Community Forums

WyoFree · 10-15-2021, 06:18 PM

Hi guys, We were talking about having someone ride in a fifth wheel on another thread. Yes… A terrible idea!

Part of the conversation was how some fifth wheels are like The Beach Boys song “Good Vibrations”. But in this vernacular, “BAD VIBRATIONS”! Hey Old-Biscuit I said vernacular right here on the forum WoW!!!

My fifth wheel should be here in mid December and is my first 5’er. Here’s how it’s set up.
42 feet
Twin 8000 Lb. Axles
Goodyear H-Rated Tires
Mor/Ryde LTE/4000 Suspension
Trail Air Flex Air Upgraded Pinbox
I’ll add the Anderson Hitch to the truck

My hope is this is a good setup that should travel well?

I’m thinking about what’s in the fifth wheel that may not like being shaken around. Things like the Residential Refrigerator, Stackable Washer/Dryer, 5.5 kW Generator, TV’s, furniture etc. not even to mention the items we've added to the interior and basement. Obviously the more they shake and jump around the more problems, maintenance and costs will be incurred.

I’ve watched a number of videos showing fifth wheels shaken and baken down the Highway and measures the owners took to resolve the issue.

My question is “does my fifth wheel setup look like a good one”? And what steps do you take to make yours better? Have you set up a video inside your 5’er while underway?

Thanks guys, Just trying to be as knowledgeable as I can in advance of my coach.

JIMNLIN · 10-15-2021, 07:05 PM

Advance your coach....for what purposes ??
However your list or ours won't guarantee no chucking or freeway hop or pogo sticking type issues.

theboondork. · 10-15-2021, 08:19 PM

I'm a fulltimer living in a 30 foot Arctic Fox 5th wheel. My Arctic Fox came with shocks which I have found to smooth out the ride considerably compared to 5th wheels without shocks. In other words I can set something on the table and 100 miles later it's still there.

And another thing that improved my ride is that Andersen hitch you mentioned. I've had my Andersen hitch for about 3 years and it smoothed out the ride of my 5th wheel noticeably especially going over places like where the road and a bridge meets, instead of bouncing over it, it glides across it. I love my Andersen hitch.

theboondork.com

Old-Biscuit · 10-15-2021, 09:11 PM

My fifth wheel should be here in mid December and is my first 5’er. Here’s how it’s set up.
42 feet
Twin 8000 Lb. Axles
Goodyear H-Rated Tires
Mor/Ryde LTE/4000 Suspension
Trail Air Flex Air Upgraded Pinbox
I’ll add the Anderson Hitch to the truck

That set up plus that new dually.....SMOOTH Riding ahead

WyoFree · 10-16-2021, 05:51 AM

Thanks guys, Maintaining a smooth ride has to really keep a lot of wear and tear off the items in the Coach. I know there are some items specifically built for RV’s and are made for moving down the road. But there is no doubt the smoother it goes down the road the better.

One thing I’ll need to come up with is something to keep things in place in the basement? It has just under 500 cubic feet of storage space. So I don’t want something I put up front when I start to be in the back at the end of the trip. You guys have any ideas?

Tightwadted · 10-16-2021, 05:59 AM

"Stuff" in the basement more likely to move forward, rather than back. JMHO. Is the floor surface something slick? Or is it something that will grip a little? I try to pack things against something so they don't have a tendency to slide.

WyoFree · 10-16-2021, 06:32 AM

Hi Tightwadted, The Coach specification says “One piece Composite Floors In Basement And Slide Boxes”.

I don’t know if they apply anything to reduce sliding on the composite? I’ll ask customer service on Monday.

As an aside, they have the same composite under the slides. (The sidewalls of the Coach is Azdel). The only company that does so I understand. Others are wood and painted black. I guess it’s a big deal because it can’t rot, bubble or mold and is impervious to water.

**hamm2018** · 10-16-2021, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Thanks guys, Maintaining a smooth ride has to really keep a lot of wear and tear off the items in the Coach. I know there are some items specifically built for RV’s and are made for moving down the road. But there is no doubt the smoother it goes down the road the better.

One thing I’ll need to come up with is something to keep things in place in the basement? It has just under 500 cubic feet of storage space. So I don’t want something I put up front when I start to be in the back at the end of the trip. You guys have any ideas?

To keep items from moving around in the basement while traveling, if you put enough in there it can't move. It does not need to be heavy items, I use under bed containers my wife found at Lowe's/The Container Store.

Residential fridge, have you found how to keep the doors secured while traveling. This is what we use:
https://www.recubed.solutions/

Even with the CRE 4000, you will get some bounce going down the roads.
We switched out the CRE 3000 on our Road Warrior to the MorRyde IS system. It was costly, but the ride is much better.
Have you thought about disc brake upgrade?

WyoFree · 10-16-2021, 08:37 AM

Hi hamm2018, This fifth wheel has 493 cubic feet of storage. I will work very hard to never come close to filling it. The entire bottom of the Coach is basement.

My hope is the Coach floor has some resistance to it as was mentioned before. Then I can use plastic cargo units etc.

CecilD · 10-17-2021, 11:16 AM

Did you get one of the new rigs shown on this forum where the living space had flat ceilings and was on top of a full basement? If so, I think the forum would like to hear more about your rig.

We use a lot of that non-skid latticed rubber stuff to keep things from sliding around and it works real well. We have an air hitch instead of an air pin box. The trailer is still bouncing around except you can't feel it in the truck. The good thing about a soft hitch connection is the truck bouncing is not transmitted to the trailer as much. You didn't mention shocks on the trailer axles; they would be a good add. Hope everything meets your expectations.

WyoFree · 10-17-2021, 04:26 PM

Hi CecilD,

Yes it’s the Columbus River Ranch by Palomino. Mine is the 392MB bunk house/Office model. It has entirely flat floors throughout and all ceilings are 7 feet tall. I’m 6’3 so the 7’ ceilings are important to me. Another important feature is a home style central air system (heat pump) with the unit in the basement. It has an honest to goodness air filtration system. Filtered air in a fifth wheel? Yes sir! Terrific for anyone with breathing problems, allergies etc.

The basement runs 100% of the basement, 493 cubic feet in all. I understand it’s the most in the entire RV industry.

I’ll post pictures!

WyoFree · 10-17-2021, 04:32 PM

Here you go. I ordered the Coach with full body paint and wanted to give an idea what it looks like. Sorry I couldn’t get a better full side picture.

WyoFree · 10-18-2021, 06:01 AM

Hi CecilD, when you said: We use a lot of that non-skid latticed rubber stuff to keep things from sliding around and it works real well. What exactly is it you use? Do you have a name or picture? I ask because what your using obviously doesn’t leave marks or degrade or you wouldn’t use it. Thanks

CecilD · 10-18-2021, 09:50 AM

Nice rig! I looked at introductory posts on the unit with interest. I was particularly impressed with the easy access to the mechanicals, things that are hard to reach with traditional designs. I worry about that massive basement and peoples' proclivity to fill it up and go overweight. Looks like you are needing to exercise some self control! Perfect for large lightweight stuff like kayaks or a canoe.

Search Amazon for non skid shelf liner. Amazon also has a search line for non-skid shelf liner for RVs. We buy the heavy duty stuff at Costco. It wouldn't be practical to do your entire basement, but under certain items prone to sliding.

Please get back to us after a while and give us your first impressions.