Advantages and disadvantages of a fifth wheel.

[Hodgy]

.

I am not buying or interested in buying a fifth wheel, we just bought our TT this fall, the first one since we sold our last one in 87'.

I did a search on this site and others and could not find much on the advantages and disadvantages of a fifth wheel. I have lots of ideas rumbling around in my noggin but would like to hear from the group their ideas.

Maybe it could end up being a sticky on this sub-forum.

.

[Javi]

More space for the same footprint... more headroom... tows easier, no sway control needed... usually more storage (basement)... heavier with more payload...

But I'd think all these things are fairly obvious...

[sourdough]

Javi has made some good points. We've (I've) been thinking about a 5th wheel for a year or more and Javi's points are some of the positives but here's where we are at;

5th wheels are heavier. I would trade my existing 3/4 ton in for a 1 ton diesel. Out of pocket expense of 10k or so.

5th wheels are more expensive than a bumper pull. Add another 30-40k to get something close to what we want.

A 5th wheel hitch eliminates my bed. To have any bed usage I would have to go to an 8' bed which I do not want nor would it fit in my garage.

I WANT my bed for storage of all kinds of stuff. With the hard bed cover it gives us lots of additional, weather proof storage.

I don't want to deal with installing and removing a 200lb hitch every time I want to use the bed.

We don't want the stairs. My wife has a pin in her leg and I've had about 8 knee surgeries (7 on one knee) with one knee replaced, removed for 3 months, then replaced again. I have no desire to negotiate stairs at night. A front living area would fix that but we don't really want to go up and down stairs to watch TV while I cook or we eat.

I would like one for all the reasons Javi lists and more. The roomy feel is worth a LOT to me. I spend up to 4 months at a time in ours and although very comfortable, I still get that penned in feeling. Don't know that the 5th wheel would cure that (don't know that any RV will eliminate it).

Just some thoughts that ran through my mind.

[XTeacher]

We've had one fifth wheel (a bunkhouse model when the kids still camped with us) and several TTs over the years.

Pros: Steadier to tow w/out the need for a WDH/bars, more storage, less trailer sticking out totally behind the truck since some of it's in the bed of the truck.

Cons: 5th wheels are more expensive, need for a larger, more expensive truck, 5th wheel hitch takes up truck bed space and not easy to remove or put back in, the front of a 5th wheel feels (to me) to be coming through the back window b/c it's so close to the back window.

Overall, I like TTs better.

[busterbrown]

For the obvious and forementioned reasons, 5th wheels have plenty of advantages with towability and livability. The larger profile coach is received well among most owners.

With a larger, taller footprint comes notable disadvantages to the 5th wheel trailer. State or federal parks can be an issue with 5vers as trees, campsite sizes, and park roads can be limiting. Lower profile travel trailers have the advantage of securing a greater number of spots just because of their reduced size.

Another factor many don't realize is that a good amount of RV owners live in mature, suburban communities. Low hanging tree canopies are very common. Advantage travel trailer with it's 10 foot height verses the 5th wheel at 13 plus feet. My subdivision trees would have destroyed my rubber roof on the first trip home from the RV dealer. This leads me to another concern...

Roof maintenance. Three feet doesn't seem like much. But it is when you're 13 feet up on an extension or coach-attached ladder. If you're an owner who likes to perform his/her own scheduled maintenance, a travel trailer can be a little more "roof friendly". I can comfortably inspect and wash the entire roof while standing safely on my 8 foot A-frame ground ladder.

[captcolour]

To me it is all about length. Once we started looking above 35' in length, I did not want a TT. In my opinion, a 5th wheel is much more stable to tow with the right TV at long trailer length.

[rhagfo]

Well there was a discussion on the pros and cons of a 5er to a TT.
5er Pros
More head room in the lower area bedroom depends.
More storage (basement)
More stable towing package
Shorter overall length for size of trailer

Cons
Taller (need to watch overhead clearance)
Typlicly more steps to enter
Steps between levels
Loss of part of truck bed

TT Pros
Less expensive for length
Lighter
Fewer steps to enter
No steps inside
Full use of TV bed if PU
PU not needed to tow

TT Cons
Less storage
Longer towing length
Lower ceiling height less spacious

I know it isn’t all, but a decent start.
I prefer a 5er I don’t see the loss of bed space a great loss, I use the basement to make up for it. We have a pin box bike rack, we can see while towing and doesn’t add to overall length.

[cathcartww]

Expense is the biggest thing for us, with all the steps and overall height also major considerations. We also love to surf fish, so we tow with a 4x4 full size van so we can store our surf fishing rods inside without taking them apart. Also lots of room in the van for tools, dogs, and whatnot ....

