Fiver insurance

A couple of years ago I got a little careless while towing on a narrow mountain road. I took a sharp curve too close to the edge and whacked my trailer pretty hard on a vertical rock wall. But I was lucky that my awning took the force of the blow, preventing body and interior damage. The awning of course was wrecked. I have my coach insured along with my pickup on my auto policy. The damage was covered, and I had no trouble having the awning replaced. End of cautionary tale, right?

Well, maybe not. I ran across an insurer that offers specialized programs including a fifth-wheel policy. So what does it cover that maybe the policy from my auto insurer doesn’t? That’s what I need to find out. In addition to the usual comprehensive stuff, their description lists coverages such as lodging expense if the rig is damaged, full-timer and campsite liability, stationary comprehensive, and even medium duty tow truck insurance. They also offer towing and roadside assistance. I think I need to dig into my current policy to see if I really have all the coverage I should have, get a quote on a fiver policy and compare.

Other insurers may also offer fifth wheel policies, but the program I found is described here. — Jerry Brown

New take on 5er bunkhouse

This photo doesn't do justice to the recent innovation that Gulf Stream Coach has brought to the fifth wheel market. It shows the bunkhouse in their family-oriented Canyon Trail FBHT model, but it doesn't tell the story. With this model Gulf Stream has turned the traditional fifth wheel layout "on its head." The bunk house is up front in the raised floor area and it's designed literally as a "kids room." Triple bunk beds, an entertainment center, floor space and storage give the younger set a place of their own. Meanwhile a separate master bedroom for mom and dad is located at the rear of the coach. The family shares the bathroom just aft of the bunkhouse, but, with solid doors on both sides, privacy is not an issue.

The Canyon Trail FBHT is featured in this month's Trailer Life Profiles. Check it out.

Is a fifth wheel for you?

What type or class of RV is best: fifth wheel, travel trailer, Class A, Class C? Here’s another excerpt from The Fifth Wheel Bible:

What’s right for you?
There’s no short or right answer to this question. But I think there are a couple of considerations that can help you with your decision. First, are you planning to be fulltime RVers or vacation/weekend campers? Fulltimers are generally happier with larger and more fully equipped units such as Class A or larger Class C motor homes or fifth wheel trailers. Second, will you be on the move a lot with overnight and short stops or will you tend toward extended stays allowing time for local sightseeing and exploration? If you will be on the go, you may be happier with a motor home; otherwise, you may find a trailer more suitable.

At the risk of over simplifying, the following graphic may help you to visualize these choices.

Learn about Jerry Brown's new book "The Fifth Wheel Bible" at RVbookstore.com

Weight watching

The photo above is the Federal Certification Tag from my fiver. Every US manufactured RV has one, usually located on the driver’s side, near the front of the vehicle. The tag includes some useful data: Date of Manufacture, Tire specs, Axle ratings and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR, highlighted). So how do you know if your trailer isn’t over its GVWR? Here’s an excerpt from my book The Fifth Wheel Bible. — Jerry Brown

If you are fortunate enough to attend an RV rally where the Recreation Vehicle Safety Education Foundation is offering free wheel-by-wheel weighing, try to take advantage of the opportunity. Some RV dealers also offer weight-by-wheel services. This is the definitive way to check your weights and the only way to check the balance of your trailer by axle and side-to-side. Add up the weight on each wheel to validate your axle weights as well as gross vehicle and combined weights.

Lacking wheel-by-wheel weights, you can still check your combined, vehicle and axle weights if you can locate an idle highway weight station, or maybe a friendly one that’s not too busy. You’ll need to weigh your tow vehicle separately, including a full load of fuel and the normal complement of passengers. Then with your trailer in tow, weigh your truck again, first all four wheels, then pull forward and record the rear axle weight only. Next, drive forward so the trailer wheels are on the scale and record the weight. Now do some arithmetic.

