Comparison between Bumper Pull and 5th wheel

[Me_Again]

We have been pulling 3 different 5th wheel since 1997, each getting larger and longer. 26' Terry with one slide, 29' Cardinal (31'6") with two slides, and 35' Bighorn with 3 slides(39'4" long) We are now going to leave the Bighorn in our Northwest RV park year round. It has the 6 point level up system.

So after many years of not having a bumper pull we purchased a Laredo 225MK (26'11")as a WA/AZ commuter rig and for side trips.

I have to say that the 5th wheel was much easier and quicker to hitch up and unhitch, including setup. The Laredo has a power jack, and front and rear power stabilizers, which are all very slow compared to the hydraulic level up.

On the road the 2015 RAM 3500 SRW is very smooth, the travel trailer puts a different feeling in to the truck, even though is weighs half as much the 5th wheel.

End of Sept we will be off to Arizona and get a real work out for the setup. Couple local shakedowns coming up.

Chris

[MFL]

Very nice! Looks like you got it covered, and with no real pressure on seals, etc.

Jerry

[Cummins12V98]

This is what I use, very happy with these US Made straps. I cross over frame at back to keep it from bouncing. I really don't compress the suspension at all.

[MFL]

"So I added that to my things to think about when double towing. I stopped to check the MC straps, gave them another click and carried on."

Just a tip for securing MC straps. I use soft ties to fasten bikes, and fasten the straps to the loop of the soft ties. I try not to compress bike suspensions too much, but to insure the hooks cannot pop out/off from where they are fastened, I add a couple of wraps of electrical tape around the open hook. I do the same where the hooks attach to the trailer. I have seen some straps that have a spring loaded clip that secures the hook (no tape needed).

Those curbs, pot holes, and RR tracks, can sure bounce the bikes on a trailer!

Jerry

[Cummins12V98]

BarneyS wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
One thing I learned on a U turn double towing with my MC trailer behind it tracks outside of the RV.

That would be expected because of the long overhang behind the axles of the 5th wheel or TT. Same reason you watch the rear when making a sharp turn close to a tree, building, or other vehicle (tail swing). 🙂
Barney

I was setting along a curb on a 4 lane road plus turn with MC trailer attached. I realized I drove past my turn. I decided I could just crank the wheel hard to the left and turn around, as I was partway into my turn I looked back and my MC trailer jumped as it went up and over the curb with it's curb side wheel. I was surprised!!!

So I added that to my things to think about when double towing. I stopped to check the MC straps, gave them another click and carried on.

[BarneyS]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
One thing I learned on a U turn double towing with my MC trailer behind it tracks outside of the RV.

That would be expected because of the long overhang behind the axles of the 5th wheel or TT. Same reason you watch the rear when making a sharp turn close to a tree, building, or other vehicle (tail swing). 🙂
Barney

[Cummins12V98]

One thing I learned on a U turn double towing with my MC trailer behind it tracks outside of the RV.

[4x4ord]

Brassica wrote:
Is there safety data somewhere that indicates how well we amateurs tow or drive our big motorhomes? I was led to a TT because we were buying in the 3000 pound range.

My hunch is that a Class A motorhome is the safest. Fifth wheel towing would be next, it certainly works for professionals towing forty tons. One needs to mind the right turns so one doesn't drive over the curb, but that is not a problem that will put you in the trauma center. A travel trailer would be next. A Class A towing a "dinghy" is something I wouldn't want to touch. The physics of towing a car with a rather long wheelbase seems frightful to me. I could be towing in cross winds or slick conditions and have no "steering response" in the steering wheel to tell me what is going on back there.

I left out of my summary the Class C which don't handle the suction of a passing truck well; it is still safe. A Class B would be the funnest. As for a fifth wheel double towing with a boat back there: get right with the Lord.

Double towing behind a 5th wheel is an absolute breeze. I actually think my 5th wheel pulls every bit as nice with my enclosed motorcycle trailer in tow as it does without it. Some folks would understandably have a little trouble backing it up but that can be learned.

