Reese slider hitch

[firekat96]

Does anyone have this hitch? If so how is it to slide? Easy by hand or like mine trailer brakes on and truck revved up to 3000 rpms before it will slide then it feels like the beds going to rip off the truck?

[bobbecky]

We had an older Reese manual slider before going to another brand. The most important thing needed is maintenance, which is cleaning and lubrication. When we had to slide ours, it was extremely easy, just the hassle of pulling a pin, flipping the handle, setting trailer brakes and driving forward until the hitch locked in the rear position. If the lube points are dry, it could make the operation very hard.

[tom37]

I have the same issues as the OP with the slider. The sliding part is wedging under the frame at the front position. I never need to move it with the Rv we have now, so I haven't tried to fix it.

[jsmith948]

we have the 16K Reese round bar slider, purchased in 2011. Have no problems sliding. I use spray Lithium lubricant on all of the pivot points and especially where the beveled rollers rotate in the housing. Once a year, I disassemble the slider and lube the latching cams liberally as well.:)

[firekat96]

The hitch is brand new, and it's been like this since day one back in April. Should the round tubes have grease on them? The only fittings I see is under the jaws of it. Tom37 how do you know it's wedging there? Just curious so I can check mine. It's so hard to do that the last several trips I just left it in the back position for the entire trip cause I didn't want to fight with it. Not sure what else to do.

[tom37]

My hitch doesn't have the round tubes. They are rectangular. I took it to a local rv shop and they had to use a heavy shop hammer to drive it back. It is jamming into the frame.
I could weld a small bead on the slide to prevent it from hanging.

[Bushman512000]

You may have more trouble if You leave it slid ...stress on the hitch etc. lub it up :D

[firekat96]

I'm going to take it out today and go through it to see what I find.

The dealership even told me to try towing it in the back position and if it towed fine just leave it there. BUT the more I talk to everyday user's I should never tow any long distance like that, think I'm done doing that.

[JRTJH]

I'm going to take it out today and go through it to see what I find.

The dealership even told me to try towing it in the back position and if it towed fine just leave it there. BUT the more I talk to everyday user's I should never tow any long distance like that, think I'm done doing that.

Apparently the dealership has never read the Reese hitch instructions. Here's a "copy/paste" of the warning in the owner's manual:
"WARNING: Never tow trailers on the highway or at high speed conditions with SLIDER in the Maneuvering Position (rearward of the rear axle)! Towing with the trailer king pin rearward of the rear truck axle can affect weight distribution and may interfere with the towing vehicle’s handling and response characteristics. Poor handling and response characteristics could result in death or serious injury."

Right after that warning, the manual gives the "likely problem" you're facing. It's item #4 in the installation/owner's manual: "4. Due to the heavy duty nature of the REESE™ FIFTH WHEEL SLIDER assembly, the assembly may not slide by hand when installed, especially if base rails are not parallel and centered. Rails should be installed so that the center lines of each rail are (21 15/16”) apart (see Figure 6). Diagonal dimensions "x" and "y” (as depicted in Figure 6) should be within 0.1 inch (1/8”) of each other. If this alignment is not met, loosen hardware and realign base rails. Re-torque hardware per base rail instructions after base rails are properly aligned.

If you didn't get the manual, you can download it here: http://www.hitchpro.net/application/support/instructions/n50024.pdf

I'd guess that your problem is that the base rails in your truck are not properly aligned and when the hitch is installed, it "torques" the slide rails so it won't slide properly. I'd give readjusting the base rails a shot, chances are it'll solve your problem.

Good Luck

[firekat96]

I did get the manuals on it and thanks for that post with the measurements, it even has a sticker on it that says do not tow in the maneuvering position. Are they talking about the rails that are mounted to the truck bed or the tube slider rails?

Here lies a new issue. Went through it and got it to slide easily now by hand then I hook up and goes back to nearly impossible, it's like the weight is binding or bowing something.

[JRTJH]

The black bed rails in the truck must be aligned properly so the tubes won't twist. If they are not aligned properly, then as soon as you put pin weight on the hitch, it will twist the round tubes and the hitch will no longer slide. Actually, what happens is the weight of the trailer distorts the alignment of the tubes and the roller wheels are no longer centered on them so they won't turn properly.

Align the truck bed rails and you should eliminate almost all of your "roller problems". Remember the "diagonal measurement" is 0.1" That's a tad less than 1/8", so "eyeballing it" won't get you close enough. Well, unless... Oh, just realize that it's a "critical measurement" and it's got to be "on the money" for the wheels to roll properly.

Good Luck.

[firekat96]

Going to measure it but just a thought. When I set the hitch in the rails and pin it, it has that much wiggle so it seems that little bit wouldn't matter since it wiggles that much but heck I'll try anything cause its a pain in the a$$ right now.

[kd5rhl]

I had one of these and had no problem as long as I kept it clean and well lubricated. You need to us a degreaser to clean the rails. I would use gas to do this (outside only) then put a liberal coating of wheel bearing grease on the rails make sure to move it back a forth so all of the rails get lubricant. You may need to do this before each trip depending on duration between trips. If I did this I had no problem if not it would bind up and not move with the trailer attached. Also lib the leaf springs that inhale the latch.


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[firekat96]

It's 2/16 off and I greased the heck out of it today.

[PerryB]

The base rail alignment is the problem. It sounds like you are the victim of a sloppy/incompetent dealership. A poor installation followed by bad advise.
Hopefully there is enough clearance in the mounting bracket holes to get you square. It may require some hole slotting with a die grinder but if you get the alignment correct the hitch will slide easily. My last hitch was the rectangular tube Reese slider and it worked fine. The round tube version was developed to slide even easier, but the caveat is that alignment becomes even more critical (as JRTJH pointed out) due to the self centering nature of the round tube. Once you get the alignment issue solved, I would leave the rails clean and dry. Just keep the roller axis pins oiled. If you grease the rails you will have a sticky mess that attracts dirt.