It also saves you and the kids from banging your head on the king pin..Don't ask.
Steve & Linda
Son married (1 DIL, 3 granddaughters 1 grandson)
Daughter can now be called a Teacher.
Miami Co. Kansas
2004 F350 CC dually 8ft bed 6.0 PSD
2009 Bighorn 3670RL
B&W under bed hitch with 18k companion hitch
JoeWebPage wrote: I see lots of 5th wheels with a tripod looking device supporting the pin on the trailer while parked.
Is this really necessary and what exactly does one expect it to do? Seems that I occasionally see one's hitch hanging from the pin, making it double bad if it's really needed.
I don't have one as I'm not sure they are really needed.
Any thoughts?
First, the owner has to be smart enough to understand what the pin stabilizer is for and what it actually can do when used properly.
The bipod or tripod pin stabilizer can only eliminate side to side movement at the front of the trailer when used properly.
Now, a savey owner will know some type of stabilizer may be needed at the trailers rear to eliminate side to side and up and dowm movement back there. thats where BAL stabilizers come to play.
After all of that if the trailer exhibits fore and aft movement then adjustable chocks will do the job.
RV trailer axles/tires are toward the center of a long heavy box which requires more stabilizing input than say a trailer with tires at the cornors.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" ............ Will Rogers
'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er 11200 gvwr two slides
Yeah...I bought a pin box tripod along with $1,000 worth of do-dads when my trailer was new. For the past 2 years I carry the tripod in the back of my truck.
I guess as an old fart, no amount of supports will stop the wobble I feel - kind of like a Weeble.
When we were full-timing in a fifth wheel, I bought a tripod. It did what it was supposed to do, took some of the wobble out of the trailer when moving around in it.
Did we "NEED" it? NO, probably not.
Were we glad to have it? Oh, yes!
Would I buy another one? Certainly.
If for no other reason than it kept me from walking under the hitch!
CM1, USN (RET)
2002 Fleetwood Southwind 32V, Ford V10
Toad: 2006 Jeep Rubicon LJ
Other toad: '06 PT Cruiser, Kar Kaddy dolly
Toy: 1977 Dodge W100 CC SWB, 3/4 ton axles & springs
"When seconds count, help is only minutes away!"
IMO it depends on the size and height of the particular 5er. Our previous unit benefited some from a tripod, not enough to offset the pain of hauling that cumbersome piece of hardware around. Our new toyhauler is longer, taller, and sits higher and while we did try the tripod on it, it made no difference in how much the 5er moved around. We have the JT Strongarms and those have stopped nearly all the movement.
If you have a smaller, lighter, and lower unit the tripod may help. For more money you can use one of the permanent stabilizers,like JT Strongarms, that definitely do work and not have to mess with hauling that big ol' chunk of iron around. Worth the trade off IMO.
missourijan wrote: You'll get a lot of opinions on this, both pro & con. We use one when we are set up for a period of time. It does seem to give us a little less side to side movement. There are other methods, those bars that go between the front landing legs also help.
Ditto - If we are going to be set up for more than a couple days I set it up.... We also use the wheel chocks. To get best stabilization with the tripod be sure you jack it up pretty tight. Our unit is stable without it, but I can tell some improvement when I use it.
2012 3055RL Big Horn - Dexter 7000 lb axles - G rated LT Tires
MorRyde, Genset, Dual Panes, 2 A/C, Yeti Package
2013 F350 DRW 4x4 Crew King Ranch
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