Fifth Whl vs Trvl Tralr

FW downside... loss of space in bed when towing, taller, may cause height issue in older parks, extra steps, may need bigger truck.

The upside... FWs are easy to hook/unhook, very steady towing, are roomy with more storage space.

You can get a hitch that is removeable, leaving a clean bed when not towing.

Jerry

pexford wrote:
We have a 2011 24' Passport that now has about 40k miles...only 6 more States left to camp in. But now looking @ a new rig. Heavy travel days are over. Something less than 30'? Maybe a Fifth Whl but don't know. Anyone out there that has pulled both? What's downside? Thinking of the pain of the hitch 'cause I want to keep the bed of the truck clear when not towing. What's upside? Mostly interested how Fiver handles, stability, backup, hitch-up, unhitch, turn radius, etc. Will pick brand & model ourselves, not looking for endorsements.

Lots of responses to this question here. Search is your friend.

From my POV, I did =not= want a TT and did want a clean bed. Since we also have a gooseneck trailer, the B&W Turnover Ball and FW Companion were a natural for me. Not the only option around and, with the newer trucks now having factory GN and FW hitch prep, you don't necessarily need the Turnover Ball base to have a clean bed when not towing. The Andersen Ultimate hitch is also getting decent reviews and is much lighter. Down side is that it's less adjustable, from what I can see.

I've towed enough trailers that I knew I did not want a TT, from the get-go, so only looked at FWs. They tow much better, with less tweaking, right off the bat. They do have their own learning curve, especially with backing, so you do have to be aware of this. They also turn further inside a curve than a TT because of the hitch location; just have to learn to swing wider when making a turn. Since I already had experience towing our GN, it was and easy change for me. Other pros are, 1) much more storage in a FW than a comparable-sized TT; 2) more interior room in a shorter footprint, since the front 5-6' of a FW is over the bed of the truck; 3) in most cases, a FW is much easier to hitch/unhitch than a TT; 4) can turn shorter than a TT, if necessary.

Downsides are: 1) steps inside (a lot of people don't like this); 2) you lose most of your truck bed; 3) FWs are usually a lot taller than a TT so overhead clearances are something you have to pay attention to; 3) trucks are payload-limited to the size FW they can tow whereas a smaller truck might safely tow a larger TT, with a proper hitch.

Just a few things off the top of my head...

Lyle

I've towed both in several different sizes and weight. To be honest I don't really see a difference when towing or parking. Now that you can get TT & 5th wheels with auto levelers (and tongue jack on TT) hitching and leveling is a lot less strain on the back.

After you tow a brand new or new to you trailer/5'er a couple of times you become accustomed to it.

Have a longbed truck.........Fully enclosed self contained 4K gen in front of bed and an aux low profile behind hitch.
Still room for other stuff.
Lots of room if just hitch in bed

As for hitch........we FTd so hitch stayed in truck. Now it hangs from 5th wheel king pin until needed (just rails in bed)
IF...IF I was doing it now----probably go with a turn over and have clean bed. MAYBE???

FW....stable tow but tracks different then TT (tracks inside when turning)
Both easy to back up.....just different pivot point so different maneuvering. FW slower to react to steering input but then quicker response when it reacts
FW to me..much easier hitch/unhitching. I can SEE king pin and place it right into hitch w/o eyes/help
FW....more storage

TT.......less steps
TT.......shorter height
TT.......more TT can be towed vs FW if truck payload is limited


FW vs TT..........floorplan and personal choice BOTH work very well

Fifth wheels tow far better. There are other pros and cons to consider too but that's the biggie to me.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Have a longbed truck.........Fully enclosed self contained 4K gen in front of bed and an aux low profile behind hitch.
Still room for other stuff.
Lots of room if just hitch in bed

As for hitch........we FTd so hitch stayed in truck. Now it hangs from 5th wheel king pin until needed (just rails in bed)
IF...IF I was doing it now----probably go with a turn over and have clean bed. MAYBE???

FW....stable tow but tracks different then TT (tracks inside when turning)
Both easy to back up.....just different pivot point so different maneuvering. FW slower to react to steering input but then quicker response when it reacts
FW to me..much easier hitch/unhitching. I can SEE king pin and place it right into hitch w/o eyes/help
FW....more storage

TT.......less steps
TT.......shorter height
TT.......more TT can be towed vs FW if truck payload is limited


FW vs TT..........floorplan and personal choice BOTH work very well

What he said.......

Had TTs for years (MHs & slide-in campers also) *towing* a 5th is
like night and day (better than a TT).

A plus for the TTs -besides freeing up the pickup bed for toys and stuff.....

Besides a *pickup* as a tow vehicle, tow a TT with *ANY* vehicle that has the capacity to do so, and a receiver hitch....example a suburban, van, etc.
Easy to swap your draw bar over to a friend's vehicle if the need arises.
*NO* pickup necessary!!

Could be handy if your tow vehicle broke down (with a TT).
as opposed to....
A friend *must* have a 5th wheel hitch in his p/up to tow your 5th.

Obviously (as above) *YOU* have more options for your tow vehicle.

I preferred 3/4 or 1T Vans to transport M/Cs *inside* the van for security reasons - long before Toy Haulers became popular.

Later, (no more M/Cs) I towed TT's with "camper" vans. (minimal RV features).
Second choice of which to use for short trips.

*If* I was doing it all over again - a 5th wheel toy hauler would be my choice.
*If* I didn't already have a pickup - a TT toy hauler would be a strong contender.

Only you can decide what's right for you...:?

Good luck.

~

Previous trailer was a 21ft bumper pull toyhauler. Picked up a 28ft 5th wheel Toyhauler 2yr ago and zero regrets. Tows better than previous bumper pull and has a ton more storage room. I have a B&W Turnoverball on my truck and attach a 70lb Andersen hitch to it. Easier to hookup than bumper pull/weight distribution and have a clean bed when not using. Andersen hangs on the wall in my garage.

I have towed both over the years and going away I think the fiver is easier to tow, hook up, and live in. Having the hitch weight between the wheels is much better than having it hanging out the back.

I also think towing a fiver is easier on the tow vehicle for the same reason. You are not squatting down the rear axle or lifting the front end with the weight of the trailer. Yeah, I know a WD hitch will relieve a lot of that, but it is still not the same as having the weight between the wheels.

Done both. For me anyway I like the ease of use of a 5th wheel. It tows very stable, no sway and no WD to fiddle with. More storage in the basement so that's where almost all of my stuff that went in the truck is loaded. I leave it there when we're done camping. Nicest feature about a 5th wheel and a truck is that you can walk between them when hitched. No trying to step over the coupler.

Cons. They cut the corner a little more than a TT. They're a little harder to back up. (Learning curve) and they're taller.
The 5th hitch can be a PITA to remove. B&W has a 2 pc hitch that's makes it a little easier. Anderson makes a really light weight one.

With that being said I could go back to a TT if it was the right one. Some out there like Grand Design and Outdoor RV have some really innovative floor plans and large front storage areas. And a TT is cheaper to buy. It's hard to give up all the storage inside and out along with the ease of use of a 5th wheel.
Kinda like towing with a diesel. Hard to go back to a gasser. Maintenance and repairs might be less on a gasser but the towing part isn't as nice.

Over the past 50 years I have towed both.....the up side of the Travel Trailer is ease of backing into a site. The 5 wheel is a pain in the ass to back especially if the site is perpendicular. The Travel trailer is more bothered by sway than a 5th wheel. The hitch takes up a lot of room. If I could find a floor plan like we used to have and an extra slide I would go back to a Travel trailer....