, is normal with your 5th wheel hitch.
Since you have a factory-installed under-bed rail system in a recent model year truck we will assume that the 1/4 inch front-to-back play you have noted is not due to those components being loose or worn. It is possible that some minor adjustments to the installation may help. You can re-check this if you like.
You can re-check that the mounting of the base arch has been done to manufacturer specification. The arch half with the large warning label should be mounted on the driver side of the bed. Be sure that base arches are contacting all pucks with bushings slid into puck slots. Page six of the attached installation instructions includes a diagram of how the anchor tee pins mount to the arch from underneath the bed; these need to be snugged and then backed-off to the nearest parallel position plus one additional full rotation (see diagrams 8D and 8E).
You should be able to rotate the locking handles fully to the locked position by hand; it is normal to feel little or no resistance on some of the locking handles. If you do have too much clearance this can be adjusted by rotating the anchor tee pin clockwise by 1/2 rotation, then replacing the lynch pin. Please see note D on page 6. The 1/4 to 3/8 inch play you are noticing may be eliminated by this adjustment of the anchor tee pins.
If you have confirmed proper installation and adjustment per the manufacturer instructions and still find you have this 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch movement, then your greasing of the mounting pucks is a good step toward minimizing wear. So long as all installation and adjustments are confirmed to be as per the manufacturer, then this small amount of play should not pose any safety issues.