[TurnThePage]

I think Class A would be the least safe. There's plenty of news articles about blowouts, etc. causing crashes and they don't have any kind of real protection around the drivers. Virtually every other RV does have some kind of cage around the them.

[Brassica]

Is there safety data somewhere that indicates how well we amateurs tow or drive our big motorhomes? I was led to a TT because we were buying in the 3000 pound range.

My hunch is that a Class A motorhome is the safest. Fifth wheel towing would be next, it certainly works for professionals towing forty tons. One needs to mind the right turns so one doesn't drive over the curb, but that is not a problem that will put you in the trauma center. A travel trailer would be next. A Class A towing a "dinghy" is something I wouldn't want to touch. The physics of towing a car with a rather long wheelbase seems frightful to me. I could be towing in cross winds or slick conditions and have no "steering response" in the steering wheel to tell me what is going on back there.

I left out of my summary the Class C which don't handle the suction of a passing truck well; it is still safe. A Class B would be the funnest. As for a fifth wheel double towing with a boat back there: get right with the Lord.

[blt2ski]

Chris,

I'm surprised you lost that much off the front. You do not mention the hitch wt amount.....On my GM's with an 8500 RA spring pack, took 1500 to remove some 300-400 lbs off the FA. With the 600-800 I am assuming you have with the TT you have, maybe 100 lbs off the fa! This is with a crew cab mind you. A shorter WB rig will lose more wt off the FA vs a longer one with the same suspension, assuming same rear overhang......

Marty

[Me_Again]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Me Again wrote:
I weighed the Little Guy yesterday. Front axle TV 4850 (minus about 300 lbs vs empty), drivers 5350, trailer 6450 for 16650 combined. Or a little less than 8K lighter than our 5th wheel. Appears I have the little guy loaded close to it's 8k GVWR. Chris

U have any load distribution? If yes why is it removing front axle weight?

Yes, dealer drop one link, and I changed that to two links. I am not sure I want to go to three links, causing such a small trailer to work at transferring more weight to the front axle of a 3500 truck that weighs around 8600 pounds. I would have to really raise the back of the truck with the trailers tongue jack to get another link, as I am already raising it a lot to get two links on the 1000 pound bars. Chris

[Cummins12V98]

Me Again wrote:
I weighed the Little Guy yesterday. Front axle TV 4850 (minus about 300 lbs vs empty), drivers 5350, trailer 6450 for 16650 combined. Or a little less than 8K lighter than our 5th wheel. Appears I have the little guy loaded close to it's 8k GVWR. Chris

U have any load distribution? If yes why is it removing front axle weight?

[Me_Again]

I weighed the Little Guy yesterday. Front axle TV 4850 (minus about 300 lbs vs empty), drivers 5350, trailer 6450 for 16650 combined. Or a little less than 8K lighter than our 5th wheel. Appears I have the little guy loaded close to it's 8k GVWR. Chris

[furballs]

To those who see no advantages to tts: I live only a few miles from a city that has a railroad that runs right through town on elevated tracks. It is not uncommon to see a fiver stuck under a bridge there. Also lots of delivery trucks and some semis. Never have seen a tt jammed under there. Also have never seen a mangled pickup bed where a tt has dropped on it. We have noticed three so far where a fiver has.

Truly, there are pros and cons for both styles. It seems unfortunate that circumstances around getting into RVing usually mandate starting with a tt. So, many beginners are starting with a system that is arguably harder to get "right" than a fiver. Couple the vagaries of a properly set up tt with a beginner's lack of knowledge, limited funds, poorly informed dealers and it is easy to see why the "plunk and drive" life of a fiver is attractive. I'm in my 4th decade of towing exclusively large (30+ ft.) tts with 0 accidents. (Looking frantically for a piece of wood). In order to avoid the proverbial chest beating about how good someone's rig drives I will only note that I don't know if my rig reacts when a semi passes... Can't remember one passing us. :-).