Setting up a Fifth Wheel

[targaboat]

I have been watching people set up their units. Some take an hour or more which make me think that I would never want a Fiver. It appears to me that most are obsessed with getting level to a fraction of an inch. It also appears to that the front and rear jacks could be used to adjust the level that last inch or so without distressing the frame. Or is it that the average person who buys a fiver enjoys tinkering? What say you all?

[Maniac]

I don't think we ever took that long to set up. The one campground we go to alot, I go in and if they are busy, they will tell me what site I am on, go set up and come back. Most of the time I set up and am ready to leave in about 30 min. But when I got 3 girls traveling, it will take them longer to use the bathroom than it doesn to set up.

[menoble]

Originally Posted by targaboat

I have been watching people set up their units. Some take an hour or more which make me think that I would never want a Fiver. It appears to me that most are obsessed with getting level to a fraction of an inch. It also appears to that the front and rear jacks could be used to adjust the level that last inch or so without distressing the frame. Or is it that the average person who buys a fiver enjoys tinkering? What say you all?

Pretty simple to do with a little practice. But yes, we fivers like our rigs level, nobody wants to have the crookedest rig in the campground.

[ajlcal]

You must be watching newbies because leveling is not a big deal once you know what you're doing. Hooking and unhooking - not a big deal. Water, electric, and waste is the same as any other RV. Like anything else, there's a learning curve with this stuff.

[EnolaEagle]

An hour... Really??

Here's our process:

Back in or pull through
2 blocks and drop the front jacks, chock tires and unhitch
(As soon as that's done my wife goes inside and puts out slides)
(After slides are out my wife beers me)
2 blocks and the rear jacks are down
Park truck
Plug in electric
Couple more gulps of beer
Awning is rolled out
While I'm hookin up water/ sewer the ole lady hands me another beer before she pulls out the chairs...

BAM! 34 minutes flat

[EnolaEagle]

For a quick weekend trip, my level allowance is 1/2"... Anything longer than 4 days, I spend an extra 10 minutes to mak'r perfect

[greyt-parent]

Originally Posted by EnolaEagle

An hour... Really??

Here's our process:

Back in or pull through
2 blocks and drop the front jacks, chock tires and unhitch
(As soon as that's done my wife goes inside and puts out slides)
(After slides are out my wife beers me)
2 blocks and the rear jacks are down
Park truck
Plug in electric
Couple more gulps of beer
Awning is rolled out
While I'm hookin up water/ sewer the ole lady hands me another beer before she pulls out the chairs...

BAM! 34 minutes flat

Its even faster when you add the step "press the Auto Level on the Big Foot System" (god bless the inventor of the automated leveling system).

[ralphie]

I don't think we've every taken more than 20 minutes on a bad day (like when DW and I are not communicating well). I can't imagine trying to get perfectly level, nor the need to do so.

[EnolaEagle]

Originally Posted by greyt-parent

Its even faster when you add the step "press the Auto Level on the Big Foot System" (god bless the inventor of the automated leveling system).

I've been thinking about converting but unsure if that's possible on my existing rig.

[EnolaEagle]

Originally Posted by ralphie

I don't think we've every taken more than 20 minutes on a bad day (like when DW and I are not communicating well). I can't imagine trying to get perfectly level, nor the need to do so.

I try to get it close but that's only because of the shower drainage. I hate getting small puddles away from the drain

[JDT]

I was actually thinking about this when we took out our new fifth wheel last week and comparing it to the time it took to set up the motorhome we sold to go back to a fiver.

I really think I can do the fifth wheel faster or at least as quickly as I did our motorhome. Unhitching the truck from the coach is probably quicker than unhitching the car we towed behind the motorhome, especially when we used a tow dolly. Backing into a spot takes the same amount of time, as does hooking up the electric, sewer and water and extending the 3 slides, which both have. Leveling will be quicker as we got auto level on the fifth wheel and didn't have on the motorhome. Just my thoughts.

[Kevinc2011]

Leveling my new 5th is just unhooking from truck and adjust hydraulic legs to level on hitch bubble, walk to rear hold button for electric rear staballizer, put in 2 wheel chocks, then open door and run out sewer water & power to the pedestal. Much easier than my TT I have to say that I love my new electric awning, then push button to run out 3 hydraulic slides. All done in about 20 minutes tops!

[Rob_Fla]

I agree with the other posters, 20 to 30 minutes max for setup.

It takes us about 10 minutes get it level and all landing gear lowered and in place and unhooked.

Then about 10 minutes to connect power, water, sewer and run slides out.

After you do it a few times you get a routine and know what works best.

[JohnBoyToo]

as still a registered rookie - anything more than 30 minutes and I'm back inside the AC to cool off because I would be cussing and sweating about a problem if it took that long

and I found something to make my particular setup even faster...

since I have water, cable, etc connections inside this small door, I got tired of pushing the LONG end of the water hose and cable thru the little holes out to the pedestal since it was next to impossible unless I laid on the ground to come from underneath the skirt and hit the hole !

I got short 'pigtails' that I leave connected to the rv and drop them below the rv to connect to longer runs to the pedestal - saves me much time and 'words' when fighting with a cable connection in a little cabinet
even went one level further with push on connections I'm so ham fisted and lazy !