Tripod support

[scottyballs]

Every now and then I see a 5th wheeler with a tripod under the pin, apparently for added support. Does this really do anything? The trailer sits on the wheels, the landing gear and the rear levelers?

[Buckeye_Chuck]

DHCamper wrote:
Works for an ultralight. Without the tripod I can rock the front by hand. With it installed, I can't budget it no matter how hard I push. Tripods may not work as effectively with a heavier 5er.

Works for us. We are on a seasonal site with concrete pad. I don't know if that matters but we notice a big difference in side to side movement. I have a relative inexpensive tripod ,(FASTJACK, less than $100) and really like it.

[jgrimes]

With my other 5er, the tripod made a signicant difference. With my new, heavier rig and 6 point leveling, I don't see any improvement with the tripod. If you decide you want one, mine is FOR SALE.

[jevanb]

I use one but with 4 kids running around, and they never sleep in one position it does help

[Mike_LeClair]

We use a uni-stick under the pin. Just a big old 6X6 on a wood block plate with an adjustable screw type pedestal right under the pin. May not do much for stabilizing however it does an awesome job for tying things to and my wife likes to hang "stuff" from it. No, not my head, just decorations and stuff - what were you thinkng!

Cheers!

Mike

[Dutch___Di]

The Bi Pod didn't offer as much stability as I was looking for so we went with permanently installed stabilizers. We are fulltimers and that makes a difference too. If I were an occasional RV'er, I might not let the movement bother me. The last 8 years have been so much more pleasant especially when the washer is on spin cycle. Another advantage for us is nothing to put up, take down or find a place to store the BiPod. Hugs, Di

[driveandfish]

Not worth the money. Wish I had a Steadyfast system.

[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.

[C_Schomer]

My tripod is homemade and it make the 5er rock solid. Craig

[JohnG3]

We did like most on this thread. Had a tripod, more trouble to set up than benefit. Tried a set of Winfield braces and have moved them to each 5th wheel we've had. Less than a minute set up.

[DHCamper]

Works for an ultralight. Without the tripod I can rock the front by hand. With it installed, I can't budge it no matter how hard I push. Tripods may not work as effectively with a heavier 5er.

[Winged_One]

It worked for us when we had a solid pin. Not so much with the air pin.

[lakeside013104]

JT Strongarms for us. They work very well.

JT LINK


Lakeside

[padredw]

When we started RV travel 17 years ago, a tripod was given to us by the seller. Since then we have owned 3 other fifth-wheels and have traveled 150,000 miles -- and since the first few trips that tripod has stayed at home in the garage.

In other words, we felt it had no discernable effect. But I do have to say that we, unlike many fifth-wheel travelers, are not sensitive to the normal movement. Often in overnight stops we never put down the rear stablizers, and sometimes I'm negligent for several days putting them down. And, of course, they do make a difference.

And that's all we have. We are not motivated to try anything else. Just us--one experience and one opinion. We accept that others have different experiences, different needs, and different opinions.

[goducks10]

If you definitely have some movement just go with JT Strong arms or a similar type. They're permanently mounted and easily activated/deactivated. Nothing to pack up. Also if you have a MorRyde type king pin then the tripod won't work.

FWIW I wouldn't leave home without them.:)

[sunnybrooktoyha]

I use mine to hold the flag pole base. Work great. Happy camping