Going to a larger fifth wheel. Thoughts? Help!

[1Adam12]

Were giving serious thought to going to a larger unit We would be making the jump from approximately 33 feet to 38'5. The weight increase will be approximately 2500 pounds. I'm a little nervous about the length.

I would like to hear from anyone who has made a similar jump and what their thoughts about it are now. I would prefer to keep the discussion about the length and added weight with the fifth wheel and not discuss tow ratings. We will be purchasing something that will safely comply with our trucks abilities.

Any comments about topics like getting gas (dealing with gas stations on the road) backing into campsites etc. would be appreciated. I'm afraid I might be getting ready to plunk down some cash and picking up another 5-7 feet.

Just FYI we have in over 20 years had a slide on truck camper, pop up, small TT, large TT with slide, current fifth wheel which is a 31.5 bunk house. This will be the first behemoth so to speak!

Thanks!

[Jloucks]

I go from nothing to 32+ feet all the time without much tadoo. I cannot imagine a few feet more will make a difference apart from the obvious (slightly wider turns, slightly more room needed to merge, etc.)

[silvercorvette]

Michelle.S wrote:
We went from a 34 foot Montana to a 40 foot Redwood and no major problems. Just have to swing a little wider on turns, but for backing up, I find the RW easier than the Montana.

Your are assuming there is room to swing wider, the C/G where I damaged my rear jack had a sharp right turn at the top of a steep hill and the road was very narrow with no room to swing wide.

[kennethwooster]

We went from 38.5 to 32ft. It's all in the design. The 32 has just about as much room except in the bedroom. Still very workable. I've towed stuff all my life so that is not the issue. We just found what we wanted and bought it.

[The_Mad_Norsky]

remoandiris wrote:

The Mad Norsky wrote:
So don't pay attention to naysayers about getting locked out of spaces you probably would never have used in the first place.

I have a 39' 5er. I'm getting a 44' TH. With the TH, I can't fit in either CG at Canyon de Chelly. Yes, 5' does make a difference.

Too bad, heard that Canyon de Chelly is nice. However, this has absolutely nothing to do with the post at hand here. Besides, if you stayed at that location previously with your 39 foot fiver, then you caused your own exodus getting a rig 40 feet plus in length.

Most campgrounds are built to handle rigs in the 35 foot length, so adding 2.5 feet to each end of the 33 foot rig is NOT going to make any differences.

That said, yes, gas stations can be a pain. One has to be a little more selective in where you go. But, to the OP here, if you managed fine at gas stations with your 33 footer, well again, that extra is not going to be a deal breaker. Just be aware of your surroundings, perhaps noting the tail may swing just a tad wider on your turns, and you'll do fine.

This whole thread almost seems much ado about nothing. Those few extra feet, considering one is already experienced with a fifth wheel, is not going to be any type of major problem.

Mind you, if the OP is gonna try a space shuttle special and tow the new, bigger fiver with a Toyota Tundra, then maybe there is a problem.

[mamestra]

We also went from a 32 ft to a 40 ft, I actually found that the larger trailer is easier to back up than the smaller one, if you are comfortable backing up a 5th wheel you probably won't see much difference. I too have gone to an axillary fuel tank and now either fuel at truck stops or drop the trailer and fuel. I can't say that the extended length doesn't limit where you can stay, but it certainly nice to have the extra room if you are on the road for extended periods. We certainly enjoy the extra room.

[Michelle_S]

We went from a 34 foot Montana to a 40 foot Redwood and no major problems. Just have to swing a little wider on turns, but for backing up, I find the RW easier than the Montana.

[silvercorvette]

1Adam12 wrote:
Were giving serious thought to going to a larger unit We would be making the jump from approximately 33 feet to 38'5. The weight increase will be approximately 2500 pounds. I'm a little nervous about the length.

I would like to hear from anyone who has made a similar jump and what their thoughts about it are now. I would prefer to keep the discussion about the length and added weight with the fifth wheel and not discuss tow ratings. We will be purchasing something that will safely comply with our trucks abilities.

Any comments about topics like getting gas (dealing with gas stations on the road) backing into campsites etc. would be appreciated. I'm afraid I might be getting ready to plunk down some cash and picking up another 5-7 feet.

