Removing 5th Wheel hitch from the trailer

[G&M2970RL]

Good Morning All: I have a question about removal of the hitch from the trailer. We had purchased a new Keystone Residence in August 2024 which had the roof totally fail due to snow load over the winter. Needless to say we are coming back to Grand Design. We are purchasing a Solitude 376RD within the next week which will be permanently parked on our site. I was wondering if it's possible to remove the hitch from the trailer. As we won't be towing it and it will be on blocks, I was considering removing the hitch, but can't seem to find any reference on how to do it or if it's even advisable. If anyone has any experience with this or can point me to a website for reference it would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Bungy]

I havnt

Good Morning All: I have a question about removal of the hitch from the trailer. We had purchased a new Keystone Residence in August 2024 which had the roof totally fail due to snow load over the winter. Needless to say we are coming back to Grand Design. We are purchasing a Solitude 376RD within the next week which will be permanently parked on our site. I was wondering if it's possible to remove the hitch from the trailer. As we won't be towing it and it will be on blocks, I was considering removing the hitch, but can't seem to find any reference on how to do it or if it's even advisable. If anyone has any experience with this or can point me to a website for reference it would be appreciated.

ThanksView attachment 1111261

I haven’t done it but I think it’s pretty easy, mounting bolts on each side should be easy to remove, just need help to hold it.

 

[WhittleBurner]

It could be partially removed as said above. BUT you still will have the bracket hanging down. I'd think you would be better off leaving it on and just use pool noodles along the edges to protect your head. If it sees the winter be sure to wax or seal (clear paint?) the hitch and bracket to protect from the weather as far as rusting goes. Don't make the frame ID plate unreadable in case you need to identify the frame through Lippert CS in the future

Thats a big ouch on the roof! What was the snow load on it?

 

[Jomani]

I have changed the pin box on my Reflection four times now, by myself. I will link to a video I made that shows how I installed a Reese Sidewinder pin box just to give you an idea (in reverse of course). I would certainly recommend a second set of hands though. It is very easy to remove, however, as has already been mentioned, the pin box can be heavy. You probably have the MORryde pin box which is heavier than just the plain old one piece pin box.

If you have a tow vehicle with a 5th wheel hitch (it sounds like you may not), simply hook onto the trailer (lock the pin into the 5th wheel hitch) and lower the trailer until the front of the pin box is supported by the hitch. You can use a bottle jack with wood or something similar to support the back of the pin box, then raise/lower the trailer until the bolts can be easily removed. They are very tight (usually somewhere between 200 and 250 foot pounds of torque) so a breaker bar and cheater are advisable. Once all of the bolts are out, lift the front of the trailer to ensure everything is loose, then drive the truck forward.

If the trailer is already on blocks and leveled, you can still remove the pin box, but will definitely want some help and a way to support it.

If you skip ahead to about 8:25 on this video, you can see how I installed the pin box.

 

[G&M2970RL]

It could be partially removed as said above. BUT you still will have the bracket hanging down. I'd think you would be better off leaving it on and just use pool noodles along the edges to protect your head. If it sees the winter be sure to wax or seal (clear paint?) the hitch and bracket to protect from the weather as far as rusting goes. Don't make the frame ID plate unreadable in case you need to identify the frame through Lippert CS in the future

Thats a big ouch on the roof! What was the snow load on it?

When I checked it in February there was about 3 feet of snow on the roof and the damage was minimal - maybe repairable (not that I would have agreed to it), but do the location of the trailer there was no way to remove it from the site. The strange thing is our neighbor has the same trailer with the same amount of snow on it and no roof collapse. I think it is a construction fault from the factory. Regardless thank god for insurance with replacement cost. Our first trailer was GD and we loved it but decided to move to a park model so had no choice but to leave GD and look elsewhere. Can't wait to get the new trailer in place

 

[G&M2970RL]

I have changed the pin box on my Reflection four times now, by myself. I will link to a video I made that shows how I installed a Reese Sidewinder pin box just to give you an idea (in reverse of course). I would certainly recommend a second set of hands though. It is very easy to remove, however, as has already been mentioned, the pin box can be heavy. You probably have the MORryde pin box which is heavier than just the plain old one piece pin box.

If you have a tow vehicle with a 5th wheel hitch (it sounds like you may not), simply hook onto the trailer (lock the pin into the 5th wheel hitch) and lower the trailer until the front of the pin box is supported by the hitch. You can use a bottle jack with wood or something similar to support the back of the pin box, then raise/lower the trailer until the bolts can be easily removed. They are very tight (usually somewhere between 200 and 250 foot pounds of torque) so a breaker bar and cheater are advisable. Once all of the bolts are out, lift the front of the trailer to ensure everything is loose, then drive the truck forward.

If the trailer is already on blocks and leveled, you can still remove the pin box, but will definitely want some help and a way to support it.

If you skip ahead to about 8:25 on this video, you can see how I installed the pin box.

Thank you much appreciated.

 

[WhittleBurner]

When I checked it in February there was about 3 feet of snow on the roof and the damage was minimal - maybe repairable (not that I would have agreed to it), but do the location of the trailer there was no way to remove it from the site. The strange thing is our neighbor has the same trailer with the same amount of snow on it and no roof collapse. I think it is a construction fault from the factory. Regardless thank god for insurance with replacement cost. Our first trailer was GD and we loved it but decided to move to a park model so had no choice but to leave GD and look elsewhere. Can't wait to get the new trailer in place

Well that's a bit of snow! Interesting that an Identical trailer survived the weight. That was a pretty catastrophic failure. Enjoy your Solitude!