By Russ and Tiña De Maris
One fifth wheel owner we know refuses to set foot in her fiver unless the front end is “supported” with a king pin stabilizer. She knows it’s nuts, but she’s afraid the trailer will topple forward if she puts her weight up there without the support. Not everyone is quite so paranoid, but plenty of fifth wheel folks put a stabilizer under their king pin. Is it worth it?
The answer to that question is subjective: Some fiver owners wouldn’t do without, others simply scoff at them. Here are the facts and the fiction.
First, unless your DNA is related to Godzilla’s, there’s no way you’ll “tip over” a fifth wheel by crawling up above the king pin area. The laws of physics (and proper RV design) simply won’t allow it. So, why a stabilizer? Most supporters point to less “rolling” motion when walking in the trailer. But keep in mind that motion in a parked trailer isn’t just affected by a king pin stabilizer.
When you pull into camp and set up any rig, its own running gear, including tires, springs and occasional shock absorbers, are still going to give some bounce. Unless you get the tires out of contact with the ground, the running gear will still “give,” regardless of the number of stabilizers and their location. Most who use a pin stabilizer report reduced “bounce”—but we’ve never heard of one sitting still like a “sticks and bricks” home.
Drawbacks to king pin stabilizers
It comes down to how much bounce reduction is worth to you. King pin stabilizers have their drawbacks, among them:
• Weight: To really get bounce reduction, stabilizers built of steel seem to work best. Users report lighter-weight aluminum stabilizers just aren’t as solid as steel.
• Bulk: You have to store them when traveling. Mama isn’t going to put up with those big old clunkers in the fifth wheel—they’ll be in the back of your tow vehicle taking up space. And while most king pin stabilizers are like tripods, having three legs, many users report the “bipod” two-legged variety of stabilizer that takes less space is less supportive than its three-legged cousin.
• Not useful everywhere: Parked in a site not close to level, you may find the stabilizers won’t work unless they have adjustable legs. If the ground under the front end of the fifth wheel slopes down, they may not reach the pin box. If the ground slopes the other way, the legs may be too long to work.
On the other hand, there is an unexpected benefit of a king pin stabilizer that many have commented on: They no longer bang their heads on the king pin. Of course, they may not be telling us about banging their shins on their stabilizer legs!
Here is a large selection of fifth wheel king pin stabilizers.
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RVT1254
I’ve been pondering the idea of stabilizers benefit when rigs have a washer/dryer setup in the nose of a 5th wheel, and the occasional spin cycle can be a bit ‘interesting’!
My brother-in-law swore by his three legged tripod. I tried it a few times and sold it. For me, I found it made no difference. That was on a 5th wheel with crank down jacks at the back and it made even less of “no difference” on my newer 5th wheel with automatic hydraulic levelers.
The tripod is supporting a single point. It can reduce up/down bouncing at that point, but cannot reduce horizontal motion in any way. And nearly all bounce includes some horizontal motion. There are better auxiliary stabilizers for 5’ers.
I look at these as an item I don’t need to carry. Parked next to a couple in a San Antonio Rv park couple weeks ago, he installed one and really didn’t notice much difference.