Pulling a 5th wheel, it is hard?

[lak99]

I have never pulled a 5th wheel or trailer. I am thinking of trading in my
camper and getting a 5th wheel, 35 feet or less. This would be a step toward
moving out of my house and going full time. My sister says that it would scare
her too much to pull something that big. Is it really that scarry or is it just
something you get used to?

I would love all the advice I can get.

[snowball]

Ok this is my intake
We bought a 36 foot 5th wheel dh wanted a trailer I said if we are going to go full time I need more!!! he agreed and we got the 5th wheel
he drove it off the lot we drove lots of places with it and he said he never got used to it I thought he did fine made it look easy and got us were we
were going safely...I told him I thought he had a mental block as it wasn't what he wanted..and the guy that drove me up here yesterday didn't have any
problems with it other than the truck over heated not his fault needs some work on it...I should have learned to drive the truck towing the 5th wheel but didn't
wish I had!!! would make life a lot easier now that DH as passed away..but my brother says he will teach me we will see
that said don't let fear govern what you do as I am...know several that tow either and they do fine
sheila

[lak99]

Sheila,

So you don't drive the 5th wheel yourself? Do you have a friend drive or
do you hire someone?

[Bethers]

I don't have either. Have been told by someone who teaches driving them that the 5th wheel is easier than the trailer. Either one is a learning curve. You simply have to make up your mind you will learn it, whatever it is. IF it's what you want. For example, I could drive a Class A. I have. I don't like driving them - I don't like all that window space and things being that close. I know they pass that close to me and the box on the back of the Class C - but having things that close in my window is something I don't like. Therefore I will stick with a Class C. But, there is one Class A no longer made, that if I found for the right price when I'm ready to buy again, I would make the adjustment and get. So I'll never say never.

If I was looking at a tt or 5th, I would look at the 5th wheels, but that's just me. And I'd make up my mind to learn to drive it. Well, driving would be the problem - to back it up Don't get intimidated by friends or family saying they couldn't do it. You'll never get anything then. And today lots of my friends and family are amazed and tell me they'd be intimidated by my little Class C. Glad I ignored them years ago. That said, one g/f and her hubby had a large 5th wheel. She never liked driving their truck that towed it - so didn't want to learn to drive it. Last year he had a health scare and they decided whatever they had she had to drive. They switched to a Class C. I laugh at her cuz I want to know the difference between the trucks - but she's more comfortable, and that was what was important. Make sure you'll be comfortable, then go for it.

As for Sheila, her DH just passed away. She never had to drive it before. So she has to learn or, as the case right now, she has family who is/are driving it for her when she moves locations.

[lak99]

Beth,

Thank you SOOOOOO much for your informative reply. I too am widowed buy my husband
died 12 years ago. We had a 5th wheel but I sold it and got the camper because I was afraid
to drive it.

You are right. Heck, if men can do it then I can do it (and probably better).
I am thinking about taking 5th wheel driving lessons.
Look at this:

http://www.rvbasictraining.com/

What do you think?

[BirdbyBird]

I don't know about that particular riving school but I know several that have taken driving instructions on their rigs and highly recommend it. Several ladies on here do drive their 5th wheels so hopefully they will add their 2 cents.

[Bethers]

There you go. If not that one, I'm sure any of them. The one thing I'll say is do this for you. If a 5th wheel is what will make you happy - then yes, you can do it as well (or as you say, better) than any man. Women are not 2nd class at anything! We just let ourselves get intimidated easier and that's something we have to learn to not do.

[lak99]

YAY, Beth. We are on the same page. We are NOT second class citizens.
And (as women know) we are smarter than most men.

My late husband was a great guy. He was one of the few men that really
got it. One of his favorite sayings was "Women rule the world............it
is just that most men don't know it". Ha!

[Bethers]

Leslie, hope you don't mind - I went in and fixed your avatar. You didn't put in the dimensions so it defaults to 90 x 90. Your image was 66 x 90. I put that in and you look oh so much better. Now you already were beautiful, but now you are in perspective too.

[lak99]

Beth,

THANK YOU! I know that it is not the best picture. The original is blurry.
But when I posted it I couldn't figure out why it was distorted. Now I know.
I am really ashamed to admit that my profession is a computer programmer. But I work
in medical clinical trials so maybe it is alright to be so stupid about this stuff.

That is my story and I am sticking with it!

Thanks, again.

[chalet05]

Been there, done that.

We had a 36' 5er when my husband passed away 9 years ago, and we were full-timing. My brother had to pull the 5er for me when I needed to move anytime in that first year. I waited a year, bought a house, sold the 5er in 2004. I knew I wasn't done traveling so I bought a Chalet A-frame trailer. Never did learn to back it.

