Receiver vs 5th wheel

[Qualey]

I'm curious to see what type of trailer design most of you tow with. At what weight level did you base your decision on, and what have you found to be the pros and cons?



I would like to go the 5th wheel route, as one of my 3500 flatbeds came with one already installed, but I really need the bed space in the truck I do the majority of my towing with (6 speed, ext. cab). My trailer payload is app. 10,000lbs. Currently all of my dump, flatbed and enclosed are pintle hitches and we have no problems unless we tow the loader with the 2002 F-350 single wheel (which as we all know is another story altogether).



Thanks in advance for all the great help!



Matt

 

[C Schomer]

5ers tow better and usually have more storage but are higher and more wind drag. I built my own bed I can take out 4 bolts and the hitch and mounts are gone whenever I need the bed cleared. Get a good quality and big enough trailer the first time! Don't buy the cheapest, entry level junk - you might as well flush a good portion of that money down the toilet. Craig

 

[jrollins]

well thats a hard discussion, i have both bumper pull and goose-neck cattle trailers, the main differences are: with a goose-neck/fifth wheel trailer the tong weight is better distributed over the drive axle, thus under normal conditions this is more the ideal condition for the truck. with a bumper pull trailer all the trailer weight is positioned on the very rear of the truck, behind the axle and springs itself. Another pro for the goos-neck is the economy of the truck is normally a little better, with the trailer nose covering up the bed you wont have so much drag plus most new trailers have aerodynamic nose's for this reason. really in my opinion the only thing the bumper pull trailers have going for them is that they are a little easier to hookup. the hitches don't interfere with the ability to use the truck bed (but most places are using hideaway hitches that eliminate this issue anyway). Also remember that the 5th wheel trailer will have more square foot than a bumper pull due to the enclosed nose.

 

[TowPro]

Something else to think about.



A 30' travel trailer is around 26' living space, and 4' hitch.



A 30' 5th wheel is 30' living space. (be carefull, Fleetwood calls my 5th a 30-5g, and in 2000 they called it 30', but I noticed they now call it a 32' as the extended king pin measures 2')



The 5th wheel hitch is around 4' in front of the rear bumper. That means a truck pulling a 30' 5th wheel, is near the same length as a truck pulling a 26' camper (Keep in mine that this 26' camper is 4' hitch, which would only give you 22' of living space)

 

[cbconway]

Re: Re: Receiver vs 5th wheel

Originally posted by TowPro

Something else to think about.



A 30' travel trailer is around 26' living space, and 4' hitch.



A 30' 5th wheel is 30' living space. (be carefull, Fleetwood calls my 5th a 30-5g, and in 2000 they called it 30', but I noticed they now call it a 32' as the extended king pin measures 2')



The 5th wheel hitch is around 4' in front of the rear bumper. That means a truck pulling a 30' 5th wheel, is near the same length as a truck pulling a 26' camper (Keep in mine that this 26' camper is 4' hitch, which would only give you 22' of living space)

Great description. I had a vague idea what you said must be true but you summed it up with numbers. Thanks

 

[Deezul1]

A 5th wheel will turn in a much shorter radius than a bumper pull as you can get the truck at right angles to the trailer and a little more. I would prefer a 5th wheel to a bumper pull but the bumper pull trailer was such a outstanding trailer for the money we couldnt pass it up and I have been very impressed with its road manners so far. It is a 32' airstream which I have heard tows great and it does. It doesnt even sway when semi's pass me but I use 2 sway control bars which are a PITA when parking as they have to be removed for tight turns to keep from bending something. I think a 5th wheel is easier to hook up myself. I like having the bed storage. Everything else being equal I would choose a 5th wheel.

 

[KMeek]

Great comments TowPro. I am wondering, TowPro, if you know how long a truck and pull trailer has to be to equal the living space, for instance of a 26" 5th wheel--meaning total length from front of truck to back of trailer. I have always wondered--and I think you have answered the question that to get the equivalent of a 26' 5th wheel you would need a 34' pull trailer because you lose 4' of the pull trailer to the hitch and also lose 4' of the 5th wheel portion. Correct? That is one of the arguments I used with my wife to justify the 5th wheel--that the total length you are pulling is meaningfully shorter than a comparable living space pull trailer (although I only knew for sure that it would be @ 4' longer).



I can personally vouch that a few additional feet of trailer makes a big difference. I had a 23' 5th wheel and went to a 26'. For the purpose of Forest Service campgrounds the extra 3 feet means the difference between getting around easily and being cumbersome. I never thought 3' would make such a difference. By the way--around here a 26' 5th wheel is as big as you want for Forest Service campgrounds.



Good post TowPro!

