Quote:
Originally Posted by Kojak
I have a question regarding setting up your fifth wheel on a campsite that has a driveway that I have to back into at an upward angle. Now with my old travel trailer I was able to set blocks underneath the front jack. It did sit up pretty high but not to the point where I felt uncomfortable. Not sure at how much of an angle it is so please don't throw math questions at me.
Is it safe to throw a couple blocks underneath the two front stabilizers? Will I even be able to unhitch the fifth wheel if the truck and trailer are not positioned at the same angle? I am new to fifth wheelers so please be gentle.
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Those front stabilizers are called landing gear, and their function is different from stabilizers. Unlike stabilizers, they also perform the task of a nose jack as you understand it. It will prove helpful to distinguish between stabilizers and landing gear in these discussions.
My landing gear are always on at least one level of 4x4 cribbing. I've discussed this in several previous threads in just the last week or so. If I were to site the trailer in a campsite that had that much slope to it, I would not hesitate to build up several more layers.
As Pull Toy said, it is critically important to chock the wheels. I normally just use a pair of wheel locks, but on a sloped site, I would also place chocks in front of all four tires on the ground.
Make sure the tow vehicle and trailer are in a straight line before you drop the trailer. If they're angled, it becomes very difficult to hook up on a sloped site. I would recommend that you become very comfortable with the drop and hook up process on flat ground before attempting it on a sharply sloped campsite.
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