Setting up Camp

• The advantages of a fifth wheel shine when the time comes to get off the road and set up camp. Maneuvering around tight corners, backing into parking spots and freeing up the tow vehicle are all easier compared to the same tasks with a travel trailer or motor home of equal size. Of course, freeing up the tow vehicle is not even an option with a motor home.
  
  To get full benefit from this added maneuverability, take time to practice. Your backing and tight corner technique will improve greatly after an hour or so in an empty parking lot marked to simulate a tight parking spot in a wilderness campground with curvy roads and lots of trees.
  
  The same applies to unhitching your fifth wheel from the tow vehicle. Going though the process a few times will familiarize you with the best technique for quickly setting up stabilizer jacks in back and support jacks in front. You will learn any quirks applicable to your particular hitch setup.
  
  Unless you will only be at the site a short time, it is best to move the tow vehicle away from the fifth wheel as soon as it is unhitched. This gives you easy access to front storage and allows you to visually examine all hitch components.
  
  

Tow Vehicle

• Primary tow vehicle considerations involve following industry and manufacturer's guidelines when it comes to towing capacity and placement of the "wheel hitch" mounted in the bed of the truck. You want a vehicle with an engine, transmission and drive train rated to tow your fifth wheel. You want a fifth wheel hitch designed and installed to handle the loads imposed by your unit.
  
  

Precautions

• Your fifth wheel will typically be several feet higher than the tow vehicle and higher than most travel trailers. Traveling with a fifth wheel requires developing an awareness of that extra height. The canopy at a fast-food drive in or a tree limb that a travel trailer will pass under with ease can cause serious damage to a fifth wheel RV. Never drive under anything while towing your fifth wheel without being alert and aware of the potential hazard.
  
  When choosing a tow vehicle, avoid short bed pickup trucks. They don't offer enough clearance to allow you to make tight turns. Sooner or later you will find yourself in a situation that requires the truck and RV to be at an angle (relative to one another) of less than 90 degrees. When a short bed pickup is doing the towing, such an angle is not possible without damage to both vehicles.
  
  The "Fifth Wheel and Travel Trailer Safety Tips" link provides detailed information on the topic of safely towing and parking your fifth wheel RV.