Locked hitch head on 5er while towing?

[george]

the manufacturer

Well looks like it depends on which hitch you have, looks like the best thing to do is contact the manufacturer of your hitch and see what he has to say. Here is another response I received.





George,



I called the engineer to make sure nothing has changed, and he said

that on

any hitch that provides a lock-out, the preferred way is to always have

the

side-to-side motion locked while going down the road. There are some

hitches that do not recommend lockout. I have the Putnam 23K Firehawk

II

(Gooseneck & 5th wheel Combo hitch) in my truck, and there is no

lock-out on

it. Most standard 5th wheels are designed to be locked out while

moving.

Hope this helps. Dale

 

[RustyJC]

There's no side-to-side lockout on the B&W companion 5th wheel hitch, either.



Rusty

 

[nps]

The arguments for towing unlocked seem more plausible and logical to me. The side lockout mechanism adds no structural strength or integrity to the parts of the hitch head that absorb the forces applied while towing, whether locked or unlocked. I was more concerned with control or sway issues with the trailer, and it sounds like there are none induced when unlocked. In fact, some have reported issued induced as a result of locking.



When I first pulled the trailer home from the dealer I had a few 'pucker factor' moments wondering what was going on back there. My wife hasn't ridden in the truck with the 5er back there yet. I'm sure I'll hear a few 'what's that' among gasps and other noises when she does ride in the truck for the first time next weekend.



As I said earlier - the owners manual says it is a personal preference thing. So it's unlocked for me - I want to keep the transmitted motion in the cab to a minimum.

 

[SnoKing]

Hijacker has no side to side lock. I put a black rudder snubber on it to prevent it from banging around. SNOKING

 

[george]

The arguments for towing unlocked seem more plausible and logical to me. The side lockout mechanism adds no structural strength or integrity to the parts of the hitch head that absorb the forces applied while towing, whether locked or unlocked. I was more concerned with control or sway issues with the trailer, and it sounds like there are none induced when unlocked. In fact, some have reported issued induced as a result of locking.



When I first pulled the trailer home from the dealer I had a few 'pucker factor' moments wondering what was going on back there. My wife hasn't ridden in the truck with the 5er back there yet. I'm sure I'll hear a few 'what's that' among gasps and other noises when she does ride in the truck for the first time next weekend.



As I said earlier - the owners manual says it is a personal preference thing. So it's unlocked for me - I want to keep the transmitted motion in the cab to a minimum.

You want to keep the transmitted motion in the cab to a minimum let me suggest a set of air bags, they make a night and day difference

 

[nps]

You want to keep the transmitted motion in the cab to a minimum let me suggest a set of air bags, they make a night and day difference

Oops. Should have said "I want to keep the transmitted motion in the cab to a minimum amount of $$$"! :-laf :-laf



Seriously, I did look at some Firestones and Timbrens, but the truck only squats 2" since I also have the Camper Special package on it. I really haven't had the rig out on the road yet, so I'm waiting to get some real-world feedback.



Definitely keeping them in the back of my mind. Also looked at the MorRyde pinbox but that is pretty $$$ too.

 

[george]

Oops. Should have said "I want to keep the transmitted motion in the cab to a minimum amount of $$$"! :-laf :-laf



Seriously, I did look at some Firestones and Timbrens, but the truck only squats 2" since I also have the Camper Special package on it. I really haven't had the rig out on the road yet, so I'm waiting to get some real-world feedback.



Definitely keeping them in the back of my mind. Also looked at the MorRyde pinbox but that is pretty $$$ too.

Forget the $$$ you just bought a new trailer, you can afford it :-laf

My truck didn't squat much either but when on a rough roads or hitting dips in the road I was getting beat up.

The price wasn't too bad, I got mine from Skips Springs and they were somewhere around $300, I'll tell you what, between that and my Brake Smart, best money I ever spent now when I hit dips its nice and smooth.