Fifth Wheel or TT?

Having towed a TT for many years we just pulled the trigger on our 1st 5er and are excited about towing it for all of the reasons mentioned. I would look at fifth wheel toy haulers and here's why:

1. Ease of loading and unloading. Yes, you could fit a golf cart of SxS in the truck bed, but dealing with ramps, etc., is not my idea of convenient.
2. Toys stay out of the weather, stuff loaded in the truck bed will get wet. Even if you go somewhere warm, you'll want the convenience of bringing the GC inside if you get rain.
3. Toy haulers load the weight of toys behind the axles, and that actually helps to decrease your tongue weight or pin weight. Toys loaded in the truck bed subtract from the amount of payload available for hitch weight limiting your choice of TTs. 5ers are much less weight/balance sensitive than TT's for proper towing and handling.
4. Most times the ramp/garage in toy haulers converts into a deck or patio with screening, sliding doors, etc. Nice extra space.
5. The 5er will give you more living space in the same length truck/trailer rig since part of the space overhangs the truck box.

ALSO: think about how you plan to spend those 2 months. If you're going to drive to a resort and stay there 2 months and drive home, then you're only loading/unloading one time. Putting the toy into the truck bed is not that big of a deal.

If you're planning a long trip with many 2-3 night stops, you'll be loading and unloading quite a bit and also towing more. A MH towing the toy ion a cargo trailer will tow the best, and be best top travel with, but as was noted you'll have no other street-legal vehicle when you park.

We carry a 50” side by side in the bed of our truck and tow a TT. We like this because we can take the SXS directly to a trail without have it to drag the whole RV with us. We can setup camp and leave TT behind.

Normally I would opt for a 5er, but if the golf cart would fit in the truck I would likely go for the non toy hauler TT. A toy hauler, while nice for carrying your toys, you do lose a lot of normal living space. The kitchen/living area size is reduced for the garage area, although some do make good use of the garage for some living space. Many tow a small utility trailer behind a 5er for their toys, but you might get into states that do not allow the extra trailer especially along each coast.

With a 5er you will need to make sure your truck has adequate payload rating for the pin weight.

The often asked 5er or TT, and pretty much the same responses as everyone wants to make their RV choice valid, even a few motorized RVs were thrown in as they felt left out, don't you love human nature.

Simply put, when properly hitched both types tow fine, and when improperly hitched, both types have their shortcomings. Your best bet is to go to RV shows or dealers and view as many units as possible.

Noticed you have been on this forum for 2 decades, no doubt you have your preferences when RVing. Whatever choice you make have as stout of a truck as possible, most towing issues start there.

We just went through this last year, initially looked at 5ers and TTs since we still have a truck in good condition. After a year or so, we began looking at motorized RVs as well to give every RV class a chance.

When RV shopping we tried our best to leave our preconceived perceptions about RVs at home, we would have never looked at motorized RVs if we didn't. Vigorous research was required as we have always had 5ers and TTs.

Since we were looking for our retirement rig as well, we took our time vetting every scenario to our specific needs. Never had issues towing either TT or 5er, always had great towing comfort, although this time out DW chose class A.

We have a 5er toy hauler now and others have given plenty of advice on the benefits.

If you go the TT route, toy hauler or not, buy a good hitch. Hensley and ProPride are the best. Work as advertised. I've owned the Hensley. I wouldn't tow a TT without one of these. The price will scare you, but look at the costs you will have in a truck, RV, etc. It's not that much more.

mleekamp wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
Motorhome, tow the toys

Yeah but then you don't have a street legal vehicle (at least in most places).

You could drive the Motorhome, tow a pick up, with golf cart in bed.

Now you just added a lot of complication as you have to break camp every time you leave the campground.

