King Pin Stabelizer

When someone is walking around inside the 5er it will bounce/wiggle. Rubber tires will bounce, suspension systems are made to bounce. To eliminate the bouncing/wiggling you need to keep the weight from pushing down on the tires and suspension by making sure your stabilizers are tight between the 5er and the ground. Don’t just let them out far enough to touch the ground, turn the crank more to make sure they are tight so they will not allow the 5er to push down on the tires. Use a bipod/tripod under the king pin. Make sure it is tight between the ground and the king pin, don’t just adjust it till it touches, tighten it so the front overhang will not move. Make sure to check the stabilizers and bipod/tripod every couple of days because they will loosen up over time. Doesn’t make sense spending a lot of money on landing jack stabilizers when the landing jacks are stable and don’t bounce up and down. If you have properly adjusted the stabilizers and bipod/tripod then you shouldn’t have any bouncing/wiggling. This has worked for me over the past 15 years.
Chocks are to keep the 5er from rolling forward or backwards. They do not eliminate the weight of the 5er from pushing down and causing the bouncing/wiggling. If you park on a site that has a incline/decline then you probably want to use chocks to keep your 5er from rolling when you unhitch.
There are a lot of other options out there to “eliminate” the bouncing/wiggling if you have the extra money and want to spend it.

overthehillbill wrote:

pcm1959 wrote:
I used to have one and it does help. A bit of a pain to use and sometimes could not use it due to the angle I may be parked on. t dos nothing for wiggle in the rear - only the front. I finally sold it and got the SteadyFast stabilizer system and love it. Super eeay to use, you can always use it, nothing under your fifth wheel overhang to be in the way robbing you of space for bikes, etic. Once installed it is always there and usable. It takes about a minute to "deploy". Phillip
http://www.steadyfast.com/

x-2, SteadyFast and X chocks.

X-3 but I still use a kingpin stand so no flak from my OCD DW that is convinced a required item.maybe 2 minutes to add versus 2days of blah blah blah about no stand:D

I agree with the set up Foodsooperdooty recommended - that's when mine works best....putting a lot of wt on it.

I also only use it if we are staying more than a few days. Really don't use it during weekend only trips.

I am thinking of trying the jacks near tires approach.

When I put on my J.T. Strongarms I gave my king pin stabilizer away and was glad to get rid of it. It did help a little but the hassle of set up, lost space under the overhang and then storing when not in use wasn't worth the slight gain in stability. The Strongarms made it totally unnecessary.
I know of no manufacture who recommends using slide out supports. My owners manual specifically states to not use them. The risk of serious, very expensive damage to the slide is not worth it.

Used a tripod for years and it does help with the movement in the front. I finally installed the JTs strong arms. Like the JTs better.

I made my own version of the JT Strongarms. I have not used a pin stabalizer since. I have a two legged one available if anyone is interested 'cause I won't use it again.:D

Put all your gear down, then go push on the side of the 5'er at the back. You can make the 5'er wiggle. Putting either a tripod or JT type diagonal stabilizers on will help. Even putting just something on the front won't take out all the wiggle, as the tires flex up and down and sideways. I installed a diagonal stabilizer on the rear and that IMO is the key. ON blacktop I can get it really solid, dirt/gravel not so.

When we were full-timing in a 32 foot 5er I had a steel tripod stabilizer.
IMO, it did two things; it helped stabilize the trailer, and it kept me from banging myself on the pin box when I walked by.
I also carried two orange plastic traffic cones that I set under the bedroom slide to remind me that it was there, and keep me from walking into the corner or it(that HURTS!!).
Yes, carrying the things and setting the things in place was a nuisance.
Yes, the things took up space in the basement.
Yes, the tripod was heavy. The cones, not so much.
HOWEVER, they did what they were being carried for!
Having them was worth it, IMO.

I nick named my tripod the actapus and sold it for 45 in FL. I now use Winfield's and will never look back.

Tripods are a must for *active* couples in an ultralight! Just sayin...