5th Wheel or Travel Trailer?

B

bigbull1

Very Active Member
Messages
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Looking for insight on 5th wheels vs travel trailers. I know the obvious pros/cons that 5th wheels tow nicer, and trailers you still have the bed of the truck. Having said that has anybody switched to one or the other and for what reasons? How about brands? The more I look, the more I get confused.

Thanks, Ed

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5th wheels seem to be a bigger pain to hook up for a sort trip. I wish I had kept my bumper pull horse trailer. Not having the bed of the truck sucks, but having a queen size bed above is nicer. Like you say they pull better and balance better than a bumper pull. I only have a horse trailer, but I think I can relate.

Bigger and heavier go gooseneck. Lighter and smaller go bumper pull? Hope that helps.
 
It all depends on what you do most. I am an rv salesman here in arizona. What kind of truck do you pull with, do you plan on traveling with it or hunting only. I can help you with most of your questions. Send me a pm and I will help you with brands and any questions that you have.
 
This is an easy one for me. Bumper puller all the way for me. I can drop my trailer in one state and have all the necessary gear in the back of the truck for another state without having to repack anything. For me it is nice to be able to have the ability to travel with my Truck Camp and to have a seperate Trailer Camp. I don't want to pull my trailer all over the country during archery season so I go light and much faster with the gear in the back of the truck. After I hunt other states I usually finish in my home State for the last 10 days in the "Condo." Plus, where are you going to put those freaky 400 bull racks if you buy a 5th wheel.:)

Hope that gives you ideas.

HK

GO HARD KORE OR DON'T GO AT ALL
 
5th wheel no question. Had pull behinds and 5th wheels. If I have any choice at all it will not be a pull behind. The room over the bed is huge. I also feel that the turning radius is tighter on the trailers we have owned that are 5th wheel. Pulled 5th wheels with both half ton, 3/4 ton and one ton trucks. No problems. I don't see any drawback to a 5th wheel but that is my personal opinion.
 
powerwagon1,

PM sent.

I have a shortbed 2004 Dodge 2500 Quad Cab with the Cummins and auto.

The trailer would be used for family travel to campgrounds and lakes 70% and hunting the other 30%. I usually spike camp in for big game, but who knows if I get a plush trailer. It might be worth going up/down the mountain daily.

Ed
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Either way that you decide, I would bet there are some deals to be had on RV trailers right now given what has happened with gas prices. I know that our travel trailer will be staying in the driveway most weekends this year. At 8 mpg when towing we just can't aford to go very far.

Mark
 
FamilyMan

I would not bett on many super deals out there. I have seen a lot of interest in RVs over the past 3 years and this year looks to be another good one.. plus when RVs get older the book Value drops and makes it affordable to purchase one.

Good luck in finding the RV that works the best for you but stay with a name brand like Fleetwood...

UThunting
Clynt L CItte
Willard Utah
 
I have a travel trailer only becuase of some of the places I have pulled in to camp at. The biggest limiting factor I have seen with a fifth wheel is rough dirt roads or turn offs from roads that have a steep drop or grade on them. For example; if you are going up a steep grade and the road you want to turn off onto is down a steep grade you have the following situation. The rear of the pickup bed will rise as the front of the truck goes down and the bottom of the fifth wheel (under the bed area) gets hit by the rear quarter panal of the truck bed (did that make sense?). So, depending on where you plan to take a trailer or fifth wheel, think ahead if the roads you are going to travel can accomodate a fifth wheel or not.

What has anyone else done to avoid this situation and still get your fifth wheel back into some of those farther back in camp spots? I suspect you can get a shovel out and smooth out the peak in the road. We've done this before and it's more work than I like to do.

Smokepole
 
i have owned both first a fith wheel and it did tow nice. but it made for a hassle especially up hunting less room to pack your gear etc so i traded it in on 27ft terry and like it a lot better especially when i am only towing 2-6 hours if i was going to cross the nation maybe i would trade it back in on the 5th wheel just my opinion
 
I love my 25 ft travel trailer tow behind. The key is using a sway bar. Not to be confused with a equalizer hitch. The sway bar is all I use and it eliminates any sway. Many people think a equalizer is primarily for sway control and are disappointed with the results. But actually they are mainly for weight distribution on 1/2 ton trucks or smaller trucks. I have a 2500 heavy duty and have pulled both and by far prefer the tow behind. The sway bar is the key though. Good luck
 
I had a tongue pull then switched to a 5th wheel last year. The biggest disavantage to a 5th wheel is you cant take it many places, even small dips or pitch changes cause big problems, my tailgate is proof of that. I even had the trailer lifted and still cant get into most camp areas unless the approach is really flat. It pulls better but its not worth the hastle. Im going to go back to a tongue pull.
 
I have had both, but I like the 5th wheel best due to the fact that I can pull my boat behind the 5th wheel for fishing or hook on my ATV trailer and pull my 4 wheels for hunting.
 
I had all three...5th wheel, trailer, cab-over camper!
I actually love my camper and tow my quad on a small trailer!
but if the trailer and 5th were only options the 5th wheel toy hauler all the way.. I like the smell of oil and gas!

rm
 
LAST EDITED ON May-01-08 AT 04:38AM (MST)[p]I like my trailor ,I have the option of pulling it with a truck,van or suv . 24 FT lite weight.
I use the traior locally,last fall I pulled it from Michigan to Wyoming/Colorado for hunting.It did make it a comfortable trip,but cost me near 1300 dollars in fuel.That is the last ime I will do that,back to tent camping on hunting trps.
 