[gearhead]

I have too much time on my hands....I'm thinking of going the opposite direction..from 5th to TT. Mostly because of the steps. My DW hates them. I get a lot of..."while you're up there would you get.." Her knees and ankles aren't what they used to be.
My biggest issue is length. To get comparable space I'm looking at 37ft TT. Pulling that with a crew cab long bed is a long combination. I would like some input about how hard that is maneuvering around campgrounds. I can get the 5th about anywhere I need to, but I've never pulled a travel trailer.

[ctbruce]

I have too much time on my hands....I'm thinking of going the opposite direction..from 5th to TT. Mostly because of the steps. My DW hates them. I get a lot of..."while you're up there would you get.." Her knees and ankles aren't what they used to be.
My biggest issue is length. To get comparable space I'm looking at 37ft TT. Pulling that with a crew cab long bed is a long combination. I would like some input about how hard that is maneuvering around campgrounds. I can get the 5th about anywhere I need to, but I've never pulled a travel trailer.My Impact is 36.5 feet with a 12 foot garage. I've not had trouble in any of the parks we've been to. I have a 3500 Duramax SRW. With a 4 point Equalizer it pulls great. It is too heavy for a 3/4 ton, but I'm sure somebody is doing it. Just FYI.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[busterbrown]

I have too much time on my hands....I'm thinking of going the opposite direction..from 5th to TT. Mostly because of the steps. My DW hates them. I get a lot of..."while you're up there would you get.." Her knees and ankles aren't what they used to be.
My biggest issue is length. To get comparable space I'm looking at 37ft TT. Pulling that with a crew cab long bed is a long combination. I would like some input about how hard that is maneuvering around campgrounds. I can get the 5th about anywhere I need to, but I've never pulled a travel trailer.

I own a 35 foot Bullet that can get into just about any state park in Michigan. It swings wide on sharp turns so extra caution around fuel station pumps and park trees. I'm not sure I'd want to go any longer as my total length is 57 feet from TV front bumper to TT rear bumper. My Hensley hitch adds about an extra foot. I'd rather be closer to 50 feet in length but the kids need their bunkhouse.

Other manufacturers including FR make 33 feet couples trailers with 3 slides that won't sacrifice on interior space. I think most of Keystone's premium lineup requires you to be in the 36-37 foot range to capitalize on opposing living room slides and king size bedrooms.

[Hodgy]

.

Well, just ask a simple question and look what you get . . . . .

A lot of quality answers, thank you all.

Some of the points brought up I had thought of, others were not even on my radar. The years of experience on this forum again comes up with quality discussion and valid points of view.

.

[travelin texans]

My Impact is 36.5 feet with a 12 foot garage. I've not had trouble in any of the parks we've been to. I have a 3500 Duramax SRW. With a 4 point Equalizer it pulls great. It is too heavy for a 3/4 ton, but I'm sure somebody is doing it. Just FYI.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

There's a lot folks hauling 5th wheels with 1/2 & 3/4 trucks that aren't near enough truck, but "the salesman said it would no problem".
As for 5th wheel or travel trailer, we chose the 5er for the room inside, storage outside, easy to maneuver, but we were fulltime in it the last 10 years so it all depends on your likes/needs. Myself I'll take me 38' 5er over a 37' TT any day as far towability & comfort.

[Javi]

There's a lot folks hauling 5th wheels with 1/2 & 3/4 trucks that aren't near enough truck, but "the salesman said it would no problem".
As for 5th wheel or travel trailer, we chose the 5er for the room inside, storage outside, easy to maneuver, but we were fulltime in it the last 10 years so it all depends on your likes/needs. Myself I'll take me 38' 5er over a 37' TT any day as far towability & comfort.Me too

Javi

[JRTJH]

Our fifth wheel is only 31', so we don't have the "luxury" of the added 7' that's in a 38 footer. Ours works for us for a number of reasons, just as owners of larger or smaller units will say theirs works for them. For us, our pole barn is 32' long. A 38' fifth wheel would have to sit outside which is not what we wanted. If we were to have a travel trailer, to enjoy the same benefits as our 31' fifth wheel, it would need to be about 36' to 38' long, which would not fit in the pole barn.

But, for us, the biggest advantage to a fifth wheel is the ability to tow our boat behind the trailer. That's something we couldn't do with a travel trailer. That said, there are several western states that do allow towing a trailer behind a travel trailer, but those states are "few and far between" and don't include where we live and where we typically tow.

