5th wheel 4-wheeling

[zippinbye]

I've been very close to buying a used 9. 5 ft. slide-in camper, probably a Lance, but keeping an eye out for a Bigfoot or Northern Lite. I can't get away from the fact that a similar year/quality 5th wheel goes for less money and obvioulsy has over twice the floor space. With two adults and two small girls, the most primary concerns for our familiy are: 1) are we happy with the concept of "just a place to sleep" compared to having some real living space? 2) are we willing to sacrifice the ability to tow a boat/toys? 3) would a fifth wheel make it where we want to go? My question for you folks with experience centers on #3. I envision a 25 to 27 footer in order to meet National Park length limits that apply to many campgrounds. We want to go into the back country, typically halfway decent BLM, NPS and state park dirt roads. No radical four-wheeling, just the sort of environment where engaging 4x4 is for getting out of a loose situation, not running in 4x4 to the max and relying on winches or tows to get out. I have taken a bumper-tow 24 foot boat on tandem axles to the types of places I am attempting to describe, no problem. My worry is about the geometry between the truck and 5th wheel over changing grades and corners. I have seen more than one pinched pickup truck box on the road! Of course I am willing to entertain axle flips or other suspension mods to provide a margin of safety. Can fifth wheels be used in the way I describe without being constantly panicked about bending the truck or trailer?

 

[Grizzly]

That's a real tough call. We like to get off into the back woods in Northern NM and the San Juans in Colorado. We also like going everywhere in the Rockies and to Alaska. I've had RV's since 1973. We started off with a 10 1/2 ' Cab over-camper, Travel Queen, then a HR Aluma-Lite 29' 5th wheel, then a 11'-3" Lance cab-over-camper. We just sold the camper and are going back to a 27' 5th wheel. As we get older we need more room and less back country, especially for another planned trip to Alaska in 2008. For a two month trip, any camper is too small, even an 11'-3". We would like to stay put somewhere near Anchorage and have the truck to make short trips. I think that a small 5th wheel offers the most flexibility, convenience and storage for a long trip with a small family. A 9 1/2 ' camper will get crowded very fast. Us guys don't need much space for our extra pair of jean and another shirt and our fishing gear. Woman on the other hand need a lot of space.

My advice my friend is go for a 24' very well built 5er. If you need advice on which 5er to get, PM me. In some states you may be able to haul a boat behind the 5er. I'm not sure of those laws anymore. Good luck.

 

[zippinbye]

Thanks for the opinion Grizzly. All good points. Just concerned about the box meeting the trailer on twisty, abrupt-grade roads. I'll PM you for some insight on brands.

 

[SBettencourt]

Hi Zip,

If you can get 8 to 11 inches of rail clearance to the bottom of the 5er you "should" be good for most situations. Along with axle flips there are some trailers made with multiple mounting positions for the spring eyes. Then there is the possibility of adding a subframe between the trailer frame and shackle mounts. Depending on the distance between tandem axles larger tires can be used.



Just before I got my 94 Dutchmen I was in contact with someone with a Jayco with the adjustable shackle mounts. He claimed 8" clearance on a 2nd Gen 2500 4x4.



I decided on the 94 Dutchmen 22 foot 5er that I have had since 03. Had the axles flipped at the dealer before getting it so it would fit my truck. I towed with my 2" lifted 96 1500 for a while. Had 6" clearance to the bed. I later changed the rolling stock on the 5er to chrome US Wheels (15 X 7) and BFG Longtrail 30-9. 50 15 LT tires before the 04 season. It leveled the trailer better and now I tow with my 01 3500 2X.



I have not had any issues with towing performance or handling except I wish I got the diesel dually sooner.



Here is a pic hooked to my 1500.

#ad

 

[Grizzly]

Thanks for the opinion Grizzly. All good points. Just concerned about the box meeting the trailer on twisty, abrupt-grade roads. I'll PM you for some insight on brands.

Your welcome anytime. I sent you a PM reply.

