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Old 10-19-2005, 01:03 PM   #1
Montana_4765
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When the trailer’s-a-rocking……..


I have a 3500RL. To prevent the rocking, on the front I use the pin tripod. I raise 5r to about a ¼ bubble off, then hand tighten the tripod as much as I can. Then I lower front of the 5th wheel until it is nice and tight on the tripod and as close to center bubble as I can.
Then I crank down the rear stabilizers and much as I can. I still get rocking and the front door doesn’t seem to want to close as easy as it usually does. Is there a better way? Should I also be using chocks between the tires?
Thanks for all the help.
 
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Old 10-19-2005, 01:18 PM   #2
Glenn and Lorraine
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Sounds to me that you are putting too much weight on the tripod and not on the front legs where it belongs. You could be twisting the frame and that's the cause of the door not closing properly. The front legs should carry all the weight and the tripod should be just a tad more than snug on the pin box.
I can vouch for this as it is exactly what happened to me when I first got my tripod.
Adding the chocks between the tires will make a world of difference. These are the ones I use and Camping World has them on sale as I type this.
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Old 10-19-2005, 01:23 PM   #3
FredG
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Welcome to the MOC!

I always chock the tires. We have a lever action chock that goes between the two tires on each side. That will get rid of some motion. We actually chock the tires before, or immediately after, disconnecting the tow vehicle. It doesn't just stop the rocking, it's for extra safety.

After leveling the rig, we put down the rear stabilizers, just snug. As for the kingpin, if we'll be somewhere for more than a day or two, I will put out our bipod. We put it on the pin and crank on the chain that connects the two legs at the bottom until it is tight. That snugs the top of the bipod on the pin, but doesn't move the rig.
Doing this, we get very little motion...even though I'm a big guy and we travel with two 70 pound dogs.

One thing I am worried about, based on your mention of the "front door doesn't seem to want to close as easy", is that you may be putting too much stress on the chassis. By putting so much weight on the tripod and cranking down the rear stabilizers beyond snug, you may be taking too much weight off the axles and causing the chassis to bow in the middle.

The rear stabilizers are only stabilizers and are not meant to take weight off of the wheels. In fact, one MOC member posted about their stabilizers actually bending in the middle.

Also, by lowering the weight of the rig onto the tripod, you may be taking the weight off of the front jacks, which may actually increase rocking and be unstable.

This is just my 2 cents. I'm sure other members will throw out their opinions.

Fred
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Old 10-19-2005, 01:45 PM   #4
drhowell
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I agree with Glenn and Fred. I just snug the tripod and the rear stabilizers. I have the BAL chocks and really like them. I don't think you can get all the rocking out but this seems to eliminate most of it. And the door still works right.
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Old 10-19-2005, 01:59 PM   #5
Montana_4765
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My goodness!!! I must say I didn't expect the great and willingness responses I just got. THANK YOU ALL for the great advise. I will do as you recommended.
This is truly a great site with wonderful and friendly people. Hope to meet as many of you as possible on the road.
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Old 10-19-2005, 02:07 PM   #6
Glenn and Lorraine
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Your quite welcome.

I once said that I could get 90% of the motion out of my rig. The remaining 10% is a constant reminder that we are full timers and we no longer have a stick house to deal with.
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Old 10-19-2005, 03:47 PM   #7
Mac
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Yeah and I think Glenn and Lorraine LOVE reminding me they're full timing and I'm not!!

The chocks between the tires is a great fix and CW still has a pretty good deal on them, I can re-post the site if you need it.

Mac
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Old 10-19-2005, 04:47 PM   #8
OntMont
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At the GL Rally, the Lippert Rep. made a point of telling us not to tighten the rear supports too much. Just snug.

I tried experimenting a bit, and I think it is true, overtightening the rear supports makes the motion worse, not better. You need to keep the load on the wheels; if you lift it onto the end supports, the frame just becomes more springy. Wheel locks do help a lot too.
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Old 10-19-2005, 05:34 PM   #9
Dave e Victoria
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Ive got a tripod and it's for sale. As Glenn mentioned, if you remove the weight off the front stabilizers and depend on the tripod it may actually become less stable. That is certainly my observation. So, if you pay postage or freight, you can have it.
Dave
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Old 10-19-2005, 07:52 PM   #10
The Wind
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I was wondering....is it alright to pull the safety cable off the kingpin and let te breaks lock-up. This would seem to help in the way of stopping the rocking motion of the RV.
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Old 10-19-2005, 10:54 PM   #11
wileecoyote985
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by The Wind

I was wondering....is it alright to pull the safety cable off the kingpin and let te breaks lock-up. This would seem to help in the way of stopping the rocking motion of the RV.
The short answer to your question is no. It will drain your battery and will also possibly damage your brake components. They are not designed for what would amount to constant (days on end) current.

Good thought, but chocks are really the way to go.

Gary
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Old 10-20-2005, 10:06 AM   #12
padredw
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For what it's worth (and everyone has his own opinion) I'm with Dave e Victoria. My first fifth-wheel (previously owned) came with a tripod and I thought I had to use it. I'm now on my third (first Montana) and I quit using it some time ago. Hauled it around even in the Montana until the last few trips, then decided it made no difference in our use, so now leave it at home.
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Old 10-20-2005, 11:21 AM   #13
Wordsmith
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When camping for more than a weekend, we use the tripod but always use the BAL chocks available at Camping World. The only time I truly notice any rocking is when I am in bed; otherwise, the 5er is pretty smooth. I have to confess, however, that Marsha and I are unsure if the tripod truly adds that much stability to the Montana.
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Old 10-20-2005, 01:44 PM   #14
Glenn and Lorraine
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I DO feel the tripod eliminates it's share of the Monty's movement but I also do not use it for the shorter stays of a week or less.

I should also mention my complete stabilization process for those extended stays..
The following is a copy and paste of a prevoius post.



Above are the 3 items I use to stabilize my rig. In my opinion, leave any one out of the picture and the other 2 are very questionable.

The tripod of course goes under the pin box and it is adjustable. It is snugly cranked up against the pin box but not enough to take the weight off of the front jacks. For me the tripod by itself was useless until I added the chocks and the jacks.

The chocks are mechanically tightened between the tires and unlike the cheap plastic wedge shaped chocks, affectively remove all back and forth movement.

2 jacks go under the frame just behind the rear spring shackles. They are snugly cranked up against the frame but not enough to lift the trailer. I didn't feel I needed them but a second pair of jacks can also be used in front of the shackles.

This system along with the rigs front jacks and rear stabilizers take nearly 90% of any movement out of my rig.

I should note that I only use the above when I will be in the campground for an extended stay of more than a week.

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Old 10-20-2005, 02:38 PM   #15
FredG
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Looking at the tripods, I'm not sure how good of a job they do. We have an old bi-pod that seems to help with the motion caused by movement in the bedroom.

Just thinking of the physics behind the motion, most of the motion at the kingpin will be side-to-side. There should be little to no forward/backward motion (especially if the wheels are chocked). Now, looking at the tripod, how effective can it be for side-to-side motion, when the legs are 120 degrees from each other? At least with the bi-pod, the legs are set up to stop only side-to-side motion, which IMHO is better than 90% of the motion at the kingpin.

One definite benefit of either a bi-pod or tripod is safety. By setting them up, there is less chance that someone will hit their head, especially if there are kids running around.

Fred
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