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Old 04-22-2019, 06:19 PM   #1
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First Trip

Hello everyone we took our first trip with our new 5th wheel trailer.
Turned out to be the trip from hell. First off and I don’t understand why but the trailer towed horrible. It was the roughest towing with bucking and bouncing that I have ever experienced. Then in the campground I clipped a tree and rip goes the roof. Also the branch hit the antenna but I think it is ok. Then Friday night we walked in the trailer and my wife heard something break. Well on the counter next to the stove was an unopened bottle of olive oil garlic flavor and for no reason the bottle exploded. Now oil seeping down the sides of oven and soaking into the wood under the stove. Smells like a Panda Express now. Anyone have any ideas on how to get it out of the wood. I pulled the stove and used Dawn and hot water and wash many times all over in the stove cutout. Under stove behind the drawer there is carpet which I use baking soda to soak it up and seems like it did it. And the ride home was worse then the ride there. I don’t know what to do about the ride. I have plenty of truck to tow the trailer and I have had towable before and they rode like a dream compared to this 5th wheel
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Old 04-22-2019, 06:40 PM   #2
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Sorry for your troubles but you need to fill in the blanks....

What kind of truck....make, model, 1/2, 3/4, 1 ton?, gas or diesel, short or long box, gear ratio etc etc
What kind of 5th wheel.....make, model, length, options etc etc
What units have you towed previously?
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Old 04-22-2019, 06:45 PM   #3
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Yep, you have no info on tow vehicle nor the 5th Wheel, in your profile.
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Old 04-22-2019, 07:23 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by kenandterry View Post
Sorry for your troubles but you need to fill in the blanks....



What kind of truck....make, model, 1/2, 3/4, 1 ton?, gas or diesel, short or long box, gear ratio etc etc

What kind of 5th wheel.....make, model, length, options etc etc

What units have you towed previously?


We have 2002 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab short bed Duramax Diesel Allison Trans. Gear is 3.73.
Trailer is a 2019 Flagstaff 5th Wheel 31 ft 11 in. Weight is loaded 9930lbs. Tongue weight is 1650 I think.
Truck is supposed to handle 12,000 lbs. 5th wheel.
I have not altered the suspension on truck.
Trailer has a Torflex Suspension????
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Old 04-22-2019, 07:59 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Papatrc View Post
We have 2002 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab short bed Duramax Diesel Allison Trans. Gear is 3.73.
Trailer is a 2019 Flagstaff 5th Wheel 31 ft 11 in. Weight is loaded 9930lbs. Tongue weight is 1650 I think.
Truck is supposed to handle 12,000 lbs. 5th wheel.
I have not altered the suspension on truck.
Trailer has a Torflex Suspension????


Also I have had 4 different size towable trailers the longest was 27 ft.
Shortest was about 17ft.
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Old 04-22-2019, 08:45 PM   #6
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Sorry for your troubles. Especially the towing part. The rest sounds like a typically day in the camper. For me, time in the rv is like life amp'd, more good things and more frustrating things happen. Gotta enjoy the good things and laugh at the frustrating things.

For the towing problem, what hitch are you using? Is the camper level to the truck? Is the truck sagging? Are all tires on truck and camper properly inflated? How were the roads? For us, smooth roads = smooth towing; rough roads = loose fillings. Is it rough on the start and stop or all the time? Any visible problems with suspension on the rv? Those are the questions I'd ask myself if 5th wheel towing was rough.
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Old 04-22-2019, 09:12 PM   #7
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Sorry for your troubles. Especially the towing part. The rest sounds like a typically day in the camper. For me, time in the rv is like life amp'd, more good things and more frustrating things happen. Gotta enjoy the good things and laugh at the frustrating things.

For the towing problem, what hitch are you using? Is the camper level to the truck? Is the truck sagging? Are all tires on truck and camper properly inflated? How were the roads? For us, smooth roads = smooth towing; rough roads = loose fillings. Is it rough on the start and stop or all the time? Any visible problems with suspension on the rv? Those are the questions I'd ask myself if 5th wheel towing was rough.


The 5th Wheel sit lvl on the truck. The Hitch is an Andersen Ultimate
Hitch and the pin box is a Reese Revolution but locked out because of ball on the Andersen.
All tires truck and RV are at the specs. pressure setting. Everything was as perfect as I could get it before I left for trip.
The road is 99 in Calif. and it is crap. My son has a brand new 5th wheel also and he said his towed fine. His is 36 ft and he has a Ford 1 ton.
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Old 04-22-2019, 09:38 PM   #8
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Could be lots of things. Pin weight. Load distribution. How old are your shocks? Axle alignment.
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Old 04-22-2019, 09:49 PM   #9
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I am not able to help with the towing issues, but the comment about Panda Express had me in stitches������
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Old 04-23-2019, 10:18 AM   #10
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Is this your first time towing a 5th wheel?

As Scott says... could be many things.
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Old 04-23-2019, 06:36 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by 5picker View Post
Is this your first time towing a 5th wheel?

As Scott says... could be many things.


As of today I am having front and rear shocks installed tomorrow. The ones on there are maybe 10 years old and they were just a house brand from Les Schwab tire center. Going to Humboldt in 2 weeks for Grandson Graduation and staying in RV Park. So it will be a good test it takes 6 hours to get there.
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Old 04-23-2019, 06:45 PM   #12
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My old Dodge gave me a ride like that WITHOUT towing, turns out it was the shocks. Hope that's what it was for you.
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Old 05-14-2019, 07:00 AM   #13
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Check out "Timbrens" worked great on mine.
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