RV Fifth Wheeling: On the Level

At times fifth wheel owners complain of their inability to access stuff in their pickup bed when the fiver is hitched up. If only they could stick their arm in between the bottom of the fifth wheel and the top of the bed rails, but alas, often there's just too little room. "Why not," they ask, "raise the fifth wheel hitch up a mite, and increase that space in between. There's a couple of good reasons.

Fifth wheels like being "on the level." There are adjustments on both the fiver's pin box and on the truck's hitch to be able to get both leveled out when hitched and standing on flat ground. The first reason for setting the hitch height so that all's level is for the sake of over-nighting on the road. It's a mighty hefty inconvenience to have to unhitch and set landing gear to make the rig "livable." Sure, you could conceivably leave it hitched and grin and bear the uphill walk getting to bed, but your RV refrigerator won't tolerate the pitch.

Another reason: Pitch the fifth wheel "back on its wheels" and you've gone and upset the designer's center of gravity. Fifth wheels are designed to properly distribute their weight over both tires and fifth wheel hitch. Throw more weight to the back, on to the tires, and you've put your tires into a greater load. If you're already close to safe tire load limits and you shift more weight onto them, hot running tires and the resultant chance of a blow out are on the horizon. Blowing tires on a rig that's already not balanced properly is a recipe for a big disaster.

Keep on the level and keep everybody happy: Your refrigerator, your tires, and your insurance company!