Pulling A Fifth Wheel vs. Bumper Pull
I've been researching travel trailers and I'm not sure yet whether I want a fifth wheel or a bumper pull trailer. I've read more than once that a fifth wheel is easier to handle/more stable on the ro...
Forum Discussion
Re - loss of the pickup bed with a fifth wheel hitch setup.
If you have a TT - the lack of storage in the 'basement' is going to mean you need a cover for the truck bed and use the bed of the truck to store all the stuff you would store in a fifth wheel basement.
You really don't lose much usable space/ volume. However, you are going to transfer a ton or so of weight from the truck bed to the 5th wheel basement. Make very sure any 5er you buy has the available carrying capacity to handle the extra weight. Also - don't completely trust the stickers on the rig. Weigh the 5er empty, then weight it after getting it full. So you know your exact numbers - not some manufacture brochure numbers.
RE towing characteristics - all trailers sway. TT, 5er, 18 wheeler, etc. When the wind pushes the rear of the trailer, a fifth wheel puts the force of the hitch of the trailer on the truck over the rear axle. That minimizes the impact of swaying on the tow vehicle. A proper hitch setup on a TT also minimizes the impact of swaying on the tow vehicle. Just be aware that the force pushing the rear of the TV is several feet behind the rear axle with a TT.
Re: Height - fifth wheels are higher, and they put more square feet of sail area on the front. Sail area is the biggest impact on fuel mileage. Be aware that a 1 mph difference is close to 10% for most people. Slowing from 65 to 55 will also likely give a person a 10-15% increase in fuel mileage.
Parking area - height issues. Been the hardest thing to teach my wife to watch the overhead while I'm backing into a parking space around trees. A 5er does require a more vigilant approach to parking behavior. Also - MEASURE your rig. Forget the MFR numbers - get out and have someone help you actually measure the highest points on the 5er while hooked up. Don't assume the manufacturer numbers are correct. KNOW your exact height.
Convenience - Most folks find a 5er better for living than a TT. We live full-time in a 36', three slide TT. But the limited overhead does also limit our storage capacity. I'm also always hitting my head on the interior edges of the slides. A 5er slides are going to be higher than your head most of the time. A TT slides are likely going to put the sharp edge about mid-forehead high.
As I mentioned above - a TT has a very limited external storage capacity. A fifth wheel has more. But you can overload both very easily.
Tow Vehicle - frankly, after a few years - I'm tired of trying to maneuver around a big pickup truck in cities which seem to assume the longest vehicle is going to be less than 16' feet long. Or narrower than 6 feet. My 2500 tow vehicle is 22 feet long, and 8'9 3/4" wide to the outside of the mirrors.
Setup/ tear down convenience - I WANT a six point auto leveling system. So bad I can taste it. The key to minimizing trailer movement while parked is to get weight off the springs. Auto leveling systems do that much better than any manual system. They also cut down your setup / tear down time. There are some auto leveling systems for TT, but most TT don't have the frame elements available to install such a system. A great many 5th wheel rigs are available with auto-leveling systems standard.
5th wheels are also taller in one critical area - the steps into the rig. Most 5th wheels I've seen average a floor height from 12 to 18 inches higher than a TT. If you or the DW has knee problems or other mobility issues - that might be a problem.
Also the steps to the bedroom / front living area of a 5th wheel can be a problem for some folks. Among the folks in my home Good Sam group - five couples have sold their fifth wheel in the past two years - three going to a TT, one to a Class B, the other to a Class A. All because of mobility issues and the internal steps in the fifth wheel.
We even have one couple where the husband only can climb the steps to the bedroom once a day. They have a rig with a mid-bathroom just so he doesn't have to climb the steps during most of the day. As much as they love their 43' 5er, he is getting close to the point of either trading it for a flat floor rig, or living full-time in the living room/ kitchen and half-bath.
If you have a TT - the lack of storage in the 'basement' is going to mean you need a cover for the truck bed and use the bed of the truck to store all the stuff you would store in a fifth wheel basement.
You really don't lose much usable space/ volume. However, you are going to transfer a ton or so of weight from the truck bed to the 5th wheel basement. Make very sure any 5er you buy has the available carrying capacity to handle the extra weight. Also - don't completely trust the stickers on the rig. Weigh the 5er empty, then weight it after getting it full. So you know your exact numbers - not some manufacture brochure numbers.
RE towing characteristics - all trailers sway. TT, 5er, 18 wheeler, etc. When the wind pushes the rear of the trailer, a fifth wheel puts the force of the hitch of the trailer on the truck over the rear axle. That minimizes the impact of swaying on the tow vehicle. A proper hitch setup on a TT also minimizes the impact of swaying on the tow vehicle. Just be aware that the force pushing the rear of the TV is several feet behind the rear axle with a TT.
Re: Height - fifth wheels are higher, and they put more square feet of sail area on the front. Sail area is the biggest impact on fuel mileage. Be aware that a 1 mph difference is close to 10% for most people. Slowing from 65 to 55 will also likely give a person a 10-15% increase in fuel mileage.
Parking area - height issues. Been the hardest thing to teach my wife to watch the overhead while I'm backing into a parking space around trees. A 5er does require a more vigilant approach to parking behavior. Also - MEASURE your rig. Forget the MFR numbers - get out and have someone help you actually measure the highest points on the 5er while hooked up. Don't assume the manufacturer numbers are correct. KNOW your exact height.
Convenience - Most folks find a 5er better for living than a TT. We live full-time in a 36', three slide TT. But the limited overhead does also limit our storage capacity. I'm also always hitting my head on the interior edges of the slides. A 5er slides are going to be higher than your head most of the time. A TT slides are likely going to put the sharp edge about mid-forehead high.
As I mentioned above - a TT has a very limited external storage capacity. A fifth wheel has more. But you can overload both very easily.
Tow Vehicle - frankly, after a few years - I'm tired of trying to maneuver around a big pickup truck in cities which seem to assume the longest vehicle is going to be less than 16' feet long. Or narrower than 6 feet. My 2500 tow vehicle is 22 feet long, and 8'9 3/4" wide to the outside of the mirrors.
Setup/ tear down convenience - I WANT a six point auto leveling system. So bad I can taste it. The key to minimizing trailer movement while parked is to get weight off the springs. Auto leveling systems do that much better than any manual system. They also cut down your setup / tear down time. There are some auto leveling systems for TT, but most TT don't have the frame elements available to install such a system. A great many 5th wheel rigs are available with auto-leveling systems standard.
5th wheels are also taller in one critical area - the steps into the rig. Most 5th wheels I've seen average a floor height from 12 to 18 inches higher than a TT. If you or the DW has knee problems or other mobility issues - that might be a problem.
Also the steps to the bedroom / front living area of a 5th wheel can be a problem for some folks. Among the folks in my home Good Sam group - five couples have sold their fifth wheel in the past two years - three going to a TT, one to a Class B, the other to a Class A. All because of mobility issues and the internal steps in the fifth wheel.
We even have one couple where the husband only can climb the steps to the bedroom once a day. They have a rig with a mid-bathroom just so he doesn't have to climb the steps during most of the day. As much as they love their 43' 5er, he is getting close to the point of either trading it for a flat floor rig, or living full-time in the living room/ kitchen and half-bath.
