Considering Trading in the TT for a 5'er.

jimmyv13 · 06-23-2014, 08:50 AM

We bought our trailer when we had an 07 Expedition for the TV and were relatively limited in camper options. We both really like our trailer and noticed it was a bit much for the Expy in the Smoky mountains...enough to make me a bit uneasy. We settled on trading the Expedition in for a diesel pick up and have been happy, bit now our options for traveling are of a much larger spectrum with a more capable TV. The trailer is an 08 and we don't want to go any older than that, but I am entertaining the idea of going with a 5'er. We have less than a year of payments left on our TT and the idea of not having a payment is intriguing, but I'm just looking for some conversation with guys that have had both and what I'd gain by going with the 5'er. I know Keystone has a Springdale 5'er in our exact floor plan and the boss likes it.

Thanks!

Festus2 · 06-23-2014, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmyv13

but I'm just looking for some conversation with guys that have had both and what I'd gain by going with the 5'er. I know Keystone has a Springdale 5'er in our exact floor plan and the boss likes it.

Thanks!

Well, if "the boss" likes it there isn't much point of any of us "guys" having a conversation with you - is there?

Ken / Claudia · 06-23-2014, 09:19 AM

Heres my take, I am disregarding cost of one over the other. Mainly I thought of either one on how/where it is used. I was ok with anything around 30 ft. Most of our use is National Forest camping. Most camp grounds where not made for high/long RVs. We will not be traveling about the US living in it. We will almost always have 2 people, 1 dog. The smaller 5ers we looked at lacked stand up head room in the bedroom. We are both done with climbing up into a bed and only being able to sit up. We loved the bigger ones but, I felt with traveling on gravel/dirt narrow roads killed the deal. 5ers sure do have alot going for them, when we plan on cross country travel, thats for us, maybe in afew years. I like my neighbors idea, I just do not have the money. They kept the 26ft TT and got a big 5er. They use both depending on where and how long of trip, they pick which trailer to use.

byrdr1 · 06-23-2014, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmyv13

, but I'm just looking for some conversation with guys that have had both and what I'd gain by going with the 5'er. I know Keystone has a Springdale 5'er in our exact floor plan and the boss likes it.

Thanks!

OK its been about three years since we traded our TT for the 5er.
We had a Cougar 301BHS TT, quad bunks in the back. At the time we traded we had just ma-ma and me camping. Oldest daughter was married and their had their own camper. Youngest could care less if she went camping or not. Middle son was in the Air Force.
So we don't need the TT anymore just us two, lets look for our camper.. Mom& Pop version.. So we started looking for 2 years. Finally made the move.
NOW!!! Youngest says I would like to go camping again, so we can make that work.. really NOT but we did, fast forward a few years Middle son gets out of Air Force and comes home, I would like to go camping again..
NOW we have the mom&pop camper not really a lot of room(sleeping) for family of 4 with son and daughter.. So we make it work..
Pros of 5er: easier to hookup and towing is a dream. LOTS of ROOM and plenty of cabinet space, full size shower. There are so many reason I cant list them all. Just a nicer overall look..bottom line: Happy wife, Happy life!!
Cons: heavier, larger foot print, hitch in the bed of truck resulting in loss of half the space in bed of truck, Loss of camper topper(shell) over the bed of truck. Bottom line: Ma-Ma ain't happy, nobody is happy..
I already had the truck to pull it with so that was a NON issue..
The thing is we have loved all our campers and they served us well at the time we owned each..
this has been a Great trip and I would do it again but change the route along the way next time.
hope this helps,
randy

therink · 06-23-2014, 11:04 AM

Fifth wheels are great for towing, and many other benefits in my opinion. The downsides are cost and pin weight. The tongue on TTs run about 13 percent, while the pin weight on fivers runs about 20 percent. My only advice is to amake sure the gvwr of your f250 can handle the pin of whatever fiver you consider. 3/4 trucks run out of payload before exceeding what they are rated to pull.
Steve.

bsmith0404 · 06-23-2014, 02:59 PM

Any cons for either can probably be balanced out with a pro that it has over the other or with floor plans.

Pros for the 5er: storage. It is amazing how much you can get in the basement. Yes you lose the bed of the truck with the hitch, but you don't need it anymore. I love the fact that all of our camping gear fits in the basement and I can leave it packed between trips.
If you live in an area where towing behind a trailer is allowed, you can put a boat, ATV, or motorcycle trailer behind the 5er. Some people say you can tow behind a TT, but I would never do it. No propane tank cover, I hate those damn things!

Cons: Weight, but not as much of a concern with your TV. Clearance, they sit up there a ways and you have to be more conscious of the roads you travel and keep an eye on the clearance markings for bridges. You may have to take some different routes. Typically if you follow truck routes you're okay. As mentioned earlier, some have low ceilings in bedrooms. I was committed to buying a 5er that had full stand-up capability. I do not like having to duck when moving about.

jimmyv13 · 06-23-2014, 04:28 PM

Thank you for the replies!

Interesting that some of you mentioned the interior height of the bedroom. I am 6'4" and barely fit into our TT, I thump the noggin every once in a while getting in or out of the dinette or couch. I've only been into a few 5'vers and liked them quite a bit, granted they were VERY nice Fusion's and Montana's. My point with going with one was the towing ease over the TT. The boss doesn't drive the TV, so she doesn't care if it's easier or not.

I have installed 1 ton suspension on the truck to increase the payload as well as 10 ply tires. It pulls our TT easily and we get 13MPG for the 1300 mile trip from MI to FL.

I also like the idea of pulling a small boat, etc behind if I ever need to.

Stinger381 · 06-23-2014, 06:44 PM

Just for ease of pulling and ease of hookup makes the 5vr my choice. I am 6'5 and I can't stand fully upright in my bedroom but I can in the bath and shower (thanks for the skylight). No sway at all anymore and I can hook it all up by myself. Lots of storage too. It would be very hard for me to go back to a TT.

GaryWT · 06-25-2014, 12:50 PM

My TT tows like a dream without issue and our ceilings are high as we have a curved roof. The wife says she is too short for a 5th wheel as the cabinets and all are too high and she is not dragging a step stool around so we are staying with the TT. The only possible pro for me might be getting into a tight site. Good luck

bsmith0404 · 06-25-2014, 04:47 PM

My mom is 4'11", they actually got rid of one 5er after using it once because of the cabinet height. They went looking and found one that had nice low cabinet for her (Jayco 305). My dad tows his boat behind the 5er, so a TT was not an option. As I mentioned earlier, cons of each type can typically be overcome with different floor plans/models.

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