So, for us, the fifth wheel allows a shorter trailer and the added ability to tow our boat. Those two were our motivation for a fifth wheel.

[Bob Landry]

The only advantage to me would be the reduced length of truck and trailer and easier to handle and tow.
I see no increase in space or headroom. When the roof goes up in the front part of the trailer, so does the floor, so the net gain is little to none.
They look cool and let you get into spaces that may have length restrictions, but the trade off is not forth the additional $20K or the upgrade to a bigger truck to pull it.
I'm good with my Outback. JMHO

[sourdough]

I have too much time on my hands....I'm thinking of going the opposite direction..from 5th to TT. Mostly because of the steps. My DW hates them. I get a lot of..."while you're up there would you get.." Her knees and ankles aren't what they used to be.
My biggest issue is length. To get comparable space I'm looking at 37ft TT. Pulling that with a crew cab long bed is a long combination. I would like some input about how hard that is maneuvering around campgrounds. I can get the 5th about anywhere I need to, but I've never pulled a travel trailer.


My TT is right at 37' long. I think the box is 32', maybe a little over. I pull with a Ram 2500, CC, 6.4L w/6.4' bed. It tows very well with the Equalizer hitch. Total length is probably around 57' or so.

I haven't had many issues with it but the total length comes into play making narrow turns on single lane streets; you have to swing wide and take the oncoming lane. Being a gas truck you can sometimes find yourself in a pretty tight spot at a gas station but I always look them over first before committing and have my route planned. I've not had an issue in a park....yet. We stay in improved parks most of the time. I have not taken this on into the boonies. I have had to fit into some pretty tight spots but nothing has been undoable, and I've never had a park say I was too long. I do think that some state parks, or rural parks, might be a little too tight. There is one down the way from me here in FL I've looked at Newport RV park I believe. Typical rural rv park for trailers, tents etc. There are all kinds of sites there and no pull throughs. There are several that we could get into if we went there....but only those; the rest are way too tight so you would have to do your due diligence before trying to pull in there - I suspect it would be like that in many places. You just have to remember that tail end is way back there pulling in a different arc than you are.

[XTeacher]

I can't imagine pulling a TT longer than around 30 feet. We've had a 31 foot TT, but our current one is 28'10", stem to stern. We didn't want anything much longer, since we camp mainly at state and federal campgrounds. The swing around room needed to back into a site increases with length, and some campgrounds have narrow roads. Longer than that, it seems like a 5ver would be better/easier/more stable. JMHO.

[allmi01]

Here is an answer to the question of towing a TT vs. 5'er of the same length.

Previous TT was a 2013 Cougar HC 319RLS which was as I recall 36' 6". I've towed it with my Excursion diesel and with my F350 CC DRW. I had no issues getting around with it and in fact sometimes it's a bit easier to get around in tight spaces than my 39' 8" Montana 5'er.

That said, I have not had issue with the Montana getting around anywhere either.

5'ers back up differently than TT's do. 5'ers are more forgiving in that it takes more initial TV movement to get the 5'er to turn than a TT does. That can be both a good thing and a bad one depending on what you are trying to do with how much space. One is not better than the other, IMHO, just different.

Mike

[Pmedic4]

First, I have to say we have a short fifthwheel, 31' total, but we've also had a 31' TT. Towing, no question, fiver is better. I hated towing the TT, even with WDH and Anti-sway bars. Part of it, of course was our choice of tow vehicle, but I think this is a common issue with many people who want a TT, they just want to use the family suburban/van/half-ton truck, and call it good. Also when we did purchase the TT, we didn't have all the excellent information that make up this and the many other RV forums. Newbie mistake, I admit it.

Lost TV bed space. Yep, but with current puck mount systems, you can remove it, even though it is exceptionally heavy. Do wonder about the Anderson aluminum hitch system? Taking stuff with, with no truck bed space? Yeah, but we've adapted. However, the fiver has a lot more storage, and I'm finding I'm not taking stuff in and out of the truck bed when going on a trip.

Out stairs aren't bad, much better than many motorhomes, and most fivers, and about the same as a TT with larger or many slides. But that's just our fiver.

The real space we notice most in our fiver is the bathroom, it is much better than many TT. I'm certain there are some TT models that are as nice, but that's our big benefit. My DW and I like this the most.

The only thing we'd like in a better fiver is one with dual opposing rear slides. The space is great, but even many TT have this, but then again it pushes up the weight and you're back to a bigger vehicle and that cost factor many people point out (because fivers take a bigger TV), is just accepting the wrong TV for one of the bigger TT.

But I can see a place for TT, just I like my fiver.

