To a 5er or not to a 5er

sbergherr, If given the choice, a 5er "only". If you do go 40 ft., you will only increase your overall length by approx. 2 feet. You will have much greater living area as well as greatly increased storage ( at least over most TT's). I believe that you will find that the 5er is more comfortable to tow, and likely more stable on undulating highways. Also, when backing or on a sharp turn....you can virtually go to 90degrees. Though with a short box you are somewhat limited on the 90 degrees, but still greater than the TT.£There are more 5ers that offer 4 season capabilities....though with many it is a sales ploy! Also, when purchasing your hitch, make certain you get the 4 - way articulating head. You will appreciate it, unless you always camp on a nearly perfectly level site.

If you load the fifth wheel to 15.5K, the pin will likely weigh around 3,500 lbs. That should be within the capabilities of a single rear wheel F350, but I would weigh the truck with full fuel, hitch (or add weight if you don't have the hitch) and occupants to know for sure. The rear axle numbers are what matter the most.

What Todd said on length; since the front of the fifth wheel overhangs the truck bed, you're not increasing the overall length all that much - especially if you consider that 3 - 4 feet of the pull-behind's length is the A-frame tongue on the front of the trailer. A good fifth wheel pulls better and is more stable than even a well-setup pull-behind. We started out with a 6.5' bed and an Andersen Ultimate hitch (non-sliding hitch). I could get the truck and trailer to about 80 - 85 degrees backing up. It was never an issue getting into or out of an RV site. Of course, with an 8' bed, now, that's not an issue at all.

Rob

That FW should work for your truck. Like mentioned load truck, weigh it, especially the rear axle by itself. Now look at your RAWR/tire max rating.
Subtract actual rear axle weight from above, to see what is left, keeping in mind, the hitch will weigh 200#s to subtract also, if not installed before weight numbers.

Jerry

Hi.. upside is the 5th wheel is much safer tow in the wind. Down side the hitch takes up a lot of space in the bed.. I have a long bed so I can haul stuff in front and behind the hitch.. downside/without the trailer it is hard to find parking places in town with a long bed... not impossible just harder. JuSt some things to consider. Jim2007. I am on my second long bed..

Thanks for the replies. I have heard towing a 5er is much less stressful than a bumper pull trailer. I started pulling our 32ft overall length trailer with a 1/2 ton pickup then decided to buy the 350 after a few months of owning the trailer. I never really liked the towing experience with that F150. I thought I had bought a big enough truck for a much bigger trailer. I have heard now that I need a dually for this particular 5er mentioned above. We see folks dragging around giant toy haulers with 250's all the time, not to say it's safe. Just wanted opinions from folks that do have bigger 5ers and tow with SRW 350s. Thanks again.

5ers have way too much pin weight...lets them put smaller tires and axles under them. Unfortunately it's hard to load things in the back to decrease the pin weight as most of the storage is up front unless it's a TH. Yes, most on here are dually, dually, dually only; not me. Figure out how to decrease the pin weight and use your SRW.

With a newer truck you don’t need a dually for a 15k lb fifth wheel. And yeah they tow a lot nicer than travel trailer style trailers. Some argue it but the geometry is what it is.

Ivylog wrote:
5ers have way too much pin weight...lets them put smaller tires and axles under them. Unfortunately it's hard to load things in the back to decrease the pin weight as most of the storage is up front unless it's a TH. Yes, most on here are dually, dually, dually only; not me. Figure out how to decrease the pin weight and use your SRW.

Reputable, quality 5er's don't use underrated axles/rims/ tires! In fact many use triple 7k axles with 16" or 17.5" wheels/tires. Other lighter quality units often come with two 8K axles and 17.5" wheels/ tires.


Of course if you don't do your research...you could purchase exactly what you described.

IdaD wrote:
With a newer truck you don’t need a dually for a 15k lb fifth wheel. And yeah they tow a lot nicer than travel trailer style trailers. Some argue it but the geometry is what it is.

+1 - on duality "not" needed with a late model truck and a 5er that "only "weighs in at 15K