Lets Talk - TT Vs Fifth Wheel

[jerem0621]

Greetings,

I have been considering moving from the Minivan/Pup combo back to a hard sided trailer and a full size TV. The pup experiment failed miserably. Coming from a TT.

Really been considering a Fiver and a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. Still may go with the fiver…

but… I am starting to lean back towards a TT again…mostly because of how familiar I am with WD hitches and how they work and how to set them up.

Anyway.. why did you choose a TT over a Fiver?

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[jaycocreek]

How about the test pull?

Never done a test pull in my life on either. The fiver snaps in and locks. Easy to tell.. I do test the ball on a trailer using the jack but that's it.

[JWRoberts]

I chose a TT over a 5ver because I didn't want to give up the bed of my truck. I have a topper on my truck, so I can store lots of stuff in the bed.

[jrp26789]

I have owned both. And a couple of each. I currently have a tt because I could get more for the money I had available. The 5er towed much better. Especially when there is wind. And I have my trailer set up properly. I have a equalizer brand hitch. Even still it does not tow as nice as a fiver. All that said depending on the length of tow, a tt maybe a better option. Cheaper, no stairs, open truck bed. But if towing long distance, I would opt for the fiver.

[jaycocreek]

I enjoy making things efficient and can hitch/unhitch quicker with a travel trailer. Think about it. Which requires more blocking under the jacks? Twice as much for the fiver. Just one small difference. Those blocks must be placed and retrieved. Not a big deal with a helper, I admit.

My preference is a travel trailer.

Of course it needs more blocking because there are two legs instead of one jack leg but the fiver does not need stabilizers in the front either because of these heavy duty legs while the travel trailer does.

What size is your travel trailer?

I can hook up to my 24 foot travel trailer as fast as the fiver but not faster because I do not use or need a WD hitch with it..I am talking about a 30ft plus travel trailer versus a 30 foot plus fiver not baby campers.

My 30 foot Springdale fully loaded puts a hurting on the 2500HD springs..I would not go far without a WD hitch with it.Many of the plusher travel trailers have tongue weights of close to 1000 pounds empty,exceeding a class IV hitches rating unless you use a WD hitch.

If your trailer is smaller then I agree with you that they are close to equal in time hooking up but if it is larger,I don't agree...

No matter..Merry Christmas.

[TomG2]

Jaycocreek, repeating the same opinion over and over does not make it fact. It is still your opinion and personal preference, "My personal limit...".

I enjoy making things efficient and can hitch/unhitch quicker with a travel trailer. Think about it. Which requires more blocking under the jacks? Twice as much for the fiver. Just one small difference. Those blocks must be placed and retrieved. Not a big deal with a helper, I admit.

[jaycocreek]

The two big gains are having a pickup (2500HD) that does not require a WD hitch and an electric tongue jack

My currant TV is a 2500HD,my sons truck and yes,it needs a WD hitch for my trailer..It could tow it without it as could my old 1/2 ton did more than once but the outcome is far more harmonious with a WD hitch pulling a long heavy tongued travel trailer.

My personal limit without a WD hitch, is a 24-25 ft trailer.I have pulled a 42 foot without and got from point A to point B..

I am not here to say a fiver is better than a travel trailer,it's not to me and my needs and why I own a 30 foot travel trailer.I am just saying the fiver hooks up faster and better and pulls better,especially in the wind and snow...2500-3000+ lbs on the divers really helps in the snow.In a travel trailer with a WD hitch I start dropping links on the bars to put more weight on the drivers..

That is my take having owned both and used mostly off grid.

[12thgenusa]

Each has their pros and cons and the lists of each are not the same for different people and circumstances.

Post this same question on the 5er forum and you will see the bias shift in that direction.

As with most questions of this type, only you can decide which is right for you.

[TomG2]

How about the test pull? I used to keep the wheels chocked until that was done. I usually travel alone and I found that I was in and out of the pickup many more times with my fifth wheel than with my TT. The two big gains are having a pickup (2500HD) that does not require a WD hitch and an electric tongue jack.

