Community Forums

outdoorplay · 02-05-2019, 11:26 AM

Hi everyone my name is Michael Dickerson, in the form world I am known as outdoorplay.
I am an avid Outdoorsman, hunter, and fishermen. The outdoors is a big part of my life and I have finally hit the blessed time of my life where I work by choice and not because I have to have to, so mostly retired and now planning to be on the road quite a bit.
I have had tongue pull trailers my whole life, from small 19 footers to 32 14,000 pounds empty, So I am used to Towing trailers.
But this year knowing that I was going to spend three-quarters of the year on the road I opted to buy my first fifth wheel as they tow a lot better. I opted to buy a used 32-foot Stellar Eclipse Toy Hauler.
I don't pick up the trailer until next week I am currently having a hitch installed on my truck and I was looking for some advice on some do's and don'ts things I should be adding to the trailer or the truck and things I don't need to waste my money on.

The first trip will be from Southern California 2 North Carolina for some tuna fishing and then heading up to Boston for St Patrick's day, I'm stopping many times along the way the total trip will be 6 weeks leaving in 17 days

Any and all advice would be much appreciated thank you in advance for your time and your advice.
ODP

WYO George · 02-05-2019, 11:55 AM

A 5’er will turn tighter than a bumper pull so be careful with right turns.

Crossing uneven terrain can let the camper contact the bed rails so pay close attention. This applies to not only dirt roads, but places you might not expect like drainage ditches entering gas stations.

road dogs · 02-05-2019, 01:46 PM

Welcome! Been fiving for about 10 years, I spent about 6 months lurking on RV forums, asking questions, reading reviews etc before I settled on my choice of fifth wheel, hitch and truck. I found lots of advice, some good and some not so much. Just make sure you choose a good hitch and have it installed by a competent dealer. I prefer to tow as level as possible so if I am doing a quick overnight stay I don't have to disconnect the trailer to stay level. A cushioned pinbox does wonders for smooth towing. I have had both Mor Ryde and 5th Airborne, I much preferred the Mor Ryde but they're both good. When turning corners keep the TV nose pointed straight as long as you possibly can to prevent curb rash or worse. Other than that, travel safely and just enjoy!

outdoorplay · 02-05-2019, 01:55 PM

thanks WYO George for that I would not of thought of that

outdoorplay · 02-05-2019, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by road dogs

I prefer to tow as level as possible so if I am doing a quick overnight stay I don't have to disconnect the trailer to stay level. A cushioned pinbox does wonders for smooth towing. I have had both Mor Ryde and 5th Airborne, I much preferred the Mor Ryde but they're both good.

I have a shot bed so I am having the dealer install the automatically adjustable hitch.

after this first trip with the 5th wheel, I am going to see about adding an airbag to the receiver, do you have any experience with that?

road dogs · 02-05-2019, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by outdoorplay

I have a shot bed so I am having the dealer install the automatically adjustable hitch.

after this first trip with the 5th wheel, I am going to see about adding an airbag to the receiver, do you have any experience with that?

I currently have the Reese 5th Airborne pin setup, but it is basically a hinged pin plate with an airbag between it and the pinbox so it doesn't really affect pin height. I have airbags on my truck, which do help to fine tune the trailer levelling.

CecilD · 02-05-2019, 02:28 PM

Since you are getting an auto hitch like a Pullrite, don't buy a lube plate as there will be no movement at that joint anyhow. If considering an air pin box, check with the manufacturer first to see if it is recommended with a capture plate and auto-slider. Each fiver has its own towing dynamics which are hard to predict. You may be perfectly happy with your towing comfort level, best to try it out first.

Airbags are nice, which is why I installed them. Haven't used them with the fifth wheel yet.

outdoorplay · 02-05-2019, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by road dogs

I currently have the Reese 5th Airborne pin setup, but it is basically a hinged pin plate with an airbag between it and the pinbox so it doesn't really affect pin height. I have airbags on my truck, which do help to fine tune the trailer levelling.

I am defiantly putting airbags on the truck,

outdoorplay · 02-05-2019, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CecilD

Since you are getting an auto hitch like a Pullrite, don't buy a lube plate as there will be no movement at that joint anyhow. If considering an air pin box, check with the manufacturer first to see if it is recommended with a capture plate and auto-slider. Each fiver has its own towing dynamics which are hard to predict. You may be perfectly happy with your towing comfort level, best to try it out first.

Airbags are nice, which is why I installed them. Haven't used them with the fifth wheel yet.

Thanks you, that's what I was thinking with this first tip being my shack down trip, figured it would tell me what I need to do to her.

looking for info on things to look out for, I'm only keeping this trailer for one maybe two years at most. then I'm going to custom build one.

WYO George · 02-05-2019, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by outdoorplay

thanks WYO George for that I would not of thought of that

NO problem! One other thing about turning that you may or may not have thought about is the swing of the trailer behind the axles. As the front of the trailer turns sharply to follow the truck (cutting inside the truck's path as previously mentioned) the back of the trailer swings outwards and can end up in the other lane of travel, smacking a tree, gas pump, etc. Depending on the length of the trailer and the amount of trailer behind the axles it can swing 3 feet or more in an average turn so just keep that in mind.

This video does a good job of showing various techniques of maneuvering a 5th wheel. The first one shows this swing that I'm referring to (around the two minute mark).

You get trailer swing with bumper pulls too so you're probably already familiar, but I thought I'd share just in case.

lucky1320 · 02-05-2019, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by outdoorplay

I have a shot bed so I am having the dealer install the automatically adjustable hitch.

after this first trip with the 5th wheel, I am going to see about adding an airbag to the receiver, do you have any experience with that?

This is just my 2 cents but I put on the Roadmaster active suspension (RAS) on my truck and now I'll never own another truck without it. It helps with every characteristic your common truck has and makes handling so much better, loaded or unloaded. Best $350 I've ever spent on a vehicle. Might want to look them up.

outdoorplay · 02-05-2019, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WYO George

NO problem! One other thing about turning that you may or may not have thought about is the swing of the trailer behind the axles. As the front of the trailer turns sharply to follow the truck (cutting inside the truck's path as previously mentioned) the back of the trailer swings outwards and can end up in the other lane of travel, smacking a tree, gas pump, etc. Depending on the length of the trailer and the amount of trailer behind the axles it can swing 3 feet or more in an average turn so just keep that in mind.

This video does a good job of showing various techniques of maneuvering a 5th wheel. The first one shows this swing that I'm referring to (around the two minute mark).

You get trailer swing with bumper pulls too so you're probably already familiar, but I thought I'd share just in case.

ya, that's a good one, a lot of people don't realize it and should always be pointed out. out of all of them, my last Motor home was the worst that butt would hang out like 4 feet