What to Know About Fifth Wheel Hitches

RV fifth wheel hitches are handy because they facilitate turning, allowing you to drive normally with the attachment automatically following suit. Fifth wheels therefore eliminate the cumbersome maneuvering of their truck-like counterparts — a tremendous advantage if you’re more comfortable driving a regular vehicle. A fifth wheel trailer hooks up to the tow vehicle by fitting a pin into a hitch receiver, then clamping it in place. The receiver mounts so that the pin of the trailer carries the weight forward of the center line of the rear axle. This placement makes fifth wheel trailers stable and allows a fifth wheel trailer to haul more weight than a standard tongue hitch trailer, when you equip the tow vehicle with the correct hitch. A typical RV fifth wheel hitches have a capacity of 16,000 pounds but some models have capacities in the lower 20,000 range. RV fifth wheel hitches Canada can be removed from the truck bed by removing 4 pins. The hitch is heavy and the mounting rails remain in the bed and can get in the way of cargo. Fifth wheel hitches can be upgraded to include air bags or extended reach designs by replacing the entire pin box. The pin box is the steel structure that extends out from beneath the front of the camper and holds the king pin. It is much easier to connect a trailer to a fifth wheel hitch. Simply make sure the pin box is at or just above the height of the hitch and back up. As long as you are lined up close, the hitch will align the king pin into its latch. If you decide to go with a traditional fifth wheel hitch, there are few things to keep in mind. Think about going down the road with your rig, you know that you will rarely find a smooth road. Your hitch will be bumped and jostled as you go down the road.

There are two main types of traditional fifth wheel hitches:
Standard Fixed
This hitch is fixed in place and has no cushioning. To help with minimizing the effects of bumps along the road, you can purchase padded pin boxes. The good thing about this it is light weight and inexpensive. Pin boxes can move from truck to truck. However, you might still feel some of those bumps.

Air Ride
The air ride is an all-in-one system that cushions against bumps along the road. It is high quality and has an anti-shock system. But downside of it is that it is heavy, expensive and difficult to move from one truck to another.

Choose rv fifth wheel hitches Canada that is weight rated high enough above the gross vehicle weight of the trailer to have an adequate margin for safety. Mount your fifth wheel hitch carefully and securely. As possible, use all available safety devices to make sure to safe towing. Be mindful of the clearance from the front of the trailer to the cab of the truck when turning the trailer at sharp angles. Even when using a sliding hitch, proceed cautiously until you are familiar with where the trailer tracks.