TT to a 5Th Wheel

N-Trouble wrote:


Simply incorrect on a 5er having more wind resistance. Yes a 5er is taller but the fact it sits much closer to the TV they both combine to act as a single mass passing through the air. A TT and TV act as two separate masses due to the distance between them. I get nearly the dame mileage towinf my 11-12K 5er as I did my 7-8Klb TT.

And as far as removing the hitch from the bed is exactly why the Andersen has become so popular. Piece-o-cake to remove/install.

X2

There have been many on this forum that have reported fuel mileage increase when moving from a TT to a heaver 5er.

DutchmenSport wrote:
I take the opposition (If that's OK with everone)... :)

Disadvantage of a 5er over a TT:

More steps (if you're older or have bad knees, you have steps from the ground to the main floor level, and then steps from the main floor level to the upper level. Not so pleasant for those with "climbing difficulties"

5ers come in various "profiles" (height), but something to consider for the higher "profile" 5er: the more space, the more they take to heat and air condition. If you, late-fall / early spring / winter camp, you will need to heat that space. The taller the ceiling, the more heat it takes. The higher the profile, the harder it is to cool that space down in the hot summer. (same is true with slide-outs.) It depends upon where you are camping, how you pay for the utilities.

I've read several complaints about 5er's that the temperature difference between the 2 levels is a problem sometimes. The upper level is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. I do know some owners have worked out this problem with some creative after market engineering.

Face it, with a 5er, you can tow it with only 1 type of vehicle ... a truck with a 5er hitch. At least with a TT, any vehicle with a receiver (could) potentially move a TT in the event of tow vehicle failure.

How do you use your truck? If you use the bed of your truck for more than just towing a 5er, then you'll need to remove the 5er hitch. I think this is the biggest reason why I do not want a 5er. I use the bed of my truck for too much. I'm getting older and have no help other than my wife, and removing the hitch is a chore I just don't want to handle. I'd be putting the hitch in and out every week, or even more. I'm just not strong enough to handle a hitch myself. Here again, this depends upon how you use your truck when NOT towing a trailer, and how important it is to have that empty space in the bed of your truck.

I keep a construction - contractor shell on the bed of my truck. It has 2 shelves the entire length of bed (all 8 feet), on both sides. Originally, we purchased the shell as a way to carry our canoe, and the side tool boxes (shelves) was perfect for hauling all our canoe accessories, incluidng outriggers. It was easy access, and that left the bed of the truck available for hauling the blue tote, firewood (and keeping it dry when it rains), an air compressor, and even our generator, not to mention a LOT of other things. Now, granted, the basement of a 5er may be big enough to hall all that stuff, but when came to transporting the canoe, that would have been an almost impossible endeavor without adding supports from the front of the tuck to move the canoe forward over the cab and engine. Then, where do you put all the accessories? Here again, this is a matter of how one uses the bed of their truck. (a personal choice ... no right or wrong .... but something to consider if the bed of the truck, a shell, or something else is needed for something OTHER than towing a trailer).

Weight? Well, face it, you just need a heftier truck to tow a 5er, unless you get a Scamp 5er. With a TT, you (can) get by with smaller trucks.

Also remember ... the higher the "profile" the more wind resistance you have to over come when towing. I have seen some really great low-profile 5er's though that caught my attention (I will admit).

50 amp service or 30 amp service. I'm seeing more and more campers with 50 amp service (including TT's), and campgrounds still not keeping up with the demand for 50 amp. If your camper has 2 air conditioners, it will need the 50 amp service to operate as designed. (Just something to consider when looking for any camper these days).

I know I painted a "negative" picture here. I did this on purpose. This list for the positives is quite lengthy too. But when considering a new (or different) camper, or even a first time camper, there are multiple things to consider. Every style of camping (from a sleeping bag on the back of a motorcycle to 5 star Motor Home only resorts), there are compromises with each style, give and take, figuring out what most important, and what you are are willing to give-up. No camper is perfect. There is always some kind of compromise we have to decide for ourselves. Only you can make the final choice.

Simply incorrect on a 5er having more wind resistance. Yes a 5er is taller but the fact it sits much closer to the TV they both combine to act as a single mass passing through the air. A TT and TV act as two separate masses due to the distance between them. I get nearly the dame mileage towinf my 11-12K 5er as I did my 7-8Klb TT.

And as far as removing the hitch from the bed is exactly why the Andersen has become so popular. Piece-o-cake to remove/install.

We moved from a TT to a 5er and are happier. The overall camping experience is easier. From hitching to having everything in the 5er as opposed to some in the TT and most in the truck. Which means that when I got home I had to unload the truck every time. I like being able to have every thing we need stored in the 5er, either inside or in the basement with the exception of two kayaks that go on the roof of the truck.
Biggest downer is the 5er height. I have to be more concerned about tree branches, even going thru my neighborhood to get out of town. Also it's more of a PITA to wax. I have a low profile that has the front cap that curves over the roof. I have to get up on the rood to wax the upper portion.
Plus side is the generous storage inside. The MFG that makes ours has a TT that's the identical floor plan. We have quite a few more upper cabinets than the TT. Most are used too.
Another plus is in an apples to apples comparison a 5er will have more space inside that an equal length TT. Also when hitched up the truck and 5er will be a lot shorter that a truck/TT combo. That comes in handy if you camp in CGs with shorter spaces.
JMO but it's really a personal choice. Everyone I know that has trailers have TTs for various reasons. Some can't tow 5er and some don't want too. They all have just as much fun camping as we do.

DutchmenSport wrote:
Every style of camping (from a sleeping bag on the back of a motorcycle to 5 star Motor Home only resorts), there are compromises with each style, give and take, figuring out what most important, and what you are are willing to give-up. No camper is perfect. There is always some kind of compromise we have to decide for ourselves. Only you can make the final choice.