A year later, my daughter living in the same town announced they were moving out of state - no surprise really. I now had a brand new house I really didn't like and the Chalet wasn't what I really wanted.

I bought a 30' 5er with 2 slides and got rid of most everything I owned to become a full-timer again - that was 2007. Some days I could back the darn thing and some days I couldn't.

I spent the winter of 2008 in Florida and the spring of 2009 in the southeast. While on the Blue Ridge Parkway and in the Great Smokey Mountains, I decided it was crazy to be hauling all that stuff and weight just to be sightseeing. With the idea of leaving the 5er parked in Arizona for winters, I bought a small truck camper. Last year I bought a bigger one with a dry bath and a slide.

I love traveling with this camper! 14,000 miles across the country last year and in Alaska this year. With a 5er, you just don't pull in anywhere, you don't just pull off the road when you see a moose.

The point I am trying to make, is to think about what kind of traveling you really want to do. A 5er takes, in my opinion, a considerable amount of time to set up and break down 'camp'.

I am actually thinking of selling my 5er because with it and the camper, I am stuck in one park in the winter and I don't like it. I've thought since I bought this larger camper that I could probably live in it full-time. If I go that route and don't like it, there will always be a small Class C out there!

So, to get back to your question....it is certainly doable and it isn't hard! The backing was a problem because I could never figure out the formula as to where I should start from in relation to the campsite! It was actually women on the ORS forum that paved the way for me......if they could RV, why couldn't I? I had never pulled a 5er until I drove it off the lot. I had learned a lot from my husband through osmosis on how to set it up so that wasn't an issue.

[lak99]

Anita,

Our history is very similar. My current setup is a Ford F250 and a 10 ft Northland
camper. It has a wet bath inside along with an outside shower. You brought up
some good points. Although my camper is totally liveable, I thought that I would
need more space, especially traveling with two cats. But maybe I should hit the
road with what I have for a while and see how it goes.

What do you think?

[Bethers]

Leslie,
I'm not Anita, but if you already have this set-up, I'd take off with it and see what type of camping you want to do. How you want to use it. I learned that smaller is better for me. Others have learned they can't get big enough. It all depends on where you want to go, etc. You already own that - use it - see how it works. See where you like to go, etc. You can always sell, buy new (or used) and change what you're doing. It costs more to change now and then decide to change again. I don't think I'd love a wet bath - but saw Mitch's and changed my mind about wet baths - they aren't all equal. Her's I could live with in a heartbeat.

Just my two cents.

[chalet05]

Leslie,

The slide and the dry bath made all the difference for me. I don't travel with a pet. There are a few things I am not ready to give up, but I can't tell you how much I have in the 5er that 'I might use someday'. Only been there 4 1/2 years!! I do have a small storage unit near my daughter in Washington for photo albums, keepsakes, etc. and if I decide to try to sell the 5er, I will no doubt have another one Arizona for awhile.

Given we aren't getting any younger (I'm 65) and I think things need to be easier, I would sure give your camper a try since you have it. If it doesn't work, you can get a larger one or something else.

It'll be fun to follow your adventure!

Beth just posted while I was typing and said it well!

[Pooker]

Something to keep in mind, guys: Men aren't born knowing how to drive/tow RVs! They usually learn by doing. They, too, didn't learn how to back up at birth either. It takes practice.

I read a hint once that said discover where your particular rig's pivot point is. Find an empty parking lot. Put something - an orange cone, a Tide bottle, anything on the corner where you want to back in. Pull forward halfway and crank your wheel as far as it will go and start backing up. You will discover where your pivot point is and adjust accordingly by pulling a foot or so forward or back. Crank wheel again and back in. I happen to have a water inlet cap exactly where I need to "spot" on the left side of Flitter. Right side is a bit harder, but I use the awning arm to line up with the corner.

And, of course, nothing beats hopping in and out and checking behind you! Sometimes it takes a lot of hopping in and out!

Like Beth, I was intimidated by the huge cab/glass area in the "A". If I had to do it over now I might just pay for driving lessons and keep the rig we had. However, I love my Flitter and have no plans to trade her!

Pooker

Oops! Sorry - I forgot your original question was about fivers! Backing up trailers is confusing because we tend to think we want to go left or right and everything seems backwards. Place your hands at the bottom of the steering wheel instead of the top. Then if you want the back of the trailer to go left you actually pull your hands to the left. Feels weird at first, but works! Again - practice, practice, practice.