RV Q & A February 2009 by Mark Polk

*NOTE: At Mark's discretion, material might be edited to suit a wide audience. Due to the large volume of material and correspondence we receive, individual replies might not be possible, nor can we acknowledge receipt of submitted material. Selected questions will be answered in future issues of our RV Education 101 newsletter and on our site. Thank-you for your understanding.

Q. Hi Mark, For three years we have enjoyed your newsletters and now we are ready to buy a 5th wheel. We had our heart set on a HitchHiker but have recently found out that Nu Wa has ceased operation. The dealers who carry the remaining HH say that the warranties will be honored. We even called Nu Wa and they confirmed.

My question is: Would it be naieve to go ahead and purchase the HH in this situation? I appreciate your opinion.

Mark Says: Congratulations on your decision to purchase now. It's a great time to buy, so be savvy when negotiating the deal.

From what I have read I think the dealers with remaining Nu Wa inventory will in fact honor the warranty period. What I would be concerned about is parts availability in the future. Major appliances and many other items on the 5th wheel wouldn't be a problem because these parts are supplied by third party vendors. It would be Hitch Hiker specific parts availability I would be concerned with.

It might be possible that another manufacturer will take over the Nu Wa operations and keep things going, but it is also possible that it will go away for good.

I know this isn't really answering your question and there are lots of great deals on RV's right now, including Hitch Hiker brands. I personally would consider purchasing a Nu Wa product if it was too good of a deal to pass up, but I would hate to recommend it to you and then you have problems in the future.

I would also wonder if the Hitch Hiker 5th wheel value would be compromised at time of trade a few years down the road because they are out of business!! I wish I had a yes or no answer for you, but I'm not comfortable making that call. I hope you understand.

Q. I have a question for you about leveling a 5th wheel side to side. My family and I go on about 24 camping trips per calendar year here in Minnesota. We have a 5th wheel and we always try to get it perfectly level. The struggle we always have is side to side leveling. We get the trailer leveled via various sized boards before we unhook it from the truck, but then once we unhook the truck the trailer is almost always slightly out of level side to side. I know that it is caused by the fact that the powered landing gear works in tandem. Do you have any suggestions on how to ensure that we are perfectly level side to side?....Thanks

Mark Says: The interesting thing about leveling a trailer or 5th wheel is that everywhere you go camping presents a new challenge for getting the unit level. Some campsites are perfectly level and require little work to master leveling the unit and the next campsite you visit is not so level and requires some blocking of the tires and a couple attempts to get it right.

The rule of thumb for leveling a trailer is that if it feels comfortable to those inside moving around it is probably level enough to make due. The refrigerator does require that the trailer is close to level for proper operation.

All one can attempt to do is level the unit from side-to-side using sections of 2 X 6's or some type of aftermarket leveling blocks, while the trailer is still hooked up to the tow vehicle. Just a quick note on blocking the tires, always make sure the entire footprint of the tire is on the block (none of it hanging over the side) to prevent damage to the tires.

The front landing gear on a 5th wheel is designed to lift both sides (support the weight of both sides)evenly to prevent any possible flexing or twisting of the trailer frame. If this occurs it could affect the operation or sealing of a slide out when it is in or out. You drop both sides of the landing gear and adjust the legs so they are as close to the ground as possible and install your pins and then level the unit from front to rear.

Unfortunately getting the unit perfectly level is by chance. On one outing the bubble sits perfectly between the lines and the next outing it's a half a bubble off, which is just fine as long as you don't feel like it's drastically un-level when moving about inside the trailer.

Copyright 2009 by Mark J. Polk owner of RV Education 101

RV Expert Mark Polk, seen on TV, is the producer & host of America's most highly regarded series of DVD's, videos, books, and e-books. http://www.rveducation101.com/