opinion on king pin stabilizers

[KevinZ]

I am picking up my first fifth wheel tomorrow, an Excell no less. 35' with tongue weight of 2580 lbs. Where I camp I see many who use king pin stabilizers, and many who don't.

Are they necessary, what are the benefits and drawbacks if any. Also would like recommendations as to what brands are better than others.

Thanks and very excited,
kevin

[KevinZ]

I am picking up my first fifth wheel tomorrow, an Excell no less. 35' with tongue weight of 2580 lbs. Where I camp I see many who use king pin stabilizers, and many who don't.

Are they necessary, what are the benefits and drawbacks if any. Also would like recommendations as to what brands are better than others.

Thanks and very excited,
kevin

[LarryGodby]

Welcome to the forum, Kevin. This is the one I use. http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...abilizer/20307 I don't use it all the time but if we are going to be somewhere for more than a couple of days or if it is windy I set it up, takes about 5 minutes.

Just one more thing to keep the rig stable and not rockin.

[ChiefJohn]

I respect Sir Godby's opinion on king pin stabilizers, but I've just never seen a need for one. One of those accessories you either swear by or one you can do without -- comes down to personal preference. Then again, Larry is younger than I am and may have more recreational activity in the BDRM!

Welcome to iRV2.com and the Excel Owner's Forum. Please tell us more about your Excel and what part of Illinois you're located.
John

[rockintom]

I just sold mine to a guy in a RV we were staying. It does help a little, but not enough to justify the set up time, weight in the TV and the bulkiness of the durn thing. Not to mention the pinched fingers. But then again I kinda like a little "rockin"....it's a personal thing!

Good luck on your new rig! Enjoy, you picked a good one. rock

[MakinSmoke]

Kevin,

How cool it is that your initials are KZ and you bought an Excel. Congratulations, I think you made a great choice.

We use the nose stand and well as brake wedges between the tires to try to stabalize the trailer anytime we are going to be somewhere for a few days. Even so I still don't think we have removed enough of the "shake" but we have reduced it from way too much to almost acceptablebut I should disclose that I'm a pretty big Bubba, a tad over 6' and this week I weigh 259. If the wiggle tends to bother you, you will be happy with the stand.

Welcome to the forum and please be sure to share your experience....that's how we all learn.

[Rsteabag]

We use ours every time when we stay more than one nite. Mine is aluminum so is a lot lighter but still bulky so keep it in the bed of the pickup. Does help with the movement in the goose neck as we have air ride on the dexter axles so you don't always get it off the bags so this helps.

[rockintom]

I should disclose that I'm a pretty big Bubba, a tad over 6' and this week I weigh 259.

Finally....a truthful statement from you! Are you on some kinda truth serum???

[LarryGodby]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by MakinSmoke:
I should disclose that I'm a pretty big Bubba, a tad over 6' and this week I weigh 259. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

that's what I call a Mini Bubba

[rockintom]

I still wanta see Virg on the roof of his rig! What a sight that'd be! Are we yet? Hard for the boss to get too excited after the antics he's pulled lately! Bad boy....and we love it.

[powerboatr]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by MakinSmoke:
Kevin,

How cool it is that your initials are KZ and you bought an Excel. Congratulations, I think you made a great choice.

We use the nose stand and well as brake wedges between the tires to try to stabalize the trailer anytime we are going to be somewhere for a few days. Even so I still don't think we have removed enough of the "shake" but we have reduced it from way too much to almost acceptablebut I should disclose that I'm a pretty big Bubba, a tad over 6' and this week I weigh 259. If the wiggle tends to bother you, you will be happy with the stand.

Welcome to the forum and please be sure to share your experience....that's how we all learn. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

me to i am 6'3 and 235-240 depending on my last meal LOL
i use mine if we are going to be put for more than a few days,
i still like a bit of recreation in the master suite,

does it stop the wiggle NO
does it help YES
is it heavy YES
do i hate setting it up ? YES
congrats on you new rig

[RustyJC]

Don't use 'em. I've never been bothered by enough movement to see any need for them. Perhaps I'm just not sensitive enough to such things.

Rusty

[LindaH]

We've had king pin stabilizers on our previous fifth wheels, but didn't want to bother with the hassle of having another piece of equipment to try and find a place to store. So we bought the JT's Strong Arm Jack Stabilizer which are permanently mounted on the fifth wheel so there's nothing to set up, take down, or find a place to store.

The only problem we had with the JT's is that, apparently, Excel's front jacks are closer together than most other fifth wheels, so we had to have special, shorter, front stablizers fabricated. But they work great and take the "wiggle" out of the rig (there is *some* wiggle when the washing machine is in it's spin cycle, but otherwise, we feel no movement when walking around).

[diandtom]

I use it if I got room , but I would try it without for a while. I use it when I am going to be somewhere for a week or more. I do have it on when it is in the shed at my house. Welcome to IRV 2
Tom