Transitioning to 1st Fifth Wheel
Well, retirement is almost upon me (December if all goes well) and we're looking hard at a 5th wheel and a new tow rig to start things off right. Problem is, I'm not sure how to get started. I've towe...
Forum Discussion
5th wheel tows different than a bumper pull. I find 5th wheel is easier on the highway, less affected by wind and other vehicles. However, when making turns, going around corners, curbs, obstacles, you have to keep in mind the 5th wheel will off track (cut the corners) a lot more than a bumper pull.
Backing up has taken me a while to learn with the 5th wheel as compared to a bumper pull. A bumper pull will react much quicker to your steering wheel. A 5th wheel takes longer to react. You need to learn to follow the 5th wheel as it starts to turn.
The above is amplified if your tow vehicle is long. Compare a crew cab long bed to a short bed non-crew cab. The difference in total length of the vehicle can be more than 4 feet. That means different turning radius of the tow vehicle. Mine is a crew cab long bed, so the 5th wheel takes longer to react when I turn the steering wheel. I also have less room to maneuver the truck as I back up (think about a road and backing into a driveway), I have less room in the road with my long truck as I make the turn into the driveway while backing.
I watch the tires of my trailer on the inner curve as I backup, trying to line them up with a spot in the curve (typically the corner of the driveway and road I'm trying to back into). My spotter is there for one reason, don't let me hit anything. I get out and look at least 2x every time I backup.
While backing you will find your tow vehicle will swing out further into the road or other side of the road, then when backing a bumper pull.
I find I need to pull further ahead ( a lot further) than a bumper pull, before backing and turning into a spot.
Watch lots of videos of people backing up. Truck drivers backing up their rigs (they have the advantage of much tighter turning radius than many of our pickups so can easily straighten up their tow vehicle with the trailer, where for me it's a lot harder). Quite often when I backup the 5th wheel, I'll have to stop and go back and forth a couple of feet, maybe multiple times to get my tow vehicle lined up with my trailer for the final back into the spot.
If you are way off backing up, start over.
Practice, practice, practice . . .
Backing up has taken me a while to learn with the 5th wheel as compared to a bumper pull. A bumper pull will react much quicker to your steering wheel. A 5th wheel takes longer to react. You need to learn to follow the 5th wheel as it starts to turn.
The above is amplified if your tow vehicle is long. Compare a crew cab long bed to a short bed non-crew cab. The difference in total length of the vehicle can be more than 4 feet. That means different turning radius of the tow vehicle. Mine is a crew cab long bed, so the 5th wheel takes longer to react when I turn the steering wheel. I also have less room to maneuver the truck as I back up (think about a road and backing into a driveway), I have less room in the road with my long truck as I make the turn into the driveway while backing.
I watch the tires of my trailer on the inner curve as I backup, trying to line them up with a spot in the curve (typically the corner of the driveway and road I'm trying to back into). My spotter is there for one reason, don't let me hit anything. I get out and look at least 2x every time I backup.
While backing you will find your tow vehicle will swing out further into the road or other side of the road, then when backing a bumper pull.
I find I need to pull further ahead ( a lot further) than a bumper pull, before backing and turning into a spot.
Watch lots of videos of people backing up. Truck drivers backing up their rigs (they have the advantage of much tighter turning radius than many of our pickups so can easily straighten up their tow vehicle with the trailer, where for me it's a lot harder). Quite often when I backup the 5th wheel, I'll have to stop and go back and forth a couple of feet, maybe multiple times to get my tow vehicle lined up with my trailer for the final back into the spot.
If you are way off backing up, start over.
Practice, practice, practice . . .
