Those with bumper pull TH's.....

[gtsum]

I have been going back and forth between bunkhouse trailers and fifth wheels, and am now starting to really look at TH's. I ride quads, my 6 year old son does too, and my 3 year old is just starting, so a TH makes sense. Seems like the garage areas double nicely for kids back there, so here I am....

I have a 2014 SRW Ram 3500 Megacab CTD on order and am trying to decide between a bumper pull or a fifth wheel TH...most all the fifth TH's I like are quite big and we would be using this for camping without quads for at least 60-70% of the time..the rest would be using it to haul quads...I cant justify 15000lbs behind me going down the road to camp at state parks (most of the time).

So, for those that have bumper pull TH's, what hitch are you using? Reason I ask is they all have much heavier tongue weights than a normal trailer....local dealers always recommend Equalizer around here, but I would likely want to get a propride hitch if I go this route. Anyone using a PP or Hensley hitch with their TH's? I am guessing they would need to be adjusted differently each time since some times there would be quads in the back and other times there wouldnt be?

Finally, can you get 2 full size quads in a 10ft garage?? I dont think I will be able to (and that is a huge sticking point)...I am thinking a 12ft garage is needed for 2 full sized atv's....thoughts?

[boondoggle55]

I agree with everyone on the bigger garage.. or even open floor plan. My 26 fits 1 full size quad,1 80, 2 little 50s and a pw80 it's like Tetris but it works out. I dont like quads in the truck because it adds to the toung weight. As for hitch, I have a blue ox weight dist, and bags. I take the bars off to make the sharp turn and uphill driveway maneuver and it works great,tows straight and stops true.I too was debating 5th vs bumper,and with a short bed and a steep driveway the 5th would have hit the cab for Sure. hope this helps

[N-Trouble]

Remember your kids are going to grow over time and need larger quads. PLan for 3 full size quads in your future when it comes to garage space if you plan on keeping the trailer for a number of years.

[tmm2good]

We have a 35foot bumper pull with a 10foot garage. I fit 2 quads in it easily, but one is a little smaller, They are listed in my sig line. You need to measure out the space you will need by sitting your 2 atv's next to each other and see what type of footprint you have. Your length should be fine, mainly need to worry about the width of the 2 side by side going in the back door. You also still will have the bed of your truck as your kids get older for another ATV.

We use the Equalizer 4 way for our hitch, seems to work out fine. I have looked at the Hensley and pondered it, but I do not see a real reason to yet either.

[DuneJunkie]

My opinion......
A 5th wheel toyhauler pulls much better than a bumber pull, also...a garage limits the amount of toys you can take. Be careful, I found myself in the same spot. And, even a 12 garage gets small FAST as your kids get older and get more toys and bigger bikes.
You are looking to put 2 bikes in a 10' garage.....whats gonna happen when you have 3 toys?

[gtsum]

Thanks Sportsman. I have considered an open floor plan (I assume you mean where the garage is not walled off??) I would want a separate garage I think. Looks like a 12ft garage is going to be needed, which would put me around 38ft min length on a fiver th...which would still be shorter than a 35ft bumper pull behind the truck....

[sportsman_500]

A 10 foot garage is too small if your trying to get sport utility quads in. First if you spin them sideways you block the door to the living area if that is an issue for you I don't know. The second issue would be is when you get the first one in your going to be spinning the second one on the beaver tail section of the trailer which isn't easy. I use an ATV jack to spin my 850 sideways and yes, it is not easy, even with my son helping. If you get a wide body trailer (102") you may be able to get them side by side depending on how they are equipped. Most utility quads stock are around 48" wide so you could get them in as long as the walls in the garage are clear of fold down beds etc...
Finally, have you considered an open floor plan? That would solve your loading issue and probably work much better when camping without the toys.

[gtsum]

Thank you for the thoughts. I was a bit concerned about having a 13000lb bumper pull (even though I have more than enough truck). How about the 10ft garage.....is there a way to get 2 full size quads in there? Spinning them around is not an option unless u can use a lift or something as my 850 is not light

[bigcitypopo]

My Hensley is rated for 14k and a 1400lb tounge rating,,,,, that's a lot... I don't know if I'd want a hitch pull TH with that weight.... Better to stick with a 5er...

I love my Hensley... Worth every penny

[dsrace]

I owned a 2006 wolf pack 30 wp toyhauler 35' total length. I went to a wolf pack 295 fifth wheel toyhauler and I would never go back to a bumper hitch toyhauler. the fiver tows sooooo much nicer than the other. this is just my opinion though. I did pre-fer the floor plan of the 30wp more but towing it was no fun! the fiver is easier to hook up versus the load leveling hitch with sway brakes too. it is larger and heavier but tows easier and I picked up 1 mpg constistantly, on the same roads with the same toys and cargo with the same truck!

[carringb]

My weekend warrior was too heavy for my Hensley. Ripped it apart the first trip. Switch to the Reese dual cam hitch. It's a much more robust hitch, and the WW still towed great.

[gtsum]

I was wondering how bumper pull TH's towed? Is there a vast difference when towing without toys in the rear (because that would be often for us)? When I was originally looking at TT's, I was going with a PP hitch for sure..but then I decided to order the 3500 CTD, and that has opened up more possibilities:) I like the looks of the Torque line of BP TH's...I just need some real world intel regarding the 10ft garage and full size quads

[rcpd34]

The Hensley and PP hitches are great for Travel Trailers. They are designed to manage sway which is usually not a problem for TH's. Sway is primarily caused by low tongue weight. TH's are more ofte than not, tongue heavy unless you put a lot of weight in the garage. The toys balance the load. TH's are also heavier than TT's due to heavier framing/structural integrity due to the back door dropping down; it can't be used for support like on a TT. I have a couple of hitches; one being a weight distributing hitch; kind of a pain to use; especially with air bags, but they do work. I avoided a 5th wheel because I did not want the trade off of losing the use of my bed. My Talon is one of the biggest bumper pull TH's I've seen. Very heavy. The truck in my sig pulls it fine and it stops straight with brakes on all 3 axles. I haven't put two quads in my garage so I can't help you there, but I'm sure t hey would. My garage is a little bigger than most.