SpaceCraft Fiver

It's out of this world! Just kidding... We're talking inner space here. I don't know much about this trailer and there's not a lot of information on the SpaceCraft Mfg. web site. I gather they are basically a custom builder. But the unit in the photo is very interesting. It combines features of the over-the-cab extension of the Glendale Titanium with the V-nosed R-Vision Max-Lite, so it's probably towable with a short bed truck. That's a big trailer too, triple-axle. I'll bet that with that large slide it feels very spacious. — Jerry Brown

Jerry Brown's new book "The Fifth Wheel Bible" is now in stock RVbookstore.com

Fifth Wheel Bible in stock

Everything you ever wanted to know about fifth wheel trailers: Jerry Brown's new book "The Fifth Wheel Bible" is now in stock at RVbookstore.com.

Tips from The Fifth Wheel Bible

Throughout my book, I provide tips on various topics, suggestions based on my own experiences. Here are a couple of tips from Chapter 7 - The Fifth Wheel Hitch:

How to determine the approximate trailer height for aligning king pin with hitch: After you unhitch your trailer but before you raise or lower the landing gear to make it level, note how far your breakaway cable hangs above the ground. In my case it is usually about the width of the palm of my hand. When you are preparing to hitch, adjust the trailer height to return the cable to that position and you should be very close to the correct hitching height.

Test your hitch: After hitching, raise the landing gear until they clear the ground by a couple of inches. Then with wheel chocks still in place, apply the trailer brakes with the brake controller and put the truck in gear. If there is anything amiss and the hitch doesn’t hold, you will find out without crushing the side rails of the truck bed. The trailer will simply drop onto the landing gear. Is there a sadder sight than a nice shiny truck with crushed side rails?

— Jerry Brown

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

Hauling water

Fiver owners like to talk about the advantages of having a pickup for a tow vehicle. One of the ways I use my pickup is hauling water when I am dry camped for extended periods. I picked up a potable water grade poly barrel at a water bottling plant some time back & fitted it with a faucet. I made a wooden cradle to keep it from rolling around in the truck bed.

When I’m towing, the barrel stays forward, behind the cab. But when I need to bring in water, I’ll usually move it to the rear for convenient access. Because of my high clearance 4x4 truck and the added height of the cradle, I almost always am able to use gravity to siphon water from the barrel into my holding tank. I carry a drill pump as a backup. — Jerry Brown

V-boxes

One more post on truck accessories for the fiver owner. I've seen a few of those V-cut toolboxes like the one in the photo. They look like they'd be pretty handy for carrying around a good-sized set of tools, whether or not you happen to be towing. In searching the web for this post, I ran across several different variations on the same general design.

If you've got a lot of tools or other stuff, another option is to put a full depth box up front behind the cab and what they refer to as a partner box behind the hitch. The partner box is half-depth, allowing full clearance for hitching the trailer. The ads say that the box can be opened when hitched, something that may not be so easy with the V-box. If I needed the storage in my truck, I'd check out both approaches. — Jerry Brown

V-gates

V-gates, those pickup tailgates with the notch in the center, are fairly popular with fiver owners. Most of them are louvered, and you'll see claims that the louvered designs cut wind resistance and improve gas mileage. I don't know if there are any Consumer Guide type studies on this. A quick search came up empty, and my own experience is inconclusive. But I didn't buy one for the mileage...

I bought my V-gate after I forgot to lower my stock tailgate while unhitching. I had one of those "Doh!" moments that seem to occur a little more frequently with the advancing years. Since my tailgate was mangled enough to be useless, I decided the time had come to get a V-gate. They really are convenient, though I still lowered it most of the time as a precaution. But it was nice to know that if I had another brain cramp, at least I wouldn't be shopping for another tailgate. I've got a new truck now with a stock tailgate. So far, so good.— Jerry Brown

Scamp is back

January 13, 2006, was a sad day. The Backus, Minn., factory of Scamp Trailers burned to the ground. Scamp built some of the smallest RVs in the world. The 19' fiver pictured above was probably the smallest fifth wheel produced in decades. It still managed to sleep six and include a queen sized bed.

A trailer of this size isn't for everyone, but it's good news that the Scamp factory has been rebuilt. If small is your thing, check them out. Just click on the photo. — Jerry Brown

Long live the King

High end fiver manufacturer King of the Road has called it quits. In an RVBusiness.com story company executives blame the closure on high fuel costs.

Too bad. I'm not familiar with their products, but from the photos at their web site, I'd say they built some pretty nice coaches. It kind of looks like their entry into the diesel pusher market was ill-timed and maybe the thing that pushed them over the edge. — Jerry Brown

Steadfast stabilizing

From our fifth wheel products of the future file: The "STEADYfast FIFTH WHEEL AND TRAILER STABILIZING SYSTEM."

Personally, I've never felt the need for a king pin stabilizer, but I know that a lot of fiver owners use them. I do get a slight shimmy when I move about in my trailer, but not enough to annoy me. My guests have never complained either. But if you are among those who prefer a rock solid feel aboard your fiver, the STEADYfast will probably be of interest. It's not on the market as yet, but you can get more information by clicking on the link above.

One more thought before I leave this topic -- I wonder how the STEADYfast would perform in a wind storm. I've experienced a few storms that really had my rig rocking and rolling, all night long in a couple of cases. I also had the “privilege” of living through the Loma Prieta earthquake back in ’89. The sensations were eerily similar. A product that promises to significantly reduce fifth wheel wind shaking would get a second look from me. — Jerry Brown

Sliding hitches

In a recent post in the Fifth Wheels topic at the RVTravel Forum, a gentleman asked about towing with a sliding hitch in the rear position. It seems he had dented his pickup cab while parking his fiver for the first time. He had failed to move the slider. Here's an excerpt from my book on this subject:

The two main types of fiver hitches are stationary and sliding. As we mentioned in Chapter 6, sliding hitches may be necessary with short bed trucks to ensure enough clearance between truck cab and trailer nose when making tight turns. During normal operation, the hitch is positioned over the rear axle to ensure safe and balanced towing. It can be moved to the rear when necessary. This is done by stopping, releasing the slide handle, and then slowly pulling the truck forward while the trailer brakes are held using the brake controller. The hitch should lock in at the rear position, making it safe to maneuver into camp sites or negotiate sharp turns. The procedure is reversed to return the hitch to the forward towing position. It is not safe to tow at normal speeds with a sliding hitch in the rear position. This places the pin weight behind the rear axle, which can cause steering problems or instability with the tow vehicle.

PullRite makes a “SuperGlide” sliding hitch that automatically adjusts the spacing between the trailer and the pickup cab during turns, without requiring the driver to exit the vehicle and manually operate the slide. A similar hitch is the Hijacker AutoSlide. These may be worth checking out if you have a short bed truck. — Jerry Brown

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