5th wheel vs tt

[my_toys]

Just curious: my friend tows a 5th wheel that is 40ft and 16,500lb. Could he also tow a travel trailer that is 40ft and 10,000lb? I know the weight distribution is different. I don't know much about 5th wheels.

[BarneyS]

Pick up a Hensley hitch, either new or used, and most of those towing problems will disappear. 🙂
Barney

[srt20]

atwowheelguy wrote:

srt20 wrote:
I just bought a 40 ft TT today. I towed it 180 miles home from dealer. And it was pretty windy out. IT SUCKED.
I well under my capacities, payload, etc. That big wind sail pushed me all over the place. The hitch was setup pretty good.

Ive towed much heavier trailers, but shorter. Never been pushed around that much before.

Is a 40' bumper pull trailer really a TRAVEL trailer? I thought they were called DESTINATION trailer or PARK MODEL trailer.

I've seen it called both TT and destination. Mainly TT. It is almost identical to a regular TT except it's longer and has sliding patio window. Most park and destination are taller and don't look like they are meant to be towed much.

Though, ours will be parked on a seasonal site year round. We wanted a TT style so we could take it other places if we wanted to go somewhere, but I'm not going any long distances with it until we get a dually.

It's a Keystone Hideout 38FKTS. Length is 39' 11". Listed dry weight is 92xx lbs. Neither the engine or brakes struggled. The wind is what pushed it around.
I'm 41 and have lots of experience driving and towing large vehicles, including semi, and driving off the beaten path in the mountains, and I consider myself more capable then most. But this thing was a handful.

[N-Trouble]

IdaD wrote:
A 40' travel trailer is nuts. To me once you hit about 30' it makes way more sense to get into a fifth wheel model - shorter overall length and much better towing.

Couldnt agree more. Trailer manufacturers building these things over 30ft are really doing a disservice to their customers but I guess they are willing to build whatever the public will buy.

[IdaD]

A 40' travel trailer is nuts. To me once you hit about 30' it makes way more sense to get into a fifth wheel model - shorter overall length and much better towing.

[atwowheelguy]

srt20 wrote:
I just bought a 40 ft TT today. I towed it 180 miles home from dealer. And it was pretty windy out. IT SUCKED.
I well under my capacities, payload, etc. That big wind sail pushed me all over the place. The hitch was setup pretty good.

Ive towed much heavier trailers, but shorter. Never been pushed around that much before.

Is a 40' bumper pull trailer really a TRAVEL trailer? I thought they were called DESTINATION trailer or PARK MODEL trailer.

[srt20]

I just bought a 40 ft TT today. I towed it 180 miles home from dealer. And it was pretty windy out. IT SUCKED.
I well under my capacities, payload, etc. That big wind sail pushed me all over the place. The hitch was setup pretty good.

Ive towed much heavier trailers, but shorter. Never been pushed around that much before.

[N-Trouble]

jerem0621 wrote:

my toys wrote:
Thank you all for the replies. One day I will have to experience the 5th wheel smooth tow.

It's not all rainbows and butterflies... Set up is critical for a fiver too. Some hitches are better than others and improves the ride quality. Just google fifth wheel chucking and read to your hearts content.

Thanks, Jeremiah

True, BUT even my poorly setup 5er (5"nose high, solid equalizers, solid pinbox) towed better than my previous bumper pull. Now that I've got it leveled and added EZ-flex equalizers it tows really nice.

[jerem0621]

my toys wrote:
Thank you all for the replies. One day I will have to experience the 5th wheel smooth tow.

It's not all rainbows and butterflies... Set up is critical for a fiver too. Some hitches are better than others and improves the ride quality. Just google fifth wheel chucking and read to your hearts content.

Thanks, Jeremiah

[N-Trouble]

They make 40ft TTs? What a horrible idea...

[my_toys]

Thank you all for the replies. One day I will have to experience the 5th wheel smooth tow.

[tegu69]

my toys wrote:
Just curious: my friend tows a 5th wheel that is 40ft and 16,500lb. Could he also tow a travel trailer that is 40ft and 10,000lb? I know the weight distribution is different. I don't know much about 5th wheels.

I'd say that would be one long rig.

[Nicholsfamily05]

My wife and I went from a 32' TT with the V- nose weighing in at about 7400# it towed nice. We had a really nice WDH and a truck big enough to handle it.
But it was a pain in strong winds from any direction, sucked in hard whenever a big rig would pass, and just a rough ride when it bounced. We got ok gas mileage but if the wind was against us forget it. It tanked.

Coming up on 3 years ago we switched to a 40' FW that weighs in around 12,000#.
It was a totally different experience as we have never towed a fifth wheel before and never rode in a vehicle that towed one either. Friends and family always had TT.
We love everything about the switch from the ride quality, to vehicles passing us to strong head winds it is a total change. Pulls great and we have even noticed we do better with our gas mileage too. Not a substantial difference but one we can notice. We track it pretty good.

[valhalla360]

He has to check the weight ratings but if the 5th wheel is within ratings, it would be very unlikely that the trailer exceeds them.

Won't tow as nice as the 5th wheel but with the proper weight distributing hitch, not a big concern.

[jerem0621]

Given the proper tow vehicle...of course...

But he will be 5-6 ft longer overall with the 40 ft TT than the 40 ft fiver because part of the fiver overhangs the truck while under tow.

Also, fivers naturally tow better because of the location of the hitch...it's right over the rear axle...and the pin weight on the fiver is more than the tongue weight of the TT..the more pin weight the more stable the trailer.

A TT can tow very well with careful loading and a good WD hitch with sway control and good design. But a fiver naturally takes care of these issues by virtue of the design of the fiver.

Thanks!

Jeremiah