first trip in fifth wheel

[lancekeys]

Well, we took our first trip in our new to us fifth wheel. Everything went well. Had no problem backing in to the spot. The trailer was not quite as stable as I thought it should be, but the front jacks where on concrete and the back on dirt, so that may have been the problem. Much better than the tent trailer.

[jbmoo]

we got a 2004 hr savoy 30'. we love it. I made some wheel stabilizer blocks out of 4x4 and ready rod. they work pretty good but still a little shake. not too bad tho. but I figure it is what it is. we can tolerate it. thanks for replies.

[stickdog]

We've been fulltime 3 yrs and used the bal rear stabilizers once or twice now we don't, not enough shake to bother us.

[avantidave]

We miss our boating vacations, so we like a little movement because it reminds us of cruising and sleeping on our boats.

[Coach-man]

Just a thought since you are new, did you use anything under the rear stabilizers, (wood planks, etc.)? Since the rear was on dirt that may have helped with any movement. As I said just a thought since no one bought it up.

[fly4fun]

My wife hated the way our trailer shook. It never bothered me, so I got rid of the grouchy wife, problem solved!

[azdryheat]

I put scissor jacks behind the rear tires and crank them up. Works pretty well.

[heaterswa]

Installed the JT Strong Arm Stabilizers today, what a difference in the stability. The 5'vr is rock solid. Pushing on the sides or jumping in the inside causes no movement after installing these. Just need a good drill, drill bits, and I also used the air compressor to tighten up the self tapping screws. Before installing these, the camper would shake around when someone would roll over. That is gone now.

-Bryan

[Uppercrust]

We have the rotochoks and also the JT strong arms, hardly any wiggle.

[wandering1]

When someone is walking around inside the 5er it will bounce/wiggle. Rubber tires will bounce, suspension systems are made to bounce. To eliminate the bouncing/wiggling you need to keep the weight from pushing down on the tires and suspension by making sure your stabilizers are tight between the 5er and the ground. Don’t just let them out far enough to touch the ground, turn the crank more to make sure they are tight so they will not allow the 5er to push down on the tires. Use a bipod/tripod under the king pin. Make sure it is tight between the ground and the king pin, don’t just adjust it till it touches, tighten it so the front overhang will not move. Make sure to check the stabilizers and bipod/tripod every couple of days because they will loosen up over time. Doesn’t make sense spending a lot of money on landing jack stabilizers when the landing jacks are stable and don’t bounce up and down. If you have properly adjusted the stabilizers and bipod/tripod then you shouldn’t have any bouncing/wiggling. This has worked for me over the past 15 years.

Chocks are to keep the 5er from rolling forward or backwards. They do not eliminate the weight of the 5er from pushing down and causing the bouncing/wiggling. If you park on a site that has a incline/decline then you probably want to use chocks to keep your 5er from rolling when you unhitch.

There are a lot of other options out there to “eliminate” the bouncing/wiggling if you have the extra money and want to spend it.

[larry_barnhart]

We also have scissor jacks installed in front of the tires. We sit in one site for 6 months . Chevman

[ReneeG]

larry barnhart wrote:

ReneeG wrote:

brirene wrote:
Glad the trip went well for you! You could try X-lock chocks to help with the movement. They took out a great deal of movement in mine, although not all. Not as effective as the JT's, but not as pricey either.

We have these too and agree with you. The little jiggle there is doesn't bother us at all. To us it's part of RV'ing.

Maybe to you but not with my wife she like's a solid feel and we have that even in a strong wind. Easy to have it good .
chevman

Well, I gotta admit that our wiggle is very slight. We have rear stabilizers and we use interlocking pads so that the stabilizers are sitting on about a foot tall stack of chocks.

[SanMarMor]

brirene wrote:
You could try X-lock chocks to help with the movement. They took out a great deal of movement in mine, although not all. Not as effective as the JT's, but not as pricey either.

I bought Rotochoks first, but the wiggle I was getting was the rear moving side to side. The wheel choks won't fix the side to side. So I put on JT Strong Arm and now it's stable. As long as I get the JT's adjusted right.

Mark

[larry_barnhart]

ReneeG wrote:

brirene wrote:
Glad the trip went well for you! You could try X-lock chocks to help with the movement. They took out a great deal of movement in mine, although not all. Not as effective as the JT's, but not as pricey either.

We have these too and agree with you. The little jiggle there is doesn't bother us at all. To us it's part of RV'ing.

Maybe to you but not with my wife she like's a solid feel and we have that even in a strong wind. Easy to have it good .
chevman

[ReneeG]

brirene wrote:
Glad the trip went well for you! You could try X-lock chocks to help with the movement. They took out a great deal of movement in mine, although not all. Not as effective as the JT's, but not as pricey either.

We have these too and agree with you. The little jiggle there is doesn't bother us at all. To us it's part of RV'ing.