Must-Have Fifth Wheel Accessories | Gear Worth Every Dollar

Must-have fifth wheel accessories include a hitch, wheel chocks, tire pressure monitoring, surge protection, and a water pressure regulator.

Owning a fifth wheel means hauling a heavy, complicated trailer, and the right accessories make that experience safer and far less stressful. The essentials group into five areas: connection hardware, cargo aids, safety gear, electrical protection, and stability tools. This list covers what you actually need, why it matters, and where the common mistakes hide.

The Fifth Wheel Hitch: The Non-Negotiable Foundation

Your truck needs a fifth wheel hitch matched to its make, model, and bed configuration. CURT, a leading manufacturer, produces extensive fifth wheel towing accessories to enhance hitch effectiveness, including custom brackets and mounting hardware. The hitch must match your receiver type, bed rail pattern, and whether you use a fixed or sliding system.

Sliding hitches solve a specific problem: clearance when turning sharply. PullRite’s SuperGlide is a popular automatic sliding option. As the company notes, it is “the best fully automatically sliding hitch,” positioned for trucks that need automatic clearance without manually unlocking the hitch. If you have a short bed truck, this type of system may be essential to avoid cab contact during tight maneuvers.

Before buying anything, confirm your specific truck and trailer match. Fifth wheel parts are not universally interchangeable.

Lube Plates, Covers, and Locks: Protecting the Connection

A lube plate sits on top of the hitch head and reduces friction between the hitch plate and your trailer’s kingpin. This minimizes wear and makes hitching and unhitching smoother

. It is a small investment that protects a very expensive connection point.

Protect the hitch when parked. A hitch cover keeps rain, dirt, and debris out of the mechanism, preventing rust and seizure. A kingpin or rail lock adds theft deterrence while parked. These locks are not a substitute for proper hitching, pin engagement, or breakaway-system checks, but they do make it harder for someone to steal your trailer. Using a kingpin lock adds a layer of security when you’re away from the rig.

Stability, Tire Monitoring, and Power Protection

Wheel chocks are essential safety items. Drivers can install X-chocks between tandem wheels to reduce trailer movement while you’re inside, and regular chocks prevent rolling when parked. Use chocks even when the ground looks level — a seemingly flat surface can still shift.

A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is an underrated upgrade. Checking tires visually is usually inadequate. A TPMS monitors tire pressure and temperature in real time, catching slow leaks and uneven pressure early. This is critical in a heavy fifth wheel, where tire failure is a serious hazard.

Campground power is not always clean. A surge protector guards your electronics and electrical systems against bad campground power, including brown-outs and black-outs. Likewise, a water pressure regulator reduces plumbing damage from high campground water pressure spikes. These are protective add-ons, but they protect against costly repairs.

Fire Safety and The Bottom Line of Accessories

Finally, mount fire extinguishers in accessible locations: at least one in the kitchen, one in a storage area, and consider a third near the sleeping area. In a fire emergency, seconds matter.

Starting with the right foundation is key. For a hands-on comparison of the best-rated models across these categories, check out a full curated list of top 5th wheel accessories to guide your final purchase decisions. The initial money spent on these items pales in comparison to the cost of a blown tire, a fried electrical system, or a damaged trailer.

The right accessories make every trip safer and less stressful. Prioritize the hitch, add the protective gear, and check compatibility at every step.