Towing a 5th wheel for the first time

Looking for any advice or tips from the more experienced towers out there. My wife and I have recently purchased a XLR thunderbolt 385 as well as an F350 Dually Diesel to pull it. Neither of us has ever towed anything before and we are trying to be as prepared as we can before we pick the toy hauler up in April and tow it the 250 miles to the campground. All advice welcome and appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Drive from the RV Place to a large empty parking lot....follow the aisle lines and watch how it turns and do it long enough to get comfortable about how wide a turn you need to not hit the curbs (lines) then back it up into a few spaces and practice parking it....take turns outside watching the track of the trailer when making sharp turns and try and stay off the lines...

5th wheels tow pretty easy - but turns can be an issue until you are used to it...while you are in the parking lot - hitch and unhitch a couple times...practice makes perfect.

Good Luck,

Jim

Thanks Jim, Sounds like a good place to start. We're Still trying to get a feel for the truck by itself. Fortunately we have several months before having to tow. 

The hardest thing for me getting started was hitching and unhitching.  It takes a bit of practice to learn your particular hitch.  After a while, I realized that you really want to get the hitch tight under the pin, actually lifting up on the pin.  That way there is minimal clearance and the hitch will latch.  If there is too much clearance, it won't.

Know your rig height and plan ahead for your routes to avoid low clearances.

Also, know the limitations (speed rating) of your RV tires.

Don't be in a hurry!

rule 1 - turns are made really wide - try watching a Semi - follow one for a bit around town watch him watch how he turns

rule 2 - if you dint have a hitch yet watch you tube how it hook up a 5th wheel there are several,

rule 3 - remember when backing up take your time be patient with each other its not a race and if you cant see the person directing in your mirror you they cant see you either.

welcome that Thunderbolt and truck is a big combo -  that trailer is 42 ft and its tall too 13 ft the whole length ( i have a Voltage) its a lot to handle but it handles like a baby

Also keep an eye on the rear of the trailer when turning. The rear will swing out and hit something if you're not careful.

I drive for a living hauling rock, truck & pup, and now super dump (hence my name here) My truck and pup ran about 70 feet stretched out so have a little experience. A few pointers for you: when you make right hand turn, stay wide with your truck and watch your right side convex mirror.  You will be able to see the gap between your right rear trailer tires and the curb, that will give you input on how wide you need to go.  Left turns are way easier unless someone is crowding the stop line on the street you are turning on to. If they are, just stop and wait for them to pull out.  If you can, plan your route to do left turns, 3 lefts = a right.  When you get better, right turns aren't too bad, but no point in stressing yourself out. You just have to wait longer than you will be used to to start your turn or you will drag your trailer over a curb, or worst, a parked car.  When in doubt, stop and check.  Backing, ALWAYS have your spotter stand on the drivers side next to the trailer so you can see them in your mirror without looking around.  They should ALWAYS be in view.  They don't have to stand right next to the trailer, they can be behind it, but on the same side.  If you can't see your spotter, STOP! Hand signals that you both understand for left, right, backup and stop are required.  If you want, I can tell you what I use.  I am backing into a lot of extremely tight places every day.  Take you time, look, walk your route you are going to take before you back in, and relax.  Don't get mad at your spotter if it isn't working. Stop, regroup and do it again - safety first!  When backing, until you get used to it, put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel, not the top and move it in the direction you want the trailer to go.  When it starts to turn the correct direction, be ready to stop turning the steering wheel, and follow the trailer with your truck thru the turn or you will turn it too tight.  Always watch for overhead obstructions on the road and where you are backing into.  I know this stuff by heart and it is hard to write down, hope it makes sense.  Feel free to comment

When backing, plan where you want you wheels to go, and have your spotter watch the trailer while you watch the wheels.  I have seen people put a rope on the ground that they follow with the wheels.  This can be a smart way to do it when you are practicing.  It will be second nature after a while.

Also remember that it takes quite a bit more space to stop.

If you can, plan your route to do left turns, 3 lefts = a right.

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True, but with emphasis on the "If you can" since it's easy to get into a situation where 3 left turns puts you onto streets you shouldn't be on, perhaps with not enough room to maneuver, or in some places the streets aren't square or cut through, so be sure what's available before you do this (don't ask how I know).

There are some helpful tips in the RVForum Library Towables section, but mostly it is familiarization.

Larry N. said:

True, but with emphasis on the "If you can" since it's easy to get into a situation where 3 left turns puts you onto streets you shouldn't be on, perhaps with not enough room to maneuver, or in some places the streets aren't square or cut through, so be sure what's available before you do this (don't ask how I know).

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Excellent point I should have emphasized.  When driving my truck & pup, I would never drive into a street that I was not sure I could drive out of or turn around in.  Backing into traffic without a spotter can be a bugger.  That phrase (don't ask how I know) is one of my favorites Larry!

Larry N. said:

True, but with emphasis on the "If you can" since it's easy to get into a situation where 3 left turns puts you onto streets you shouldn't be on, perhaps with not enough room to maneuver, or in some places the streets aren't square or cut through, so be sure what's available before you do this (don't ask how I know).

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been there done that too funny

Thanks everyone for all the input. Like most things in life it seems extremely intimidating mostly because it new and unfamiliar. What you build up in your mind is usually much worse than the reality of it. We plan to full time in 3 1/2 years so were very excited to begin this next chapter. Glad to know there's such a good resource with folks like you to turn to with questions. Thank you all again!

Find someone you know with a 5vr and drag it around.

Jbcain said:

Find someone you know with a 5vr and drag it around.

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Sorry i wouldn't lend my $100k trailer to anyone to drag it around, not going to happen, but you make a good point - see if the dealer has one thats a piece of crap he would lend you for a few hours or take a commercial truck driving course.

Or ride as the passenger towing a 5er as the driver explains

rockman...Do you use a spotter?

At work I do if there is one on the job.  Mostly just me, so I walk the job first to look for hazards/issues both on the ground and overhead (like power lines, since the box on my truck goes up over 22 feet) and pick landmarks that I can see in my mirrors for turning, stopping etc.  If I get part way backed into my dump location & am not sure of something, I stop, get out and look. With the motor home, my wife is my spotter if I am going into a tight spot or anything blind.  I always look everything over pretty well before backing in, unless it is just a wide open space.  Even with a wide open space you need a mark you want to stop at.

just remember driving a 50 ft motor home is different than driving a 50 ft combined long truck and travel trailer, which is also different then driving a 50 ft long truck and 5th wheel, they are 3 totally different animals and a 42ft x 8.5ft x 13'6" tall toy hauler behind a 22 ft truck has a total length of 55-60 ft approx they turn different both right and left from each other all three back up different from each other, turning radius is different with all three

before backing into a camp spot i always get out and look for trees, posts, sewers, overhead branches, kids etc etc

Definitely all different animals, but the procedures for driving them safely are the same.  I have found that if a driver is able to figure out how to drive the really big stuff, all things being equal and some more equal than others, the rest is not too difficult.  It all comes down to space management, knowing your equipment and watching out for the idiots that try to occupy spaces they shouldn't.