My Fifth Wheel's A' Rockn'

[chef john]

Thanks to everyone that responded to my tax question. It was very interesting to hear what different people pay in different states.

My wife and I decided to take our new fifth wheel to the lake this weekend to enjoy some of this amazing warm trend we are having this winter. I took it up Friday and sat there glued to the radar as we had tornado warnings and thunderstorm warnings. Luckly we did pretty well as that all we really got was alot of rain. This was our secong trip in our RV and I was wondering about stablizing. I could feel alot of movement when someone was up and walking around. Maybe I am not cranking the jacks down enough? What about kingpin stablizers and the other items You can buy to help stabilizing? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Chef John

 

[Carl L]

Maybe I am not cranking the jacks down enough?

Probably. 

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

In addition to cranking the stabilizers down firmly, you want to chock the wheels well. The wheels actually roll slightly as the suspension flexes and locking the wheels in place can do a lot to eliminate movement. Sit outside and watch the wheels while your wife walks around - you may see some wheel motion. Not all fivers do it, but its not uncommon either.

Take a look at some of these - I found that the Chock N Lock worked well on one fifth wheel we had that rocked a lot.Camping World - wheel chocks

 

[chef john]

Does anyone have any feelings about kingpin stabilizers? They are kind of expensive and would hate to spend the money for little results

 

[2006F350]

They do help. We were camping awhile back, and because of the upslope of the campsite, the pin was too low to use the stabilizer. When the grandkids got to horsing around abit, I was outside, and almost got sea-sick watching the pin move back and forth, to and fro. Next trip out, we were a bit more level and could use the tripod. Same grandkids, unfortunately (thats supposed to be a funny -- wouldn't know what to do without them), and once again, they got a bit rambunctious .. there was still some movement, but it was whole bunch less. I'm sure that if I had roto-choks or the like to stop the tire movement, that there would be virtually no movement to speak of.

Larry

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We used one on a King of the Road that had the MorRyde suspension. That one moved around a lot and we used Clocking wheel chocks and a king pin stabilizer to lock her down. Was pretty solid with both nose and wheels firmly under control. Not a big deal to set up either, though a minor nuisance to carry (bulky and heavy).

 

[Herm J]

I'm a firm believer in king pin stabilizers.  My first one was a very heavy A frame and it wasn't nearly as effective as the aluminum tripod that I am using now.  I think Camping World still has them on sale.

Since we spend three months in our 5th wheel down here  on Mustang Island (Corpus Christi area) and since my wife is a beader and I am a flameworker (make glass beads with a torch), we like to have our rig pretty solid.
A couple of other things that I think help keep things from rocking:
(1) Run out your front "legs" as far as practical before you pull the pin and drop the "foot section".  There is usually some free play in that last section (the one with the holes in it) and the less of it you have extended, the less movement is possible.
(2) Place stabilizers under your large slide.  Mine are called "Slide Winders".  Just be sure you don't crank them up so tight you do damage to your slide mechanism.

Herm

 

[chef john]

Thanks Herm,
I didn't think about the extensions on the front, but that makes good sense. I think I am also going to invest in some locking chocks before I go out and buy the kingpin stabilizer. Thanks for the input. I love this forum. Great advice and lots of input. You provide a great wealth of knowledge.

 

[Barb]

We had a 35' 3x slide 5'er with a set of solid setters. http://www.solidsetter.com/  They worked a lot better than the tripod, and bipod we had before.  And you don't have to carry a bipod anymore. He use to ship anywhere in the US. for $20.00.  There is another company that makes  a very similar design.  We saw them in the big tent at QS last year.

There's an old saying.........When the trailer's a rock'n don't come knock'n.  Tee Hee Hee (LOL)

Barb
Learning to keep it between the white lines
Currently in Yuma AZ

 

[GShelton]

I just ordered a set of JT Stabilizers. They are due to arrive on Monday. Heard good things about them. $399 for the set shipped. (Front for front to back and side to side as well as the rears.)

 

[Barb]

I just ordered a set of JT Stabilizers. They are due to arrive on Monday. Heard good things about them. $399 for the set shipped

I think you'll like them.  Good Luck

Barb

 

[BruceinFL]

I don't have a problem with rocking. Here's what I do after chocking my wheels. First, extend the front jacks and level the 5er. Next, extend the rear stabilizers and after that, extend the slides. Finally, after the slides are extended, recheck the rear stabilizers to make sure they are extended properly, especially the stabilizer on the opposite side from the slides.