Drive Truck From Under 5er Every Night?

[troutchasers]

I think this may qualify for the "newbie clueless question of the year" but I just need to ask. Do Folks drive out from under their trailer knowing they won't be driving anywhere else that evening and leaving early? If I buy an auto leveling system for our new Monty, do I at least have to throw the lever and pull forward "a bit" to level before setting up for the night?

We are those people that retired Folks in parks love to cuss at come 6am as we are pulling out. I have awoke and started my day at 4:30 am for 30 years, it's going to be hard to stop. I suspect for a while that we will be pulling out of parks VERY early, like 6:30 to 7am and ending the day "down the road a piece" by 2 to 3pm.

Would be great not to be rude hooking up and making noise while others are trying to sleep.

Any information, advice, experience and help with this topic would be greatly appreciated. I know it must sound like a really basic question, but I have not come across the subject before. Thanks!

[lawrenceb42106]

If the site is close to being level, we just drop the front legs to take some weight off the truck and put the rear jacks down. It has worked good for us the last 10 years.

[Illini Trekker]

When I plan on leaving first thing in the morning I'll leave it on the truck but I'll touch the front legs to the ground and lower the rear jacks. We'll still run through a check and see list to make sure the trailer is ready to safely leave. I've seen antennas left up and heard about dragging cords and sewer line through CGs.

[Art-n-Marge]

That is an excellent question, one I have asked myself of others and in other forums for their experience and opinions. Here's some of what I've received as an answer.

Many parks have a quiet time which starts the prior night, then ends at say 6-7am. Putting things away the night before to minimize breakdown time helps. Hooking up that night before would help a lot but not if you plan to leave the slides out and the appliances on and sleep and the rig is not level. In the early hours the clanging and repetitives starts and stops from someone trying to leave early and the talking and tossing of cargo around if the departing neighbors are careful and these noises really seem to carry in a CG!

I think the quiet hours are to eliminate unnecessary noise and revelry for a campground, but I can see where some need to leave early and I have been in CGs when early birders do leave and other than a brief start up and depart is all the engine noise I hear. Most are set up the night before.

DW is the one that tells me about the noisy departing neighbors from that morning that were not as prepared but I seem to be able to sleep through all but the engine starts and stops. We have earplugs but rarely used them.

If I overnight, I don't even unhook. If we stay and must leave early I hook up the night before, but use caution that the rig is as level as possible for the sake of the slideouts, appliances or the bed when sleeping. I have extra blocks if I must because they are easy to remove when we are driving away, but so far so good. 90% of the time we don't depart until after 10 am when the CG is pretty much awake by then.

If we RV'd more often we might change, but minimal early morning noise is definitely our goal, by opening the TV doors and starting the truck once to drive away. This means being hooked up the night before for us.

[hookman]

As long as it is close to level I leave it hooked up if not I unhook. We leave early to be some where or beat a rush hour. I like to get the travelling in early then relax in the afternoon.

[kylec2]

If the site is level enough, and I plan to leave early, I will lower the front jacks enough to take the weight of the truck, but keep the rig hooked up. Like others, I still run through the checklist ritual in the morning to ensure I have not missed anything. Regarding noise from neighbors leaving, I think about the beautiful sights they will see that day, smile, and go back to sleep.

[NCFischers]

When we stop for the night, I'll leave the trailer hooked up and lower the front jacks and stabilizers. In the morning, it's easier and quieter to get on the road.

[CORattler]

I totally agree with Kyle. What a great attitude!

quote:Originally posted by kylec2

If the site is level enough, and I plan to leave early, I will lower the front jacks enough to take the weight of the truck, but keep the rig hooked up. Like others, I still run through the checklist ritual in the morning to ensure I have not missed anything. Regarding noise from neighbors leaving, I think about the beautiful sights they will see that day, smile, and go back to sleep.

[oldelmer1]

We are retired and are never in a hurry, so we usually stay for more than 1 night. We never leave before 8:30 cause we don't want to deal with the rush hour, and always stop between 2 and 3 in the afternoon.

But, one thing to remember, if you just overnight and don't unhook, at least unplug your 7 pin connector from your truck. Some trucks continue to supply power to the trailer after the key is turned off.

[mhs4771]

UpinAK, We just left Western NY Monday headed for Florida, we have an auto-leveler system, so when we got parked for the day, operated the jacks manually, landing gear down to take a little weight off the TV, then the rear jacks to level front to back, then side to side if needed. Tom's note about disconnecting the plug is a must if you're not connected to shore power, you run the risk of dead batteries in the TV. If you run the Monty's bats down, you can re-charge them once you get back on the road.

[Waynem]

Yes to all the above.

When I was pulling a 5er, and the site was not level back-to-front, I even pulled the king pin release and raised it above the hitch. In the morning I just had to lower the front and it was in-place. A little tug test affirmed that (you do a tug test, right?)

Just remember, as stated previously, do the same safety prep that you always do before you pull away from the site. Number 1 is, did I raise the front jacks! If you do the tug test you will have raised them about a 1/2 inch, but make sure they go all the way up before you pull out.

[kdeiss]

On overnight stays we stay hitched and just set the rear jacks works for us

[RickW]

I will typically drop the front legs for stability. If I do drop the front legs I also open the jaws on the hitch. I leave the truck in place. The reason I do this is for the air that can escape from the air suspension overnight. With this truck if it completely bleeds down the truck drops 3"~4". I do not want the truck weight pulling down on the hitch. I did the same thing when pulling with the P/U, again because of the air bags. Even though they did not lose air overnight I did not want to take the chance of a air value giving out/leaking and again putting the weight of the truck pulling down on the pin box because I dropped the front landing gear.

Checking the jaws on the hitch is just part of the morning check list, so it does not add any time to close them again.

[CamillaMichael]

quote:Originally posted by hookman

As long as it is close to level I leave it hooked up if not I unhook. We leave early to be some where or beat a rush hour. I like to get the travelling in early then relax in the afternoon.

Agree...in order for proper slide operation, the coach needs to be close to level (side-to-side and fore-and-aft). So, we have to unhook most of the time. For our early morning departures, we just do what we can to be quite so that we do not disturb the neighbors.

[ols1932]

We have an automatic leveling system but have never used it when just parking overnight assuming we are relatively level. I also do not unhook from my TrailerSaver Air Ride hitch. Have not noticed any loss of air in the air bags of the hitch or the air bags on the truck.

Orv

[exav8tr]

quote:Originally posted by NCFischers

When we stop for the night, I'll leave the trailer hooked up and lower the front jacks and stabilizers. In the morning, it's easier and quieter to get on the road.

I do as Jim and Vickie do. Sometimes, depending on the time, I don't mess with the rears. A little rocking just means I am camping and having fun!!!!!!

[Capt Kidd]

If it is reasonably level both ways I don't do anything, just put the slides out and enjoy afterall you have the 5er hooked to the truck all day and it doesn't harm it. If we are only overnighting we usually only hook up the electricity and maybe the cable.

[BB_TX]

Like most everyone else, if reasonably level I stayed hooked up with the front legs lowered. Normally don't bother with the rears.
Hook up electric, probably water for showers, may or maybe not sewer.

[paddler67]

when we are doing an over nighter i want the front jacks down and unplug from the truck. i will hook the 30 amp up because the 50amp is heavy. i put the rear jacks down and pull the slides in if we are in a high wind area also,i lower some weight back onto the truck. i always put something under the jacks for support.
warm in Bushnell,fl.
gene

[pineranch]

If you don't unhook, I guess you are refueling hooked to the Monty. Any problems to watch out for other than the obvious low clearances.
Mike