Comparison between Bumper Pull and 5th wheel

azdryheat wrote:
Every wreck I've passed involved a bumper-pull.

We've seen some crazy things on the highway with bumper pulls due to incorrect setups.

azdryheat wrote:
Every wreck I've passed involved a bumper-pull.

I’ve passed a ton of fifth wheel wrecks. I commute 80 ish miles a day from my home to Chattanooga, TN where I work. I24 and I75 both have to pass through Chattanooga...I59 is not far away either.

Motor homes rolled on their sides, fivers on their sides...campers and tractor trailers burnt to the ground.

Lots of tractor trailer wrecks...lots and lots... this portion of the interstate is very curvy from Monteagle to Chattanooga and seems to have a high amount of horrifying accidents...Speed and lots of banked curves and people refusing to slow down. 85-90mph is not uncommon on this stretch of road.

So, I do not buy that fivers do not wreck. I see them.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

azdryheat wrote:
Every wreck I've passed involved a bumper-pull.

Hmmm... I've seen a few fifth wheels wedged under low overpasses. Never seen a standard travel trailer that way though.

"So, I do not buy that fivers do not wreck. I see them."

I agree BUT I have seen FAR more TT's going out of control and flopping over than 5er's. You REALLY have to have a bad setup for a 5er to go down as I have seen along I-10 in the PalmSprings, CA area. The weekend warriors come flying by with their headlights pointed at the sky with their big tires bouncing along the way on their lifted trucks.

All RV's are prone to being in wrecks, however, the vast majority of wrecks involving RV's are TT's. In fact, you see many tow vehicles WITHOUT proper towing mirrors towing TT's. I just don't get that one. Folks buy either a SUV or have a pick-up and want to get a RV which is fine and dandy AND the salesperson of said tow vehicle said it's capable of towing "X" pounds. So folks get what they can and 99% of time they are completely mis-matched AND 99% of time it's TT's. Not saying MH or 5ers aren't, but far less.

As for OP's post, I can attest to the difference between both a 5er and TT towing. Cannot say how it will be with new truck, but with previous trucks (all single rear wheel and short boxes), I would much rather tow the 5er than my 4 place V-nose tandem axle enclosed snowmobile trailer. The sled trailer definitely let's the truck know it's back there. Now I will say this as well, this is a straight hitch on ball and NO WD hitch is used and I have NEVER seen a WD used on a sled trailer. Our 5er's were 35' and 41' respectively and 12,500, 16,000 lbs as well (fully loaded). The sled trailer is 30' and 4,300 lbs. Have never had a problem towing the sled trailer, BUT it DOES handle completely differently than the 5ers. Oh, trucks have weighed 8500 lbs so you'd think it shouldn't be a problem. So towing the sled trailer is just like towing a long TT. Most wrecks I've seen in the winter months have been those towing a 2 place open single axle sled trailer due to speed. As a semi drover for a living, I do know what to be on guard for. Sadly most RVers just stop at RV store, get what they want and head out. What scares me the most is new RVers w/ no experience, Maxed out to the gills (truck mfrs say it's rated up to 30,000-40,000 lbs) or those buying 45' diesel pushers with NO experience.

Most of the wrecked TT I have seen were 20-28 footers behind a small short wheel base SUV. Chris

I will take anybody on with a 5 wheel on the speed of the hookup with a travel trailer. It takes me usually less than 4 minutes to hook up and leave with my old TT. The new one takes at least twice as long because I'm not used to it.

I've towed with both and either has +'S or -'S.

I saw a wrecked TT once.

Everything above the waterline was gone, except for the toilet.

The debris trail in the ditch contained everything else.

It looked like there was a confrontation going on between The Insurance and The Weight Police over who gets to shovel up all the rubbish and cart it away to weigh it for Insurance Denial and Internet Posting Purposes vis a vis exceeding Weight Ratings and Tires and such....

MySuncoastRV wrote:
You are using an actual hitch and not a bumper mounted ball hopefully. Also, I'd look into a weight distributing hitch such as a torsion bar setup. The weight is more centered over your axle on the 5th wheel setup. Even though the tongue equipped trailer is less weight, it is also making your truck carry more weight at the bumper. Look into something like this...https://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx

Lol, read his sig line!

Good entertainment. Folks.