Fifth Whl vs Trvl Tralr

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.

~

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

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

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.

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

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