I love this thing!

[Chano]

All I can say is wow I love the trailer! When my wife talked me into a FW (she twisted my arm real hard), I was nervous. Now I'm starting to get the hang of it. One question, on my first drive home I noticed a slight jerking on rough roads. Is this normal on 5er's or is there something I need to do to my truck? I searched for jerking 5th wheel but no hits...
Thanks for helping a newb out

[stlucia]

Normal!

And welcome....you'll love this forum almost as much as you love the 5er.

Some really knowledgable people on here.

[Chano]

Thanks for the quick response. I-10 in Houston can get pretty bumpy. Glad to hear its normal. (tx)

[Pmedic4]

I'm definitely not the expert on Fifthwheel towing, since I've only had one for 2 months, having towed TT for 20 years I explored the issues of 5ver towing and what my online research found was that jerking and 'chucking' are because of several issues.
The most addressable when you buy your hitch, is get a hitch assembly which locks around the pin. Some fifthwheel hitches are just a bar that slides across behind the pin, and there is some play between the pin and the front and back hitch surfaces. This looseness of only a few thousands of an inch allow the pin to bang back and forth in hitch. Different brands of hitches actually have a locking latch, the wraps around the pin, and prevents the banging. The dealer offered a hitch that was only the sliding bar, but I upgraded to the latching type. Some also argue that moving the pin placement back or forward just a few inches can make a huge difference, but hard to experiment with or change after it's set.
The other is the Tow vehicle suspension. In this case, I found conflicting information, stiff better versus softer better. I thought the best choice is Air-shocks, as they are adjustable, so I'm still looking for the 'best ride'. So far, in my case anyway, stiffer seems better, at least in my truck.
Finally, and probably the most expensive is ensuring your towing capacity is correct. If not, you'll probably need a bigger truck - simple enough.
But there is lots of information out there on this common complaint, and I'm sure others can give their likely suspects and causes.

[theeyres]

When we were towing our fiver we had a Hijacker hitch. There was a bolt on the front side that you could adjust very easily to tighten the hitch. When you get it just right it eliminates all jerking. Too tight, you have trouble releasing the hitch; too loose, you get jerking.

Don't know what kind of hitch you have so don't know if this will work. You also need enough weight on the hitch so the fiver doesn't bounce up and down.

[TomHaycraft]

Chano, in addition to the setup and mechanics of the hitch, spend some time at the scales and consider the pin weight as a % of your trailer's weight.

Most on these boards will recommend at least 20% and up to 25% of the trailer's weight should be at the pin. By design, my Springdale is a bit light at the pin and I have had to really focus on keeping weight forward of the axles. I'm at about 17% and the trailer pulls best when I'm returning from sites that I can't dump at and am carrying extra weight in the black and forward gray tank.

But everything said and done, despite a bit of motion as you describe, I'll take that with the overall stability provided by the mechanics of a 5th wheel attachment, over a bumper pull any day. Good luck with it!

[Cougarfamily]

Have always heard that the air ride hitches, such as Mor Ryde and Reese 5th Airborne, really help to eliminate a lot of the issues you are experiencing. Haven't tried one myself yet since I can't justify the cost at this time, but hope to someday.

[EricLynnAllison]

After being beatin to death last year, I broke down and gor the morryde triple glide. Big difference.