Strategies For Safely Hauling A Fifth Wheel

A fifth wheel is a towable RV, which means you rely on a tow vehicle to transport the rig to the destination. This journey is fun, but it also comes with some inherent risks. After all, you are driving a large vehicle that is carrying a heavy payload. All of this weight can make it difficult to come to a quick stop, handle slick road conditions, navigate sudden obstacles, and other hazards that can happen on a road trip.

Here at Herold Trailer Sales, we care about your safety, so we created the following guide about how to safely haul a fifth wheel. If you have any questions or want to shop fifth wheels for sale, visit our dealership. We are based in Indianola, Iowa, and also proudly serve those in Des Moines as well as Omaha, Nebraska.

Know The Weight Limits

A safe fifth wheel trip starts before you leave your driveway. It actually begins with your packing approach.

Sure, it's nice to bring along plenty of supplies in order to be prepared. But it's important to stay well-within the relevant weight limits. Exceeding the weight limit of your tow vehicle and/or your fifth wheel can lead to many problematic situations. It can result in damage to one of the rigs, an accident on the road, or even a hefty fine. Never overload your rigs!

Take a minute to look up the relevant weight limits, which include:

• How much the truck can carry.
• How much all of the passengers weigh.
• How much the fifth wheel and its hitch can carry.
• How much the empty fifth wheel weighs (without any cargo inside).
• How much the fifth wheel weighs when it is hitched and packed full of supplies.

If you do not know the empty weights of the fifth wheel and hitch, the owner's manuals should tell you. For the full weight of a packed fifth wheel and tow vehicle, hop over to a dump or quarry scale.

Limit Overdrive Use

Yes, using the overdrive setting can come with perks. For example, it can decrease noise and increase fuel efficiency. 

But many fifth wheel manufacturers caution against using overdrive. It's because the fifth wheel's heavy weight can strain the transmission and even lead to overheating. Try to avoid, or at least limit, overdrive use.

Maintain The Tires

The tow vehicle and fifth wheel can be in great condition, but poorly maintained tires can still make the trip a risky one. They can cause problems, from decreased traction with the road to a dangerous blowout.

Try to check the tire quality before every road trip. Give yourself enough time to replace the tires as needed. In other words, don't wait until ten minutes before you want to hit the road.

Start with the tread levels. Tread helps tires maintain traction with the road, but it gets worn down over time. The tread eventually becomes too low to safely maintain traction, which will merit a tire replacement. Check the manufacturer's recommendation, then measure the tread against it.

Next, check the air pressure. It's important that tires are not under-inflated or over-inflated. Use a tire pressure monitor to get a reading, then compare that number against the manufacturer recommendation, then adjust as needed.

Finally, scope out the tires for damage. Check that there are no cracks in the sidewall or objects embedded in the tires.

Build Up Fifth Wheel Hauling Skills

Make sure your road trips match your towing experience. Newbies shouldn't embark on a ten hour drive, for example. 

Instead, slowly build up your experience and skills. Start off practicing accelerating, braking, reversing, and parking in an empty parking lot. Learn how your truck's stopping distance and turning radius is affected by the weight of the fifth wheel. 

Once you get comfortable, graduate to drives around your city and then short drives out-of-town. Save the long road trips until you have the experience to successfully handle them.

We hope you found this safety guide helpful! For more trip advice or to shop fifth wheels for sale, chat with the experts at Herold Trailer Sales. Our friendly staff is happy to assist you with finding the perfect fifth wheel, repairing your RV, and anything else you need. You'll find our RV dealership in Indianola, Indiana.