Hitching and unhitching

[USNMA1]

I have same truck and more than
Likely same cover. I use a magnetic camera mounted on the 5th wheel MoRyde and line it up with the slide. Cuts time in half and gives me more confidence

[Poppyof5]

Originally Posted by JeanBean70

Two questions:
1. Do you have tips for newbies on how to get lined up to hitch up? We have the Dodge Ram 3500 with a tonneau cover that is affecting our camera view. I have trouble telling my significant other how to line up the truck as he backs up
2. Can we stay hitched up for one night and is there anything else besides unplugging the electrical cord? I apologize if this was answered some place else. Hard to find on my phone. A big thank you for any help in either question.

I have a friend that places a softball that is bright yellow on the hitch. When the pin hits it is falls off into the bed of the truck.

[Pop#1]

Originally Posted by Scottenj

This is a fifth wheel forum, do you have a fifth wheel? I just turn around and look at the hitch and trailer pin out my back window or are you saying the rolled up cover blocks your view out the back window?

I did not realize this was a 5er owners forum only.

[Joem]

I just put a small traffic cone on top of the hitch works all the time.

[Flyingaggie]

Originally Posted by JeanBean70

Two questions:

2. Can we stay hitched up for one night and is there anything else besides unplugging the electrical cord?

Yes, you can stay hitched up for a night. I do this all the time when I'm driving my long hauls and know I'm only parking at a park to sleep. It works better if you're in a level site (so you don't roll out of bed, etc), but isn't a problem short term even if not fully level. I pull in, plug in and go to bed. In the morning, get up, unplug, throw cord in trailer and drive off. Makes it easy for short nights.

If you have the RV 120V/Propane (ie. non-residential) fridge, that will be the only thing that cares about being pretty level. If it's out of limits (my fridge specs say 3 degrees side to side and 6 degrees front to back as I'm facing the fridge door) it could stop functioning due to how its cooling functions if that way for very long.

Have fun!

Tim

[Mad5581]

I've been a truck driver for 20 years and it's normal for use to not see the hitch or the pin. My recommendation is don't blow your money on gadgets that may or may not work.. my trick is the front storage compartment... if I can see either side of the black trim around the door I'm not lined up. So you don't have to hit the pin exactly dead on you just have to be close.

Anyway find a point of reference and shoot for that. If you can't find one created one with color tape. In time you won't even need the tape. Just keep in mind if you don't hit the pin dead on it will slide your trailer into line. When I unhook and hook i always let the truck hitch actually pick the trailer up just slightly to take some weight off the landing gear. Same when I unhook I just let the trailer slide slightly off the hitch its a game of inches.

[fsimms]

I have a Pinnacle and I use an Anderson Ultimate hitch in my Ram 3500. I set a 24" tall orange traffic cone in front of the hitch. Using my rearview mirror I backup slowly lining up the top of the cone with the king pin. When the king pin and the cone make contact I know I'm getting pretty close so I get out and look to see what is required to complete the connection. The cone is also useful when backing into a campsite. Before backing up I set the cone at the spot where I want the back corner to end up. The cone gives me a target to shoot for.

[PEEWEEH]

Originally Posted by jeanbean70

two questions:
1. Do you have tips for newbies on how to get lined up to hitch up? We have the dodge ram 3500 with a tonneau cover that is affecting our camera view. I have trouble telling my significant other how to line up the truck as he backs up
2. Can we stay hitched up for one night and is there anything else besides unplugging the electrical cord? I apologize if this was answered some place else. Hard to find on my phone. A big thank you for any help in either question.

practice

[WiliWali]

Originally Posted by DrSmart

We have a Ram 3500 with the 3 head rests in the back seat. The center head rest is almost the width of the trailer pin box when viewed through the rear view mirror. Using the rear view mirror, I center the rear head rest with the pin box. My wife can watch the distance and let me know when I'm close to hitching. I then get out and check hitch height and how much further to touch down. If I'm aligned good enough and pin box height is good, I finish connecting. It takes a little practice to be dead center with the hitch pin.
Just remember to keep your head centered when looking through the mirror. If you tilt your head, the alignment changes.
If there's no rear head rest, a piece of tape on the rear cab window and one on the pin box can be used for alignment.
This of course is when the truck is in line with the trailer.


This may not work as well as eow's method but just thought I'd offer another method.

I have a Ford, and the center headrest mounting points are pretty close together, so I put a strip of tape vertically down the center of the kingpin assembly. Using the rear view mirror (you get a more direct view than looking over your shoulder), I can line it right up. Like others have said, when you get close you need to get out and check from proper height before trying to back into the latch.

[mopluv]

We have a tonneau on our truck and have to fold it up to allow room to hook up. This puts fifth out of my view but the tonneau has 3 gaskets that end up on top so I use the center gasket to line up looking back from cab. This is pretty reliable way to hook up.

[bgelyhome]

With my Pinbox and 5th Wheel Hitch lined up but not engaged, I painted a 2 inch white line from the top of the Pinbox forward onto the front (side closest to the truck cab) of the 5th Wheel Hitch. Now when I am backing up to connect the Pinnacle, I just align the white line on the Pinbox to the white line on the Hitch. I use a Pullrite SuperGlide 5th Wheel Hitch which requires me to be directly in front of the Pinnacle to hitch.

