Towing Your 5th Wheel Trailer Safely

Fifth wheel trailers are excellent for people who want an upgraded camping experience that’s more comfortable. These large RVs have a unique two-part hitch system that allows for a more stable connection between the 5th wheel and the towing vehicle. However, you are still pulling thousands of pounds of additional weight behind your truck, so it’s important to make sure that you’re towing your 5th wheel trailer safely. Follow these tips to ensure your success.

Stick to the Weight Limit

Both your 5th wheel RV and your towing vehicle have weight limitations that you shouldn’t ever exceed, not even for a short drive. Most 5th wheel hitches can handle weights of up to 24,000 pounds, but you’ll still want to check the owner’s manual or the manufacturer’s website to see what your hitch can handle. 

You can also check these places for both the towing vehicle and your trailer to see what they can carry. You should also know how much the trailer weighs when it’s completely empty, and make use of weighing stations or a dump/quarry scale or rented CAT scale to check your cargo weight when it’s loaded up. Packing light and finding lightweight versions of the items you’ll use can help cut down on total cargo weight.

Be Ready For Inclines

Driving up or down a hill or mountain is probably the biggest challenge you’ll face when towing a 5th wheel. Bear in mind that a gas-powered truck will lose approximately 4% of its total power per 1,000 feet of elevation scaled. Diesel trucks can typically cope better, but either way, you’ll want to put your truck into a low gear and take the process as slowly and evenly as possible. Watch for runaway truck ramps that you can pull into if you lose control of the towing set-up.

Inspect Your Tires

Both your 5th wheel’s and your truck’s tires will take a beating when you’re driving and towing. As such, it’s important to keep a close eye on both their pressure and condition, because you never want to drive on low or bad tires. A tire blowout is bad enough in your car on the highway; imagine how much worse a blowout could be when you’re towing a heavy trailer! Use a tire-pressure gauge to check the psi levels and air them up before each trip. Watch for bald spots or sidewall cracks, too. You can even install a tire-pressure monitoring system in your 5th wheel to keep tabs on your trailer tires for you to give you some peace of mind.

Come see us at our dealership near Harrisburg, SD, to view our wide variety of new and used 5th wheel RVs for sale. We can also assist you with financing options and price quotes or trade-in values. Noteboom RV is your South Dakota family-owned and -operated 5th wheel camper dealer, serving Sioux Falls, SD, and our neighbors across the Missouri River in Sioux City, IA.