 

[MSchweigert]

Just last week I took my grandson on a black powder deer hunt with my 30 ft. 5er and arrived after dark in a hunt unit I had never seen in the light of day. After passing several camps the side road narrowed into a small depressed two track that made it impossible to turn around. After 1/2 mile we found a small place to pull off to the side (and still in a sand wash) and spend the night. In the light of day we did find a corral about 1/4 mile down the "road" that allowed enough room to turn around. If I had my 24 ft. TT I know I not have been able to get it into the side spot and onto the corral without damaging the truck and or trailer. I have a 5er goose neck adapter. Without the adapter the twist between the pickup and a standard 5th-wheel would have done some real damage because there were times that the cleance between the 5er and the bed was less than on inch. On the level the distance between the bed rails and the 5er is 7 inches.

 

[klenger]

Look at the Arctic Fox models. I understand they are the only ones actually rated for off-road use. The frame on mine is BEEFY.

 

[K5IP]

I went through the same process except that my truck is a 2500 4X4. This limited the weight of the camper option so severely that we went with a 5 th wheel, Nash 21. 5. I truned the axel's (you need to have a welder to do this yourself) and increased the tire size. We also do quite a bit of boondocking in southern Colorado and the unit has definately been well off the road. We have never been in a situation where we were about to bend the truck box but have often had to skid the back end of the trailer over rough stuff. I added some skids for this so I dont loose the rear bumper.

If you do this and are worried ablut clearence, look for a trailer that has all the bathroom stuff near the front of the trailer. My friends with rear located plumbing just can't go where we go.

Rog

 

[NVR FNSH]

With ~10" of clearance between the bed and bottom of the trailer I've touched... ..... I was somewhere I shouldn't have been. Other than that one time I haven't had any problems with bed to trailer clearance.



Brian

 

[jeepit]

9. 5 ft is not big enough for a family of four. You will be cramped. With just my wife and myself we just have enough room. We tow a Jeep on a trailer so we went with the slide in. We love our slide in. Can't wait till spring to use it.

 

[Grizzly]

I agree with Klenger on Arctic Fox, best off road and best value for your dollar. The next best is a Hitchhiker II, however 28' is about as small as they make them.

 

[Dieselnerd]

My wife and I camp in a larger 5th wheel all winter in one spot and during the summer we use a 9. 5 Northern Lite slide in. This allows us to go fishing, tow a boat, go on forest roads and all kinds of places you can't go with a big trailer. The Northern Lite is the "Lite" series, the lightest one they make. Loaded for camping it is the only slide in I could find that doesn't overload my SRW 3500. Rig weighs slightly over 9800 pounds with full water and us ready to camp so you can see it's near the limit.



Would I recommend it for a family of 4? NO WAY! It's perfect for 2 people but any more and you have to convert the dinette into a bed and then it gets crowded.



A smaller 5th wheel that has good ground clearance and is strong enough for back roads as has been mentioned in previous posts would be your best option in my opinion.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

I think campers are great for 2 people and that is it.....

 

[zippinbye]

Thanks for all the info guys. Looks like a lot of favor for Arctic Fox, both here and from some other sources. I like their slide campers and had actually seen Klengers page with the AF 27' via a Google search, not through TDR! Good info gets lots of hits! Of course Dieselnerd had the perfect answer ... a slide-in AND a fifth wheel. Hmmm. Wish me luck running that one for spousal approval!

 

[jwduke]

Definitely go with a small 5er! It will preserve your marriage !

 

[GaryCarter]

Interesting thread. With a 25' fiver (axles flipped) we can go just about anywhere reasonable. Forest service roads etc. You will need to travel slower on bad roads e. g. washboards because the trailer suspension is not equal to what the truck is. You'll find everything inside the trailer shaken AND stirred. But with patience there's few places you can't go. Main downside is if you get into a place with no turnaround.

Four people will be tight even in a small fiver. Worse of course in any camper you can carry with a SRW. You'd best consider both just a sleeping place.

Lots more cargo capacity with the trailer.

Hauling double trailers is a pain, but doable. Not legal in some areas mostly eastern, but without a lot of enforcement action.



There is no perfect solution unfortunately. Everything's a compromise. We've been having the same debate for years about switching to a TC, without taking any action yet.



Gary