good article for 5er newbies

I've hooked my emergency brake cable to my hitch since...forever.

Nothing stated about king pin plate height vs hitch plate.
King pin should be about 1" lower so it slides up hitch plate when hooking up (prevents high hitching)
Nothing about 'pull test'

Article is just so-so IMHO

Old-Biscuit wrote:
I've hooked my emergency brake cable to my hitch since...forever.

Nothing stated about king pin plate height vs hitch plate.
King pin should be about 1" lower so it slides up hitch plate when hooking up (prevents high hitching)
Nothing about 'pull test'

Article is just so-so IMHO

Hooking the emergency cable to the hitch since... forever does not necessarily make it the correct way to attach, some hitch manufacturers recommend otherwise. Something to consider if the hitch comes loose and remains attached to the king pin ,well the emergency cable remains attached. IMHO towing a 10K plus fifth wheel that the hitch comes loose will go whistling dixie thru a tailgate, especially a louvered fifth wheel tailgate. Many other places to attach the cable, bed rails, truck bed, tailgate etc etc.

Wished that they would not of started out by saying you could tow a fifth wheel with a F-150 or Ram 1500. Credibility of article declines from that point.

oweninthekeys wrote:
Wished that they would not of started out by saying you could tow a fifth wheel with a F-150 or Ram 1500. Credibility of article declines from that point.

Well some do. And are maxed out. But what's worse a maxed out 1/2 ton and 5'er or a maxed out 3/4 ton and TT? They're both at their limits but a 5'er is more stable than a TT.

First photo at the top of the article shows a big old DRV Mobile Suites being towed with a single rear wheel truck. I don't think they make anything within SRW truck ratings.

The article did not even mention how to determine how to what you can tow within the trucks rating.

It looks like a lot of fluff written by a self-proclaimed expert to me.

Ken

goducks10 wrote:

oweninthekeys wrote:
Wished that they would not of started out by saying you could tow a fifth wheel with a F-150 or Ram 1500. Credibility of article declines from that point.

Well some do. And are maxed out. But what's worse a maxed out 1/2 ton and 5'er or a maxed out 3/4 ton and TT? They're both at their limits but a 5'er is more stable than a TT.

Sounds more like sales material then good tech info.

If I were towing a DRV with a ½ ton I would like to die peacefully, not yelling and crying and screaming and cussing like my passengers.

That article is full of flaws!

"With a fifth wheel, the weight that is placed on the truck is between the rear axle and the cab, eliminating the pivot point and spreading the weight evenly over all four wheels, allowing the suspension to share the load"

I can tell you they are a mile off with that statement! My pin weight is 4,500# and I only add +- 140# to the front axle. Evenly? Don't think so.

A tow behind with weight distribution will "share the load" more than a 5er.

Somebody knows just enough to be dangerous!

goducks10 wrote:

oweninthekeys wrote:
Wished that they would not of started out by saying you could tow a fifth wheel with a F-150 or Ram 1500. Credibility of article declines from that point.

Well some do. And are maxed out. But what's worse a maxed out 1/2 ton and 5'er or a maxed out 3/4 ton and TT? They're both at their limits but a 5'er is more stable than a TT.

This past weekend I saw a 1/2 ton pull into the campground pulling an old Cougar 5th wheel and then I was really surprised to see a boat attached to the back of 5th wheel. Brave soul!

kohai wrote:

goducks10 wrote:

oweninthekeys wrote:
Wished that they would not of started out by saying you could tow a fifth wheel with a F-150 or Ram 1500. Credibility of article declines from that point.

Well some do. And are maxed out. But what's worse a maxed out 1/2 ton and 5'er or a maxed out 3/4 ton and TT? They're both at their limits but a 5'er is more stable than a TT.

This past weekend I saw a 1/2 ton pull into the campground pulling an old Cougar 5th wheel and then I was really surprised to see a boat attached to the back of 5th wheel. Brave soul!

I would lean more towards Irresponsible!