If you own a trailer, 5th wheel stabilizers significantly reduce the shaking motion of your camper trailer. Although, every trailer is different, we receive many comments that it removes up to 98 percent of the movement. It is the only product that anchors your trailer frame to the ground. The rigid braces and brackets both push and pull on the frame reducing movement in both directions.
Many people use tripod 5th wheel stabilizers for different reasons. Some customers say it is better than nothing is. It only costs about $100. It takes roughly about 10 minutes to set up. You don’t have to pay to have it installed or spend a couple of hours installing it. You have plenty of room to store the tripod. You can always purchase between the wheel chocks that will stop a little more of that annoying movement for about $100, and it only takes about 5 minutes to install the special wheel chocks. If you want to reduce the annoying movement a little more you can always purchase jack stands to go under your slide outs for about $100. It only takes about 15 minutes to set up the jack stands under the slide outs. You have plenty of space to store the jack stands. So all together your total cost is about $300 and time to set up about 30 minutes every time you move. A fifth wheel bi-pod stabilizer would have a similar scenario.
Steadyfast offers a better version of the 5th wheel stabilizer, and customers have favored for the following reasons. You will get the best possible movement reduction. The total purchase cost is about $300. Setup time is about 45 seconds. Tear out time is about 45 seconds. It mounts permanently and requires no extra space to store it. No special wheel chocks are needed, and no slide out jacks are required. Installation time at most is 3 hours, which is about the same time it takes to set up and tear out a tripod 4 times.
When you are sitting in your trailer with the Steadyfast Stabilizer locked and someone else is walking inside, it will feel like there is very little to no shaking movement. Users of this product state that it feels like you are on cement foundation. However, there may be some slight movement from frame flexing, floor flexing, and soft ground. The amount of movement will depend on the trailer design and the firmness of the ground.
The Steadyfast Stabilizer is only installed on your trailer one time. It stays on the trailer and moves up and down with the jacks. The only action required when you set up or tear out camp is to lock or unlock the three locking clamps. This takes about 45 seconds.
It will fit on most fifth wheels and travel trailers without any modifications. You can have a large mobile home trailer, sport utility trailer, or even a gooseneck livestock trailer. Since it fits right on the fifth wheel, the 5th wheel stabilizer will not interfere with trailer brake parts or electric brake controllers. The 5th wheel stabilizer can be use on trailer hitched or unhitched, which means that you can even use it with a 5th wheel slider hitch. Most importantly however, there needs to be clearance for the 3 braces to extend between the bottom of the jack in the raised position and the frame of the trailer. One brace goes along the length of the trailer and two go across the trailer. Only four leveling jacks are required for the system to be installed.
The lower ends of the braces connect to a specially designed footplate to insure it is connected firmly to the ground. The foot plate is self leveling eliminating any wobble or movement which standard foot plates allow. It is also much larger than standard foot plates providing firmer footing on softer ground. The upper ends of the braces connect to the frame with a locking clamp, and this was designed to remove any frame twisting or movement. The system is permanently attached to the trailer and moves up and down with the jacks. No set up is required other than tightening the 3 clamps. The braces extend completely across the trailer so no custom cross frame supports or compartment bottom stiffener plates need to be installed.
Installation simply requires drilling a maximum of fourteen holes for 5/16” bolts and bolting the components together. Installation should take less than 3 hours. For maximum permanence you can weld it to trailer frame. The list price for the Steadyfast Universal Trailer Stabilizing System is $285.