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Tips on Towing a Fifth Wheel

Apr. 23 2024 Ownership Tips By Price Right Auto & RV

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Because of their impressive size and weight, fifth wheel RVs are notoriously difficult to tow. First-time fifth wheel owners often struggle to learn how to successfully drive with their rigs in tow, and it can take a lot of practice to get the hang of. Thankfully we‘ve gathered up several helpful fifth wheel towing tips below to help you get the hang of driving with your new rig before you need to hit the open road. 

Practice

Learning to tow a rig as large as a fifth wheel will take some real patience and—to ensure you’re ready for the open road—we recommend practicing as much as possible. This not only includes driving with your rig, but hitching it up, parking, and leveling it as well.

Accelerating 

Stopping and accelerating in a fifth wheel is tricky. Because these RVs are so large it takes much longer to stop and start as you drive, often leading new fifth-wheel owners to get into fender benders or accidentally run through intersections. To avoid this, we recommend hitching up your fifth wheel and driving to the nearest parking lot to practice accelerating and stopping in a large open space away from traffic or pedestrians. 

Reversing 

Reversing with a fifth wheel is one of the most difficult skills you’ll need to master before you can hit public roadways and interstates with your rig. Thankfully, you can use the handy steering wheel trick to avoid jackknifing and prevent a disaster. When you need to reverse, place both hands at the very bottom of your steering wheel. Remember that whichever way you turn your wheel is the same direction your fifth wheel will turn, while your tow vehicle will maneuver in the opposite direction. 

For more helpful tips on towing and driving with your fifth wheel, we recommend speaking with our helpful experts here at Price Right Auto & RV! We offer two convenient locations for you to visit in both Dewitt and Sterling Heights, MI, and encourage those nearby in the Detroit metro area and Lansing, MI to visit anytime to care for all of their important RV needs.