Why did you go with a 5th wheel?

[MookieKat]

We are a first time RV buyer and are weighing some of the options. We started our quest for an RV thinking that we would buy a TT, but now we are open to 5th wheels, as they have been suggested to us by the TT forum. We would like to have more info about TTs vs 5th wheels.

Why did you go with a 5th wheel? And what was your progression?

Pros and cons to each would be very nice. Thank you!

[chuggs]

I just got back from a 12 night trip in our fiver...very comfortable. I just hate to come home.

A couple of points came to mind... 5th wheels have a tendency to pick up lots of love bugs. So, keep the nose waxed good. I had hundreds stuck to the front...but a quick rinse, a few brush strokes with RV soap, and a rinse and they were gone. Good thing I touched up the wax before the drive home, or those love bugs would have required some elbow grease to get off.

The other thing that came to mind...while my wife and I were returning to our site from a bike ride (folding bike by Downtube that store easily inside the camper) ...we witnessed a gentleman backing his fiver into a site. He got it twisted a bit...and before I could even yell STOP he had crunched the rear pillar of his new F-350. If you get a short bed truck, do yourself a huge favor and get a Superglide hitch. We have one, noticed that the people camping next to us had one too. I bet that guy that just crunched his truck is wishing he had one too. Also, when learning to back a 5 th wheel...try not to exceed about a 45 degree angle. The more angle you get between the truck and the camper the larger the lead time is to transition out of a turn again. It CAN be done...just remember the huge lead time AND the twisting moment you are putting on your running gear. Two and three axle trailers have a lot of side force on the springs and axles when pivoting a trailer at high angles.

I've been taking notes on things I would prefer to have in my next 5th wheel :).

1) vanity that you can actually spit toothpaste into without hitting your head on the mirror.
2) 16" wheels to give a better selection of tires. 15" tires are limited to junk, basically.
3). Dual A/C units. In FL, parked in a shade free spot...with one A/C...our camper will get up to 83-84 degrees during the day with the single a/c unit going full tilt.
4) receiver hitch for bike rack attachment.

Some other wishes...

Full body paint to eliminate peeling decals
6 point hydraulic self leveling
Generator
50 amp service
More fridge space
Full queen vs short queen mattress.
Larger grey tank for camping in state parks with no sewer connection.
Slightly larger wardrobe space if going full time
Possible washer dryer connection if going full time
Wired for SAT if going full time.
Built-in ice maker??? We use a countertop model now...and it takes up a lot of counter space.

Our unit is fine for us really...but when I retire, we plan on doing a LOT of traveling...we'll probably upgrade then.

[goducks10]

Like they say "buy your 3rd one 1st".

[JIMNLIN]

Good luck on that.

We started with truck campers in the '60s/'70s. Moved up to a TT for two months but double towing with my 18' boat was a bitzh. We bought a 24' 5th wheel in the early '80s so I could tow the boat. Its been a progression some what of larger 5th wheel trailers since. However for our use one was a 32' 5er and was simply too big for what we do and places we want go with one.
Get what you like as you'll change your mind after a while.

[MookieKat]

jbmoo wrote:
we started with a tent, but wife had hip replacement, so damp ground was out so we got a popup, kept it a year, then a hybrid cub 23 ft., kept it a year then now we have a fiver. we love it but had to get a bigger truck, which i wanted anyway haha, and a 30 ft. holiday rambler. i retire in less than three years and we are already practicing. love the storage, love pulling it , however you almost forget its there so you need to be careful. i wanted or so i thought, a pusher mh, but am glad we went this way. much happier i think.

Thanks everyone, for sharing!! We would rather find that one unit that we will be happy with for a while! It takes so much time and effort to have to search for a unit to upgrade to, doesn't it? Thanks to all of your generosity, we hope to shorten the process!!

[jbmoo]

we started with a tent, but wife had hip replacement, so damp ground was out so we got a popup, kept it a year, then a hybrid cub 23 ft., kept it a year then now we have a fiver. we love it but had to get a bigger truck, which i wanted anyway haha, and a 30 ft. holiday rambler. i retire in less than three years and we are already practicing. love the storage, love pulling it , however you almost forget its there so you need to be careful. i wanted or so i thought, a pusher mh, but am glad we went this way. much happier i think.

[marilyn49]

When my husband and I began to consider RVing, we planned to get a motor home, but changed our minds when considering gas mileage. We decided to go with a 5th wheel because of the basement storage. Since we are full-timers, we need to carry as much as possible. Also, we thought a 5th wheel might be easier to sell than a motor home. The step-up is higher than with a TT, but it is roomy for us and has lots of storage. (could always use more though)

[Ragin_Cajun]

BB_TX wrote:
Stable towing, high ceilings, less total overall length since part of it is over the truck, large storage basement.

Ditto!

[LostinAZ]

kakampers wrote:

pablo77 wrote:
I'm 6'4" and couldn't feel comfortable in any fifth wheel bedroom/bath. Anytime I stood up straight I hit a light fixture. While the main living area is nice and high, I couldn't deal with crouching whenever I went to the bedroom/bath. That's why I ended up with a motor home. How does your husband not feel "crushed" in the bedroom/bath?

If you are referring to KrisNKallen, they have a MS which is a high profile fiver...usually has at least 6'8" clearance in the bedroom...We have a Landmark and that's the clearance in our fiver too.

You may have been looking at mid-profile units...

I'm 6'3" and wanted some head room over what typically is avaiable in TT. We ended up with a 2006 Montana 3400RL 5th wheel and I have plenty of headroom even in the bedroom.

[kakampers]

pablo77 wrote:
I'm 6'4" and couldn't feel comfortable in any fifth wheel bedroom/bath. Anytime I stood up straight I hit a light fixture. While the main living area is nice and high, I couldn't deal with crouching whenever I went to the bedroom/bath. That's why I ended up with a motor home. How does your husband not feel "crushed" in the bedroom/bath?

If you are referring to KrisNKallen, they have a MS which is a high profile fiver...usually has at least 6'8" clearance in the bedroom...We have a Landmark and that's the clearance in our fiver too.

You may have been looking at mid-profile units...

[Stefonius]

MookieKat wrote:
So, if possible, we should try to get a pull-through site? I would assume that that would eliminate having to back in?

There's definitely a learning curve with a fiver, but it's not very steep. A little practice and you'll be backing it in like a champ in no time.

[MookieKat]

JeffroMax wrote:
I need to tow my Polaris RZR behind my camper and I wanted a vehicle to to drive to town if needed. A fifth wheel was the only way to go and I am very happy with how much value we got out of a fifth wheel. Double towing all the way!!

That is a beaut!!

[JeffroMax]

I need to tow my Polaris RZR behind my camper and I wanted a vehicle to to drive to town if needed. A fifth wheel was the only way to go and I am very happy with how much value we got out of a fifth wheel. Double towing all the way!!

[MookieKat]

So, if possible, we should try to get a pull-through site? I would assume that that would eliminate having to back in?

[rhartman911]

I had a 27'-TT for 4 years years and it was so long with tow rig that it was hard to maneuver so everyone told me the 5th wheel will maneuver much better and it does and is much more stable while towing and it's so much easier to hook up to tow rig
What I am having problems with is backing the 5th wheel up, and for taking up bed space is no problem for me I have a 8' bed but I just put stuff in the trailer if needed.
Hope this helps I have only had my 5th wheel for 2 months and only taken out twice but it's kind of imbarassing when people are watching you try backing in So backing up the 5th wheel trailer is my only issue