Using a Reese Sidewinder Turret pin box

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Mickey G

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Aug 8, 2017
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There is a lot of items I have learned here since joining, and I want to personally thank everyone.
I do have a question about using a Reese Sidewinder Turret Pin Box.
Are these basically needed for short bed trucks, or would it be an advantage to have one for the 8' truck bed?
The way the pin box moves the hitch turret head back 11" from the cab window, would be a  blessing not having to worry about crashing into the cab and cab window when turning.
I have a line on picking a used one for cheap if I should get it for reassurance reasons.
 
Don?t know anything about the Reese Sidewinder, but my previous truck was an F-350 shortbed with a Reese Elite 5th wheel hitch, non-slider. My pin box is a standard fixed. I could turn the truck in as tight a turn as it would go and still had plenty of clearance from the cab, that?s going forward. Backing up you can turn hard enough to contact the cab with almost any hitch, pin box, or bed length if you try hard enough.
 
Are you sure your 5th wheel hitch is compatible with the sidewinder?  Hitches such as the B&W series 3000 is not! It will cause the mount to work back and forth in the bed.  There is a recent question about this with photos on this forum.  Also, the sidewinder type of hitch has to put different stresses on the hitch in the area of the jaws.  If you have a long bed, why add more wear points?

With a short bed you can't turn short enough on a normal turn to contact the cab with trailer with the newer models.  Backing up, normally about 88 degrees.  That being said, backing any combo can make contact if jacking knifing continues,  Save your money for the next set of tires and go up a load range.

Wi1dBi11
 
Im running a Reese 16k fixed hitch, so it better be compatible, being they are both Reese products.
Just for piece of mind, wouldn't it be wise just to make sure you could make sharp turns, and not worry about even coming close to hitting your cab?
I heard some of the campgrounds have very tight spots to try and get your camper in.
I have a 30' 5th wheel, to park in its spot without going back and forth too many times.
 
I have a Reese Elite Airbourne Sidewinder. If the sidewinder and turret is the same as mine it moves the pivot point 22" to the rear. I have a SB Ram Mega Cab Dually and this is why I have a sidewinder. I'm using a Curt A16 hitch and had to buy a different wedge for the hitch that I have as the opening on the jaws are more open than most but the new wedge works out fine.

One thing about the sidewinder is you have to be pretty will lined up with both the hitch and the pin box to hitch up. I have the cargo camera so this helps with the lineup. I put some pin strip tape on the front center of the pin box and the front center of the hitch to aid in lineup.
 
I would think the Sidewinder would be of very limited value on a long bed (8 ft) truck. Maybe not zero advantage, but little.  If you look at the Sidewinder videos, you can see that moving the pivot further back alters how the trailer tracks behind the truck in turns. Sometimes that change of track works in your favor and sometimes not, depending on the specific maneuver.

A cab strike should be impossible with an 8 ft bed if the  hitch is in the recommended position, just barely ahead of the axle.
 
Do not need it.  No way you will turn sharp enough going forward to hit the cab.  Backing up, just be careful.  Contact is possible, but not likely.  Save the money for better tires!  ( ;D Is there an echo in here?  :D )
 
grashley said:
Do not need it.  No way you will turn sharp enough going forward to hit the cab.  Backing up, just be careful.  Contact is possible, but not likely.  Save the money for better tires!  ( ;D Is there an echo in here?  :D )
Click to expand...

That might be true with your Ford SB as you have a 6'9" bed and I have a 6'4" bed and GM are 6'6" but then you also have how much cab to rear axle is it. I know the GM with the 6'6" bed has more clearance  between the cab and the the hitch than the Ram has. I only have about 36" from the back of my cab to the center of the hitch. I remember other members with GM that measured theirs and they had over 42" or right in this area. Ford would be even more than that.

So it depends on which truck you have and how much the front is curved. I have seen videos of SB Fords crunch the back of their cab with older trailer that didn't have the newer rounded corners.

So it all depends and could be a disservice to some if they took that as the truth and crunched the back of the cab.
 
So Butch, you mean with a standard fixed 5th wheel hitch you can contact your cab with your trailer in a tight turn going forward? (Assuming your trailer has the concave front to help prevent that) I like the looks of that truck you have, but that would be an issue for me. But you are correct, there are so many variables out there it kinda makes anyone reluctant to give advice.
 
Boonieman said:
So Butch, you mean with a standard fixed 5th wheel hitch you can contact your cab with your trailer in a tight turn going forward? (Assuming your trailer has the concave front to help prevent that) I like the looks of that truck you have, but that would be an issue for me. But you are correct, there are so many variables out there it kinda makes anyone reluctant to give advice.
Click to expand...

I honestly didn't try it, with the short wheelbase and only 36" to the back of the cab to the center of the hitch it just wasn't worth trying it. I could see having a few thousand dollars of damage on a truck with right at 1000 miles on it. No thanks. My trailer has a rounded front on it. It is a 2018 Grand Design Reflection. You can see by the floor plan that it has a curved front. I'm tempted to lock out my sidewinder once and see how much I can turn without touching the rear of the cab and see if I can turn tight going slowly forward. I'll have my wife keep an eye on it except the last time with the sidewinder working and I had her watch it and after I had it turned as tight as I could going forward she asked me "What am I looking for?" Maybe I had better just pull a little forward and get out and check it myself.  ::)

I do still love the truck the back seat in it is huge. I'm 6'1" and when I put the seats down I can lay at a little bit of an angle across it and have room at my head and my feet. I could actually sleep in the back.

Here is the web site with my floor plan

https://www.granddesignrv.com/showroom/2018/fifth-wheel/reflection/floorplans/303rls

 
We looked at the Grand Design Reflection this summer and it was one of our three final contenders. In the end we decided to hang on to what we have for now. Very very nice rig.
 
My response was for OP. Micky G, referencing an 8 ft bed truck.  You are correct, it is NOT the right answer for every situation.
 
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