Just FYI we have in over 20 years had a slide on truck camper, pop up, small TT, large TT with slide, current fifth wheel which is a 31.5 bunk house. This will be the first behemoth so to speak!

Thanks!

Heck I just went from a 28 foot to a 33 foot and the 33 footer seems like a behemoth. I stopped at 3 KOAs between SC an NY one was an easy pull through but two were difficult with the 33 footer I bent the rear leveling jack going up a hill with a sharp turn, it would have been worst with probably more damage in a 38 footer

[tnd2]

We went from a 29'TT to a 43'TH, you have adjusted to the worse part, backing a 5'er. They are lazy compared to a TT, but that being said I can get the TH in and out of far tighter spots than I could with the TT due to the ability to turn much sharper(of course my tires look well worn from where I have to jack it in to store it at home).
My concern is the height, the TT was 10'6" and the TH is 13'4" with a flat roof so it's tall all the way back to the rear. And I fear low branches in the campgrounds, its much easier to deal with the fuel stops as most all canopies are marked or easy enough to gauge off a nearby car/suv/etc. But since the bedroom is over the bed of the truck and way up it can be hard to see your clearance in the mirror in the dark.

[richfaa]

"Any comments about topics like getting gas (dealing with gas stations on the road) backing into campsites etc. would be appreciated. I'm afraid I might be getting ready to plunk down some cash and picking up another 5-7 feet."

Sure all that will be more difficult but you will adjust. If the larger Rv is what you need then get it. Make sure you have enough truck.

[PA12DRVR]

I went from a "29" foot TT to a "36" 5th wheel: actual lengths were 31' and 39' respectively.

Even that 8 feet didn't make that much of a difference in campsites: yes we had to be a bit more choosy, but never found a town that we couldn't stay in; only very rarely was there a park we couldn't find a spot in.

Gas stations were another matter: my truck at the time had a 26 (!) gallon tank. I didn't have the luxury of finding a good size gas station. After a midnight event in San Antonio where I had to drop the trailer in a Kroger lot, run across the street to fill up and then rehitch, I decided an in-bed tank was in order....after adding an additional 80 gallons of fuel capacity, I could drive all day and refill after unhitching that evening.

So...I'd suggest worrying about gas stations, if anything, and even that worry is more driven by your truck than the trailer.

[remoandiris]

The Mad Norsky wrote:
So don't pay attention to naysayers about getting locked out of spaces you probably would never have used in the first place.

I have a 39' 5er. I'm getting a 44' TH. With the TH, I can't fit in either CG at Canyon de Chelly. Yes, 5' does make a difference.

[sunbug]

Our current fifth wheel is 34.5 which measures 37 feet long. The only thing we have accepted is it limits us when it comes to forest service and some state campgrounds. Even though some spots may be long enough, driving through the campground curves with the way they place rocks may pose a problem with rear swing.

[TimnJo]

Went from a 32 foot to a 39 foot, and found a big difference backing in to our driveway and have trouble finding spots in provincial parks that we can easily maneuver into.

As usual YMMV.

Tim

[The_Mad_Norsky]

It is not going to be any huge problem at all.

I went from 26 foot fifth wheel to 35 foot fifth wheel back in 2003. Had already been using the smaller fifth wheel since 1996. The BIG learning curve was with the first RV.

Changing size is no big deal, once you've already got some fifth wheel experience.

As far as camping sites go, it is really minimal difference. If you could get in with 33 feet then five more feet is NOT gonna make a huge difference or lock you out of a lot of places size wise.

It is not like you were doing fine with 33 feet then OMG what am I gonna do with the extra 5 feet kind of thing.

As I said, if you fit with 33, you've probably got enough room to do a little more. So don't pay attention to naysayers about getting locked out of spaces you probably would never have used in the first place.

[Halmfamily]

Our first and current trailer is 40.6' fiver, go big or go home. I wanted to start smaller but wife fell in love with biggest one we found. Our 1 year anniversary with the fiver is coming up and no issues towing , backing or setting up. Once you get used to the size and how it handles no problem. I had a lot of fun learning how to handle this big of a trailer and now I'm glad to say my wife was right, um yea I said that. Travel on.