The only thing that made me realize that the wheels were off the ground was a quick glance in the side-view mirror. In the slalom, I have had the wheels of a fifth wheel come a couple of feet off the ground and it felt completely stable in the cab. Even when making an emergency maneuver, it’s easy to drive up to the point where the fifth wheel’s centre of gravity becomes the issue. From a driving perspective, this trumps most other factors I previously mentioned about fifth wheels. The best vehicles are around 30 percent.īut, with a fifth wheel, the overhang is 0 percent of the wheelbase. For instance, if the vehicle has a 100-inch wheelbase with 40 inches of rear overhang, the overhang is 40 percent of the wheel base (which would not be ideal). We look at the overhang as a percentage of the wheelbase. Of all the measurements we conduct when assessing a tow vehicle for a trailer, a key element we have to consider is the amount of rear overhang. Going straight down the highway on a windy day, it’s hard to match the driving ease of a fifth wheel in tow. So, if I find myself in a situation where I need to maneuver quickly to avoid an accident, I will take a properly set up travel trailer any time.īut fifth wheels do have their merits. With a fifth wheel, the tires start leaving the road at 60 km/h. For example, a good handling travel trailer and tow vehicle can run through a 100-foot slalom close to 80 km/h. When we do slalom and lane change tests, it’s obvious travel trailers handle much better. Swivel pin boxes allow an impressive turn radius of 90 degrees, but some stability at highway speeds is lost.Ĭompared with travel trailers, which can have a very low centre of gravity and a pivot point much closer to the ground (with weight distribution and sway controls), there is no contest between the two. It consists of a simple pivot point that is approximately four feet above the ground, sitting over a basic live axle truck suspension. The fifth wheel hitch is not complicated.
The centre of gravity of a fifth wheel is very high, the sidewall area to catch cross winds is massive, most units have basic leaf spring suspensions, while only a few have shock absorbers.
But when you look at a fifth wheel’s design, it would be easy to wonder how they could be stable at all. Fifth wheels are very stable on a highway and are rarely affected by cross winds or passing trucks. When RV’ers are considering a fifth wheel trailer they often ask if it will feel more stable on the road than a travel trailer or a motorhome.
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