Newbie-How hard is it to hitch & unhitch a 5th Wheel?

We picked up our Grand Design Reflection yesterday and I would definitely recommend a 5th wheel over the TT. It was much easier to hook up and took a fraction of the time and energy of our old KZ Spree TT. The 5'er has much more room and the comfort level is like night and day. We had a Reese 16k hitch that functioned perfectly on our maiden trip. I wouldn't think you should have any issues if you went with the 5th wheel.

It's so easy, girls can do it! Sorry, just my odd humor! With some trucks you can turn the center rear view mirror down and see the hitch but that didn't work on my current truck. I put a camera right under the third brake light and it works great for getting the hitch centered with the pin. I also carry a small tape measure so I can adjust the pin to the right height before even getting into the truck. A mirror on the front of the 5er would work great, too. I wish mine had one. It's really fast and easy and a step stool will fix your short problems! Learning the quick tricks to leveling on really uneven ground is a little harder but the Hoppy graduated levels make that fairly easy. Craig

WhitehouseLV wrote:
The one thing I've experienced that can be difficult is unhitching. Lately it seems everything must be leveled and chocked. Maybe something has changed & I'll learn what it is but this alone has been very frustrating. Now maybe part of it is I did change vehicles and my new truck squats a little.

Hooking up has always been easy and quick.

Unhitching on extremely uneven ground where the trailer is twisted one way and the TV another beyond the limits of the hitch can make it difficult to unlatch. A four-way tilting head helps in this regard. The other thing that is usually the problem is the pin being hard against the jaws. If the final move before unhitching is pulling forward as on to ramps for example, you will have this problem. The solution is just to back up slightly, relieve the tension and the jaws will snap open easily.

Can't reach the hitch from the ground,, Google wheel step,, they are great for those of us that vertically challenged!!!! T-10

Deb and Ed M wrote:
...............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 you can't hitch up with the tailgate down then I suspect your hitch is too far forward in the box. Long box or short box, the hitch should position the pin over (or a fraction ahead of) the rear axle.
With my rig I can not only hitch up with the tailgate down but can also turn (within reason). Not that I make a habit of doing that but it also means I can hitch/unhitch at a bit of an angle.
So, note to OP, when you get a hitch installed in your truck, make sure it's done per hitch manufacturer instructions!

Based on your other post you are by yourself,going full time and don't have a truck yet.

5th wheel would be the easiest to hitch alone.

With your limited budget finding a truck and trailer that are reliable is going to be the bigger problem.
There is nothing fun about being broke down, no monies and full timing.

It's not like you can deal with it when you get home......

my wife can hookup just as easy as i can we have a pullrite slider its easy no brute srength needed but you will need a stepstool good luck

The one thing I've experienced that can be difficult is unhitching. Lately it seems everything must be leveled and chocked. Maybe something has changed & I'll learn what it is but this alone has been very frustrating. Now maybe part of it is I did change vehicles and my new truck squats a little.

Hooking up has always been easy and quick.

Good post Deb!!

Women can handle towing and hookups, just the same as men. They may need to go about it a little different, but a confident woman knows how to git her done.

Jerry

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.