Buying fifth wheel

Prior to purchasing our first 5er my OH and I had never towed anything bigger than a 6 x 4 trailer to the rubbish dump and back. We found the 5er so easy to tow and never had any problems with it. Now reversing was a different story but we got that down pat - now!
Cheers

Cummins12V98 wrote:

rtazz17 wrote:
Agree with all except you dont need a dually imho to have a stable ride.I pull a 40ft 12k fiver and its solid as a brick.But really when I bought my truck I purposely did not buy a dually.It wont fit in most standard garages if thats where you want to store it.It has 6 tires to replace.The biggest of all is they are just big and cumbersome to try and use as a everyday rider.Hard to get around in without doing k turns everywhere,you need to park two miles away from where you want to go because you cant fit.I know some will disagree but I see it all the time.On the other hand if you are towing constantly and thats all you do,sure get a dually but I have no stability issues at all.But for most its overkill.Jmho..

You are the perfect example of the person that wants a BIG RV but makes every excuse to buy the proper tow vehicle to match. Too big for garage, too far to park, won't fit in car wash, too big and cumbersome, too many tires to replace, overkill, and so on.

Dude your RV is 41'-7" long the DRY weight is 12,275# in reality it is a 16,000+ rig with well over 3K in tongue weight.

Get a Dually or get a smaller RV.

AMAZING

Dude, his RV is a bunk model and the hitch dry is 17% so if he loads it right and get's it to 16,000 he could easily keep it well under 3000 on the pin. IDK what he actually has for a TV but I would have no problem taking his RV anywhere with my 2500.

This is not helping the OP any at all.

rtazz17 wrote:
Agree with all except you dont need a dually imho to have a stable ride.I pull a 40ft 12k fiver and its solid as a brick.But really when I bought my truck I purposely did not buy a dually.It wont fit in most standard garages if thats where you want to store it.It has 6 tires to replace.The biggest of all is they are just big and cumbersome to try and use as a everyday rider.Hard to get around in without doing k turns everywhere,you need to park two miles away from where you want to go because you cant fit.I know some will disagree but I see it all the time.On the other hand if you are towing constantly and thats all you do,sure get a dually but I have no stability issues at all.But for most its overkill.Jmho..

You are the perfect example of the person that wants a BIG RV but makes every excuse to buy the proper tow vehicle to match. Too big for garage, too far to park, won't fit in car wash, too big and cumbersome, too many tires to replace, overkill, and so on.

Dude your RV is 41'-7" long the DRY weight is 12,275# in reality it is a 16,000+ rig with well over 3K in tongue weight.

Get a Dually or get a smaller RV.

AMAZING

Cummins12V98 wrote:

5rdriver wrote:
Ditto - We started out with a 32' 5th wheel and 3/4 ton diesel truck. Just traded for a 1 ton dually in anticipation of getting a bigger 5th in the next year or two. After having a dually, I wouldn't have anything less than a 1 ton dually for a 5th wheel 30' or bigger. The 3/4 ton handled our trailer just fine but the dually gives you alot more stability and the option of a bigger trailer in a few years without having to trade trucks. It takes alot of $$$$ to upgrade the trailer and tow vehicle at the same time.

Nice to be ahead of the game! Too many upgrade the RV and make excuses or try to make the TV work, then they get in trouble.

A proper TV means a very relaxed towing experience. It really is stressful towing something that is too much for the TV, I know from experience.

No stress on my rides except for the the slow polks that buy big trucks to be stable and then drive 10 mph slower than everyone else.

5rdriver wrote:
Ditto - We started out with a 32' 5th wheel and 3/4 ton diesel truck. Just traded for a 1 ton dually in anticipation of getting a bigger 5th in the next year or two. After having a dually, I wouldn't have anything less than a 1 ton dually for a 5th wheel 30' or bigger. The 3/4 ton handled our trailer just fine but the dually gives you alot more stability and the option of a bigger trailer in a few years without having to trade trucks. It takes alot of $$$$ to upgrade the trailer and tow vehicle at the same time.

Nice to be ahead of the game! Too many upgrade the RV and make excuses or try to make the TV work, then they get in trouble.

A proper TV means a very relaxed towing experience. It really is stressful towing something that is too much for the TV, I know from experience.

Agree with all except you dont need a dually imho to have a stable ride.I pull a 40ft 12k fiver and its solid as a brick.But really when I bought my truck I purposely did not buy a dually.It wont fit in most standard garages if thats where you want to store it.It has 6 tires to replace.The biggest of all is they are just big and cumbersome to try and use as a everyday rider.Hard to get around in without doing k turns everywhere,you need to park two miles away from where you want to go because you cant fit.I know some will disagree but I see it all the time.On the other hand if you are towing constantly and thats all you do,sure get a dually but I have no stability issues at all.But for most its overkill.Jmho..

We had a TT for 13 years, bunk style, and the kids grew up traveling in it. Now the kids are gone and we have a 5th. I wouldn't go back to a TT, too many advantages to a 5th. But that being said, there isn't anything wrong starting with a TT. They are less costly to get into, both the trailer and the truck. They are less costly to tow because they are typically lighter. With a proper hitch setup they are completely safe to tow. So it depends on if you want to jump in with both feet and spend to get a 5th, or if you want to check out RV'ing at less of a cost to see if you like it with a TT. Don't be scared off a TT.

Just get a dually and nice DVR or Lifestyle and be done with it:)

pinto bean wrote:
I have to agree with 5rdriver a one ton is the way to go. I recently did an upgrade to a 35' and was going to pull with a 2001 3/4 ton diesel (235hp). On the first long hill my pull speed dropped to 50 and I almost burnt up my auto transmission. I bought a new 1 ton long bed. If you don't get a long bed I strongly suggest you purchase a sliding hitch and make sure it is rated high enough for your trailer.

Good Luck
Mike

What does this have to do with handling a fifth wheel? My 3/4 ton will pull any load as a 1 ton just as fast. I won't have the pay load of a dually but can pull just as much weight. You just went from and older weaker motor to a newer more powerful motor:S

OP, just make sure you do your home work and get a suitable truck that can handle the "weight" of the camper or future campers. Everyone is correct in saying that there are very few of us that didn't upgrade our campers and chances are once the new wears off of this camper and you see other set-up that you like you will too more than likely want to go bigger.;)

We have tried them all - nothing wrong with a TT at all! If you have a large family, that is sometimes the only option next to a MH just because they all need a place to ride. I refused the sale of our last 5er to a bloke that planned to let his grandkids ride in the trailer because his truck was only an extended cab.

The most unstable for me was the overhead truck camper - yikes.