Stability issues in 5th wheel

When I had a 25' KZ TT toy hauler I added four 3.5 ton scissor jacks to the frame, 2 on each side fore and aft of the axles; with the jacks already at each corner that gave me a total of eight scissor jacks on the trailor. When I got up on them the trailer was very stable and solid. I assume this would apply to a fifth wheel.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
First off.......

Remove those slide out supports. Slide outs are 'self supporting' and do NOT need supports under them.
Those aftermarket items can cause damage to slide out from the upward pressure especially should RV settle.
They are just a means of getting your RV Monies.
If needed the RV MFG. would have included them with the rig.

And if you think this is just my opinion..check with your RV MFG. about their use

As for stabilizing the rig..

Adding an aftermarket item that DOES help is JT Strong Arms or any other brand.
They are criss-cross supports that go from front landing gear to frame and rear stabilizers to frame.
They remove that side to side sway

X-Chocks between tires both sides ....they help remove that for/aft motion

And one thing I do to make rig more solid:
After rig is leveled side to side and getting ready to unhook truck I run landing gear down several inches THEN drop inner leg and pin them
Less inner leg used---less wobble

I run landing gear until rig is level front to rear
Lower front landing gear 1" below level
Run rear stabilizers down TIGHT
Then run front landing gear back up the 1" to level

Still will have a 'little' motion due to tires/suspension
But you can also place a couple of bottle jacks under frame by wheels to minimize/stop that motion

ALL good advice!

Also something like these to shorten the landing gear will help.

camp-n-family wrote:
JT Strongarms! Best mod I've done. Not the cheapest, there are other brands of the same idea, but worth every penny imho. With 2 kids the trailer would shake so bad that several of the bolt heads on the stabilizer jacks broke. Installed the strongarms and any movement is gone.

Jacks only stabilize in one direction, parallel to how they are mounted, and even then they weaken as the jacks extend. The strongarms brace them in the perpendicular and parallel planes.

x1,000!!
I finished install just after we finished a stint as Park Host, even with a pin tripod, 5er wiggled a fare amount.

Well took it out Thanksgiving weekend to Old Stone Village, a couple of dinners, and some wine tasting.
Well set the JT'S and left the pin tripod in the truck.

WOW!!
What a difference, almost zero wiggle, not sure if I set them correctly, but major difference.

Now the interesting part, my landing gear legs are about 59" apart, well the kit for the 58" or less is on sale for $184.88 on line at Camping World. Well an inch could not make that much difference, so ordered. They fit like a glove. I also found the difference between this kit and the one for greater than 58" is an additional backing plate. One could likely order from Lippert, or make one.

I did have an issue with the swing bolts, the top of the bolt should be flat, the ones that came with the kit were slightly rounded, this prevented the arms from swinging correctly, Lippert CS did well, first time sent the same wrong bolts, second time once I explained the issue, they got the correct bolts as all of their inventory was wrong.

Here is a link to the ones on sale.
JT Strong Arms for $184.88

JT Strongarms! Best mod I've done. Not the cheapest, there are other brands of the same idea, but worth every penny imho. With 2 kids the trailer would shake so bad that several of the bolt heads on the stabilizer jacks broke. Installed the strongarms and any movement is gone.

Jacks only stabilize in one direction, parallel to how they are mounted, and even then they weaken as the jacks extend. The strongarms brace them in the perpendicular and parallel planes.

Steadtfast system, x-chocks both sides. I also added scissor jacks in front of axles to stop the spring bounce.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
First off.......

Remove those slide out supports. Slide outs are 'self supporting' and do NOT need supports under them.
Those aftermarket items can cause damage to slide out from the upward pressure especially should RV settle.
They are just a means of getting your RV Monies.
If needed the RV MFG. would have included them with the rig.

And if you think this is just my opinion..check with your RV MFG. about their use

As for stabilizing the rig..

Adding an aftermarket item that DOES help is JT Strong Arms or any other brand.
They are criss-cross supports that go from front landing gear to frame and rear stabilizers to frame.
They remove that side to side sway

X-Chocks between tires both sides ....they help remove that for/aft motion

And one thing I do to make rig more solid:
After rig is leveled side to side and getting ready to unhook truck I run landing gear down several inches THEN drop inner leg and pin them
Less inner leg used---less wobble

I run landing gear until rig is level front to rear
Lower front landing gear 1" below level
Run rear stabilizers down TIGHT
Then run front landing gear back up the 1" to level

Still will have a 'little' motion due to tires/suspension
But you can also place a couple of bottle jacks under frame by wheels to minimize/stop that motion

Everything that OB said.
With emphasis on a good set of chocks that do NOT allow any wheel movement!

Add to that - a rear stabilizer which mounts to the rear of the frame.
It's either manually cranked down or by electric motor.
(Doesn't lift the trailer - *NOT* a leveling system like Big Foot -or?......similar to what you would find fore & aft on TTs)
This type of stabilizer is standard equipment on a lot of 5ths.
My 5th came with an electric one - which I never bother to use!


An alternative to the bottle jacks OB mentioned - buy a set (4) of aluminum tripod type simple screw supports - again like what was supplied with every TT "back when".
Inexpensive (should be about the cost of one bottle jack), and they "stack" for storage.
Note: They're not intended to *lift* the trailer, as you could do with a bottle jack.

Place under each side of frame (front and rear), adjust the height of the screw until it contacts the frame - then add a couple of turns until it's tight.

Again - can't emphasize enough - you're chocking set-up should *NOT* allow any wheel movement....at all!

Trial and error will help find out what works for you - without spending a lot of $$.

:C

You need to understand how your rig is built. The vast majority of the weight sits on the axles and tires. They give / allow movement by design.

Unless you want to out blocks under the frame and remove the wheels the rig is going to have some movement when weight shifts around.

All the suggestions above will help minimize that movement. But the key is to get weight off the suspension. Everyone has a different level of tolerance for movement.

Try one thing first, but do not expect it to be a cure all. You will need a couple dozen nights in the rig to determine what works for you.

Time taken to get the rig setup and properly level helps.

Are you out camping or do you live in your rig? We use our rig for camping and understand that the jiggling around is part of the experience.

Most of the people I've talked to with king pin stabilizers say the improvement is minimal. I agree with all the other suggestions.

Do the things people have told you, it will help. Not trying to be cute or smart but get used to it, you will not stop it completely.