Levelling Fifth Wheel Side to Side

[Dman1]

Over the winter, my fifth wheel dropped a bit on one side and is no longer level. Is there a way to level the camper without hooking up to my truck? Can I use a hydraulic jack to lift up the camper and put shims in that way? Placing tony fifth wheel hitch onto my truck is quite a bit of work, and I have a heavy duty hydraulic Jack that should be able to lift the camper. I am just wondering if anybody has tried this or if I should just bite the bullet and reinstall my fifth wheel hitch.

Thanks and sorry if this has already been. Posted. I did do a quick search on this before posting.

[edatlanta]

stickdog wrote:
Come on guys this is not rocket science.

Jack it up like you were changing a tire, add the needed shim under that tire then do the same to the other.

X2

[TomHaycraft]

What everyone is posting, to add some leveling blocks under the wheels on the low side ... but what about up front under the landing gear? To keep from torquing the frame, I'd hitch up, raise landing gear, jack the wheels, then reset landing gear.

This was my experience when wanting to level the trailer prior to mounting a level on my pinbox. Trailer was in storage, I jacked up each axel, placed the necessary block under the wheel. Level in my kitchen, didn't change the bubble at the pinbox.

[fj12ryder]

And don't try to use the stabilizers to level from side to side, they aren't designed to do that. Front to back yes, side to side no.

Yep, a 4 ton jack will struggle depending the heft of the 5th wheel.

How far has it sunk?

[Greene728]

Dman1 wrote:
Thanks. Sorry for lack of details. Double axle trailer. Just parked it on the site in the fall. Lot is gravel. There was a different camper there in previous years. I believe that the foundation is good. The gravel was likely loose last year and settled with my camper sitting there over the winter. I will check the tire pressures again, but I thought they were fine. Stabilizers are down.

I realize that it's not rocket science, I was just curious if anybody levelled with a jack or if it was easier to just hook it back up to the truck. I have a 4 ton jack and the trailer likely weighs about 14K with everything in it right now.

Thanks.

A 4 ton jack is gonna struggle with it, but may do it with plenty of caution and cribbing. You'd be better of with a good bottle jack of 10 tons or more and plenty of lengths of 2x6 or 2x8 in say 12-16in lengths. Get everything jacked up nice and level and place boards under the tires, landing gear, and stabilizer jacks. Just be in no hurry and get her done right for the long haul!

[Dman1]

Thanks. Sorry for lack of details. Double axle trailer. Just parked it on the site in the fall. Lot is gravel. There was a different camper there in previous years. I believe that the foundation is good. The gravel was likely loose last year and settled with my camper sitting there over the winter. I will check the tire pressures again, but I thought they were fine. Stabilizers are down.

I realize that it's not rocket science, I was just curious if anybody levelled with a jack or if it was easier to just hook it back up to the truck. I have a 4 ton jack and the trailer likely weighs about 14K with everything in it right now.

Thanks.

[johntank]

Like korbe & stickdog said;

Jack it up on the low side just like your changing a tire, and do what needs to be done to level trailer be it with boards or filling holes with dirt/sand, you can also do this for the landing gear too if need be, then you can reset/adjust your stabilizers.

[Coach-man]

You don't have stabilizers? I would use those to level the FW from side to side!

[Fire_Instructor]

If you don't stabilize what's sinking under the tires, you will only wind up doing it again later this season or next. If you don't mind doing that, no problem, but if it's a bigger chore, like a seasonal with an attached deck, etc., then I'd rather fix it once and be done with it.

[Golden_HVAC]

I had my tires get the sand around them washed away by rain. All I had to do was jack up the tires, and put boards under the low tires. Like stated above it is not rocket science.

You will probably find a tire shaped hole under the tire, and putting a board over the void will cause it to crack. So fill in the hole, then place a 2X10 under the tire. This solved my sinking into the sand problem. I had a small creek running through my parking area while I was parked on a 4 acre ranch in Southern California. It was rare to rain, but when it did, I would get up to 2" of running water along only the drivers side of my motorhome. So I had to relevel it once a winter. No big deal. Cheap rent too!

Good luck,

Fred.

[fj12ryder]

It's not a triple axle? I like to know the details of the problem before offering advice. 🙂 Sometimes all is not as it appears.

[stickdog]

Come on guys this is not rocket science.

Jack it up like you were changing a tire, add the needed shim under that tire then do the same to the other.

[fj12ryder]

Dropped a bit how? Suspension collapsed? Details m'lad, details. 🙂

I don't think I'd use a single jack to try and lift the camper. Maybe two of them on the frame in front and behind the wheels, and jacked up evenly.

[Artum_Snowbird]

Are you saying the wheels have sunk into the ground on one side, or something has happened to the suspension on one side?

[korbe]

If it settled below a tire, I would jack up the frame as if I was changing a tire, and put a board or 2 under the tire(s). Have you checked the tire pressure lately?