Professional Transportation Service By
Bob Martin
Bob Hauls it - Moves It
5th Wheel RVs
A 5th RV has equipment that must work properly in order to make the move easy and safe
Weather you have your RV moved often or you are buying and moving it for the first time
The below information will help you get it ready to move or
Help you decide if you should really buy the one you are looking at.
the below items MUST BE in GOOD WORKING CONDITION
These are Important Items that MUST WORK and be in GOOD CONDITION
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on the next page is an Pre RV Moving Check List. I recommend using it as you prepare to move your RV
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if I am the one you call to move your RV, I do NOT bring tools or supplies to FIX your RV nor do I have the mechanical ability to repair everything that is not ready.
Your RV might be good enough to live in, but if you are going to move it, It has to be road ready.
If you are buying a Used RV you will want to be sure that the SELLER has made preparations to have it moved and ready to be delivered and YOU have checked to be sure it has been done BEFORE the truck that will be moving it shows up.
The Battery
The battery(ies) on the RV powers everything DC including
ALL the JACKS and the slid outs even when the RV is connected to Shore Power
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The Front Jacks
The jacks on the front of the RV lift the height of the RV so that the pulling Truck can get under the 5th wheel pin to make a connection for pulling the RV.
If both of the Jacks are not working correctly connecting and disconnecting the RV to and from the Truck is A VERY HARD TASK!
The SLIDE OUTS
You cannot take your RV on the road if the slide outs are extended
If the slide outs can not be slid in, you won't be moving the RV when you want.
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If your battery does NOT have a FULL CHARGE operating the Jacks CANNOT be done easily and operating the Jacks manually to the proper height is a hard and long time-consuming process.
If you are going to move an RV that has been sitting for a long period of time,
I can assure you that the battery is NOT going to be fully charged in order to operate the Jack's motor, which also MUST be in a good working condition.
yes, you can jump the battery and or charge it, but if that has to be done at the time of the move
IT WILL TAKE TIME
If you can't bring them in, you probably won't be able to extend them after you get to where you are going to set it up.
The Tread on the RV Tires is NOT the most important item with RV Tires although they should have good tread.
Tires that are exposed to the weather day after day and month after month Deteriorate.
They may EXPLOSED when pressure builds up in the tires when exposed to heat caused by hot weather and the travel over hot roads.
Tires that are more than 5 years old on an RV are beyond their acceptable condition and may cause you problems when on the road.
Tire Markings
The common markings on tires is shown above
One Marking not show in the photo is the pressure the manufacturer recommends to inflate the tire to
I for one that has had a tire on an RV blow out on me usually inflate the tire to at least 10 psi below that recommendation.
Buying tires on a road trip can be expensive.
Tire Age
Note in the above picture the markings on the far right. This shows how to figure out how old your tires are.
This the date they were made, not the date they were put in use.
Tires may be held in the warehouse for sometime before they are put in service
BUT, if you go to trade in your RV, the dealer will use the date of the tire
in the example on the right this tire was manufactured the 26th week of 2013, So sometime the first week of June in 2013.
Brakes and
Electrical Connections
The Electrical plug on your RV connects your RV to the Pulling Truck. It makes a connection from the truck for
Lights, Blinkers, 4-way Hazard lights, BRAKES and in some cases a trickle charge from the Truck to your RV Battery to keep it charged while in Transit.
5th Wheel Connection Pin
Any Truck that will move your RV must make a proper connection to the 5th Wheel Pin in order to move your RV.
Make sure the Pin is clean of Rust and Mildrew. Also there are times when the pulling truck making connection may slightly damage the pin when hooking up. make sure there are no burrs on the pin
5th Wheel Pin with PAD
You may find a pad that is slid onto the pin. This helps make a tight connection with the Truck's "Crow Hitch"
It helps to reduce vibrations while traveling. It can be and sometimes needs to be removed
RVs have at least One Axil that has brakes to help stop the RV
The Brakes on the RV reduce the amount of wear on the Truck brakes and make stopping more efficient and in certain conditions keep the Trailer from fish tailing
The Brakes on the RV must be in working order
ALSO
For the Brakes and Lights to work, the Electrical plug on the RV that hooks to the Truck must be in GREAT CONDITION!
A side note, You do not have to GREASE the Pin
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Truck "Crow Hitch" Connection
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There are 3 kinds of RV truck connection that could move your 5th Wheel RV
I call the above a "Crow Hitch" there are different styles but the do the same thing.
The Truck backs into your Trailer Pin and the Pin Slides into the Slot on the Hitch which then claps shut hold the Pin and YOUR RV to the Truck.
This is the most commend type of Hitch.
The Anderson Ball Hitch
This is a ball hitch like what you would find on a bumper hitch. An adapter is slid onto your 5th Wheel Pin converting it to a Ball Hitch (on the picture it is RED)
It is the type of hitch on My Truck
There are several advantages to this type of hitch. One it allows for a larger turning radius and I feel it is safer. It is also much lighter to remove and re-install.
dis-advantages are that the RV must be raise a littler higher to make the connection and it is a little harder to line up with the Pin.
