Considering a FW

[kickthetires]

I currently tow the Jayco 32BHDS with my 2013 2500 6.0. Most of the towing is within 50 miles of the house. 1-2 times per year is a longer trip. Upwards of 8-12 hours. One of those trips is from E.KY to the OBX. The truck does fine but it is a beast on the interstate. So the wife and I are looking at FWs. Is there a major difference towing the FW on the interstate compared to the TT? More or less safe? I do know getting into and out of gas stations would have to be easier? MPG are what they are.
Thanks

[B5 GTX]

The road manners of the fifth wheel are awesome, passing trucks are unnoticeable. The fifth wheel cuts to the inside more, so refueling in crowded stations can be challenging. I try to use the outside lanes of find a station that has the pumps parallel to the building.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by kickthetires

I currently tow the Jayco 32BHDS with my 2013 2500 6.0. Most of the towing is within 50 miles of the house. 1-2 times per year is a longer trip. Upwards of 8-12 hours. One of those trips is from E.KY to the OBX. The truck does fine but it is a beast on the interstate. So the wife and I are looking at FWs. Is there a major difference towing the FW on the interstate compared to the TT? More or less safe? I do know getting into and out of gas stations would have to be easier? MPG are what they are.
Thanks

Back-in-the-day, I delivered trailers for Jayco, both TT and FW, all over the US and Canada with the same truck. I had no problems towing either one.

The reasons we bought a TT were.... we liked the floor plan, especially having 2 doors, no interior stairs, and I'm more comfortable backing TTs.

By "... is a beast on the interstate." do you mean you have sway issues with your TT? If so, which weight distribution hitch (WDH) and anti-sway are you using? Sometimes WDH are not the correct one for your TT or not setup correctly by the dealer.

Towing/sway issues can be addressed. If you just want a FW, then happy trailer shopping.

[Force]

I have the same truck and have gone from TT to a 5th wheel and I can confirm it's a better towing experience overall. Backing up is a little different but that's an easy learning curve.

oldmanAZ makes solid points and WDH is sometimes the root cause of white knuckle driving experiences (can't say I had any issues towing a TT either). However, the 5th wheel set up completely eliminates sway and I found it smoothed out bumpier roads by having the weight directly over the suspension vs behind it with connection point behind the bumper.

[kickthetires]

Sway is at a minimum if there at all. I do believe that everything is setup correctly. Guess I'm leaning more toward road manners. Also looking for overall experiences with both a TT vs. FW. What, if anything, makes them safer while towing. Guess I may be a bit overly cautious, but after a 10-12 hour ride, I am mentally exhausted.

[Ruth]

We just switched from a 34 ft. Puma TT to a Jayco Eagle Ht 27.5 RKDS. We tow with an 07 Silverado 2500 HD,(see sig for more info). I can say that there is a marked difference between towing a TT and towing an FW. The FW has much better manners. No sway when a semi passes you, cross winds are not as noticeable and the only thing I noticed was the weight in the back was more over the rear axle than with the TT, but that is to be expected. Other than an adjustment on the brake controller, we had no problems switching to an FW, except backing, as stated earlier, it will be a learning curve. We have the Reese Revolution pin box and a Reese Titan 16K hitch. No slider needed with this set up....

[triplebvalp]

kickthetires, as has been said, a FW tows much better that a TT ... I think, by your "road manners" statement, that a FW has better "road manners". However, you do have to pay a little more attention to height issues and the tight turning radius.

[videoguy]

Yes, FW tows much better. We had two travel trailers before moving to the FW. I would say it tows easier too meaning I don't feel as worn out during or after longer trips.

[vcbice]

Well, I would not consider owning a TT. Most of our trips are cross country and we encounter strong winds a lot (30-50mph). One trip with our first fiver was winds of 40mph gusting to 60. The trailer moved with the wind but never made me feel uncomfortable with the truck. It was a 24ft fifth wheel. My Tundra could only get up to 45mph and we got around 4mpg on that leg of the trip (normal was 8-10mpg).

Don't really notice passing trucks and even traveling between trucks is not an issue. No sway dampers or WD hitch to adjust. I think towing a fiver is more comfortable that driving a medium Class A.

[Bassdogs]

5er easier to tow? Maybe, a lot of people say so. Have to say though I've been towing TT's for years and have ever had a problem with "road manners". Ya'll that TT is behind you and you have to deal with the length, turning radius, and a bit of "tug" when passed by an 18 wheeler. I have never considered that as any big deal, just something that you need to learn to deal with. Long hauls on interstates are the easiest, its the heavy traffic dealing with exits etc in a big city. Either way there advantages with 5'ers and also compromises. You lose the ability to stow gear in your truck bed for one.

If you want a 5'er then go for it, but my guess is you will be challenged by towing that too. Everything takes practice and as others have said "a good set up with WDH, tongue ride hight, and weight distribution. Gas stations, lane changes, and site parking are all still there.

[JeremiahM]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

5er easier to tow? Maybe, a lot of people say so. Have to say though I've been towing TT's for years and have ever had a problem with "road manners". Ya'll that TT is behind you and you have to deal with the length, turning radius, and a bit of "tug" when passed by an 18 wheeler. I have never considered that as any big deal, just something that you need to learn to deal with. Long hauls on interstates are the easiest, its the heavy traffic dealing with exits etc in a big city. Either way there advantages with 5'ers and also compromises. You lose the ability to stow gear in your truck bed for one.

If you want a 5'er then go for it, but my guess is you will be challenged by towing that too. Everything takes practice and as others have said "a good set up with WDH, tongue ride hight, and weight distribution. Gas stations, lane changes, and site parking are all still there.

