RV Doctor – How Do I Fix the Shakiness of My 5th-Wheel?

Dear RV Doctor,
My wife and I have been RVing for about 5 years but we used a tent for 25 years before that. We started with a bumper pull and loved it. We had no problems with getting it very stable. Last year we decided to upgrade to a fifth wheel, which is when our problems started. We cannot seem to get it stable. No matter what I do, we still have a shaky RV. I do have a tripod for the front and I have put an extra jack in the area of the steps, but nothing seems to help. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for any help you might have. – Ron Hooten, (Kempner, TX)

Answer:

Ron, if the coach has slideout rooms, it may be necessary to add stabilizers at the corners; especially if the slideouts are relatively deep or long. Also check to be sure when you extend each of the current stabilizers, you do not “loosen” the contact with the ground on the others. It’s easy to do and you may not even realize it.

Another type of stabilizer mounts between the tires on each side of the trailer. They immobilize the tires by pushing against each one like a horizontal scissors jack. If your fifth-wheel has three axles, you’ll need four of these. They are readily available at any Camping World store.

(Please feel free to comment, however, please also note that due to the volume of communications I receive from multiple channels I cannot guarantee a personal response in every instance. However, questions of an overall general interest may be considered and published in an upcoming RV Doctor column.)