Fifth Wheels For Sale in Coos Bay, Oregon

If you are looking to buy a fifth wheel or perhaps already own one, then you know about some of the advantages that they offer. 5th wheels provide stable towing, a quick hitch connection, and a high degree of maneuverability that you won’t find with other types of RVs. But how do you actually go about hooking up a fifth wheel? Read on to find out!

Using The Right Vehicle

Fifth wheels are set up to be a better towing experience over other RVs, but in order to make this happen, you have to have the right towing vehicle. Unlike bumper pull trailers which can be paired up with almost any vehicle that has enough power to tow them, fifth wheels require a pickup truck to tow them. In most cases, you will need at least a half-ton pick up to be able to have enough towing power.

Also, the actual hitch, sometimes called a gooseneck, needs to be installed in the bed of a truck, so you’ll want to make sure you have a vehicle that has a full-length bed. There are some flatbed trucks out there that can handle a fifth wheel hitch, but your best option is a heavy pick up truck.

Getting Hitched

Once you’ve gotten your tow vehicle squared away, you will need to install the hitch! You should be able to find a hitch that is built for the make and model of your pickup. This is ideal because you won’t have to do anything extra to make it fit! You can also save yourself a headache by having the hitch professionally installed.

Once you have the hitch installed, you can start the hitching process. This may seem a little intimidating, but you will soon find that this process is pretty easy—simply look over your shoulder as you are backing up your pickup to your fifth wheeler and align it up with the hitch. As you get closer you will need to make sure that the hitch is at the right height; if it’s not,  make sure to take the time to adjust the height and to make sure that the hitch is set to “receive” mode (meaning that the jaws of the hitch are open). Once you’ve done that, just back up your truck until you hear a “click” sound that indicates that the hitch and the kingpin fit together. From there, all you need to do is go back and lock the receiver in place with the cotter pin and you’re ready to go!

Do you still have questions about fifth wheels? Feel free to give us a call or come down and see us today at Porter's RV! We proudly serve the areas of Eugene, Grant's Pass, and Roseburg, Oregon!