5th Airnprne Sidewinder

[MMeilicke]

I currently have a Reese 20K hitch. My 5th wheel has a Fabex 560 pinbox. The 5th wheel rides very level and flat. I am thinking of getting the 5th Airborne Sidewinder. My question is has anyone out there put the 5th Airborne Sidewinder on and has anyone experienced a problem in getting the 5th wheel to ride level with the truck?

 

[jelag]

I don't remember if the Sidewinder is the offset hitch for a short bed truck or the air bag hitch to remove bounce. . but here's my thoughts...

I copied one of the hitches with an airbag in the hitch to stop some of the bouncing of the rear of the trailer... I thought at first they were some kind of gimic until one passed me one day and I saw the trailer moving at a different rate at the hitch than the truck... . and it dawned on me the trailer was seeing a smoother ride... .

We have the ability to fab and build stuff so I made my own and installed an air bag and shock... the ones I copied all had several alignment holes in the mounting so you could mount this hitch to your 5er and keep the trailer level... Also my D&W or is it B&W hitch is adjustable as well... up and down...

My 3500 dually sits high enough with my 5er that my trailer is at a slight grade, in that the front of the trailer is about an inch or so higher than the rear... because of the clearance needed for the 5er and end of the bed... we're going to fix that problem this winter... .

My trucks all have air bags on them to allow us to level the truck so the headlights go down the road and don't blind the oncoming traffic... .

Hope this helps...

 

[Spooled-up]

B&W doesn't recommend that the 5th airborne be used with their hitches. From what I understand, the 5th airborne uses some sort of stop to keep the pin from rotating in the hitch. The pivot point is moved aft under the pin box which gives you better clearance for short bed trucks. I emailed B&W about this just out of curiosity and they sent me an email with pics explaining the whole thing. I can't find it at the moment, but they will reply quickly if you send them an email from this page:

B&W Custom Truck Beds, Inc.

 

[EricBu12]

I have a 5th airborne Sidewinder and it is Great. If you have a short bed, it will be the best thing you get. . Make sure to tell them what hitch you have, they may have a special insert for you hitch to work better than the stock one that comes with it.

The pivot needs the better disk setup that I had to get afterwards. Make sure to get the better pivot disk... Other than that, there are adjustable mounting holes and you can adjust your hitch and the mount to match the level ride you need. .

Ride is very smooth even on very rough roads. . I look in the mirror all the time and see the trailer going up and down and not feel it on the truck... As much...

Def. Worth every penny.

 

[LewisD]

B&W doesn't recommend that the 5th airborne be used with their hitches. From what I understand, the 5th airborne uses some sort of stop to keep the pin from rotating in the hitch. The pivot point is moved aft under the pin box which gives you better clearance for short bed trucks. I emailed B&W about this just out of curiosity and they sent me an email with pics explaining the whole thing. I can't find it at the moment, but they will reply quickly if you send them an email from this page:

B&W Custom Truck Beds, Inc.

I have been doing my homework on this and found out that they sell a special wedge for the B&W hitch. I guess the one that comes with the sidewinder cannot be used. This is the wedge needed for the B&W hitch Sidewinder Wedge SWW-06 - TLCentral



I put a dent in the cab of my truck last week. I thought I was being careful but i f'ed up. Not sure what it's going to cost to fix the dent but it could have been much worse.



I've been looking at extensions and the sidewinder looks fairly decent but I'm not sure I can justfy the cost for a little extra comfort compared to the RV5.



Any words of wisdom from owners of either?

 

[EricBu12]

I had the RV 5 and I still put a $500 hole in the front cap. .

For the cost of 2 holes, I bought the 5th Airborne sidewinder. . The airborne part is a nice Airbag for on road comfort