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.
joelmyer wrote:djgarcia wrote:
Crazy Sadie,
Hooking up a 5th. wheel is not difficult and easy to learn. Suggest you have a friend who has a 5th. wheel, help you the first time you hook up. Just a couple of basic steps that will be helpful and keep you out of troublel:
1. when backing up to the trailer, make your trailer hitch comes in low enough to make the plate level, better a little low than too high.
2. Bump test. After you hook up the truck and trailer, raise the front jacks so they are about 1 inch off the ground, put a 4X4 block of wood in front of the 5th. wheel tire, slowly pull forward as if you were getting ready to take off. If the 5th. wheel stays hooked up then you know you hooked it up ok. If it comes apart then the 5th wheel will only fall 1 inch with no damage to your truck or trailer.
Easy.
I call #2 the pull test & do it immediately after hooking up with the jacks still down. You can feel the resistance.
Then, before putting the tailgate up, look at the pin. If you see the pin instead of the thing that grabs the pin, it's not hooked up.
Joel
joelmyer wrote:djgarcia wrote:
Crazy Sadie,
Hooking up a 5th. wheel is not difficult and easy to learn. Suggest you have a friend who has a 5th. wheel, help you the first time you hook up. Just a couple of basic steps that will be helpful and keep you out of troublel:
1. when backing up to the trailer, make your trailer hitch comes in low enough to make the plate level, better a little low than too high.
2. Bump test. After you hook up the truck and trailer, raise the front jacks so they are about 1 inch off the ground, put a 4X4 block of wood in front of the 5th. wheel tire, slowly pull forward as if you were getting ready to take off. If the 5th. wheel stays hooked up then you know you hooked it up ok. If it comes apart then the 5th wheel will only fall 1 inch with no damage to your truck or trailer.
Easy.
I call #2 the pull test & do it immediately after hooking up with the jacks still down. You can feel the resistance.
Then, before putting the tailgate up, look at the pin. If you see the pin instead of the thing that grabs the pin, it's not hooked up.
Joel
djgarcia wrote:
Crazy Sadie,
Hooking up a 5th. wheel is not difficult and easy to learn. Suggest you have a friend who has a 5th. wheel, help you the first time you hook up. Just a couple of basic steps that will be helpful and keep you out of troublel:
1. when backing up to the trailer, make your trailer hitch comes in low enough to make the plate level, better a little low than too high.
2. Bump test. After you hook up the truck and trailer, raise the front jacks so they are about 1 inch off the ground, put a 4X4 block of wood in front of the 5th. wheel tire, slowly pull forward as if you were getting ready to take off. If the 5th. wheel stays hooked up then you know you hooked it up ok. If it comes apart then the 5th wheel will only fall 1 inch with no damage to your truck or trailer.
djgarcia wrote:
Crazy Sadie,
Hooking up a 5th. wheel is not difficult and easy to learn. Suggest you have a friend who has a 5th. wheel, help you the first time you hook up. Just a couple of basic steps that will be helpful and keep you out of troublel:
1. when backing up to the trailer, make your trailer hitch comes in low enough to make the plate level, better a little low than too high.
2. Bump test. After you hook up the truck and trailer, raise the front jacks so they are about 1 inch off the ground, put a 4X4 block of wood in front of the 5th. wheel tire, slowly pull forward as if you were getting ready to take off. If the 5th. wheel stays hooked up then you know you hooked it up ok. If it comes apart then the 5th wheel will only fall 1 inch with no damage to your truck or trailer.
djgarcia wrote:
Crazy Sadie,
Hooking up a 5th. wheel is not difficult and easy to learn. Suggest you have a friend who has a 5th. wheel, help you the first time you hook up. Just a couple of basic steps that will be helpful and keep you out of troublel:
1. when backing up to the trailer, make your trailer hitch comes in low enough to make the plate level, better a little low than too high.
2. Bump test. After you hook up the truck and trailer, raise the front jacks so they are about 1 inch off the ground, put a 4X4 block of wood in front of the 5th. wheel tire, slowly pull forward as if you were getting ready to take off. If the 5th. wheel stays hooked up then you know you hooked it up ok. If it comes apart then the 5th wheel will only fall 1 inch with no damage to your truck or trailer.
djgarcia wrote:
Crazy Sadie,
Hooking up a 5th. wheel is not difficult and easy to learn. Suggest you have a friend who has a 5th. wheel, help you the first time you hook up. Just a couple of basic steps that will be helpful and keep you out of troublel:
1. when backing up to the trailer, make your trailer hitch comes in low enough to make the plate level, better a little low than too high.
2. Bump test. After you hook up the truck and trailer, raise the front jacks so they are about 1 inch off the ground, put a 4X4 block of wood in front of the 5th. wheel tire, slowly pull forward as if you were getting ready to take off. If the 5th. wheel stays hooked up then you know you hooked it up ok. If it comes apart then the 5th wheel will only fall 1 inch with no damage to your truck or trailer.