[FILMTV]

Here's a suggestion I have for your backup to the hitch issue:



I purchased the 2 camera Rohent HD camera system and both cameras come with a mounting bracket for each. I drilled a couple of holes into the base of the one mount and then mounted dual magnets on the back of it and then attached it to my tailgate. I ran 12 volt power to the camera directly from the battery with clamp on terminals. Then camera end has a quick connect plug. When backing up to my rig, I can clearly see the ball and know when its under my hitch to hookup. When Im driving with my rig, the camera is angled it down to look at the mount and I now have eyes on my WDH and mount in case I need to see whats going on. I will periodically switch to that camera, but otherwise, I leave it on the other camera which is mounted on the back of my rig. I use that for lane clearance on the highway and when backing into a campsite.


I included screen shots of the items I purchased.


Good luck and happy camping!

[jimmoore13]

I don't have a Fiver, but I do always hookup alone...without a camera.

I use what I'll refer to as a "gunsight" technique. You may need to add some simple marks on the rear window of the cab, and maybe something on the tonneau cover. Some brightly colored tape would do it. If you know where the pin is, use the rear view mirror as the near sight, the mark on the cab window as the middle sight, and the mark on the tonneau as the far sight. Those sights should line up directly with dead center on your fifth wheel hitch in the bed.

Next, and this is important, when approaching at an angle, you also need to have a really good idea where the kingpin is in relationship to the parts of the pin box that you can see from the rear view mirror. With the truck 6 to 10 feet away from the pin, stand dead center behind the tow vehicle and eyeball the pin box and pin. Pick a point on the pin box as your target directly above the pin. A brightly painted magnet or magnetically mounted flag can stick to the pin box right above the pin (from your current, angled point of view) and serve as your target.

Once you have your sights dialed in and a way to mark your target...because it changes depending on your angle of approach...your husband will be able to hit the target perfectly every time.

I do this with my travel trailer. I'm often forced to hitch up at a significant angle. I have a sight on the tailgate...a convenient decorative mark that's dead center...and a mark on my rear cab window, and my rear view mirror. I position the truck where I plan to back up to the hitch, and in my case, I eyeball a spot on the front cap that's directly above the sight line to the coupler. I line up my sights with the target on the front cap, and I'm almost dead on if I backup straight at the target on the front cap.

I can usually hit the coupler with the ball in three steps...in and out of the cab to evaluate progress. By the time I've gotten out of the cab to look for the third time, I'm close enough to require a 1 to 2 inch adjustment, then I drop the coupler on the ball.

Next trick is distance. For 10 feet, I just guess, but once I'm within a couple of feet, I open my driver's door, pick a pebble or other object on the pavement, and I use its movement relative to the running board as a crude ruler. When I'm within 6" or so, this is very precise. My running boards have rubber steps on top of the chrome pipes, and the rubber has "treads" in the rubber that make relative measurement easy.

You may adapt this concept a bit, but I think you'll find that it works well. I hope this is helpful.

[Rustycamper01]

I just spent last night at campground (a one night stand, so to speak). Level site; stayed hooked up.

[DRE]

Originally Posted by mopluv

We have a tonneau on our truck and have to fold it up to allow room to hook up. This puts fifth out of my view but the tonneau has 3 gaskets that end up on top so I use the center gasket to line up looking back from cab. This is pretty reliable way to hook up.

I have the backflip and this is exactly what I do. Works out great

[Jmac54]

Originally Posted by Scottenj

This is a fifth wheel forum, do you have a fifth wheel? I just turn around and look at the hitch and trailer pin out my back window or are you saying the rolled up cover blocks your view out the back window?

Since when did this become an exclusive 5th wheel forum? The last I knew Jayco still makes and sells bumper hitch trailers.

[Scottenj]

Originally Posted by Jmac54

Since when did this become an exclusive 5th wheel forum? The last I knew Jayco still makes and sells bumper hitch trailers.

When I saw this post it was in the Fifth wheel portion of the forum.

The reason I asked if it was a fifth wheel is with my fifth wheel I look out the back window and can easily line everything up. She then explained her husband has back and shoulder issues and can’t easily return around.

[BLTravels]

We are fairly new to hitching a fifth wheel ourselves. It caused a lot of strain in our relationship trying to get it right with my wife giving directions and her view different than mine. I wasn't comfortable with her standing directly behind the truck. After doing some research I found putting up a traffic cone right in the center of my tailgate and then moving it forward towards the hitch worked fantastically. I now can easily hook the rig up by myself, first time every time. I bought a set of four collapsable ones on Amazon, the taller ones. You should have a set of those or similar markers anyways. Welcome and happy travels.

[LittleBill]

Originally Posted by Scottenj

This is a fifth wheel forum, do you have a fifth wheel? I just turn around and look at the hitch and trailer pin out my back window or are you saying the rolled up cover blocks your view out the back window?

Originally Posted by Pop#1

I did not realize this was a 5er owners forum only.

It isn't. It's under "Jayco RV Forum/Trailers, 5th Wheels, and Motorhomes/General Jayco RV Chat/Hitching and unhitching"