So true! Lots to consider.

This is a corner case but... I also need the TV bed use for my ATV. Yes, a 5th wheel toy hauler could suffice for carrying the ATV when using the RV trailer... but what about day transporting the ATV without the RV? Would be forced to remove the 5th hitch to get the ATV in the bed of the truck.

And, also agree that dialing in a TT WDH is a bit more challenging, but if it is setup correctly with enough truck, I guarantee my setup tows equally as well as a 5th... just took more time in fine tuning it.

DutchmenSport is dead-on about there being compromises with each style of RV... what is most important to you should be the reasoning behind the style you choose.

To me the main trade-offs are that you lose some of the use of your bed and you can't use it in conjunction with a hard topper. Other than that it's all gravy - tows much better, hitches easier, longer trailer in a shorter overall package, more storage space and you get a roomier interior with the higher ceilings.

We just recently upgraded from TT to 5er. I'm 6'4" and it was tough to find any TT that would fit my height, we now have high profile 5th and i can walk anywhere.
I could not believe the difference in towing and I fought with adjusting the WDH on the TT for years and couldn't get rid of the side-wind tail wag Towing a 5th is one-finger and cruise control no matter what the wind is doing, even with same truck (had 3/4 ton diesel before trading up TT).

You will probably see a lot of opinions in the 5th wheel forum on why it is a BETTER. but, if you post the same or opposite (why not 5th) in the TT forum you will hear all the reasons against 5th wheels. Generally, people will argue FOR their decisions, otherwise they would be admitting they were wrong. LOL

We did the move and love it so far.

I take the opposition (If that's OK with everone)... :)

Disadvantage of a 5er over a TT:

More steps (if you're older or have bad knees, you have steps from the ground to the main floor level, and then steps from the main floor level to the upper level. Not so pleasant for those with "climbing difficulties"

5ers come in various "profiles" (height), but something to consider for the higher "profile" 5er: the more space, the more they take to heat and air condition. If you, late-fall / early spring / winter camp, you will need to heat that space. The taller the ceiling, the more heat it takes. The higher the profile, the harder it is to cool that space down in the hot summer. (same is true with slide-outs.) It depends upon where you are camping, how you pay for the utilities.

I've read several complaints about 5er's that the temperature difference between the 2 levels is a problem sometimes. The upper level is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. I do know some owners have worked out this problem with some creative after market engineering.

Face it, with a 5er, you can tow it with only 1 type of vehicle ... a truck with a 5er hitch. At least with a TT, any vehicle with a receiver (could) potentially move a TT in the event of tow vehicle failure.

How do you use your truck? If you use the bed of your truck for more than just towing a 5er, then you'll need to remove the 5er hitch. I think this is the biggest reason why I do not want a 5er. I use the bed of my truck for too much. I'm getting older and have no help other than my wife, and removing the hitch is a chore I just don't want to handle. I'd be putting the hitch in and out every week, or even more. I'm just not strong enough to handle a hitch myself. Here again, this depends upon how you use your truck when NOT towing a trailer, and how important it is to have that empty space in the bed of your truck.

I keep a construction - contractor shell on the bed of my truck. It has 2 shelves the entire length of bed (all 8 feet), on both sides. Originally, we purchased the shell as a way to carry our canoe, and the side tool boxes (shelves) was perfect for hauling all our canoe accessories, incluidng outriggers. It was easy access, and that left the bed of the truck available for hauling the blue tote, firewood (and keeping it dry when it rains), an air compressor, and even our generator, not to mention a LOT of other things. Now, granted, the basement of a 5er may be big enough to hall all that stuff, but when came to transporting the canoe, that would have been an almost impossible endeavor without adding supports from the front of the tuck to move the canoe forward over the cab and engine. Then, where do you put all the accessories? Here again, this is a matter of how one uses the bed of their truck. (a personal choice ... no right or wrong .... but something to consider if the bed of the truck, a shell, or something else is needed for something OTHER than towing a trailer).

Weight? Well, face it, you just need a heftier truck to tow a 5er, unless you get a Scamp 5er. With a TT, you (can) get by with smaller trucks.

Also remember ... the higher the "profile" the more wind resistance you have to over come when towing. I have seen some really great low-profile 5er's though that caught my attention (I will admit).

50 amp service or 30 amp service. I'm seeing more and more campers with 50 amp service (including TT's), and campgrounds still not keeping up with the demand for 50 amp. If your camper has 2 air conditioners, it will need the 50 amp service to operate as designed. (Just something to consider when looking for any camper these days).

I know I painted a "negative" picture here. I did this on purpose. This list for the positives is quite lengthy too. But when considering a new (or different) camper, or even a first time camper, there are multiple things to consider. Every style of camping (from a sleeping bag on the back of a motorcycle to 5 star Motor Home only resorts), there are compromises with each style, give and take, figuring out what most important, and what you are are willing to give-up. No camper is perfect. There is always some kind of compromise we have to decide for ourselves. Only you can make the final choice.

I upgraded a 4 years ago. In the end the difference is not dramatic if you compare similarly equipped RV's.
A fiver is a bit more spacious due to higher ceilings. A fiver is a bit easier to hook up no WD hitch to deal with. The towing advantage is overstated a properly set up TT can tow just as well although a fiver requires minimal adjustments and tows well right out of the box.
Auto level is a great feature currently not available on TT's but that is coming.
More basement storage is a big plus for the fiver as well as the ability to have a built in genset

only regret was we didn't do it sooner... we did have to upgrade our truck to accommodate the extra weight of our 5th wheel.

Very happy...increased storage, increased living area, more bells and whistles. Of course, couldn't tow with our SUV:-)