Travel trailer Vs. 5th wheel


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[cheryl] Just started looking... which one is easier and safer to pull we have a F150 4.6 V8 were looking at TTrailers 20-22 ft and have been told 5th wheel is the way to go ... got some advise?
 

Old Forum Post

Senior Member
Travel trailer Vs. 5th wheel

[rvjoe] I&#039M EXCITED FOR YOU...BUT THERE ARE SO MANY CHOICES AND SO MANY VOICES. I HAVE HAD BOTH, A 19 FT. TRAVEL TRAILER AND NOW A 33 FT. 5TH WHEEL. FOR A SMALLER RIG UNDER 26 FT., I WOULD STAY WITH A TRAVEL TRAILER, EXPECIALLY WITH THE TRUCK YOU DISCRIBED. IF YOU CAN, GET AT TRAILER WITH ONE SLIDE, IT GIVES YOU SO MUCH MORE ROOM. A 5TH WHEEL OF ANY SIZE JUST ABOUT KILLS WHAT YOU CAN CARRY IN THE BED OF YOUR TRUCK. BE SURE YOUR TRUCK HAS A TRANS. COOLER AND YOU MAY NEED STRONGER REAR SHOCKS.
HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK.
 

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Travel trailer Vs. 5th wheel

[JEFF-MI] I ASKED MYSELF THAT QUESTION ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO. I AM A FIRST TIME BUYER AND HAD NO SWAY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER ( TRAVEL TRAILER OR FIFTH WHEEL ) MY WIFE AND I LOOKED AT HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF CAMPERS. WE WERE ALSO LIMITED ON SIZE BECAUSE WE ALSO HAVE A HALF TON PICK UP. WE FINALLY CHOSE A 22 FT SPORTSMEN WITH A SMALL SLIDE-OUT FIFTH WHEEL MADE BY K-Z AND AM GLAD WE MADE THE CHOICE. WHAT I HEARD FROM ALL FIFTH WHEEL OWNERS THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY OWNED TRAVEL TRAILERS WAS THAT THEY WOULD NEVER GO BACK. IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE THE BEST FEATURES WITH A FIFTH WHEEL IS THE TOWING EASE-YOU HAVE NO SWAY TO WORRY ABOUT AND THE HOOK UP TIME IS A FRACTION OF THE TIME. JUST MY OPINION............

JEFF (CEMENT CITY,MI)
 

Old Forum Post

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Travel trailer Vs. 5th wheel

[Les Adams] Cheryl,

There are "pro&#039s and con&#039s to either type...

Generally speaking, fifth wheels will be more stable while towing... However, you can match that stability in a standard trailer with a hitch like the Hensley Arrow or Pullrite...

Again, generally speaking, you will have more "living" room in a standard travel trailer because of the way it is constructed and the "lack" of the large fifth wheel hitch up forward... I am 6&#039 tall and have yet to find a 5th wheel where I could comfortably stand in the bedroom...

Fifth wheels tend to be heavier than a standard travel trailer of the same size because of the way they have to be built with the hitch mechanism forward...

They also tend to have more hitch weight than a standard travel trailer of the same size too... Usually about 20-25% pin weight is the rule with a 5th wheel... A standard TT will usually have abour 10-13% of it&#039s weight on the tongue...

You will also loose a susbtantial amount of truck bed space with 5th wheel hitch...

When all is said and done, about the only "claim to fame" of the 5th wheel is the suerior towing quality over the standard trailer... However, as mentioned above, superior towing ability for the standard TT can also be had with the purchase of the Hensley Arrow or Pullrite hitch... While these hitches are expensive ($2700 and $1300 respectively) they will make the standard trailer tow just as well as any 5th wheel...

My wife and I prefer the standard TT for all those reasons listed above and now tow with a Pullrite hitch...

With your 1/2 ton truck and relatively small 4.6L V8 motor, I would try to keep loaded TT weight to no more than about #4500... I have towed similar weights with a 1997 F-150 and 4.6L and I found that weight to be about the maximum I could safely handle while still having some towing performance left from the truck...

Best Regards,
Les
 

Old Forum Post

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Travel trailer Vs. 5th wheel

[Butch] Have to mostly agree with Les, I have never used the Hensley or Pullrite. I have owned conventional TT&#039s that I pulled with a Reese dual cam straigt line hitch. It towed far superior to any fifth wheel I have owned. I do have friends that use the Hensley and claim it&#039s the best thing since peanut butter. And as Les said, that went back to the conventional from 5ers because of living and storage room. JM2CW - I currently own a MH. Happy motoring, Butch - Nancy Lake, Alaska
 

Old Forum Post

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Travel trailer Vs. 5th wheel

[JEFF (MI)] les-I will agree about the bedroom height as not being able to stand up in, but I myself stand 6&#039 5" and have found hardly any travel trailers that I could stand up in without banging my head. I myself have sacrificed the smaller height in the bedroom, after all don&#039t most people sleep laying down, and went with the fifth wheel because the ceilings are much higher in the rest of the living space excluding the bedroom.
 

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Travel trailer Vs. 5th wheel

[Larry D] Les, I slightly disagree with your 5&#039ver assessment. The big 5&#039vers have as much headroom as a TT in the bedroom, but they require a truck that you may not have. I don&#039t either, but I&#039m willing to lose some bedroom height for other benefits. "Living" space in a 5&#039ver is definately larger than in a TT for the same overall truck/trailer length. The TT has a 3ft. tongue while the 5&#039ver overhangs the truck by about 4ft. The big advantage in a 5&#039ver to me is the EZ hookup and disconnect. Always a one person job since the hitch is clearly visible to the driver. And it is so quick and painless, that many times I will drop the 5&#039ver in a safe location for short sightseeing or shopping trips.
 

Old Forum Post

Senior Member
Travel trailer Vs. 5th wheel

[RVJOE] CONFUSED???? WE ALL HAVE OUR OPINIONS, OUR LIKES AND DISLIKES. GOOD LUCK. THERE IS NEVER A PERFECT RIG. SO JUST DO IT AND ENJOY.
 
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