Dear RV Doctor,

My wife and I have been RVing for about five years but we used a tent for 25 years before that. We started with a bumper-pull trailer and loved it. We had no problems with getting it very stable. Last year we decided to upgrade to a fifth wheel, which is when our problems started. We cannot seem to get it stable. No matter what I do, we still have a shaky RV. I do have a tripod for the front and I have put an extra jack in the area of the steps, but nothing seems to help. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for any help you might have. Ron Hooten, (Kempner, TX)

Ron, if the coach has slideout rooms, it may be necessary to add stabilizers at the corners; especially if the slideouts are relatively deep or long. Also check to be sure when you extend each of the current stabilizers that you do not “loosen” the contact with the ground on the others. It’s easy to do and you may not even realize it. Another type of stabilizer mounts between the tires on each side of the trailer. They immobilize the tires by pushing against each one like a horizontal scissors jack. If your fifth wheel has three axles, you’ll need four of these. They are readily available at any Camping World store, as are a 12-volt stabilizing system made by Ultra-Fab, the Power Twin II. You can also check with Camping World about an HWH hydraulic leveling and stabilizing system that’s designed especially for fifth wheels. Perhaps one of these suggestions will eliminate that bothersome bounce.
 

-Gary Bunzer
Send your troubleshooting questions to Gary at gbunzer@cox.net and be sure to visit the RV Doctor on the web at www.rvdoctor.com to find other articles and pertinent information.
Questions of general interest may appear in a future issue. Due to the heavy volume of mail received, personal replies are not possible. All effort is made to ensure the correctness of Gary’s responses; however, not all answers will apply in every instance. Some situations may mandate a visual inspection and further hands-on testing. If you choose to follow these instructions, make sure that neither personal nor product safety will be compromised. If you do not feel comfortable performing a procedure, call your local RV service facility and schedule an appointment or visit Camping World Supercenters nationwide.

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