Need 5th wheel advice

[Flscubadiver72]

We currently own a Lance truck camper but we are thinking about buying a 39ft toy hauler for a trip we will be making from FL to AK next year. It seems like national parks out west all have size limits is there any drawback to having a 5th wheel close to 40ft? Also is there any major difference between towing (tight turning) between tandem and triple axel this would be our 1st 5th wheel any advice would help greatly

[avvidclif1]

Flscubadiver72 wrote:
We currently own a Lance truck camper but we are thinking about buying a 39ft toy hauler for a trip we will be making from FL to AK next year. It seems like national parks out west all have size limits is there any drawback to having a 5th wheel close to 40ft? Also is there any major difference between towing (tight turning) between tandem and triple axel this would be our 1st 5th wheel any advice would help greatly

Food for thought: On another RV group I'm a member of a couple parked their 5th wheel and bought a truck camper for an AK trip. After the trip they sold the truck camper and went back to the 5th wheel. Their reasoning was a large 5th wheel severely limited their options for campsites on the way up and in AK. Think about it. Find folks who have made the trip.

[Flscubadiver72]

Thanks I think we have decided to keep the TC for the trip and we have a 2016 Ram 3500 mega 4x4....We are planning on leaving May or June of 2016 and running up the west coast to AK then coming back across the states to Maine and coming down the east coast

[VTLee]

Keep the truck camper until you have used the 5er for a while. For long trips we prefer the truck camper. When we are going somewhere and staying there we take the fifth wheel. Traveling in the truck camper is much easier.

[bodacious]

My advice would be to do the trip with the TC, especially if you plan on doing much
boondocking. Did the trip from St. Augustine in 2007 in a TC. I'm on my 4th TC and 2nd 5er and planning another trip to Alaska in 2016 in the TC. We are seasoned veterans in both types of campers...just sayin'.

[Searching_Ut]

The size really will limit you in may ways, especially if you're used to a Truck Camper. When we upgraded from an 18 foot box to a 24 foot box TT it kept us out of 20 to 30 percent of the campgrounds I used to be able to get into. Having now moved up to a 36 foot 5er we're probably down to only 30 percent we can still get in to. Due to the comparatively low ground clearance many of the dirt roads I used to roam aren't an option any more. Long and low ends up dragging.

At 36 foot Forest service sites except the ones in the more major built up areas are pretty much not an option anymore. State parks, I can pretty much get into most around here, but you have to book much earlier to have a chance of getting a bigger spot, which a limited in some of our state parks. The height, long turning radius, and lack of maneuverability also make it more difficult to get into many gas stations and the like. If you're on freeways, or major highways you generally have many good options but if you wander off the beaten path often things can get interesting.

[omextreme]

We just upgraded from a 29' TT to a 40' 5er. We decided not to mount the bikes to the rear since the swing was quite pronounced. We are not full time but with 2 little ones we opted for the space of a bigger unit vs the convenience of parking a smaller one. It was hard to grasp when we bought it but after pulling along some motor homes in our travels we are actually larger than many class A units.

[jackandh2o]

I have heard that three axle trailers are very hard to back and turn. The axles fight each other. Don't know this from personal experience but have heard it more than once. I pull a 33ft 5er and there are places I can't fit either, especially older state parks in Calif and Oregon.

Ray

[retispcsi]

Our unit according to DRV measures 40'6" cap to cap. We carry two bikes on the rear so add about 3'. As full timers who move every week or two we have little trouble finding places. We like government parks, state fed, county etc. In fact we are staying at nothing but state parks in Fl. this winter. Moving every two weeks or less. From Oct. to April. We did about 14,000 miles this summer traveling throughout the Midwest and west. No problem finding places. Yes there are some parks and some sites you won't fit. It sure is nice living in a roomy rig. If you want to know what to pull it with look at my sig. Also we avoid toll roads, as full timers we have the luxury to take the roads less traveled.

[SolidAxleDurang]

golf_bears wrote:
Of a bigger concern to me would me my TV. What are you going to pull that RV with?

Stay focused on the question he's asking.

[golf_bears]

Of a bigger concern to me would me my TV. What are you going to pull that RV with?

[Norskeman]

We downsized from a 38 foot to a 34 foot fifth wheel because of the length of the longer unit. I had a had time finding state parks that would take the longer trailer.

Also if you go on any toll roads the cost of a triple axle is higher. Tolls for our tandem axle - NY to MN - about $120.00

Hopefully you already have a dually, diesel truck - one will be needed for that big of a tow hauler.

[Second_Chance]

Our fifth wheel is 36' plus a two-bike rack on the back. We've been in a couple of national forest campgrounds (in the East) and some state parks in Texas where we almost didn't fit in. We also had a very tight fit in one military resort, as well. I don't think I could have gotten a 40' trailer into those places - but I'm not a retired big rig driver, either.

[TubaPete]

One drawback to a long trailer is the rear end swing. That is, if you turn sharply to the right, say in a gas station, the rear of the trailer will swing a surprising amount to the left. Collisions do occur.