Okay, I've got a ton of experience towing a TT and using half ton and my previous dually truck. Zero experience with a fiver though. For those of you who went from a TT to a fiver.. did you find the fiver more confidence inspiring? Ball vs Kingpin.. etc.. Is the fiver easier to hitch than a TT? Seemed like I always got a work out hitching the TT.If we go HD truck and fiver will I have an Ah-Ha moment as it relates to hitching and say.. why didn't I do this earlier? No chains, no guessing where the ball is in relation to the TT when hitching.This all started when I got to looking at the jaws on a Reese hitch the other day at camping world.. Here is the picAnd I can't get the thought out of my mind about this 2 inch round hunk of steel (the pin) gripped solidly, 360 degrees around the pin by massive steel jaws... my mind keeps comparing this huge pin vs a small latch on the TT... is it just an illusion or is the fiver more secure? B&W has even thicker jaws than the Reese!!So in summary,Is the fiver easier to hitch up than a TT and is the fiver actually more secure than a TT?Thanks!Jeremiah

DH says it is. Think about it....the hitch is in the bed of the truck where you can see it lining up. The TT has the hitch down behind the tailgate where you have to guess where it is. :) :)

I think it is much easier. You do need to ensure its properly latched.

Definitely easier to line up. - Travel trailer: You need to get a ball you can't see lined up to within an inch both left/right and fore/aft. - 5th Wheel: You can watch them come together and only need to get the left/right lined up. It will stop by itself when you get far enough back.Of course this is a minor issue. The ease of pulling and negligible sway when big trucks pass, is much nicer.

I hook mine up to a semi with a full condo sleeper -without a camera- and no spotter most of the time.easy peasyno worries ,get the hight correct (not too high) and click click you are in.remember -easy is no excuse for skipping the "get out and look step".

Is Hitching a Fiver Easier? | Good Sam Community

38 Replies

ckwizard777
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
Fifth wheel hitching is much easier.
I always hated all the weight distribution******and felt it did un natural things to the truck. With my fiver I just back up and hit the hitch and let it ride up and lock with a snap, piece of cake with my truck and not to perticular of the angle.
wuhungsix
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
I say it is easier hitching and unhitching a TT. My truck with a Pullrite Superglide 5'er hitch needs to be almost straight with the 5'er and have it at its perfect height in order to hitch. I also have no camera to help like I did with the TT. I have a crew cab so its hard to see hitch. I also find backing with the TT was easier.

Towing with a 5'er is a whole different ball game though. Feels much more stable.
wandering1
Explorer
Nov 24, 2014
Yes and Yes.
shadows4
Nomad
Nov 24, 2014
Cummins12V98 wrote:
Why do you think people say we are going to "step up to a 5er" ????

Because they are taller? Usually cost more? Perceived as better than a TT? Who knows.
Flapper
Explorer
Nov 24, 2014
BB_TX wrote:
My truck has a tailgate mounted rear view camera. It has an alignment line displayed on the large display screen that makes it simple to align and back under a trailer hitch. And the display is clear enough to see exactly when the ball is under the hitch. So, with that feature, hooking up to a TT is no harder than hitching up to our 5er.

And some people have claimed that they cannot see their 5th wheel hitch from their truck's driver seat. Crew cab, short bed, and shorter people maybe?

I'm in this camp. Cannot see the hitch or pin from the drivers seat - crew cab, 6.5 bed, I'm 5'10". So it is usually a series of about 3-5 get out/get in before I hitch the 5'er. Reese Revolution doesn't help - you have to be perfect to get it all to pop together. Also have to be dead on straight, as with tailgate down, I can punch a hole in the 5th with the corner of the tailgate if I'm a few degrees off. Only about 4" clearance between dropped gate and fifth when straight on. Yes, I have had to repair the fiberglass skin of the Fifth.....
Of course, if the DW helps, then I may only have to get out once to confirm everything!

Truck has a backup camera, so I can hitch to my boat right on the money, each and every time, no matter the angle.

So I'm one where hitching a trailer is MUCH easier than the Fifth!
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Nov 24, 2014
Why do you think people say we are going to "step up to a 5er" ????
ol_Bombero-JC
Explorer
Nov 24, 2014
marspec wrote:
Just remember -- tailgate DOWN when hitching and unhitching.

Had TTs before - 5er is much easier.

I always leave my tailgate UP when hitching and unhitching..:C

(It does have a "V" notch)..;)

~
jerem0621
Explorer II
Nov 24, 2014
shadows4 wrote:
Jeremiah, in my opinion yes it is easier all the way around. I can't see the jaws of my hitch because of the tonneau cover. But I have solved that issue with some simple tape on the tonneau and the hitch. Just line the two up and stop when the hitch latches around the king pin. Easy, peasy!!

I also use a Hoppy Level Plus to mark the height of the pin when hooked up, here.

It works very well. But what really sealed the deal for me is this.

A couple of months after we bought the fifth wheel, we were driving down the highway towing the fiver. I noticed my wife watching me and smiling. I asked her what she was smiling at. She said she was smiling at how relaxed I was. She said when we towed the TT that I was always tense and nervous. And I now looked so relaxed and stress free.

It was like pulling teeth to convince her to trade up to a fifth wheel. For her to say that really made it worth while. And I do feel much more relaxed and in control. Hope that helps, John

Thanks John,

My DW commented that she didn't want another TT because the hitching procedure and the WD hitch just never sat well with her. A power tongue jack did make things much easier. We had a hitch head grenade on us... I don't think she trusted the equipment after that.

Looks like another crew cab dually is in my future along with a nice dual jaw fifth wheel hitch. May even get a diesel this time since I'll be using the truck as a DD at about 70 miles per day.

Thanks!

Jeremiah
john_bet
Explorer II
Nov 23, 2014
We have had both. Prefer 5th. I can see my hitch thru the rear view mirror. Open tail gate before I get in or after I get lined up. Set king pin height and back in. Jaws open and close(release handle moves out and in) around pin. Get out I close safety latch on handle and hook up break-way sw. as I walk by. Look at jaws as I close gate and then hook up pig tail. Raise all landing gear/stabs. Do one last walk around and padlock safety latch. Get in and go. Has worked just fine for 10 seasons and untold days and miles. I have the same hitch you pictured.
goducks10
Explorer
Nov 23, 2014
My wife could easily hitch our 5th, not so with our previous TT and EQ.