Reese 5th wheel hitch problem

[J D Moore]

After completing a 1600 mile trip (without disconnecting the fiver) I discovered one of the "pins" that the jaws pivot on had slipped down and the jaw was only supported by the lower half of the "pin". This was caused by a broken, upper E retaining ring.

Had the pin fallen completely out of position this would have been a catastrophic failure.

The hitch has 7 years of use and had towed 6,000+ miles.

Jim

 

[litespeed]

Do you got a picture of that?



I would like to see it.

 

[J D Moore]

No, didn't occur to me.

Jim

 

[CPG]

Let Reese know of this problem. Certanly they would pay attention fast.

Either Reese owns Draw-Tite or vice versa. This summer I saw an exact duplicate of my Draw-Tite 16K Signature Series with a Reese name on it. Am curious who owns whom. ?

 

[surfbeetle]

I had a similar problem, I had the c clip on the release lever pop off due to a worn flat bar in the hitch. At first the rv shop simple turned the flat piece over. That worked for a short while, then I had them fabricate an entire new piece. I guess the important thing is we all need to remember to do frequent inspections on the hitch components for safety's sake.

 

[J D Moore]

Does anybody know how to contact Reese. Googled & got www.reeseprod.com but unable to find contact numbers. Tried an e-mail within the follow-up on your order without success.

Correction to towed miles it is 62,000+. I must have had a senior moment when I proofread & missed the typo.

Jim

 

[CPG]

JDMoore,



Try this.

Reese-Hitches.com is owned & operated by (hitchfinder.com)

Phone 817-607-7300

Hope this finds help. Email them as above.



Chuck

 

[TowPro]

JDMoore,



Try this.

Reese-Hitches.com is owned & operated by (hitchfinder.com)

Hope this finds help. Email them as above.



Chuck

reese is owned by

Cequent Towing Products

47774 Anchor Ct. W.

Plymouth, MI 48170

US

there phone number is (734) 656-0300

Cequent also owns draw-tite.





Hithfinder.com is owned by

etrailer.com Trailer Hitch Center

3707 Veterans Memorial Parkway

ST CHARLES, MO 63303

US

they are a company that just sells hitches, I don't think they are owned or operated by Cequent



All this information was obtained by looking up the domains on the internet using "whois", then I got Cequent's phone number on yahoo.com yellow pages.

I know Cequent's phone number is correct because I have called it several times searching out a wire harness for my 06 that had fuses in it. I ended up making my own.

 

[J D Moore]

TowPro et al,

Your information is correct.

I had tracked down Reese to Cequent Towing Products (who also own Drawtite) @ 800 428 7303 and spoke with tech. support John who stated there was no recall and to his knowledge no others have had such a problem. We discussed proper inspection & lubrication (white lithium grease or motor oil). He is sending 4 Klip Rings to me.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Jim

 

[TowPro]

No, thank you! I need to check my clips. that is the one you see in the recessed hole looking down at the top of the shoe?

 

[J D Moore]

Yes.

I subsequently received a reply from e-mail to hitchfinder.com to contact Reese

@ reese. prod.com as well as reply from Cequent customer service (800-632-3290) to contact tech support @ 888-521-0510 option 2

I am saving all these contact numbers for future use, if necessary.

Jim

 

[litespeed]

Jim,



This reminds me (that is why I asked for the pic)...



Pics may help in the event of a claim (before removal).



I have a Husky 24K. I had a similar problem. Except that my pin had fallen completely out. Luckily when I noticed that it was gone, I was not pulling anything. I replaced the factory pins with some of the same type only the clip is square and not round.



It seems like the round ones wore out in a hurry. These are holding up a heck of a lot longer. Can't remember where in the heck I got them.



The shank on the square type is a lot bigger too (more robust).



I check all of these things before every pull now.



Good thing you found it!



AJ

 

[CPG]

Yikes,this is scarry. Gotta keep checking. Maybe an update for this situation.



Chuck