The elaborate and expensive framing of a fifth wheel means more cost and weight per square foot of living space than a TT. The extra steps are irritating at best and downright painful for many. The backroads where I like to travel often have less vertical clearance which limits their accessibility with a taller fifth wheel. The extra storage is more than offset by the room in the bed of my pickup with cap.

All types of RV's are great but there is no "Mine is the only good kind" advice needed or given.

[jaycocreek]

I sure don't understand those that say the trailer can be hooked up faster than the fiver.I have only owned 2 fifth wheels and with both I had the fifth wheel tail gate which you do not have to drop to hook up.

You pull back the latch on the hitch/back into it until it snaps locked/plug in and your ready to go other than raising the legs.Trailers,much different..

Unless you have a mobile home toter,pulling a 35ft trailer without sway or bars is crazy.I have done it but don't recommend it.In my opinion having pulled with both,the fiver is much easier to pull and set up..To each his own.

Not knocking trailers at all because I now own a 30 footer now and have owned a ton of over and under 30 foot trailers.Just saying fivers are faster to set up if properly equipped and they put the weight where it belongs,over the axles.

Merry Christmas to all.

[lizzie]

We traveled west one summer (six weeks)with friends who had a fiver. If we had any doubt about the suitable of our TT that would have resolved it. We were parked and set up while they were still leveling, we were ready to go in the am while they were still hitching up. We carried all four bicycles and two canoes in our truck bed and on our truck racks. We could accept most any campsite, they were hung up on pull-throughs. We were unable to tow on some roads because they were too tall. I know that some of this was the difference in our personalities and degree of flexibility, but some of it was the difference in our rigs. We will stay with a TT until we are ready to go back to a B. lizzie

[TomG2]

Travel trailers are equally easy to hitch/unhitch. Drop a mirror onto the tailgate and back up. Drop the coupler onto the ball, latch it and you are ready to go. Electric tongue jack and an adequate tow vehicle make it very quick and easy. No dropping/raising tailgate (or forgetting to). I can be out the gate while the fifth wheel is still picking up from his test pull.

[jaycocreek]

Fifth wheels are much easier and faster to hookup and un-hook..There very stable to pull also..Back in-snap and raise the legs and go.No monkeying around with sway bars or hitches.

That said,I need the room in the truck that pulling a fifth wheel doesn't give.I never had a problem with my last 35ft fiver getting into places I got with my 34ft travel trailer..In the winter you don't have to drop links to get more weight on the rear drivers in snow with a fifth wheel.

To me,the truck bed space is the biggest problem with a fiver and the steps to the bedroom will get you sooner or later.

[Mr__Camper]

Always have and always will have TT. The space in the back of my truck is too important to set the hitch to tow a fiver.

[brulaz]

Lantley wrote:

brulaz wrote:
Think I've seen some new Open Range 5ers with GooseNeck extensions from the factory.

If that works better for you, I think many 5ers can be converted to a GooseNeck?

I think the models promoting the goose neck are light models. My rig has a standard pin.

Yes, as I recall, they were the light models.

Two advantages of a goose neck that I see:
- No problems with trailer tilt (but like a bumper pull you do have to line up the ball more carefully than with a regular 5er hitch).
- Some goose neck installations allow you to easily rotate or pull out the ball leaving a flat bed. Thinking of the new Nissan Titan XD in particular.

EDIT: and I suspect the gooseneck ball/hitch is lighter than the regular 5er hitch, probably why Open Range puts them on their Light trailers?

[mtofell1]

Hitching a 5th is easier once the hitch is in your bed. Putting the hitch in your bed can be a real PITA. So, if you're out often or don't need your bed the 5th gains a little advantage. If you're a weekend camper and need your truck bed the TT gains a bit.

As for that actual act of backing the truck up I say with the new trucks having a rear view camera it's a wash. It took me a couple times to get a feel for how the camera works and how high to put the trailer. Now that I've got it down I can nail the ball right under the hitch 9/10 times on the TT.