5th wheel vs tt

my toys wrote:
Just curious: my friend tows a 5th wheel that is 40ft and 16,500lb. Could he also tow a travel trailer that is 40ft and 10,000lb? I know the weight distribution is different. I don't know much about 5th wheels.

I'd say that would be one long rig.

My wife and I went from a 32' TT with the V- nose weighing in at about 7400# it towed nice. We had a really nice WDH and a truck big enough to handle it.
But it was a pain in strong winds from any direction, sucked in hard whenever a big rig would pass, and just a rough ride when it bounced. We got ok gas mileage but if the wind was against us forget it. It tanked.

Coming up on 3 years ago we switched to a 40' FW that weighs in around 12,000#.
It was a totally different experience as we have never towed a fifth wheel before and never rode in a vehicle that towed one either. Friends and family always had TT.
We love everything about the switch from the ride quality, to vehicles passing us to strong head winds it is a total change. Pulls great and we have even noticed we do better with our gas mileage too. Not a substantial difference but one we can notice. We track it pretty good.

He has to check the weight ratings but if the 5th wheel is within ratings, it would be very unlikely that the trailer exceeds them.

Won't tow as nice as the 5th wheel but with the proper weight distributing hitch, not a big concern.

Given the proper tow vehicle...of course...

But he will be 5-6 ft longer overall with the 40 ft TT than the 40 ft fiver because part of the fiver overhangs the truck while under tow.

Also, fivers naturally tow better because of the location of the hitch...it's right over the rear axle...and the pin weight on the fiver is more than the tongue weight of the TT..the more pin weight the more stable the trailer.

A TT can tow very well with careful loading and a good WD hitch with sway control and good design. But a fiver naturally takes care of these issues by virtue of the design of the fiver.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Yes he could. The TT would actually have less weight on the TV.

That being said it probably wouldn't tow as nice, but it might if it's setup properly.

There is quite a bit that goes into how well a trailer tows. My 9K 29' TT tows great but the wind resistance on a TT is impressive. For the last two weeks I have been towing a dump trailer with a 7x14' bed at weights around 23-25K GCW and unless it's a decent hill it tows easier than my TT of 4-5K lbs less weight.

My point is weight isn't the only thing that effects how a trailer tows...and probably why the setup in the OP's sig make me cringe. TT's tow much harder than their weight. 5ers flow air better and don't have the same issue.

It's all determined by the capacity of his tow vehicle. Having towed a 28' TT, and now a 42' 5'er, I'd rather tow the extra 14' on a fifth wheel, then another pull-behind.