As far as trailer brand I'm sure everyone has there favorites. I have had half a dozen trailers over the years and my favorite is Avion. It is 100% bug and mouse proof. Great workmanship and it never had a leak.
 
LAST EDITED ON May-01-08 AT 10:18AM (MST)[p]Smoke, extend the king pin box out to gain more clearance between the 5th wheel and the bed. I have towed 5th wheels for over 25 years in rough conditions and have never had the camper contact the truck. 5th wheels typically have more ground clearance and in my experince will go more places than a bumper pull.

You are right about the sway bars on the bumper pull. Have to have them. Or get a 5th wheel. A hell of alot more stable and you don't have to worry about windy conditions.


Take a kid hunting. You will enjoy it more than they do!
 
Whatever your choice, look at Arctic Fox. They make excellent trailers, and are geared to be taken to more rugged places than just a regular trailer.











It's Bush's fault!!!
 
After all the responses, I bet you are even more confused lol..

I have the same dilema as you. I have thought about getting a 5th wheel, but they dont do seem to have a good layout/privacy
and I would think that they would smell like gas after a while?

I had a 27' bumper pull but it was a little to big IMO. For now, I leaning toward getting a 25' trailer, bunks, and 2 entrance doors. However, I have 4 wheeler and a motorcycle that
I want to haul around during the summer for my kids.

Its a tough decision?????
 
Being able to tow a trailer behind the camper is another advantage of a fifth wheel.

Tow my boat, jet skis or quads behind the camper all the time.

Just can't get in a position where you have to back up.
Not sure if its legal in all 50?

Take a kid hunting. You will enjoy it more than they do!
 
5th Wheel without hesitation. Get one with a fillup station too. Then you don't even have to haul gas cans. If your quads leak gas you might get some smell. I bought a 5th wheel and wouldn't trade for a bumper tow if you paid me.
 
I support the fifth wheel option. I currently own Toyhaulers in both models.

I haven't used the pull trailer since I got the fifth wheel two years ago.

Mine has flipped axles, large tires and the real key is a super slider hitch. I can go anywhere with the thing and its 30' long! Towed it to the Strip and Kaibab, down a lot of dusty, narrow dirt roads with no problems or dented side rails or tail gates!

By the way, I got '01 Thor 21' toyhauler (pull type) I'd make someone a great deal one....

I tow with a '06 Ford Super Duty (F-350) and this rig has power to spare and tows my 30 footer like a dream.

My lady friend also likes the built in generator feature, something you don't see often on pull type trailers. Hey, did I mention I have a Honda powered generator that goes with the 21 footer?

Yep, been there and won't go back. For me it was a matter if progression. I started off with a Coleman tent trailer, then moved up to a 16' regular pull trailer, then moved up to the 21' Toyhauler, which I thought was the ultimate. That of course was until I rode in a truck pulling a 27' fifth wheel Toyhauler with a built in generator.

From there I upgraded one more time, to the 30' Thor Transport Toyhauler and both me and my clients are glad I did

Fifth wheel is THE WAY to go if you have enough truck to pull it, IMO.

Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
 
I (and probably a lot of us) was facing the same question. I went with the tail dragger. That way I can haul my quad in the truck bed. It allows me to drop my trailer in one spot, and be able to travel to any hunting location I want within any part of the hunt unit. Sometimes it is 40 miles from my trailer. I often don't end up unloading my quad after I get to a hunting location (the truck is a 4 wheel drive) - just depends on the hunting situation. It just gives me options. If I planned to pull the trailer to more distant places (say, across country), the fifth wheel would have been the way to go because it tows better. I usually haul my trailer no more than about a 6 hour drive from home. My buddy went with the 5 wheel scenario, but getting his 5 wheel hitch in and out of his truck bed to make room to load his quad into his truck bed every day or so was a pain in the ____. Another buddy has the 5 wheel and also trailers his Rhino on a trailer. He can kinda do what I do but hauling his Rhino trailer on rough roads gets to be a pain in the ____ too. Yes, he can unload it prior to getting to those rough spots, but then he has to ride his Rhino for miles and miles in the cold darkness trying to get to where we may want to hunt. He is considering going with my set up.

I like mobility when I hunt, and I have that with the tail dragger and quad in my truck bed without any complications. I have all kinds of options that way.
 
Nothing pulls like a 5th wheel period.However, we probably sell 3 travel trailers to every fifth wheel but that has more to do with cost than anything.If money is not an option it is really a no brainer......go with a fifth wheel for the reasons listed in other posts.But, if your like me and only use a trailer 6 times max in a year, than a 1/2 ton pickup with a superlite travel trailer is a lot more cost effective than a big diesel truck and a fifth wheel. I pulled the weekend warrior over to CO for the 3rd season last year and in hind sight I think it may have been more cost effective to rent a motel. One thing that made it worth the money is we would have hauled machines reguardless of wether we rented a motel or not which made it worth the little extra in gas to bring along the portable motel (toy hauler).Cost is usually the deciding factor. Lots of options wether you go new or used. One things for sure, an RV beats the pants off of sleeping in a tent. You will be happy either way.

Mike
 
best brands would be anything Thor, Weekend Warriors,Forest River, Jayco, Fleetwood......lots of good Makes to choose from. I am a franchise dealer for half the ones listed above.You have lots of options. Just make sure it's RIVA certified.

Mike
 
Mike:

I have a '01 21' Thor Wanderer Toyhauler. I recently bought a Thor fifth wheel and I love it!

Just wondering if you got an idea what I should ask for it?

Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

My e-mail is [email protected]
 

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