They are easily overlooked too because they are hidden and dirty and nasty.
But when a fifth-wheel fails, bad and embarrassing things can happen that will make you look silly.
Nobody likes to look silly.
That's what I think.
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| Image courtesy Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company |
I recently inherited an older tractor and have been sorting out some if its various issues.
One problem I noticed was a lot of clunking and thunking in my rear end while braking and turning with a trailer attached. Sometimes it felt like the trailer was going to blast through the rear of the cab under braking. It was scary and I almost cried.
Ain't nobody got time for a clunky rear end...or trucker tears!
It felt like I had a tractor brake or suspension problem, but closer inspection of the tractor revealed nothing out of the ordinary, so I started looking elsewhere.
That's when I found out from a super-trucker brother about jaw and wedge adjustment on the fifth-wheel.
From the pictures you can see the big spring-loaded bolt sticking out of the right side of the fifth-wheel.
Get you a big honking wrench and some gloves and crank on that bad boy to the right (clockwise) to tighten up the jaws of the fifth wheel. Lefty-loosie (counter-clockwise) to do the opposite...
Mine was loose. Once tightened, the difference was amazing. No more funky noises, and the entire rig handled much better at all speeds.
Apparently, there should be about 1/4 inch of travel on that spring-loaded bolt when it is properly adjusted.
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| Image courtesy Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company |
You can get much more fifth-wheel information at the Fontaine Fifth Wheel website.
