5th wheel or travel trailer?

[Hummin Cummins]

I am buying real soon (no later than a month). Am looking at used RV's and am weighing the pros and cons of both. I cant decide whether to buy a 5er or a travel trailer. Need to sleep at least 6. Anyone give me some advice from experience?

 

[chuck3]

I have a TT now but plan on getting a fifth wheel soon. They are easier to hook up and tow better.

 

[Sasquash]

I have had both. I think that it really depends on how you're going to use them. It seems that most 5ers these days are set up for a retired couple vs the TT that has bunks or twin set ups.



I personally got tired of sleeping on such a pi$$ poor thought of a bed in my TT and bought something that I could be comfortable in! My kids like haveing the extra room that the slides provide too. Dan

 

[proflow]

5th wheel all the way

If you dont need the bed space for other toys(dirt bikes, quad's etc. . ) the 5er will tow way better & give you more usable room inside hands down. One reason this is because your main sleeping quarter is in the overhang . If you dont mind a couple of steps to get into your queen size bed this seems to be the best option. All you have to do is look at the two side by side. I use a class A M. H. because I'm always towing a toy trailer. I have considered a 5er w/rear opening , but I really dont want the 2 stroke in my temp house. Hope this helps---Proflow

 

[Extreme1]

Re: 5th wheel all the way

Originally posted by proflow

I really dont want the 2 stroke in my temp house

My wife loves the smell. Every fall when I fire up the sleds, she comes out into the garage and breathes deep!

 

[ablakemore]

There are pros and cons with both. With a fifth wheel trailor you get much better handling while towing. The hitch is centered around the middle of your rear axle thus making it handle a whole lot better. You will not have any fishtail and will not notice any normal crosswind. You do lose a lot of storage in the back of your pickup though. I would only own a fifth wheel. Oo.

 

[shoveljunk]

5er vs TT

I have a 5th wheel trailer. Thay can be easer to back up. short bed 4x4 made it necessary to flip the leaf springs on the trailer and have a sliding hitch. You have role bars that may get in the way if you ever have to jack knife to make a turn. also, a sliding hitch seams to make backing up much easer. My local RV dealer tryed to get a non slider passed me after I told them what I needed. Made them change it at thare cost. also with the sliding hitch backward, gives me cab clearance from the corners of the trailer. One more thing. Waigh your truck full of fuel. Get the pin waight and try not to go over the 8,800lb. limit. My truck waighs 7,800lbs full of fuel. My hitch tongue waight is 1,400lbs. no water in tanks. That puts me 400lbs over GVWR. My GCWR is 16,160lbs. Guess I need a counter waight. Truck still halls great. Well good luck.

 

[Hummin Cummins]

Shovel



Yeah, I figured I'd need to loose the roll bar and then move my stacks frontwards to make it look right then. The dealer told me usually around 45" to the pin from the front of bed is a good place to start. I found a real sweet 32' Mallard TT, I am strongly leaning this way. Theres the wife and two kids + reg. cab truck = might buy a nice fiberglass topper, carpet bedliner, and a bench seat for a nice place for the kids to ride. Should have waited for an extended cab. Times like this I miss my blazer, then I fire up the cummins and forget all about it

 

[Okie-Go]

I have also had both. I would take teh 5er any day. On short trips or just local camping a tag-a-long is ok then you can take the 4wheeler in the bed of truck. For any amount of towing at all go the 5er.

 

[Barry]

I see you are not familiar with the 6/4/2 rule of RVs. Let me share it with you. 6 folks over for coffee in the morning, 4 folks over for lunch, but when it gets dark, all y'all go home because it only sleeps 2!

 

[RedRamer]

I went with a TT and the PullRite hitch.

Best of both worlds... . tows like a fiver and I get the cargo space to fill up for long trips.

Drawback, total lenght = wide turns -Must move tailpipe.

Pros, pulls like it's not there, can store all kinds of stuff in the locked topper.

