What could be easier?... Back up until you hear the handle snap back, and you're good to go! 

Boy, if that’s how you hook up your fifth wheel trailer, you're going to have some problems (...sooner rather than later).

First, Why 5th Wheel Trailers Are Great

Fifth wheel RVs are the best handling, most secure recreational trailers on the road.  They handle so much better than a standard travel trailer, there just is no comparison.  With a properly set up fifth wheel, you can pull a 15,000-pound trailer all day long in comfort.  You’ll rapidly get to the point where you will almost forget that your monster 3-axle, multi-slideout  luxury condo is riding along behind you.

This easy towing might give one the opportunity for complacency in getting ready to hit the road. 

But the last thing you want to see is your $75,000 trailer skittering down the highway on its own after the hitch popped open, turning it loose from your truck.  Don’t laugh, it does happen, and if it happens to you, it will be expensive!

Here are some things you need to know about mounting and hooking up a fifth wheel hitch...

You're cruising down the freeway with a mild headwind and your motorhome on cruise control 

Unfortunately, the motorhome can’t make up its mind... in top gear it’s struggling in the wind, but when it drops a gear you're screaming at high rev’s.  One thing is certain: the gas gauge is dropping like a rock as it continually hunts up and down for a manageable gear.

Have you ever noticed, semi trucks have transmissions with 10, 13, even as many as 15 different speeds?  The reason for that is to give the driver the ability to pick the gear that allows the truck to roll along within the most economical RPM range.

An engine that’s screaming along is pumping as much fuel through it as possible, while an engine that is trying to pull too much of a load in too high a gear is also washing excess gas through the engine.  Both situations will consume excessive fuel, and cause excessive wear to the engine.

Gas motorhomes generally are equipped with 4-speed automatic transmissions behind a large cubic inch engine.  The weight of the motorhome is carefully calculated by the manufacturer to give you the roomiest (and biggest) RV within the limitations of the drivetrain powering it.  To keep manufacturing costs within reason, drive trains are limited pretty much to this type of offering.  If you want more power, you’ll have to go with a diesel pusher at a considerably higher price.

So what can you do when your 38-foot Class A motorhome -- which usually gets about 10 mpg -- drops to 5-6 mpg because of hilly terrain, or high wind conditions?

The last time you went looking at new RV's at the dealer’s lot, did you ever wonder just how all those new rigs get from the factory to the dealer?  Transporters, thousands of men and women, actually drive or tow new motorhomes and trailers across the country from their point of manufacture to the dealers who sell them.

Fleetwood, Country Coach, no matter the brand, they all must be driven or pulled from the factory to the dealership. 

I worked for an RV transport company in Tucson for about 6 months. During that time, I transported everything from small travel trailers to $400,000 luxury motorhomes all over the country for hire.

Here are some interesting things I've learned firsthand about the business of transporting RVs...

Our article about towing a Jeep Wrangler behind an RV has been so popular, I figured there are lots of other questions that RV owners might have about towing, as well.

So what follows are all the best resources I could find regarding towing with a motorhome.