Possible First Fifth Wheel

[4x4crazy]

So I have had a 24 foot travel trailer in the past. I am thinking of my first fifth wheel. I was looking at travel trailers because they leave my bed open for other toys but I keep going back to the fifth wheels for floor plan and open space. I am probably looking at an older used fifth wheel like early 2000's. My philosophy is I want to see how much I like this before investing in something new. So, I have a tone of questions:

1) What type of hitch do I need? My truck is a 2017 Ford F-250 Platinum diesel with the 5th wheel hitch prep that has the wiring and puck holes in the bed. Its a short bed so I guess it needs a slider.

2) Besides a hitch, what do I need to budget for?

3) I have been looking at older 27-30 foot trailers. Are there certain brands to run away from? Fiberglass siding or Aluminum. I get so confused looking at these.

4) Besides the better floor plans, what am I gaining with the fifth wheel over the travel trailer. I know they pull better by the hitch over the axels. anything else?

5) convenient features: around what time did auto leveling jacks come into play? I like the idea from the new ones I've seen but the older ones don't seem to have it.

I plan on mainly using this as weekend warrior type camping with an occasional 1-2 week trip. For starting its mostly going to be full hookup campgrounds around here in California but the girlfriend likes the idea of boondocking.

[C_Schomer]

Another vote for 16" wheels so you can use at least 3042lb LT tires. Or at least get 6 lug 15s and they can be changed to 16"., later... BTDT. Smaller 5ers don't necessarily have a lot of storage. I prefer fiberglass for hail resistance. Avoid lite, cheap and entry level... You'll eventually spend more money on the low quality stuff, BTDT. We love our two slides... LR and bedroom. More slides are optional... we don't need or want more. We also love our rear kitchen for more counter space and for the traffic flow. Morryde, ezflex or equaflex are all good options. The bigger the basement, the better.
You'll be missing the best camping of all if you don't dry camp in the boonies!! Craig

[Blazing_Zippers]

We went from a tow behind Cougar 24RKS to a Cougar 279RKS fifth wheel. Towing is much better with the fifth wheel, backing is trickier, much more storage capacity in the new rig, and I've only forgotten about the steps (in the dark) once. There is a bunch of room in the fifth wheel that we didn't have before, and the rear kitchen is very nice. We have an Andersen and haven't had a turning problem.
On the flip side; height of my truck ( 2016 Ram 2500 Hemi), has been an issue, and the height of the trailer has to be considered when in campgrounds, etc.
We've towed the trailer over 10,000 miles (California, Alaska, Idaho, etc) and would buy another fifth wheel.

[2naEagle]

Also look for a trailer with 16 inch tries and look to see if there is any adjustment on the suspension.

[2naEagle]

6 inches minimum. But remember the truck will squat some probably at least 2 inches. It is hard to measure unless you are loaded and on level ground.

[4x4crazy]

I never really even thought about the height of my truck. I'm going to go looking today so ill measure. What amount of clearance should I be looking for? 2naeagle, your jayco is on par with what I'm looking at. Those are both nice set ups.

I was looking into the Andersen hitches. I like the idea of still being able to use my bed when not towing

[MFL]

Nice looking rig, great fit too!

Jerry

[2naEagle]

I have been using a B&W for over 10 years without a problem. Watch the height of your truck. Hook up the trailer and check it out you may have to do some things to the trailer to level it up.
Here is some pictures of my old 2008 Jayco Eagle 291RLTS on my 2017 F350 it worked out pretty good.





Might as well show off the new one also 🙂

[azdryheat]

When the winds get out of hand, I'll take a 5th wheel every time, very stable. Bumper-pulls can get out of hand. I'll even take a 5th wheel in windy conditions over those huge diesel pushers. I've driven both in bad winds and the 5th wheel wins every time.

[Durb]

I made the move from a 25 ft. TT to a 31 ft. fifth wheel for camping scenarios similar to yours. We are overall happy but realize there are tradeoffs. The fiver tows shorter and is more comfortable on the road. Storage on the fiver is ample and more easily accessible than the back of a truck. Backing takes a while to learn, something I have not completely mastered.

A word of caution. Your truck has tailgate height of 60" or more. Early 2,000s trailers were built to fit the trucks of the day which were lower. Take a tape measure and measure the overhang of your prospective trailer and make sure it will fit your truck with sufficient bed rail clearance. Many won't. There is no way my 2008 trailer will fit your new truck. Click my profile and cross that model off your list.

Good luck and have fun with your search.

[MFL]

A FW is also easier to hook up/disconnect, than a TT. I don't know if your boondocking includes trees, but that can be a disadvantage, due to the height of many FWs.

Your truck is very capable of carrying a FW. Like mentioned, you need to go by your RAWR/tire max rating.

IMO, the best hitch for the Ford OEM pucks is the B&W. You can get the heavy slider, not really needed, or the much lighter 3300 non-slider (my choice). It is adjustable up/down, ahead/back.

I would stay away from the Lite models, if buying used. Keep asking questions, there are lots of helpful people here. You will get varying advice though, that you will have to sort on your own.

Jerry

[DSteiner51]

4x4crazy wrote:


Looking through complaints, it seemed like Keystone was a maker that many people say to stay away from. Although I do like the cougars.

Keystone sells more then other brands and there are tens of thousands of us happy with our purchase, just not as vocal as those who have a problem. Others brands have problems too. Find what fits your fancy and don’t let nay sayers rob you of your joy.

[4bearhug]

4x4crazy wrote:
I think the 27-30 foot trailers are on the smaller side for fifth wheels from what I have seen? Why go with a lite model? I think my truck is rated to tow pretty descent weights. I tend to find the "lite" models to be lower quality than a lot of the regular weight models.

Looking through complaints, it seemed like Keystone was a maker that many people say to stay away from. Although I do like the cougars.

My reference to cargo was comparing a travel trailer to fifth wheel. It seems any fifth wheel takes up nearly the entire bed of the truck

Generally speaking 5th wheels have tons more storage than a TT. You obviously give up some bed space but gain more than that in the multiple storage areas on the 5er that is locked and dry. Also more cabinet/closet area on the inside. It's one of the major gains moving from a TT to a 5er.

[Lwiddis]

“For starting its mostly going to be full hookup campgrounds around here in California but the girlfriend likes the idea of boondocking.“

Good for GF who doesn’t want to vacation in a horizontal apartment...with full hookups.

[IdaD]

On that truck the payload tag is meaningless. Use your tire and axle ratings to determine what fifth wheels you can tow/haul. You don't necessarily need a slider. I use an Andersen flipped back and it gives me plenty of clearance. Of course your comfort level needs to come into play in that decision.