 

[midnight1black]

TT / 5ER

Oo. go the 5er it's really the best of all , like some have been saying get the slider hitch, and enjoy!

 

[Wiredawg]

I got a 5th Wheel

Guys:



I've owned both, but prefer the 5th wheel for handling and manuverability. I wasn't very educated on buying one though



Be real careful to make sure you don't exceed GVWR and GCVWR. A deler sold me a a 36ft, triple axle/triple slide 5th wheel that weighed almost 13K lbs dry and weighs over 15K lbs wet. GCVW is 23,880 lbs. He said my truck will pull it fine. And it does. Just a tad over legal limits though.



If Dodge doesn't come out with a 4500, I may get a Ford 450 Crew Cab to make me legal. but that's another story.



Good luck in making your decision,



Wiredawg

 

[paccool]

I have a TT. I wanted the space in the bed of the truck. Have never had a problem with wind or sway, maybe just lucky!



In the past year, I have seen 2 trucks drive out from under their fifth wheels and do major damage to the truck bed. Seeing as I'm getting forgetful, I know what would happen if I had a fifth wheel!



Think we will stay with the travel trailers. We have been looking and we also do not like having to climb up to the bed area on the fifth wheels as well as not being able to stand up. I know, some of the fivers have standup room but I don't want to pull those into a head wind, just to tall.



My $. 02

 

[Shooter]

I think that the poll would be better if you had narrowed down your choice to one modle of each.



I think most mfg have more TT choice of bunk models than 5ths. For short trips the TT would probably do fine but not out here where there are no short trips. In NM every year there are over 200 TT upside down on the road, less than 5 5ths. Most 5ths are due to excessive speed into curves, TT are due to fish tailing from wind and trucks passing. The 5ths handle the 75 mph speed limits much better than the TT's.

I pulled a 21ft TT for 20 yrs in the mid west and east and only had a few times that it almost got away. The first time I hit NM the side winds were 45 mph and gusts to 55+, only able to maintain 40 due to fish tailing mph ( F250 psd ) and almost turned turtle more times than I could count in the 170mi from Tx line to Albq, I threw away my skivies, did not try to salvage them. Sold the TT bought a 5th and tow at the speedlimit ( F250 and RAM )with out the wind problems of the TT's



It is your family, Your type of trips, your choice.

I dont miss the gear in the truck bed as one big consideration in choosing the 5th was the storage available. Liked a 2 foot shorter better but did not have adequate storage for the extra gear I tote.

 

[FredNeise]

Iwish you well with trying to find the perfect trailer. If I wher you Iwould for something other than a Mallard and as faraway as posible from a Prowler... Prowler's leak !!!!!!!!!!!











Fred

 

[Cummins Corvette]

I have a 21' TT, and am only going to keep it as long as I must. I kind of like it for the space in the bed (I haul 3 dirt bikes at the same time in the bed). I am going to go double trailers next . My next trailer: http://www.super1rv.com/titaniumlink.html

That thing looks SO cool. That with a little trailer on the back of that with the bikes on it. I plan on using a stablizer of some sort on the back of the 5er so the second trailer doesn't get out of hand, and some flags on the sides so I can keep an eye on it.

 

[dodger22]

BARRY... ... ... ... .

I see you are not familiar with the 6/4/2 rule of RVs. Let me share it with you. 6 folks over for coffee in the morning, 4 folks over for lunch, but when it gets dark, all y'all go home because it only sleeps 2!



Right on Barry!!! It always amuses me in the ads for trailers where they state the sleeping capacity. Who wants to sleep with 7 other people in something with a total floor space of 240 sq ft.

 

[shoveljunk]

We bought a Hornet 28' 5er. entry level but it works. It has a bunk bed & a slider. It is supposed to sleep 8, but 4 adults and 2 children is almost max. For those who want to pull doubles (semi & pull trailer or double pull trailers) such as me. In California it is legal, but you must have a valid "Class A" license with endorsement and a current medical card.

Kids in the trailerOo. Oo. . Mom & Dad . ha ha