Hello World! Welcome Friends! You must have seen large, towering vehicles on the road like campers or semi-trailers hitched with trucks and going on smoothly like it’s no big deal to pull so much load. In addition to being often the longest vehicles on the road, they tower over literally any other vehicle on the road. But the point of mystery is how do they pull tons of weight so smoothly?
If you are thinking that the powerful engines of the trucks are the reason, then you are only partly right. But the question that remains is how can the vehicle hang on to that much weight in the first place? Cutting it short, they use heavy-duty trailer attachment systems more commonly known as fifth wheel hitch.
Fifth wheel hitch is the part of the towing system that is designed to pull heavyweights. Their advantage over the traditional towing bar design is that they carry the load right over the rear axle of the truck. This allows them to manage weights efficiently without snapping. That is why for towing campers and semi-trailers with trucks, fifth-wheel hitches are often the first choice. If you look a little keenly, it can be easily found that the majority of heavy-duty pulling is done by using this system mainly because of its reliability.
How Is the Fifth Wheel Hitch Different from Hitch Towing?
One may wonder why do we need such a heavy system of pulling when there are bumper towing systems like gooseneck bars or regular ball hitch? Sure, they are capable of pulling heavy loads but only up to a certain limit. If your load can fully support itself on the road then bumper towing systems will work. But as soon as the weight crosses their limit, they snap right away. That’s the reason why bumper towing is not used in the case of big rig trucks.
The reason for their snapping is that the consumer-grade bolts used in most kits are not capable to sustain under heavy pressure. Moreover, with an increase in weight, the additional factor of downward weight exerted by the trailer on the tow ball starts counting in which increases the chances of snapping. So, to counter this it is advised to involve the rear axle of the truck to balance out the equation.
How Does it Work?
The factor which greatly increases the appeal of the fifth wheel hitches is their easy coupling and decoupling mechanism. The link can be secured by simply sliding the trailer kingpin into the fifth wheel hitch followed by a quick lock.
How Much Does it Cost?
The prices vary greatly depending upon the models and variants. For light-duty towing, you can be all set in around $500. For top-of-the-line heavy-duty models, the cost can be around $2000. The overall cost may slightly go up after counting in the costs of safety chains, lubrication systems, and bearings.
Summing it Up
Having a fifth wheel hitch can greatly increase the towing power of your vehicle. In contrast to a tow bar hitch setup, this system can carry considerably much heavier loads.
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