5th wheel vs Bumper Pull!~ help a newbie
Been all over the East Coast pulling a tent trailer with a fs pickup- easy-peasy. The wife and I are now looking towards upgrades and retirement. Started looking at Bumper Pulls and now really le...
Forum Discussion
To me the biggest difference is the options for a tow vehicle. A 5er does tow better than a bumper pull even a well set up bumper pull. Whether the better pull is worth needing to buy a pick-up and live with the limitations it imposes depends on what else you want to do. I live in NM and need a pick-up anyway but most of my daily driving is in a 1/2 ton van capable of towing up to a 6500lb trailer.
On a trip to Florida we used a tow behind and the van. We got better milage, had more room for the two big dogs, had a place to sleep while one person drove, and did not have any big hills to climb or strong winds to contend with.
However, now that we mostly pull up to the same end of the dirt road places and the dogs have passed on, we prefer the truck and 5er. The truck has better ground clearance and with the 5er hooked up the locking rear axle can pull through most any mud, sand, or rocky place we encounter. --BTW make sure you get at least a locking rear axle on any pick-up you buy, they do not all come with one--
For rock steady towing in windy conditions the 5er is great, but it has that big front end sticking up to catch every headwind and eat up your miles per gallon.
There are other minor personal preferences/dislikes that some people will have like a 5er has steps inside, a tow behind has less cargo room, a tow behind needs safety chains and anti sway/weight distribution bars, a 5er has a hitch that is heavy to remove from the truck bed, etc. etc.
To me it is what vehicle do you want to drive, for others it will be another factor like the ease of towing.
On a trip to Florida we used a tow behind and the van. We got better milage, had more room for the two big dogs, had a place to sleep while one person drove, and did not have any big hills to climb or strong winds to contend with.
However, now that we mostly pull up to the same end of the dirt road places and the dogs have passed on, we prefer the truck and 5er. The truck has better ground clearance and with the 5er hooked up the locking rear axle can pull through most any mud, sand, or rocky place we encounter. --BTW make sure you get at least a locking rear axle on any pick-up you buy, they do not all come with one--
For rock steady towing in windy conditions the 5er is great, but it has that big front end sticking up to catch every headwind and eat up your miles per gallon.
There are other minor personal preferences/dislikes that some people will have like a 5er has steps inside, a tow behind has less cargo room, a tow behind needs safety chains and anti sway/weight distribution bars, a 5er has a hitch that is heavy to remove from the truck bed, etc. etc.
To me it is what vehicle do you want to drive, for others it will be another factor like the ease of towing.