Mmmmmm, I've owned em both, and absolutely prefer towing our 339flqs 5er compared to previous 31' TT, and it's almost double the weight. You make valid points as well though, there is still a trailer back there, so mostly the same considerations for all the different scenarios. I have an 8' bed (will never own another short bed) and with tool box and 5th hitch, I find I can still put quit a bit back there, just obviously not large or tall items, but you can stack quite a bit around the hitch.

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[DavidJay]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

... and a bit of "tug" when passed by an 18 wheeler.

This exactly the improvement that I found. The TT, especially with a quartering tailwind, would get sucked towards a passing semi.

That is just gone with the 5er.

[citgodan]

Originally Posted by JeremiahM

Mmmmmm, I've owned em both, and absolutely prefer towing our 339flqs 5er compared to previous 31' TT, and it's almost double the weight. You make valid points as well though, there is still a trailer back there, so mostly the same considerations for all the different scenarios. I have an 8' bed (will never own another short bed) and with tool box and 5th hitch, I find I can still put quit a bit back there, just obviously not large or tall items, but you can stack quite a bit around the hitch.

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Yes sir, I have a 27.5 rlts and still pack firewood all in my 6.75" bed and around the hitch - no issues.

Can't go camping without a IMHO.

[Bassdogs]

Ok, back to the OP's ?? and towing issues. As I said before, there are +/- for both TT's and 5'ers and for sure almost 100% of 5'er owners recommend [drum roll] 5'ers. As a TT owner I say what ever floats your boat, but thinking you will solve your towing issues with a 5'er is wishful thinking. If you have the correct set up and balance with your TT it will tow just fine. In either case, you have a trailer back there and have to deal with it when making lane changes, fueling up, etc. I have never argued one over the other and don't want to here and now. I do believe the OP could easily get on top of his "manners" issue on interstates with some set up adjustments and practice and suggest he try before he opens the checkbook.

[JeremiahM]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

Ok, back to the OP's ?? and towing issues. As I said before, there are +/- for both TT's and 5'ers and for sure almost 100% of 5'er owners recommend [drum roll] 5'ers. As a TT owner I say what ever floats your boat, but thinking you will solve your towing issues with a 5'er is wishful thinking. If you have the correct set up and balance with your TT it will tow just fine. In either case, you have a trailer back there and have to deal with it when making lane changes, fueling up, etc. I have never argued one over the other and don't want to here and now. I do believe the OP could easily get on top of his "manners" issue on interstates with some set up adjustments and practice and suggest he try before he opens the checkbook.

I also agree, as stated before... Having that WDH setup correctly is absolutely the key to a good towing experience with a pull behind, and I too would try that before buying another one.

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[vcbice]

I would suggest weight distribution in the trailer is even more important than the hitch setup. Including fresh and waste water tanks.

[Archie]

Originally Posted by kickthetires

I currently tow the Jayco 32BHDS with my 2013 2500 6.0. Most of the towing is within 50 miles of the house. 1-2 times per year is a longer trip. Upwards of 8-12 hours. One of those trips is from E.KY to the OBX. The truck does fine but it is a beast on the interstate. So the wife and I are looking at FWs. Is there a major difference towing the FW on the interstate compared to the TT? More or less safe? I do know getting into and out of gas stations would have to be easier? MPG are what they are.
Thanks

Just went from a 31' TT to a 31' 27.5RLTS 5er. Night and day difference- also owned a 34' MH. Hands down the 5er handles the best ! The fatigue factor is much less on the 5er, more storage space, easier hookup. We also have a 2500 HD, 2016, 6.5' bed and a Revolution Pin box with the Reese hitch. Never any issues hitting the cab with the Revolution ! Because of overall shorter Truck/5er length- I find it easier to get in and out of tight spaces (like a dead end road) Love that revolution !

[garyp4951]

Originally Posted by kickthetires

I currently tow the Jayco 32BHDS with my 2013 2500 6.0. Most of the towing is within 50 miles of the house. 1-2 times per year is a longer trip. Upwards of 8-12 hours. One of those trips is from E.KY to the OBX. The truck does fine but it is a beast on the interstate. So the wife and I are looking at FWs. Is there a major difference towing the FW on the interstate compared to the TT? More or less safe? I do know getting into and out of gas stations would have to be easier? MPG are what they are.
Thanks

When shopping for a new 5er, be sure to know your truck's towing capacity, since it will depend on the axle gearing.
I know first hand how some dealers will try to sell you more than your truck can safely handle.

[vcbice]

Yep dealers will sell you almost anything. I did notice that when we bought ours from Camping World they did ask for the make and model of truck we had to verify that it could tow the trailer. I don't know what they would have done if I had a 1/2T instead of my diesel, but, they did at least inquire. Maybe a liability thing?

There was a trailer dealer in Canada who was selling larger Airstreams to people with minivans. He claimed they were perfectly safe. He did not say how long a transmission would last.

Truck dealers are the same. Shop for a 1/2T and it will be "strong enough to pull anything you want".

[dhawken]

Originally Posted by vcbice

......

Truck dealers are the same. Shop for a 1/2T and it will be "strong enough to pull anything you want".

I've come to expect this from the truck dealers when I express concern over the towing capabilities of a 1/2T, but I have been surprised recently trying to get actual weights from the door sticker from dealers before coming in to look at a truck. So far, almost all have no idea what I'm talking about, and either send me the website numbers or the actual website when I inquire about the payload of a particular, in-stock model.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but the lack of knowledge about what these things are used for and how to figure it out was concerning. Conversely, I suppose they could be feigning ignorance just to get me on the lot?