• Truck Gross Vehicle Weight = Truck weight (hitched)
• Truck Gross Axle Weight = Truck rear axle (hitched)
• Truck Gross Combined Weight = Truck weight (hitched) plus Trailer weight
• Pin Weight = Truck weight (hitched) minus Truck weight unhitched
• Trailer Gross Vehicle Weight = Trailer weight plus Pin weight
• Approximate Trailer Gross Axle Weight for two axle trailer = Trailer weight divided by 2. Divide by 3 for three axles.

Learn about Jerry Brown's new book "The Fifth Wheel Bible" at RVbookstore.com

Website debuts about Dodge RVs including Fifth Wheels

RVision, a subsidiary of Monaco Coach Corporation has launched its Dodge Recreation Vehicle website at DodgeRV.com. RVision produces towable recreational vehicles under the Dodge brand name. RVs are available in travel trailer, fifth wheel, and toy hauler models. Get complete information on the 28-foot D526RL model fifth wheel including floorplans and complete specs.

Short bed fiver

A few days ago I wrote about what I took to be an older model Prowler fifth wheel. Using an older design this fiver was small and light enough to be towed by a short bed half ton pickup. Well here’s a modern fifth wheel design that accomplishes the same thing.

R-Vision has just announced a new Max-Lite model fiver, featuring a V-shaped rounded nose that, according to the company, reduces wind resistance and increases interior space. In its smaller floorplans the Max-Lite should be towable with a half ton truck. But you’ll want to check your pickup’s weight ratings before you tow one of these off the lot. Check out the RVBusiness article for info. — Jerry Brown

Learn about Jerry Brown's new book "The Fifth Wheel Bible" at RVbookstore.com

Living the good life in a fifth wheel

Bill and Barbara Parsons live out of their suitcase. "Whenever we get the itch to go," Bill Parsons to the Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman Review, "we hook up our truck to the suitcase and hit the road." The Parsons' suitcase is a 2007 34-foot Montana fifth-wheel trailer built by Keystone RV Co. in Goshen, Ind. For six years the Diamond Lake, Wash., couple have lived full time on wheels. Their RV, with four slide outs, is right at 400 square feet, the maximum legal size for a recreational vehicle. "The slides give us plenty of room in the living and dinning areas," says Barbara Parsons. Read the rest of the story. (Photo from the Spokesman Review).

Fifth Wheel Forum

A good place to learn about Fifth Wheels is at the RVtravel.com reader forum, where nearly 5,000 RVers regularly leave and answer messages about everything to do with RVing and recreational vehicles. Fifth wheel owners, or aspiring owners, will find a wealth of information in the discussion devoted entirely to fifth wheel RVs. Drop by and spend some time. If you have a question you cannot find an answer to elsewhere, ask it here and chances are excellent a fellow forum member will provide what you need to know within hours.

Tool storage

All but the smallest fifth wheels have lots of cargo storage space up front under the raised bedroom area. In fact one of the things to watch for is loading up so much cargo that your trailer is overweight. A side benefit of these large storage compartments is the large doors. Not only do they allow you to store bulky items if necessary, these doors also provide a great place to store frequently used tools and other items.

As you can see from the photo above, I have attached my awning pull rod, level and stabilizer crank on one door and my water hoses on another. I used broom handle clamps for the tools and large nylon Velcro straps for the hoses. I have a few other tools that I use frequently enough that I will probably add to my storage door tool rack. -- Jerry Brown

Learn about Jerry Brown's new book "The Fifth Wheel Bible" at RVbookstore.com

Hummer wars

A few days ago I wrote about attracting song birds to our camps with a bird feeder. We also like to hang out a humming bird feeder. One great thing about hummers is that they are fearless, so we can hang the feeder off the ladder, right outside the back window of our fiver. They almost always find it within a matter of hours, no matter where you happen to be camped. It doesn't take them long to get comfortable with the new "bar" and start perching on the feeder. With these little guys just inches outside the window, it's easy to take photos without the need of a tripod or telephoto lens.

