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