 

[Gunny]

I think that trying to compare a bumber pull trailer and a 5th wheel is kinda like comparing apples to oranges, it just don't work. Both types of trailers have things going for them. But having owned both I will say that a 5th wheel is heads and shoulders above a bumper pull, in the day to day usage of each. My 5th wheel trailer is a 32 ft'er and hook-up couldnt be easier or faster, hows about less than five min. to hook up, plug in and go. You just cannot do that with any bumper pull that I have ever seen. The advice about buying the best trailer you can is good. However I have found that cheap trailers have cheap stuff on them, exspensive trailer's just have a lot more of that cheap stuff. Go for the quality as best you can, but remember that all of these trailers are built by people trying to make as much money as they can. They all will cut every corner they can Why? Because they can, and we all we pay them for what they build. Good Luck with which ever choice you make. Gunny

 

[richardcoxid]

In addition to all the "GOOD" posts above I would also recommend touring as many of the manifacturers as possable.



I also would not buy any brand that doesn't have an "in factory" service facility. Most dealers only want to sell you something and get you out the door!



This may limit you to the few factories that are located close to where you normally travel. But, the manifacture is more interested in keeping a happy customer than the dealer is. IE look at how many dealers will be sell a certain brand because it is the "BEST" then, that same dealer will be selling 2 other brands over the next 4 years. Because "they" are now the best!

 

[Steve M]

The most impressive thing I noticed right away when we went from our TT to 5th wheel was the ride. The TT tongue weight being way out there behind the rear axle tends to give a washboard ride over anything but very smooth roads. The 5th wheel's pin weight being over the axle or just forward gives a ride like there's 2000 lbs in the bed of the truck. Very smooth.

I can't load my Harley in the truck bed anymore but just about anything else goes in the basement storage under the bathroom of the 5th wheel. It's a pretty big storage area.

If I need the truck bed for anything, my Reese 15k lifts out with removing four pins. Then the rails are almost level with the bedliner.

 

[Qualey]

If I need the truck bed for anything, my Reese 15k lifts out with removing four pins. Then the rails are almost level with the bedliner.



That is one of my biggest concerns. How high can/how much roon around the pin must there be before there is interferance? We have a fuel tank, and tool box (below rail), and often a Miller Bobcat in the bed. With the exception of the welder can the other stuff remain in place?



Matt

 

[R-N-R]

I've never towed a fifth wheel, but all the good points (hookup, storage/usable space, towing, etc... ) are very logical. The only negative point seems to be the loss of bed space and in some cases bedroom height.



If you check out a TT, check into a Hensley hitch. They are expensive and can be a PITA to hook up (fasthitch mirror & tongue twister help alot) but make a world of difference when towing. I carry a wife, two kids, and a 13" TV in the truck. A portable dump tank, firewood, roller-blades, 100# dog in the back (capped), and a bunch of other "necessary stuff" in the bed.

 

[Steve M]

We have a straight pin on our 5th wheel so when we turn there's no extension to swing around. Anything below the bed rails is fine. My toolbox is below the bed rails. There's alot of wind back there so anything that rides in the bed needs to be heavy enough that it won't blow back and up against the underside of the 5th wheel. Not that that has ever happened to me!

To clarify my previous post, when I remove the hitch the bedrails for the hitch in the bed of the truck are almost level with the bed of the bedliner. My hitch plate is about 2" below the side bed rails and the bottom of the 5th wheel is about 6" above the bed side rails. Plenty of room for heavy "stuff" that won't blow out like firewood and the big beer cooler... if it's full.

What's a Miller Bobcat?

 

[Qualey]

"What's a Miller Bobcat?"



Steve



Thanks a lot. A Miller Bobcat is... .



http://www.millerwelds.com/main/products/enginedriven/M00131/



Matt

 

[TowPro]

Your not kidding about the wind. I have had 2x8 blocks of wood 8" long blow up and over the bed rail, and out onto the road.

Originally posted by Steve M

There's alot of wind back there so anything that rides in the bed needs to be heavy enough that it won't blow back and up against the underside of the 5th wheel. Not that that has ever happened to me!

 

[Deezul1]

Yep the firewood will blow out. Had a guy tell me I owed him a windshield from that happening with my old 5th wheel, I hate buying other people windshields.

 

[Elk]

The wind is something else, I have lost a few items the worst being a barbcue. I was headed to the coast last summer when a trucker pulls up beside me and holds up his mike (I was on 7 at the time) so I turn to channel 19 and he tells me I should pull over because it looks like my trailer is self destructing. I look in the back and my blocks of wood are gone also the sunbeam propane barbcue is gone. BTW the fifth wheel route is the only way to go they pull so nice compared to a bumper pull.