Delivering 5th wheel delayed due to driveway angle

[BenjaminH]

Hi all,



I bought an 05 Holiday Rambler 5th wheel 36skq from a guy that buys at auctions and resells. He only has a Ram 2500 and isn't a professional dealer. He tried to deliver to us and the overhang scrapes pretty quickly as soon as he tries to back. The driveway is a little wider than the trailer but it's only a 2 lane road with a culvert on the driveway side. The other side is a steep drop so you can't use the land opposite the road either. On the last time trying to back he wasn't watching and ended up hitting the cab of his truck with the 5th wheel. He took it back to his house. He's willing to bring it to the front of the site but isn't willing to try driving it in again. Will an RV dealer bring out their tools and do it for a fee or where do I go from here? Trucking company? Is this a hopeless venture and I should sell it? I'm attaching pics of the driveway and the road and hoping for any recommendations. My driveway veers off to the left. It's a shared entrance. Thanks for any input you can give!

[consolenut]

lay down planks behind the trailer tires. probably a couple 2x6 nailed together in a ramp.style fashion. couple sets of them and couple extra pairs of hands. about 2ft before it scrapes and walk it up hill that way.

[Old-Biscuit]

Take it this is going to be a PERMANENT set up..........not used for traveling??


Dealership would just come out with a TRUCK.....


Take it the scraping is due to approach angle between road and driveway
2X10 boards to 'level' out the angle so when backing in it is a 'straighter' approach
Once trailer tires are ON the driveway it shouldn't scrape

[SmokeyWren]

That's a perfect reason to buy a Trailer Valet or other brand of trailer mover. The Trailer Valet is powered by a big battery-powered drill motor. Other brands are powered by a battery and electric motor, or some are even powered by a small gasoline engine. The least expensive ones are powered by a man turning a screw, which might be fine for a small trailer that needs to be moved only a short distance. The biggest Trailer Valet can move a 12k trailer with battery power. his one costs $2,300, and other brands are availablefor a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
https://trailervalet.com/shop/traile...86ec39f659c71e

Here's another brand: https://parkit360.ca/
Scroll down to the dolly.

[tuffr2]

That looks like a single wide trailer up there now. If that can make it I would think a 5th wheel could make it...not a horse trailer with living quarters as they are really low but a regular 5th wheel that sits high to begin with.

And good job on that road. It looks pretty good in the pictures.

And here I though MN was flat.

[Itchytoe]

Why is he trying to back in? Can he not pull in forwards and turn around? If your roads are too narrow and the angles too abrupt to simply turn into your driveway, then you'll be stuck making some kind of bridge to drive over the ditch. A few 2x6's and a buddy to help move them should take care of it.

[Jshopes81]

Is there any room to adjust the hitch to bring the nose down? If its permanent you dont have to worry about how it goes down the road.

[BenjaminH]

He was worried about being unable to unhitch it but there's plenty of room. The lot is 150 wide by 600 deep and I cleared a substantial area. The "dealer" is just a guy out of his house who buys at auctions. Since he hit his cab with it he's only willing to bring it to the town I'm in now which leaves me in a huge pickle. I have to find someone else to put it in at this point. It's in Holcombe Wi. Wondering if there are delivery services. Yeah it'll be a permanent install and not moving around at all. I don't have a truck for a 5th wheel (just a suburban) and relied on this guy delivering. Doesn't matter to me if it's pulled in or backed in. Should have bought a bumper pull that I can actually haul myself :(

[Itchytoe]

Okay, I think I understand now. What you really need is a neighbor with a pickup and a 5th wheel hitch. I would offer to help you out, but I don't have a 5th wheel hitch and I'm nowhere near WI. Maybe someone else on the forum can be of some help.
Have you tried contacting U-haul? I know they have pickup trucks that you can rent. Maybe they also have 5th wheel hitches available. You could also try contacting a tow truck company. I bet they can get it anywhere you want it, though they might be a bit expensive.

[Almost There]

Have it delivered to your location and arrange for a towing company that can handle a 5th wheel to put it in place. I wouldn’t think it would be that costly.

Just a thought

[redhooker]

OP, do you have access to a small tractor? Maybe rent one if not, and drop a load of clean fill dirt between the culvert and the road to fix the angle. Move the dirt out when your finished.

[tuffr2]

I like the idea having a tow company deliver it. And yes, you should have bought a travel trailer. Having a 5th wheel hitch is not easy to find. Having a trailer hitch, all trucks have those.

Oh oh, talk to an RV dealer and get a name of one of their delivery guys. I bet they could do it.

[BenjaminH]

Thanks everyone. All good ideas. I tried a local RV dealer and all they have is a truck to deliver. They weren't willing to do the planks or anything. I posted locally and got the name of a wrecker company so I'm going to try calling them today. If that fails the plan of last resort is rent at a campground for the summer while I have the driveway redone and then hire the local dealer to put it in. It's going to be permanent placement so once it's there it's not moving until I can afford to build so while a bumper pull would be easier to move around, this one is much bigger and nicer and the price was right. I found yearly campground rental (plus electric) for 900 nearby so that won't be too bad if I'm stuck going that route. I'll let you all know where it goes from here. I appreciate it!

[leadman]

Might check your local Craigslist for an RV delivery service. I see them in the RV for sale section frequently.