6 Essentials for Fifth-Wheel Towing

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RVing comes in many forms: class A or C motorhomes, class B campervans, schoolies, travel trailers, and fifth wheels. When converting to full-time RV living, we opted for a fifth wheel so that we’d have only one engine to maintain: that of our Dodge Ram 3500 dually, Gulliver. Five years later, we’re still thrilled with our decision. 

In five travel seasons, we’ve found six items to be essentials for fifth-wheel towing. 

1. Tire Pressure Monitoring System

The most important item for our success on the road is undoubtedly a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). We use the EezTire TPMS. It’s more than paid for itself by saving our coach from major damage, especially the year we had four flat tires. If a trailer tire blows out without a TPMS, it can destroy itself and part of the rig before the driver is even aware.

Our 42-foot, 17,000-pound fifth wheel, named Tagalong, originally came with E-rated tires, which were at the far edge of that weight limit. Before traveling to Alaska, we upgraded to G-rated tires and haven’t encountered any flats since. We continue to use our TPMS for peace of mind.

2. Curt Fifth-Wheel Hitch

Since we live in our fifth wheel full time, we wanted a hitch that would provide as smooth of a ride as possible for our home and its contents. The Curt 16047 Q24 fifth-wheel hitch fits that bill. It pivots and moves during travel to act as kind of a shock absorber for our trailer. ​

Operation of the pull-handle hitch is easy. It features green, yellow, and red indicators when coupling to let us know if the trailer is correctly connected or not.

We also got a Curt fifth-wheel hitch lube plate to keep the hitch operating well without a greasy mess.

3. Transmission Pan Upgrade

Because we tow a heavy load, our truck’s transmission works over time. A hotter transmission means a shorter transmission life, so the cooler we can keep it, the better.

Bob removed the stock transmission pan and installed an after-market pan that’s deeper, has a greater capacity, and includes cooling fins. It holds three to four more quarts of fluid than the factory-installed one. The additional fluid takes longer to heat, which means our transmission doesn’t get as hot as it would otherwise. 

4. RV Bottle Jack

Lifting our heavy rig can be a scary endeavor. Ensuring our safety is paramount. The year we had four flat tires, we quickly learned how inferior our original bottle jack was. 

We upgraded to the Safe Jack 6-ton RV bottle jack and feel much safer every time we use it. The jack is designed for RVs weighing up to 24,000 pounds and includes stackable jack extensions with a range of 8 to 36 inches for just the right fit. ​

5. Grease Gun

Carrying a grease gun can be a messy endeavor. That’s a risk we’re willing to take to ensure our fifth wheel hitch, wheel bearings, and suspension stay lubed and working properly. We have a lot riding on these things, so we want them to operate optimally. 

Without keeping the zerk fittings on these items greased, we could end up with metal-on-metal grinding, which would drastically reduce their life and limit our livelihood. 

6. Breaker Bar and Torque Wrench

Proper torque is vital to keeping any tire on a vehicle. It’s crucial when towing 18,000 pounds. Torque that’s too loose can provide opportunity for lug nuts to back off a tire over time. Over-tightened torque can stretch the lugs. We carry a torque wrench with us to ensure correct tightness of the lug nuts on both our truck and trailer.

We also tote a breaker bar. As its name implies, a breaker bar is designed to break heavy torque when needed, such as on the lug nuts of a fifth wheel so we can remove a tire.

In addition to those items, we’re thankful for some nonessentials that are nice to have, including: 

• An upgraded fuel tank that allows us to go greater distances between fuel stops
• A tonneau truck cover that keeps our fifth-wheel hitch protected when we’re not towing and folds up and locks in place when we are towing
• A backup camera on the rear of the trailer to help with changing lanes
• A driver seat cushion to reduce fatigue

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