Top quality TT or Fifth Wheels Please.

[ce2je12]

My wife and I have been looking for RV TT and Fifth Wheels for about five years now. It is just the two of us. We have a 2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7 l engine with towing package (tow 10,400 lbs) and 6’ 5”’ bed, We already have a tt hitch that came from the factory. We can add a fifth wheel hitch...

We would like a good quality RV. We have heard of Northwood which makes the Arctic fox and Nash products. We are looking to buy a 20’ to 26’ RV. Can anyone give us the top 5 manufactures of quality RV.? Which manufactures to stay away from? What hitch? What break controller? And any other suggestions or feedback would be great.

My wife grew up in the city and I grew up on the farm, I have pulled many cattle trailers in by life. I know enough on the how to hook up and backup into a camp site.

Thank you very much

 

[hertig]

Re: Top quality TT or Fifth Wheels Please.

Forest River seems to garner more complaints than most, and in some cases does not seem to live up to their warranty responsibilities. Check out the thread on them. Personally, if I were to ever get a trailer, I would get suggestions from Ken at Grandview Trailer Sales, a regular contributer to the forum. He's familiar with some which sound pretty good. I'd also check out the RV review group. It costs money to join, but they are not supported by manufacturers, so their reviews are more reliable than most. I've bought 2 RVs without either of these sources, and seem to have lucked out. Many others have not been so lucky.

20 to 26 feet is probably a pretty good length for that truck; longer might be a problem. Keep in mind that the 10,400 rating is with no accessories in the truck, no cargo, no passengers. Just a 150 pound driver and a bit of fuel. And it is a flatbed trailer with 'no' wind resistance. So for a RV trailer, I'd shoot for rather less than that. 7500 should be very safe under most conditions. Don't be concerned about 'dry weight', as that is a fairly useless and unreliable value. GVWR is the most safe, but if you have a good idea how much stuff you carry, 'loaded' weight can be usable.

Any of the major hitch manufacturers should be adequate. I think that if I were to get another one, I'd look for one which encircles the King pin, not the more common 'jaw' type. Not that I've got any valid info against them, it just seems better to have the weight on a solid thing than the joint between 2 things.

The only brake controller I've ever had is the Prodigy, and it worked fine for me. There is another one which uses a physical connection to the brake pedal which sounds like it is popular, but I don't remember the name.