Fifth wheel slides back when unhitching

[Relder]

Proud owner of a 2022 2883ws, I have an issue with trailer slipping back sometimes when unhitching. I use the yellow stand blocks, chock the rear wheels but it seems like most of the times the trailer will slide back as I pull truck forward. Mostly a slight amount but other times an inch or so. If I have to level my rig it makes for a tricky unhitch. Suggestions appreciated.

[NMWildcat]

I don't know what the yellow stand blocks are, but if you properly chock the trailer tires in front and back, the trailer will not move more than a fraction of an inch as it settles against the chocks when unhitching, nor should it.
That said, depending on slopes and angles, there is always a little pressure in the hitch and when releasing the hitch, the truck might move an inch or so forward which makes it appear the trailer moves at times.
I use the bigger, heavy black rubber wedge chocks from Harbor Freight.

[Qwkynuf]

Mine's a bumper pull, so maybe not apples-to-apples, but the premise should be similar.

When I park my trailer, I get it lined up and leveled, and then I put chocks behind the rear trailer axle - the big black Harbor Freight ones that NMWildcat mentions. Then I get in the truck, put it in reverse, and back up enough so that the chocks are preventing me from rolling back any further.

Then I put it in park and go put another set of chocks in front of the front axle. I put the truck in neutral to let the trailer even out the pressure between the two sets of chocks, so now it is lightly wedged between them. Back into Park for the truck.

Then I set my X-Chocks (because belt *and* suspenders, right?), and jump back in the truck. put it in neutral, foot off of the brake. If nothing moves, I'm happy - and I will go ahead and unhook. If I feel anything pushing or pulling, I start over and fix it.

If you have a 5th wheel and auto levelers and such, you probably don't need all of those steps. But if nothing moves when the truck is in neutral, then nothing should move (much) when you unhitch.

[phillyg]

I don't use chocks on mostly level sites. The FW or the truck occasionally move a couple of inches max, not something that concerns me. Of course, I would always use chocks if I feared the FW would run off.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by phillyg

I don't use chocks on mostly level sites. The FW or the truck occasionally move a couple of inches max, not something that concerns me. Of course, I would always use chocks if I feared the FW would run off.

There are some things that most RVers only do once due to a failure caused by not doing something: drop the fifth wheel on the truck bed, drop any RV off the hitch and on the ground, break your TV back window or bend your cab corner with the fiver front end, open a sewer valve with a loose hose connection, plug into a bad unchecked electric pedestal, AND chase your trailer down any slope after unhitching or knock your RV off of it's stabilizers or levelers from hitting the hitch too hard during hitching.
For non-experienced RVers, ALWAYS place chocks on trailer tires (front and back) before unhitching, and leave in place until you are hooked up again. Not only do the chocks stabilize the RV during the hitching/unhitching process, but keep the RV from 'running off' down a slope or moving during strong wind or anything else causing an RV to be prone to movement while you are in it.
I have seen plenty of RVs start moving after unhitching on sites that appear to be level. I have thrown a piece of wood behind the tire of my buddies trailer to keep it from 'running off' and into a tree. One friend wasn't so lucky and his small TT went from the top level of an RV park and into an unoccupied mobile home on the bottom level. Insurance paid a lot for that error. There is a huge guardrail at that site now And both sites looked level enough.
I've seen folks with no chocks trying to hitch their fifth wheel and push the stubborn locking mechanism with the TV hard enough to move the RV and bend their landing gear/jack.
Chocks would have easily prevented any of these accidents.
It is an easy habit to get into and use every time you move, even if the site looks 'level enough'. Arrive at your site, level your RV side to side if necessary while still hitched. Place chocks on both sides of at least one tire, preferably on both sides. Proceed with unhitching and setup. This will save you from experiencing an accident most RVers only experience once before they learn how to prevent it.

[KMP44]

My truck will frequently move forward an inch or so when I open the jaws - which I take as a good sign. It confirms I have the front up just high enough that all the pin weight is off the truck before I pull forward. Seems odd that the trailer is moving.

But for sure, chock the wheels front and back before you unhook. It literally only takes a few seconds and its cheap insurance. I got rid of the yellow plastic ones when we went to the fifth wheel in favor of the heavier black rubber ones. I had visions of one of those yellow ones getting crunched on a slope.

[Jim in Halifax]

put blocks behind wheels----back 5er up to put pressure on blocks---Un hitch...5er should not move!!

[onetonford]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

I don't know what the yellow stand blocks are, but if you properly chock the trailer tires in front and back, the trailer will not move more than a fraction of an inch as it settles against the chocks when unhitching, nor should it.
That said, depending on slopes and angles, there is always a little pressure in the hitch and when releasing the hitch, the truck might move an inch or so forward which makes it appear the trailer moves at times.
I use the bigger, heavy black rubber wedge chocks from Harbor Freight.

I use the same rubber blocks for all my trailers they are cheep insurance, I also use them when changing flat tires.

[CaptnJohn]

Chocks behind and in front of wheels, unhitch, hit auto level. Doing it for years and never a problem

[DouglasReid]

Not only do we use those rubber HF rubber blocks I have another suggestion for you.

When you begin to unhitch, AFTER chocking the wheels look at your pin box as you lower the landing gear. lower the landing gear until you see a small space begin to be created between your pin box and the fifth wheel hitch.

