RV Toolbox

BY FRED SMITH NOVEMBER 2009

How to Hitch Your Fifth Wheel

How to… With Harold

Hitching your fifth wheel is easy once you know the steps. Join Harold, our friendly Lazydays RV technician, as he guides you through the steps on how to hitch your truck to your fifth wheel in this informational video by Better RVing.

How to… With Harold Articles:
Part 2: How to Hitch Your Travel Trailer
Part 1: How to Hitch Your Fifth Wheel

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Lee W (Midland, MI)

Jan. 26, 2011 - 10:42 PM

Problem solved. In viewing the TT hookup you check the level to determine the ball height. You must level the 5er before setting up the hitch height. You left that step out. Is this a set up or hitch up video?

Ed (Lanoka Harbor,NJ)

Jan. 14, 2011 - 11:55 PM

This video is awful. Who raises the tailgate while the truck is still backing up? How many campsites are that level? Terrible!

Lee (Corsicana Texas Full Timer)

Oct. 22, 2010 - 05:15 PM

Video needs more info! No one levels a RV before hook-up! Block back of tire. Check K-Pin lock before pulling forward. If all is licked up,raise landing gear. Pull up and apply brakes. All OK? Check lights, turn signals, steps windows, door (s). GO.

Bill (Tallahassee, FL)

Oct. 22, 2010 - 04:56 PM

Good clues for getting my hitch pin in place properly and safely. Thanks.

Myra (Palm Desert)

Sep. 13, 2010 - 12:56 PM

Anwered my few questions. Great site for answers. Keep it up

Robert (Canada)

Jul. 05, 2010 - 01:02 AM

Don t forget to test your signals and brakes with your partner before pulling away.

Wayne (Ft.White FL)

May. 21, 2010 - 12:23 PM

Am I missing something? Why do you worry about being level before you hook up? The truck is going to squat some with the trailer hooked up.And why do you just chock the front of the rear wheel? Guess you never saw a trailer roll backwards. Good video

betterRVing

May. 13, 2010 - 12:50 PM

Thank you for contacting Better RVing.com, your feedback is important to us. After many hours of research and testing, we have found a solution to the video viewing issues. We have resourced a new company to help streamline the video for fast and efficient viewing for slower connection speeds.

We hope you will continue to visit and be an active participant at Better RVing.com; your feedback will continue to help us improve.

Sincerely,
Better RVing.com

Leonard (Ill)

May. 09, 2010 - 04:59 PM

You didn t hook up the breakaway switch.

Steve Roddy

Feb. 22, 2010 - 10:51 AM

You are correct. A good visual inspection of the pin connection should be on your pre-departure check list. This is also why it is important that you set the pin a little lower than the hitch and drive under the hitch to connect. If greasing the hitch only grease the back half of the hitch to prevent pushing grease over the end of the plate and into the bed of the truck.

John (Port Dover, On)

Feb. 22, 2010 - 10:14 AM

After hitching, you should also have a good look to make sure there is no space between fifth wheel and plate where the king pin is attached. If you get hitched around the neck of the king pin you will have an awful surprise when you hit a bump

Rich (Cutchogue, NY)

Jan. 16, 2010 - 06:49 PM

I keep the trailor side low in relation to the 5th wheel plate ands lift the 5th wheel up as I back into the hitch. Whe taking the trailor off Itry to get the pin in a neutral position and lift only enough to release the locking lever, then raise.

Burf (Greenfield, IN)

Dec. 28, 2009 - 01:57 PM

We ve had several travel and 5th wheel trailers. Your suggestion of raising the leveling legs on the 5th about an inch would of saved us some considerable body work one time! Great suggestion. Great web site, BTW. Looking forward to seeing more!

Bud (Homosassa, Fl)

Dec. 26, 2009 - 11:55 AM

How about a video that demonstrates hooking up a goose neck type hitch. We choose a B&W turnover ball hitch and a pop-up hitch adapter for the fifth wheel which allows full use of the bed when the trailer is disconnected. Thanks a lot.

Steve (Lazydays RV)

Dec. 03, 2009 - 09:15 AM

Any change must stay within your current weight specifications for GVWR. The pin box will have mfg sticker for who made the pin box. That would be the info needed to see if goose neck is available. We have used many of the adapters successfully.

SUE (WADESBORO, NC)

Nov. 23, 2009 - 08:15 PM

IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET A GOOSE NECK PIN BOX FOR A FLEETWOOD TRAILER? I NEED TO CONNECT TO A BALL HITCH IN THE BED OF MY TRUCK, I DON T LIKE THE WAY THE ADAPTERS LOOK, ARE THEY REALLY SAFE?

Art (Murrieta, CA)

Nov. 22, 2009 - 09:33 PM

I also didn t see any mention of the brake safety cable on the trailer that gets attached to the truck s hitch, to engage the trailer brake in the rare event of separation.

Kara, Managing Editor (Lazydays)

Nov. 22, 2009 - 02:49 PM

Thank you Bob, James, Louis, Bill, Glenn, Walt and Robert for looking out for your fellow RVers and finding a mistake in our video. Our promise at Lazydays is to fix our mistakes to the best of our ability. The video has been fixed.

Dr. Bob (Florida)

Nov. 21, 2009 - 05:38 PM

Don t forget to pull the chock before lifting the landing gear and pulling away. Some good tips here but some very important information is missing.

James (Georgia)

Nov. 21, 2009 - 04:56 PM

Hey tell Harold to finish raising the jacks before he drives off like he did in the video

ray (spain (Malaga))

Nov. 21, 2009 - 01:11 PM

Harold,i just looked at your vidio, very interesting! recently i had a new 5th Jayco Designer stolen from a dealership in B/ham England,how difficult is it to steal one of these RV s it s not possible to raise the front jacks with no remote key,Ray,

Louis (Ottawa Canada)

Nov. 21, 2009 - 11:00 AM

Harold I just watched your video about hitching your fifth wheel and you forgot to raise the landing before pulling away.

Bill (Camden, NY)

Nov. 21, 2009 - 07:19 AM

Did not mention to raise the front feet the rest of the way. In fact the video shows them down when driving off.

eric (ericerlewine@yahoo.com)

Nov. 20, 2009 - 06:39 PM

looking forward to camping together this summer j&c

Glenn (Tennessee)

Nov. 20, 2009 - 06:34 PM

I wonder how hard it was to explain to his boss why they had to put new legs on the fifth wheel?

Walt (Alabama)

Nov. 20, 2009 - 05:29 PM

You need to make sure the legs of the landing gear are pulled up. You left the legs down

Robert (South Carolina)

Nov. 20, 2009 - 05:29 PM

Tell him he should raise the front supportingbrackets to a proper height b-4 he takes off.

Show Next 12 Comments

BY FRED SMITH NOVEMBER 2009

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