faulkner1953 wrote:

I am far from being a person with lengthy experience with 5th wheels, but this is what I do when hitching. I back up to the point where the truck hitch is just shy of the trailer hitch. Both have a bit of a slope on the edges that are nearest to each other. Lower the legs on the trailer until the sloped edges are going to be forced to ride up each other. As you back under the trailer, the king pin will have no choice but to seat properly into the lock. This method has always worked for me.

BruceStarkey wrote:

The procedures used by folks to test their hook-up range through a gamut of installing a padlock on their hitch locking provision, lifting legs of the trailer slightly while leaving wheels chocked, applying trailer brakes then doing a "tug" or "pull" test to simply hearing the hitch latch and immediately doing a "pull" test without getting out of the truck, then raising legs and driving away.

Commercial operator's as tested by virtually all DMV's throughout the north american continent requires a driver to exit the cab before "hitting the pin" to verify height relationship between truck and tractor, most require the tractor umbilicals to be hooked at this point as well. After "hitting the pin" the driver is then supposed to exit the cab and verify positon of hitch release handle and step to rear wheel of tandems to verify visually that the jaws have closed around the pin and that he is not high pinned, he is not supposed to go under the trailer at all to perform this check. These steps have come about from years of study and practice by people who perform this duty literally thousands of times with no accidents so they must have value based in practice.

Pull test is the last thing you should do AFTER first visually inspecting your hook-up with the legs still down and chocks still in place. Seeing ANY daylight between the two hitch plates should spell an immediate repeat performance of your hitch up from start to finish with lowering the trailer slightly coming first.

While you are performing your walk around doing your light checks and last reminder checks of TV antenna, steps stowed, last bit of doggie doo picked up etc., you should be looking at that hitch every time you get within sight of it as something may "pop out" that you didn't notice in your fast paced routine to look as "professional" as possible with your departure.

Observing an "experienced" professional driver will usually reveal a fellow who is not hurried and one who is obviously doing an eye scan and hands on check of trailer systems from hitch, air supply, wiring, brake canisters, suspension components, tires etc.. For one of those guys to "drop" a trailer is just about the most embarassing and costly (damage to trucks glad-hands & trailer contents being just two) thing to have happen to them. Trying to lift the front of a trailer on the ground that could easily weigh over 30,000lbs with a hand crank ain't a walk in the park, especially with sneering onlookers!

marsue wrote:

I will getting out 1st 5er around jan. so I have no experance with 5er's, BUT I work for yellow/roadway (city delivery) and have over 30yrs of driving tractor-trailer.I drop/hook about 4 times a day. on hooking I make sure the trl. is lower than 5th wheel and it rides up plate to hitch. if trl was drop by a diffrent tractor it may be higher than my rig, same as when you have to raise rv to get front to back level. if in a hurry to hook and do not check if it is too high you can a high hitch or jump the pin. just take time and check hight b-4 making hook.