HITCHING AND UNHITCHING STEEP DRIVEWAY

[SULTINI]

Trading in my TT for a new FW next week. My driveway is tight plus it goes steep up to where the rear of the FW will sit. I am used to the steep driveway with the TT and the electric tounge jack. Any tips? No other options and the street is narrow. The drive is probably about 2 foot difference in about 35 feet.

[SULTINI]

I have a tree right near the rear bumper where I park my trailer. I put a steel cable around the tree and the bumper of the trailer just in case the chocks slip.

[Bamaman11]

I went to Harbor freight and bought a set of rubber wheel chocks. Then I caught larger rubber wheel chocks on sale, and bought the pair that you put between the tires.

I don't think 2' is that much of a drop. If someone's going to park on much of an incline, they really need to think about outside storage. I think constantly about my trailer, or utility trailer or boat sometimes in my driveway getting loose and crashing into my house. I'm just not going to risk it.

[SULTINI]

Thanks again Comrade campers. I need all the help I can get, Greenhorn Fw'er.

[C-Bears]

That is much steeper that I would feel comfortable hooking up and unhooking from, but I realize some folks would do it. I think your main issue should be secure chocking. If it was me I would use both types (scissors in between wheels and on-pavement in front of tires).

Another issue you may experience is getting your hitch to release. Depending on what hitch you have you will probably be using the emergency brake in your TV a lot to keep pressure off the jaws while unhooking.

[Likes_to_tow]

I personally like the wheel chaulks that fit between the tires and tighten down against each tire. There can be no movement with this type of tire chaulk and it also helps with movement of people inside the camper. go to this website

http://norcoind.com/bal/products/consumer/chocks/chocks.shtml

[Likes_to_tow]

SULTINI wrote:
Thanks likes to tow. Question do the landing gear, if that's what their called come down far? Like a couple feet?

Mine will let out a long way, never actually had a problem anywhere I have parked. If it's an issue just take some 2x8's and make yourself some small square pads to sit the landing gear on.

[TakingThe5th]

I think you will be OK. I once backed my 35' into a campsite so steep I had to remove the spare tire which hung slightly below the bumper and was dragging. Then to raise the landing gear enough to be level we dug a small hole for the rear bumper to sit in on the curbside.

We used both x-chocks and wheel chocks to keep her in place. There was plenty of suspension travel so all 4 wheels were on the ground-if not we would have added some 2x8s under the front wheels. We used several 2x8 blocks under each landing gear - don't remember exactly but I think the 2x8s were 3 high.

I cannot imagine that your driveway was in worse shape then this campsite, there was a fair amount of pea gravel on the site, but we stayed there about a week without issue. Yes-anyone could walk under the front of the 5th without stooping, yet I could not shove my hand under the rear bumper.

Your results will vary according to the geometry of your 5th but I'm guessing you will be OK. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Edited: You also need to make sure you will be able to hook up again when the time comes. Seems obvious that you can but problems can pop up so make sure you have enough up and down travel in your landing gear to compensate if something settles and/or shifts and that your hitch can move side to side and up and down as needed to accomplish the lashup. This isn't a typical situation because you will be raising the 5th not a few inches to a foot high, but maybe 2 foot high and things could change, so leave some margins.

[SULTINI]

Thanks everyone for your input
Happy Camping.

[neal10a]

SULTINI wrote:
No other options and the street is narrow. .

Here are a few videos that might also be of interest. All fifth wheel have the same characteristics while backing because the pin is ahead of the rear axle and not at the extreme rear of the TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRZa8cDKk-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KYZBmpO5ac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPeTvbpvyj4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM_pIOApuuE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqhfytkminA

Also there are many other videos for CDL training and backing examples on youtube that should be of interest.

[grampscamper]

Veebyes wrote:
Overall pushing equipment to its extremes is no a good idea. Anawful lot of weight is going to be transfered onto the rear wheels, the rear spring & hanger in particular.

This may be OK for a weekend at the CG but not so sure about longterm storage. I have had mine up to being able to walk under the kingpin a few times as well. It made for easy access to the front storage but it also made the trailer more shakey, as noted by a previous poster.

I would agree 100%. Mine is this way for loading and unloading only. Usually for a few hours at a time. Not usually more than 24 hours. As goducks10 said I don't go to either end of the travel.

[goducks10]

Just get some 2x6x14" wood blocks and stack 4, 2 high, under each front landing jack. 5th wheel landing gear is slooow. The less you have to lower the better. Be careful about running the jacks all the way up or down. Some 5er designs don't allow for the motor to hit the stop. They will blow a fuse. I made a black felt pin mark about 1/2" from the raised position for a stop.

[Veebyes]

Overall pushing equipment to its extremes is no a good idea. Anawful lot of weight is going to be transfered onto the rear wheels, the rear spring & hanger in particular.

This may be OK for a weekend at the CG but not so sure about longterm storage. I have had mine up to being able to walk under the kingpin a few times as well. It made for easy access to the front storage but it also made the trailer more shakey, as noted by a previous poster.

[SkiSmuggs]

SULTINI wrote:
Thanks likes to tow. Question do the landing gear, if that's what their called come down far? Like a couple feet?

Use leveling blocks or 6x6 wood blocks under the landing gear if you need to extend the legs a lot. They will only go so far and the further they extend, the less stable the RV.

[grampscamper]

Veebyes wrote:
2' over the full length of the 5er or 2' from wheels to pin? Also, wheels on the slope or wheels on the flat?

If it is 2' from wheels to pin then that is quite a slope & you are not going to get it level after removal from TV. If wheels are on the slope you had better chock them real good & make sure the weight is on the chocks before begining to remove the TV. Chock all wheels fwd. Nothing has ever defied gravity so no reason to chock them aft.

Have not seen any 5er legs with 2' of travel so leveling is going to be impossible without some creative use of bottle jacks & wood on the frame.

I would agree 2' from pin to wheels would be impossible. I think he said 2' over 35' length. My 5th wheel is 35.5' long and I can lift it close to 2' overall because the lift point is a few feet behind the pin. I would think approximately 18" of travel would raise it the required amount. Before I start I chock the rear wheels with heavy duty chocks because the front wheels will have very little weight on them. Unfortunately I never measured mine but I would think it's close to 2' front to back. Mine is over 6' high at the front when level.