The fifth wheeler name comes from the hitch or the ball being the fifth wheel. The first known fifth wheeler was designed with a wheel
hub that was modified to work as the hitch. It was soon realised that the design was superior to the draw bar type trailers, giving
better handling with no sway.
Fifth wheelers come in many different designs both externally and internally. Externally there have
been many changes. Some of the first Australian models were designed the same as semi trailers with the wheels close to the rear of
the trailer. This meant the tow vehicle had a larger part of the load (called the hitch weight or ball weight) and needed a larger
tow vehicle with a large payload.
[delete space]The Americans then refined the design, which the Australian designers followed, by
putting the wheels just rear of the centre pivot point. This puts more weight on the trailer wheels, reduces the load on the structure
especially around the gooseneck area, and gives a lighter payload to the tow vehicle. With the introduction of lighter weight products
and better overall design, including slide-outs, we have the lighter, more compact fifth wheeler off of today. With more load on the
wheels of the fifth wheeler the tow vehicle only has around 25% or 750kg to one tonne of the total fifth wheeler weight resting on
the tray of the tow vehicle, which allows for a lighter tow vehicle.
For many reasons American imported fifth wheelers have come down
in price over the last few years. There are some people out there who do not like imported fifth wheelers and will say anything to
stop you buying one. Imported fifth wheelers must be made compliant to Australian Department of Infrastructure specifications and
conditions within 12 months of when you bring them into Australia, http://www.infrastructure.gov.au This is only one of the
conditions that Australian customs put on them before even allowing them to be taken off the wharf in Australia. The Australian specifications
have also changed recently, making it harder for a person to import fifth wheels into Australia. There are importers (dealers)
that specialize in bringing in fifth wheelers into Australia who do all the paperwork including the required conversions to make it
Australian compliant. Dealers or the importer under the law become the manufacturer once they import them into Australia and undertake
all the required works to make the imported fifth wheeler Australian compliant or they are liable.
(In the event that a manufacturer or importer supplies a trailer to the market that does not comply with the requirements of this bulletin, and no other form of approval was obtained for the vehicle, the manufacturer must take all steps possible to rectify the non-compliance. If the non-compliance cannot be rectified, the manufacturer must recall the vehicle from service and take steps to notify relevant Registration Authorities that the vehicle does not comply with the requirements of this bulletin and should not be registered.)
Locally made fifth wheelers can be designed and built to your own requirements
and specifications, totally self sufficient or with just the basics, whereas imported fifth wheelers are totally self sufficient with
the lot; toilet, shower and sometimes a bath, large black and grey water tanks, a large fresh water tank, central heating and air-conditioning,
at least one slide-out, plus much more. The price for some locally made fifth wheelers does need to come down to be competitive with
imported fifth wheelers.
The problem of high pricing for locally made fifth wheelers is not the manufactures fault but their suppliers
and their restrictive practices. The network can purchase three way fridges at half the price overseas but the main importers of the
fridges has signed deals with the overseas manufactures, where they are the only importer that the manufacture will allow to bring
into Australia.
There are some local manufactures out there that have bought their prices down; it is up to the buyers
to find them. One thing you must always remember is the more you have in your fifth wheeler the more you will weigh and the more fuel
you will use while towing.
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