Having carried a golf cart in the pickup bed, it's much more of a pain to load.

another member brought up good point. if you are staying for a few weeks or so o in 1 spot/camp ground) then a garage is the way to go. that member stated some camp ground either do not have room or do not want you unloading your toy and parking it.

i have owned 5 toyhaulers in 20 years. 3 bumper hitch and then to a fiver. 1 of the bumper hitch was totaled out pretty quick from some 3" hail! bought a 2011 wolfpack 295 brand new off the lot in walcott iowa. used that for 10 years with almost no issues. the fivers or goosenecks tow the best imo. projection hitch's ( henseley/propride) are the best in that field for sure. i do not believe they can do the same job a fiver/gooseneck can but i am no expert.

so i went back to a bumper hitch for a few reasons. #1 on the list was that i drew the floor plan and had it custom built/taylored to our needs.

fivers offer more living space in the same oal. the taller height grabs more wind as well. i have noticed there are a lot more floor plan to choose from in bumper pulls/tt's. the bpconversion g/n bolt on hitch answers that need for those that want the stability of a fiver/g/n on a bumper hitch and it transsfers to other units.

all of my toyhaulers have been open floor plans. i have no use nor want the extra 6' of a garage model. i am not retired nor travel across country. our travels are destination trips except the st anthony sand dunes trips as they are 16 hr drives one way. thats a 4 hr nap half way.

it really comes down to you preference of floor plans and your truck as they can pretty much all be made to tow like fivers/g/n's as they handle the best.

Galvinized wrote:
These are terrific and thoughtful insights.

Are there any significant differences inside a TT or FW in the toy / garage area? Space? Electronics? Ramp door? What should we take into consideration for the garage area or is basically the same in a TT or FW?

Yes, a lot of good info so far…save for the Moho suggestions.
Garages aren’t “different “ between a bumper pull and 5ver per se. But they do come in different lengths and different features.
Generally “separate” garages are not outfitted as living quarters and more suited to be a “garage.” Open concept THs, the garage is double duty hauling toys or living space generally with drop down beds and or seating.
Most bumper pulls are open concept save for the bigger ones. 5vers can get either style more interchangeably.
Also most all ramp doors can be made into a “patio”. Also no need to pay for the patio feature. Or if you find the right one without the hardware to support the ramp. Very easy to install a couple chains and make a patio. If you want the other fancy upgrades like fence or screen porch they’re available too.

In general like most other things, there is no “perfect” setup for all conditions. Every different RV has its advantages and drawbacks. And an advantage to one person is likely a drawback to another person. Hence why there are possibly more rv options than vehicle options. Lol

Like, since we moved from a TC to a trailer, I wanted an outside kitchen and no bunks. TTs , plenty of outdoor kitchen models but most have bunks.
That brought the Toyhauler idea out. “Bunks” disappear and don’t take up room when not needed. Rear patio is good easy access for outside cooking ( if weather is nice) and the big open garage area is more spacious than a similar TT. And in nice weather, the back canvas/screen “doors” really open it up even more.
Now we have plenty of toys that we could use the TH for, but don’t. Might, but our camping trips are usually not dirt bike or Snomachine trips.
I’d think, months long travel and bringing a golf cart or sxs, separate garage and big enough living quarters where you don’t need the garage for living space per se would be preferable.

mleekamp wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
Motorhome, tow the toys

Yeah but then you don't have a street legal vehicle (at least in most places).

You could drive the Motorhome, tow a pick up, with golf cart in bed.

Thats borderline Beverly Hillybilly…

Our first toy hauler was a Weekend Warrior FS2600 bumper pull. When the last of our kids/helpers moved away, we decided we wanted more comforts and less work, so we upgraded to a fifth wheel with a dedicated garage, auto-levelers, and big slides. Best decision we could have made. It's a totally different experience.

There are definitely pros and cons though.

We boondock a lot and we can get into most of the same places with the big fiver as we did with the shorter bumper pull. The fifth wheel is easier to maneuver, but the TT had a little better ground clearance. It's a toss-up as far as boondocking goes.

In actual camps though, it takes a lot more planning to secure a space long enough for a longer fifth wheel. We can't get into any State/Fed campgrounds. We camp at a lot of County places though. Even though the spaces aren't much bigger, they don't have the same staffing and it's pretty easy to get creative and shoehorn into a space when there isn't any supervision (a victimless crime). In private CGs / RV Parks, we usually do pretty well finding a space. Sometimes we have to compromise and dry camp in the overflow, but that's pretty rare. Those longer spaces definitely come at a premium though. We have to be careful on longer trips, because the longer spaces at the private RV parks can really add up.

So yeah, a bigger triple-axle fifth wheel toy hauler will make you work a little harder to find a spot and it will cost a little extra. We've never regretted the upgrade though. The experience with this more comfortable hauler has been fantastic. We've done a ton of camping in it in the past six years, including an 11,000 mile trip. Our older/smaller Warrior was just too primitive for extended trips like that.