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Old 07-28-2005, 10:48 AM   #1
Montana_1424
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Why a 5th Wheel??

Driving home from Myrtle Beach the other day, my wife asked me why they call it a 5th wheel? I have no idea, but would like to know myself, does anyone have the answer for this??
 
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Old 07-28-2005, 10:55 AM   #2
virgil47
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I'll bet there may be more than one answer but perhaps it's because there is a "fifth" wheel in the back of the truck to which we attach the trailer.
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Old 07-28-2005, 11:05 AM   #3
Kathi
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I have always wondered that myself. I thought it was because you had a 5th wheel taggin along!!!!LOL
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Old 07-28-2005, 11:20 AM   #4
Wordsmith
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Looking forward to possible answers to this…ought to be entertaining!
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Old 07-28-2005, 02:13 PM   #5
HamRad
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My understanding for the name is due to the fact that when they first developed this type of rig they actually used a wheel to attach it to the tow vehicle. Thus it was a "fifth" wheel. Over time the hitch evolved it what it is today. I saw a picture of it somewhere. But I don't remember where.

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Old 07-28-2005, 02:32 PM   #6
rlwhit
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On a big 18 wheelers the flat attach point where the king pin goes used to be called a wheel. So 4 in back 1 up front = 5th wheel.
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Old 07-28-2005, 03:03 PM   #7
trukdoc
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As long as I have been in the business I cannot answer this question.
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Old 07-28-2005, 03:32 PM   #8
DavesDmax
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As a big fan of the Henry Ford Museum and having a farming and horseman ancestry, I did a little research and asked around of the relatives. Here's what I came up with.

It looks like the term "5th wheel" was used by farmers who needed to turn large heavy hay wagons in tight places. In addition, these wagons were pulled by very strong draft horses who could tear a standard pivot wagon to pieces. So, some enterprizing farmers used an old wagon wheel due to its strength. Since the wagon had 4 wheels, the pivot wheel became the "5th wheel" because, that's what it was. The 5th wheel...

Some commercial implement manufacturers started producing production wagons with the same design features and the name "5th Wheel" hitch stuck.

Early commercial truck trailer manufacturers borrowed the technology from the draft horse pulled farm wagons. Since Farmers were the purchasers of most of the early trucks, they understood the term "5th Wheel" very well.

When you think about it, it's a very practical name for something.
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Old 07-28-2005, 03:39 PM   #9
sreigle
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I don't know for sure but my understanding is same as Hamrad's. I know that in reality what we call a fifthwheel is not the fifthwheel, it's a 'fifthwheel trailer' and the hitch in the bed of the truck is the 'fifthwheel'. I may be wrong but that's my understanding.

Here are some definitions from a google search on 'fifthwheel definition'.
----
fifth wheel
n.

1. A wheel or portion of a wheel placed horizontally over the forward axle of a carriage to provide support and stability during turns.
2. A similar device over the rear axle or axles of a tractor or pickup truck, serving as a coupling for a semitrailer.
3. An additional wheel carried on a four-wheeled vehicle as a spare.
4. An extra and unnecessary person or thing.
-------


fifth wheel - a steering bearing that enables the front axle of a horse-drawn wagon to rotate
bearing - a rotating support placed between moving parts to allow them to move easily
---------


fifth wheel
n 1: an extra car wheel and tire [syn: spare]
2: a steering bearing that enables the front axle of a
horse-drawn wagon to rotate
-------


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Old 07-28-2005, 05:35 PM   #10
Montana_1424
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Well, now I have an idea on where the name came from, glad i asked.
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Old 07-28-2005, 06:10 PM   #11
Parrothead
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Glad you did too Ed. I was going to tell the funny thing my uncles said to me when we bought our first fifth wheel and now I realize it wasn't funny at all. They are old farmers so DavesDmax's explanation is correct. They asked me if we bought a hay wagon. Seems some of Steve's definitions are along that line also.
Happy trails......................
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Old 07-29-2005, 09:50 AM   #12
Montana_2779
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"4. An extra and unnecessary person or thing."

Always wondered why Cheryl called me "Mr. 5th Wheel". I always thought it was because I was big and cozy and full of hot air in the winter (OK, OK....summer, too). I think we need to readdress this after work this evening....
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Old 08-02-2005, 10:27 AM   #13
Northstar
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Well it's always great to learn a little history from time to time.
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Old 08-02-2005, 05:08 PM   #14
Bill Hill
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Hamrad is absolutey right, here's the reference: Ready to Roll, A Celebration of the Classic American Travel Trailer, by Arrol Gellner and Douglas Keister.

Chapter 3 Aerocars
"The story of the fifth-wheel trailer begins with Glenn Curtis, prodigal inventor and aircraft engineer, who began a brilliant career tinkering with bicycles and motorcycles in his Hammondsport, New York, shop.
"Curtiss's interest in camping and the outdoors soon set him to work designing the consummate camping trailer. He developed a prototype in 1917, and two years later began marketing an improved version as the Curtiss Motor Bungalow. It was a natural outgrowth of Curtiss's wide-ranging interests, and displayed his usual engineering flair: It was towed via a patented gooseneck hitch coupled to what was the first commercially produced fifth-wheel assembly in America. The ingenious arrangement consisted of a modified aircraft rim-and-tire assembly mounted over the tow vehicle's rear axle, where the inflated tire served to isolate the trailer from road shocks and vibration. Although the Motor Bungalow's axle was set well behind its center of balance, throwing a considerable load onto the hitch, it was nevertheless meant to be towed by an ordinary passenger coupe, whose trunk lid had to be removed for this purpose.
"Curtiss's fifth-wheel towing arrangement, novel as it was, ultimately proved less influential on trailering than the Motor Bungalow's body construction, which used a system of strong slender ribs clad in a lightweight skin.
"In 1928, at the height of the auto-camping craze, Curtiss returned to the scene with a re-designed fifth-wheel trailer named, with delectable ostentation, the Curtiss Aerocar Land Yacht. Though it retained the Motor Bungalow's bread-loaf-with-a-beak shape and fifth-wheel arrangement, its exterior was now entirely swathed in padded DuPont Fabrikoid, an early artificial leather. Its opulent interior, replete with plush upholstery, fold-down berths, and a separate galley, owed much to the stately private railroad cars of the late Victorian era."

Sorry to be so wordy (though not mine), you can see that our favorite mode of travel has a very interesting background. So Hamrad, do you have a copy of the book? If I remember right, I got the book through Trailer Life. It's a great history of the travel trailer.

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Old 08-03-2005, 04:15 AM   #15
sreigle
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Very interesting, Bill. Thanks.

Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Bill Hill

the inflated tire served to isolate the trailer from road shocks and vibration.
Interestingly, the first fifthwheel hitch was an air hitch!
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Old 08-03-2005, 05:30 AM   #16
Montana_2005
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Absolutely too funny! I would have never thought the name went that far back!!!
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