Things get interesting when the second hummer arrives. Most hummer species are territorial and it seems the smaller they are, the more fiercely they defend the feeder. We call these antics hummer wars. Their aeronautical acrobatics are endlessly entertaining. The more, the merrier. They are so busy running each other off of the feeder that hardly any of them get to take a sip. Until dusk that is, when a sort of truce seems to be called. We've had as many as six hummers shouldering in for a nightcap. -- Jerry Brown


Learn about Jerry Brown's new book "The Fifth Wheel Bible" at RVbookstore.com

New pigtail plug

Have you ever unhitched but forgotten to unplug your pigtail? Nah, you'd never do that. But I did. And when I pulled my truck forward, I pulled the pigtail socket out of the truck bed. Not all the way, but enough to break off the mounting ears. It was kind of a pain to replace.

But with the new plug and socket pictured above, that won't happen again. Oh, you might still forget to unplug, but the plug is held in the socket with a magnet, so it's supposed to just pop out. It looks like it should be easy to plug in too. If any of its seven male prongs get bent, the traditional pigtail plug can be kind of difficult to use. Think I'll put one of these sets on my wish list.

The product has only recently been announced, so it's not on the retail market yet. But the press release promises it the first half of this year. Info at http://www.ezconnector.com/

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Learn about my new book "The Fifth Wheel Bible" at RVbookstore.com

Camp visitors

One of the things I love most about RVing in remote areas is the opportunity to observe wildlife. Much of the time when we are camped, I keep my tripod set up at the back window, ready to capture photos of our furred and feathered friends. I thought I'd share a few here in this space over the next few days.

Often when we are planning to stay for more than a couple of days, I will hang my homemade bird feeder from a nearby tree. It's a two liter pop bottle with cut out sides and a twig poked through for perching. It usually doesn't take long for song birds to start checking it out. This photo is a Lazuli Bunting, one of my favorite birds.

Old fivers

Heading north on California's I-5 the other day, I spotted this early model Prowler at a rest stop. You can identify it as probably 70's vintage by the "crawl in" style bedroom in the front and by the externally mounted landing gear. They don't build 'em like that anymore.

Have you noticed how many older fivers still roam the highways? To paraphrase... "Old fivers never die, they just keep on rolling." Actually they don't all keep rolling. Visit any mobile home park and many RV parks and you are likely to see fivers that have grown roots: enclosed perimeters, porches, decks, and walled in patios. Once they get placed on blocks, their rolling days are probably over. Fiver graveyards seem to be farms and ranches where they end up as extra bunk houses or other temporary living quarters. Or maybe we should just say that they have been put out to pasture.

That Prowler seemed to be in good shape and was obviously well maintained. I hope it keeps on rollin' for many miles to come.

Overnight stop

Adelanto is a small town in the Mojave Desert on US 395, not too far north of San Bernardino, Calif. Since we found ourselves passing through the area and needing a place to park for the night, I stopped by the Adelanto City Park to see if overnight parking is still allowed here. We had spent a night here about a year ago. I was glad to see the faded sign still posted: "PARKING LIMITED TO 24 HRS." It's not a big park, and there are no facilities except for three or four picnic tables. But the adjacent parking lot has room for about five or six RVs, and the green grass and trees make for a much nicer place to stay than a Wal-Mart lot.

It's too bad that more towns don't provide something like Adelanto's park, a place of respite for the road weary. After we had rested a bit, we took a walk around. Unfortunately the park was despoiled by a considerable amount of scattered trash, despite the presence of two large and empty trash cans. I decided to repay the folks of Adelanto by picking up a couple of bags worth. Maybe they'll see fit to keep the park open until the next time I am passing by.

When I stay at free campgrounds and parks, I often pick up after the "decency challenged" jerks who seem to be unclear on the concept of personal responsibility. It would be easy to say "It's not my mess." But with all levels of government facing increasing fiscal challenges, if those of us who take advantage of places like these don't pitch in, we will ultimately be the losers.