Properly Hitched 5th Wheel?

[JP4]

I was wondering, being new to 5th wheel hitches, is there supposed to be a gap when the 5th wheel hitch jaw is locked onto the kingpin? When I get my rig hitched and the lock bar secured I noticed there is a small gap in the jaw that is locked onto the kingpin. It seemed to pull fine and did not come loose, but would like to know if this is normal?

[Roberson4]

People may be reluctant to tell you a gap is normal without seeing pictures of exactly what you are talking about.

[SteveC7010]

If you look at the hitch when there is no trailer attached, whatever the gap between the jaws is then should be the same when hitched up.

That's presuming that there's nothing wrong with the jaw mechanism.

Mine has a gap of about 1/8" or so both hitched and unhitched. I double-double check the latching and the gap when ever I hook up. I also set the trailer brakes and put the truck in reverse and then forward to verify one more time that the pin is properly set in the jaws.

[ls1mike]

When I had my fiver I always did a test tug with the legs down to make sure that I was hooked up properly. I still have a resse 18K and there was always a very small gap, less than a 1/4 inch. No problems in 5 years.

Photos would help.

[drifter101]

A site for future reference.
https://www.hitchanything.com/

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by ls1mike

When I had my fiver I always did a test tug with the legs down to make sure that I was hooked up properly. I still have a resse 18K and there was always a very small gap, less than a 1/4 inch. No problems in 5 years.

Photos would help.

^^^ I agree ^^^^
When the hitch is set correctly it should auto lock once you have captured the pin. I then put trany in forward and try to move before picking up the legs.

I also always hit pin low in that the pin plate is raised slightly when sliding into the hitch, that way I know the pin isn't above the jaws.