Tripod under King Pin

[HOWITTRO]

Hi,
We are new to fifth wheels. I'm wondering if we need the king pin tripod for ur GD Solitude 310GK, or what it actually does. I would appreciate some opinions. What does it do? Is it more of a stabilizer or is it used for support more? Is it good to use when stored for a while?
Thank you
Bob

 

[Cate&Rob]

We use a tripod stabilizer and find that it really works well on our smaller Reflection which does not have auto levelling. The key to making it work is to raise the landing gear slightly to really load the tripod. I am not sure how much value a tripod would be on a Solitude with 6 point auto levelling.

Rob

 

[Likes to tow]

I bought a tripod for our last 5th wheel and could see no change in the amount of movement we feel inside the trailer. I don't even carry it on trips anymore! The only advantage i could see to using it was that it keeps anyone from walking near the greasy king pin and getting grease on their clothes. It also prevented the grand kids from bumping their heads on the pin box assembly or getting grease in their hair. Few people use them anymore. If you want to prevent movement get some stabilizers that attach to the bottom of the landing gear and attach to the frame of the trailer.

 

[Cate&Rob]

I bought a tripod for our last 5th wheel and could see no change in the amount of movement we feel inside the trailer.

Thought the same thing until I realized that raising the landing gear about 1/8" after putting the tripod in place, puts enough weight on the tripod to make it really effective at stabilizing the front of the trailer.

Rob

 

[gordofuchs]

I bought a tripod for our last 5th wheel and could see no change in the amount of movement we feel inside the trailer. I don't even carry it on trips anymore! The only advantage i could see to using it was that it keeps anyone from walking near the greasy king pin and getting grease on their clothes. It also prevented the grand kids from bumping their heads on the pin box assembly or getting grease in their hair. Few people use them anymore. If you want to prevent movement get some stabilizers that attach to the bottom of the landing gear and attach to the frame of the trailer.

I feel the same way as Likes to tow. There may be some advantage if you run a washer and dryer in the front closets, which we don't do. We don't even take it with us anymore. We do use it when storing for a long time.

 

[WhittleBurner]

Thought the same thing until I realized that raising the landing gear about 1/8" after putting the tripod in place, puts enough weight on the tripod to make it really effective at stabilizing the front of the trailer.

Rob

Agree with Rob, after taking his advice about raising the landing gear just 1/8" they do make a difference.

 

[Cate&Rob]

If you want to prevent movement get some stabilizers that attach to the bottom of the landing gear and attach to the frame of the trailer.

I didn't care for the large diameter holes that had to be drilled in the lower flanges of the main trailer frame I beams to install the stabilizer arms that many use. Also, the aluminum tripod is about half the weight of the steel stabilizer arm system. (Weight is important to us ). There are different ways to solve the trailer motion problem . . . the tripod (set up as described) works for us without needing the landing gear stabilizer arms.

Rob

 

[WhittleBurner]

X chocks work pretty well too. Takes a lot of motion out of the tires.

 

[TNFLineage]

We have the Solitude and 6pt leveling system, washer & dryer up front and use the tripod. We believe it helps with the vibration. I typically set it up only if we are going to be stationary for awhile and know we'll be doing laundry before moving again.

 

[john&debbie]

When we set up somewhere for a week or longer, I use the tri-pod, X-chocks and scissor jacks under the rear hitch assembly. It works for us.

 

[warsw1]

I have used a king-pin tripod on every 5th wheel I have owned. The tripod has worked very well until I bought the Solitude. It didn't seem to help much on it. I think this is due to the Roto-Flex pin box which is designed to give. I no longer use it. The hydraulic jacks on the auto level system seem to work better at stopping movement than the scissor jacks on most trailers and I found that the x-chocks work really well stopping front to back movement.

One other thought.....I also found (along with other benefits) that using the Andersen Trailer Jack Block help to stabilize the trailer by keeping the jacks from having to extend as far.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0754NWJGR/ref=emc_b_5_t

 

[BigGuy82]

If you've got any type of "rubber insulated" king pin (which I suspect you do on your Solitude), I think you are wasting your money on a tripod. I had one on my Heartland Bighorn with a Flex Air and it made absolutely no difference.

 

[Knightclimber]

I use those blocks on my solitude too. They stack nicely when traveling without much weight or space and I like that the rams don't have to extend very far when leveling. Biggest issue was getting them off when it came time to move. I had to use a hammer to knock them loose.

 

[HOWITTRO]

Our 2018 310 Solitude raises one front landing gear completely before raising the second leg. Is there a way to raise both legs at the same time

 

[boyscout]

Our 2018 310 Solitude raises one front landing gear completely before raising the second leg. Is there a way to raise both legs at the same time

Ours does the same. I haven't tried it, but I have a hunch that if someone stepped on the jack that tends to rise first, the other would rise instead - a slight differential in friction / hydraulic supply. Maybe I should worry more?

 

[JColeman]

Ours does the same. I haven't tried it, but I have a hunch that if someone stepped on the jack that tends to rise first, the other would rise instead - a slight differential in friction / hydraulic supply. Maybe I should worry more?

I would think it has to do with which leg is closest to the valve. As pressure builds the other leg starts to operate.

 

[boyscout]

I would think it has to do with which leg is closest to the valve. As pressure builds the other leg starts to operate.

That's what I meant by "hydraulic supply", but not being expert in hydraulics I didn't want to speculate too far about why.

On our trailer it *is* usually the leg on the curb side (closest to the hydraulic pump) that rises first but it's notable that it usually rises completely before the second one begins to rise, roughly 6-8 seconds after the first one began. I wouldn't think it would take nearly that long for the system to be equalized in pressure so why does proximity to the pump and valve make a difference?

 

[HOWITTRO]

Thank you to all for your replies re tripod jack for a Solitude trailer

 

[Second Chance]

Thought the same thing until I realized that raising the landing gear about 1/8" after putting the tripod in place, puts enough weight on the tripod to make it really effective at stabilizing the front of the trailer.

Rob

Rob,

Do you mean raising the rear gear and/or lowering the front gear? Raising the front gear would unload the tripod...

Rob

 

[WhittleBurner]

We too have a tripod and since Rob's advice about loading it it does work. Yes we do pull the front gear up just a little as this will drop the nose putting a little more weight on the tripod making the trailer steadier.