5th wheel or TT?

bradswife wrote:
.we found a 2012 F250, 6.7L Power Stroke 4V Diesel V8, 3.55 electronic axle, FX4. It has been lifted, I'm not sure how many inches but I can get in by stepping on the sidestep. Is this a good thing or a bad thing for a FW or TT?

IMHO it's not a bad thing it's a TERIBLE thing. For any truck. Someone will pop up and say otherwise so I'm saying JMHO. Search internet.

As far as fiver vs TT there are plusses and minuses to both.

5th is higher which can be a problem in "unimproved" campgrounds, some roads and you have more wind resistance. You lose bed storage, and put a whole lot more load on your truck. Usually stairs into bedroom which doesn't sound like a big deal but they get to be a nuisance in a small area. They hook up a little easier/faster. But if you take into account installing and removing the hitch from the bed it's a wash.

My hitching comment above are compared to a Hensley which I use with my current TT. Hookup is much easier than messing with spring bars and chains. It also tows every bit as well as a 5er.

The TTs are flat floor plan. No storage under but still have bed of truck unobstructed.

It's up to you, figure out which one works the best for you. Floor plan should play a big part of that. The 5er people will tell you 5er, the TT people will tell you TT. There are people who have changed both ways and are happy.

When I bought my first one everyone said "whatever you think you need get bigger" I now feel that was bad advice. Be honest with yourself when looking. Are you going to be living in it or camping? We are in ours very little when camping.

I went from a 5er to a TT and like it better. JMHO

However, If I was going too much over 32ft or so I would go 5er because of overall length.

It is strictly personal preference as both have pros and cons. For me a TT is perfect.

OpenRangePullen_Ford wrote:

Go with the 5th wheel better quality and to make up for the lack of bed storage 5th wheels have huge basement storage. And with the pin weight, I have a F-250 diesel and pull a 41 footer 5W that weighs in at just under 13,000 pounds and has about a 2,400 pound pin weight and the truck is still pretty level when I'm towing.

Interesting. We both have a 10K GVWR max but my truck seems to weigh a good 500 lbs. more than yours. Though I would guess, with the diesel and the Fx4, that you are about maxed out on payload. With a 1K hitch weight, I still have 800 lbs of payload. I use that for the camper shell, winch, sliding bed drawer, bike rack, generator, extra passengers, remote camping gear, air compressor, etc. We like to get to very remote areas and not having the right equipment with us could be a disaster. It's great that a 5er has basement storage but it won't help if you are 50 miles down a dirt road and stuck, unless you drag your basement storage with you.

The great thing about RVs is that there is one to suit almost any style of traveling.

Thank you all SO much for your help. There is so much to learn! Now I have another question and maybe I need to ask it on a different thread, but...we found a 2012 F250, 6.7L Power Stroke 4V Diesel V8, 3.55 electronic axle, FX4. It has been lifted, I'm not sure how many inches but I can get in by stepping on the sidestep. Is this a good thing or a bad thing for a FW or TT?

The crew cab tows 14,000 lbs in the F250 or F350, and 16,000 for a Fifth Wheel. In the specs it says payload is 3,290 lbs. We definitely do not want to go up to a Dually.

wmoses wrote:

texasclarks wrote:
I was looking at an F250 diesel the other day that had @ 1350# (IIRC) of cargo capacity. There are well equipped F150 with more than that.

Must have been an ancient F250.

Not necessarily "ancient". Diesel engine takes away a MAJOR portion of payload, 4x4 option takes more, crew cab takes more, trim package takes more, and any other "optional" items that folks like to load up on like a fancy baked potato..

Just diesel and 4x4 can consume 1200 lbs of payload capacity alone. That is why I say you must shop wisely, do your homework and SKIP unneeded items you CAN get F250s with CONSIDERABLE payload capacity.

Even the 2013 F250s when loaded with diesel, 4x4 along with crewcab, long bed plus top tier interior package you might be hard pressed to get a little over 2K payload with a F250. That is why it is recommended to move up to F350 when considering diesel....

texasclarks wrote:
I was looking at an F250 diesel the other day that had @ 1350# (IIRC) of cargo capacity. There are well equipped F150 with more than that.

Must have been an ancient F250.

Both are good rigs. For me, I purchased the F-350 SRW diesel truck. The one before it was a Dodge Cummins 1 ton dually. I prefer the SRW for what I use it for and I like the TT combination the best. We have a couple of 5ers in the family and they are great, but I want to take a quad in the bed of the truck so that leaves out a fifth wheel. I also like my silver Avions and the fifth wheel Avions are quite rare. You can't go wrong either way, but I would pick the trailer first, or get a 1 ton truck in diesel so you can easily tow either one. For some folks, the diesel option isn't worth it, but for me it is.

Often asked question that boils down to what really matters to you. If you are thinking of going with a 5er, make sure that tow vehicle can handle the payload as many larger units will require a 350/3500 dually to do the job satisfactorily. The reasons given for their choices between the two types of trailers are personal as both have their pros and cons depending on the poster's viewpoint. Recent year models of 5ers and TTs are becoming quite similar in layout and design that virtually whatever one desires to have in their rig is available in both formats. Go with what feels best for your particular situation and enjoy your new rig.

dahkota wrote:
Our F250 diesel can't carry the pin weight of any but the very smallest 5er (payload capacity 1860 lbs). But, we prefer a tt anyway, because it allows us a lot of room in the bed of the truck and a camper shell.

We looked at the Sunset Trail 32rl but it was just a bit too long. It also didn't have a heated underbelly, which we need for winter camping. It is a very nice tt, though.

The added weight of a Diesel engine puts any 3/4 ton truck short on payload capacity.

However you CAN get F250s which have CONSIDERABLY MORE payload capacity if you shop wisely.

For instance I have a 2013 F250 XLT with 6.2, 3.73 axle, 2wd, Supercab, short bed. My payload capacity listed on the door is 3415 lbs.

If you DON'T "need" 4x4, DIESEL, crewcab (full 4 door) and top tier "trim" packages it CAN be done with a F250.

There is NO "NEED" for a diesel to tow a FW or a TT unless it makes you feel like a big kid and have the dough to BURN. Fords 6.2 IS an outstanding very stout gas engine and is very capable of towing rather heavy loads.

As far as FW vs TT, it really depend more on what you like in life. I tow a TT since I like having my truck bed free to haul generator, bikes and other assorted stuff that I would not want to put in my trailer.

Keep in mind the FW hitch takes a rather large chunk of space in the back of your truck and often limits the usefulness of the truck bed.

I would decide on the TT or 5'er BEFORE you decide the TV. If you go with a 5'er I would seriously consider the SRW 350/3500 as they have the extra payload to handle the extra tongue weight of the hitch along with the pin weight. I was looking at an F250 diesel the other day that had @ 1350# (IIRC) of cargo capacity. There are well equipped F150 with more than that.