Now you can unhook the fifth wheel hitch and drive forward and should have no movement whatsoever of the camper. Watch through your rear view mirror to insure it does not move.

[Relder]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I believe my issue was caused by not making sure my chocks were firmly in place. I believe I'm going to switch to the X chocks.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Relder

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I believe my issue was caused by not making sure my chocks were firmly in place. I believe I'm going to switch to the X chocks.

Read the instructions for x-chocks thoroughly. They are not a substitute/replacement for standard wheel chocks. They are to be used WITH wheel chocks.

[Oaklevel]

Everyone, please no matter what, even on level sites USE chocks!!!!! Just bumping the trailer can cause it to move.

I own and tow six different trailers and several pieces of towable equipment. They can and will move when you think the site is level.

I have been in several campgrounds where another camper hits someone elses camper over the years too. That too can set things into motion.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Read the instructions for x-chocks thoroughly. They are not a substitute/replacement for standard wheel chocks. They are to be used WITH wheel chocks.

We have a friend with them,it is time consuming and a PITA to install them. While Im jacking the front Tanya is chocking the wheels...........and she is usually done before me.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

We have a friend with them,it is time consuming and a PITA to install them. While Im jacking the front Tanya is chocking the wheels...........and she is usually done before me.

Sounds just like Liz and I!! She sets the chocks and puts Lynx blocks under the levelers (which you will soon have if not already done) while I am putzing with the truck. She will drive all day, but she won't back in. So she tells me as long as I back it in, she will set the blocks Works for me!
Yeah, I watched a few folks mess with the x-chocks and decided it wasn't for me. And on this RV, there isnt enough room between the tires anyway.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Sounds just like Liz and I!! She sets the chocks and puts Lynx blocks under the levelers (which you will soon have if not already done) while I am putzing with the truck. She will drive all day, but she won't back in. So she tells me as long as I back it in, she will set the blocks Works for me!
Yeah, I watched a few folks mess with the x-chocks and decided it wasn't for me. And on this RV, there isnt enough room between the tires anyway.

that tire clearance is especially true on ours after we put the cushioned equalizers on. They are a couple inches shorter than the original solid cast iron ones.

We got a 2" lift at the expense of clearance between the tires. Im happy!

[CHICKDOE]

i will agree that there may be just a bit of movement in the trailer when unhitching. but the chocks are there to prevent any major issues. use them ALWAYS, irrespective of the site.

the reason i say there is some movement is that i put my chocks against the wheels before unhook and they are against the tire but not wedged by the tire.

when i go to hook up one of the vary last steps is to remove the chocks. most of the time i can get one side out (front or back) but not both. one side will be wedged up against the tire. so i have to move the trailer just a quarter of an inch or so to get the wedged side loose. this wedging of the chocks indicates to me that the trailer moved ever so slightly. was it when unhooking, during auto leveling, or during hooking back up? i don't know. all it is is perhaps 1/4 inch.

but the chocks are the first thing out of the truck bed when stopping and the last thing tobde removed when we are leaving.

[KMP44]

X-chocks were easily the best thing we ever bought for our TT. They made a huge difference in taking out the bouncing. We don't use them on the new rig with auto leveling, but for a fifth wheel with regular stabilizer jacks, I'm sure they would be a good way to go. Still pretty easy to put them in and only takes maybe a minute per side. As others have pointed out, the manufacture clearly states they aren't designed to replace regular wheel chocks.

[ThruHiker]

Chocks. So chocks! They are in a milk crate in the bed of the truck, and they're the first things out and in place. The second thing is the checklist, because even after 15,000 miles and months in the 5er, it's easy to miss something in the confusion.

Chocks... picked the 5er up at the dealer and got it home. Got it backed onto the pad next to the house, which is as level as it gets. Because it was our first time, we really had no idea how to proceed. No chocks, because we'd never needed them at home for our old 26 ft TT and it never occurred to us that the 5er would be any different.

Ha. Opened the hitch, and the 5er promptly proceeded backwards, all on its own! Because we hadn't opened the tailgate, it stopped when the pinbox hit the tailgate. I figured out after that even if the ground is level, when the 5er is raised enough to release the hitch, it isn't... it's tilted backwards and that was (is) enough to get it moving. Probably this is typical for 5ers, but nobody mentioned that, or if they did we missed it. Similarly, if it was chocked at the dealer when we picked it up, we missed it and nobody pointed it out if it was.

Fortunately, the 5er stayed off the truck rails and it was all slow enough that the only damage to the truck was some scrapes on the plastic on top of the tailgate. We now carry four chocks and just bought a couple new ones to replace beat up old ones... and I'll carry the old ones as spares, LOL.

So, when we returned from our first shakedown trip, we managed to have the corner of the 5er put a small dimple in the back of the cab... but that's another story. Like Mike says, all of these things you only do once. Well, so far!

[Relder]

Purchased new, heavier duty chocks, use on both sides(providing I don't have to use my leveling blocks) and made sure they were tight up against tires. Unhitched and there was no movement with fifth wheel. Love this forum as there are soooo many knowledgeable persons involved. Ask, and yee shall receive a wealth of great information. Thanks to all!