Deb and Ed M wrote:
I saw the change he made, and glad for it because I too, do that delicate "ballet" of closing the tailgate as the pin nears the hitch. In my case, I AM standing behind the truck as it's moving backwards; I'm not strong enough to raise the tailgate from the side of the truck. I DO trust Ed's driving skills and he moves VERY slowly. Hoping to get a notched tailgate before we leave for FL, just to eliminate that recipe-for-damage.
Ependydad - sure appreciate your tutorials!! Even though we've got a year under our belt as 5er owners - it never hurts to review before a trip!!
Thanks for the kind words. I do agree that it can be safe to between the two for experienced folks and folks who communicate well, but I generally try to target newbies and write to the theory of safest practices. We all know that theory and reality don't always align.
🙂 To be honest, if we had to do the same dance - I'm not sure that my wife would be able to lift it up from the side. I'd probably consider having her back into the hitch and me do the raising/lowering of the tailgate and landing gear. But, I'll admit to being overly safety conscience AND a huge chicken poop when it comes to RVing. Being without experience towing or dealing with heavy moving things like my fifth wheel keeps me on the paranoid side of it. Extra cautious that way, though.
rhagfo wrote:
About the only part i don't full agree with is the pull test. I do mine LG still supporting most of the weight of the 5er, in the event of a high hitch much easier to pull out with less weight on the pin!!!
To those worried about strain on the LG, well wheels fully chocked 5er doesn't move, no strain, I would think 2,000#+ dropping down on the LG would do more damage!.
There is a difference between holding up 2,000#+ and having it dropped an inch or two, the drop is what brought down the World Trade center!
I also do as soon as I have captured the pin, and before locking the handle of the hitch.
I used to keep my landing gear down and did the pull test that way. But I found that the fifth wheel still rocked around a bit with wheel chocks (both between the wheel and cheap plastic chocks) and I didn't like the continual stress on them. With raising them up (I target about 1/2"), the only stress would be the
major stress if it drops- but my goal is to never experience that stress with proper hitching procedures. So, it should be awash.
That said, I do understand what you're saying and can't disagree with what you do.
Cummins12V98 wrote:
I think I am regarded by many here as a B&W "Fan Boy" so I better give them a call and get my T Shirt!!!
I'm fairly sure, you're full-fledged cult member.
😄 Good luck on the shirt, let me know what you get and we can wear them together.
