Newbie-How hard is it to hitch & unhitch a 5th Wheel?
I am considering full timing & like the set up in a 5th wheel. How hard are they to learn to hitch & unhitch. I'm a 5'2' lady & have only towed a race car years ago. Would like your thoughts.
Forum Discussion
Deb here: right now, I would not be able to hook up our 5er by myself. We've put some reflective tape on the nose of the hitch pin; and on our truckbed-mounted toolbox that really helps Ed line up correctly - only takes one try to get the pin in the collar. BUT: our long-bed truck requires a second person to raise the tailgate while the truck is coming backward, or else the tailgate would hit the 5er. (Of course, if I needed to hook up and Ed was incapacitated - I'd just wander down to the first 5er I found and ask for a bit of assistance.)
If I was hauling by myself, I'd invest in one of those notched 5th wheel tailgates - THEN I'd be OK by myself. If you're doing it correctly, brute strength isn't necessary at all -but as others have said, you'll probably need a stepstool to reach the hitch release lever. I'm 5' 6" and can BARELY reach the lever.
Once hooked up (which is still going to be a lot faster than securing a race car to a trailer, by the way...LOL!) - towing is a breeze. I've pulled our car hauler trailer a million times - and the 5er is MUCH "quieter" with zero sway and minimal chucking. Last month we got caught in northern Georgia during the infamous snow/ice storm - and while it was scary at the time, I asked Ed (after we hit Tenn and salted roads) if he'd rather have been driving our relatively-nimble Class C, and he said no - the 5er had perfect manners even on glare ice.
If I was hauling by myself, I'd invest in one of those notched 5th wheel tailgates - THEN I'd be OK by myself. If you're doing it correctly, brute strength isn't necessary at all -but as others have said, you'll probably need a stepstool to reach the hitch release lever. I'm 5' 6" and can BARELY reach the lever.
Once hooked up (which is still going to be a lot faster than securing a race car to a trailer, by the way...LOL!) - towing is a breeze. I've pulled our car hauler trailer a million times - and the 5er is MUCH "quieter" with zero sway and minimal chucking. Last month we got caught in northern Georgia during the infamous snow/ice storm - and while it was scary at the time, I asked Ed (after we hit Tenn and salted roads) if he'd rather have been driving our relatively-nimble Class C, and he said no - the 5er had perfect manners even on glare ice.