[DucBill]

First, I have to say we have a short fifthwheel, 31' total, but we've also had a 31' TT. Towing, no question, fiver is better. I hated towing the TT, even with WDH and Anti-sway bars. Part of it, of course was our choice of tow vehicle, but I think this is a common issue with many people who want a TT, they just want to use the family suburban/van/half-ton truck, and call it good. Also when we did purchase the TT, we didn't have all the excellent information that make up this and the many other RV forums. Newbie mistake, I admit it.

Lost TV bed space. Yep, but with current puck mount systems, you can remove it, even though it is exceptionally heavy. Do wonder about the Anderson aluminum hitch system? Taking stuff with, with no truck bed space? Yeah, but we've adapted. However, the fiver has a lot more storage, and I'm finding I'm not taking stuff in and out of the truck bed when going on a trip.

Out stairs aren't bad, much better than many motorhomes, and most fivers, and about the same as a TT with larger or many slides. But that's just our fiver.

The real space we notice most in our fiver is the bathroom, it is much better than many TT. I'm certain there are some TT models that are as nice, but that's our big benefit. My DW and I like this the most.

The only thing we'd like in a better fiver is one with dual opposing rear slides. The space is great, but even many TT have this, but then again it pushes up the weight and you're back to a bigger vehicle and that cost factor many people point out (because fivers take a bigger TV), is just accepting the wrong TV for one of the bigger TT.

But I can see a place for TT, just I like my fiver.Hodgy fyi as far as dealing with a 200#fw hitch in your TV bed a goosebox type pinbox replacement will drop the wt and size to r/ring a 2-5/16 ball about 1.5#s from your TV bed plus the air ride isolation will save wear and tear on you, your occupants in TV and your rig. 5th wheel all the way, had a bumper pull never going back JM2CW

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

[Tinner12002]

As for my personal experience, I've towed a 28ft living quarters trailer with a dually back in 2001 and pulled many 16-24ft trailers with a SRW truck in between that and what I'm now pulling which is a 43ft 5th wheel with a dually. Shorter trailers weren't bad to tow, 28ft living quarters trailer obviously longer and a little more effort required to back up. Had a couple 5th wheel toy haulers since, one 30ft and one 39ft so had a little practice parking. Never had an EQ hitch on the living quarters trailer nor did I have a sway bar with it, but never had any sway or sag issues ether. My new setup of course is much heavier but pulls good and handles good, backing is not too bad just have to keep in mind its a long way back to the end of it. Love the extra room the 5th wheel provides but then for what I want and do with an RV the 5th wheel is the only one that will efficiently serve my needs.

[rhagfo]

The only advantage to me would be the reduced length of truck and trailer and easier to handle and tow.
I see no increase in space or headroom. When the roof goes up in the front part of the trailer, so does the floor, so the net gain is little to none.
They look cool and let you get into spaces that may have length restrictions, but the trade off is not forth the additional $20K or the upgrade to a bigger truck to pull it.
I'm good with my Outback. JMHO

Have you ever walked through a 5er at an RV show??
Yes, the upper sections have some lower head room, we have 6'-1" in our bed room. Then we have the living area that goes from 8' and tapers to the rear of the 5er to 7'-3". The storage advantage is more cabinets in the taller parts of the 5er, and the basement, which in some units is near 3' tall or more.

https://i.imgur.com/m9lYGsi.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/bopLb68.jpg

[NotyetMHCowner]

Before we bought our fiver we were convinced that we did not want one. So, we said we owe it to ourselves to look at fifth wheels first to eliminate them from the decision process. After looking at them and then back to the bumper pulls, we fell in love with the "homey" feel and storage in the fifth wheel.

Many people we talked with before hand said they wouldn't want a fifth wheel because of loosing all the truck bed space for camping gear (these were people that never owned a fifth wheel). The difference to me is that all that crap that I had to load and unload in the truck bed EVERY camping trip now easily fits in the basement storage and stays there all the time. We are hitched up and ready to go much quicker with the fifth wheel than when we had a TT.

Yes you may have to purchase a larger truck and that may not be in the cards. For us, our older 1/2 ton truck was at its max anyway and we knew we wanted a bigger and much heavier camper (for the build quality) so we were in the market for a bigger truck anyway. Im so glad we went with a dually (it is my daily driver too) for the added capacity.

Also, Im 6'5" and a fifth wheel feels much better to live in than did our TT. Bigger tanks, much more storage, better towing stability, huge basement storage (our Montana High Country has the dropped frame for the bigger basement storage; it is massive). They are not for everyone, but we will never go back to a TT.