HT Fifth Wheel Opinions

[LAKnox]

One thing to consider, if an HT has to be raised using the lower holes on the spring shackles, spring for a full wet bolt kit. Well worth it. Greaseable bolts, bronze bushings and heavier shackles will likely last as long, or longer, than the FW. Just one more option that any RV mfr would sell a ton of...if they offered it.

Lyle

[jal0710]

We bought a 26.5 RLS in 2012 and, by itself, I believe we would be fine with a tow-ready half ton, because this FW only drops my 3/4 GMC D/A combo crew-cab by one inch when we hitch it up and put the jacks up. But we have a diesel due to the fact that we tow a 19' Crestliner behind the FW when going to the lake to fish and recreate. I'm not sure that a half ton would handle all that weight when towing, but our diesel does it just fine. Since you are talking about a larger FW, I would suggest that you go with a 3.4 ton, gas or diesel will probably not be that big a deal. The diesel will last, probably, longer than the gas engine and I would have to disagree with a previous poster, I don't believe that maintenance is much more expensive than a gasser, if you don't have major problems with the engine or the transmission. Price is another consideration, as diesels are quite a bit more expensive than the gassers similarly equipped, but the resale value is also quite a bit higher down the road so you might not be out too much money overall. With three slides, that will be a bit heavier FW than mine so I agree with the other posters, you probably should look pretty hard at a 3/4 ton over a 1/2 ton.

[vcbice]

We've been living in our 29.5BHOK since late Jan, (3months so far) and will be living in it a LOT.

Quality could be better, but, at the price it is good. There are some things to be careful with, such as door hinges (don't put heavy things on the door or hang from them like you can in a stick house). A couple of water leaks where the fittings were not tightened properly (seems to be a common problem on all the Jayco series). Had some wiring that needed to be fixed.

Insulation is really pretty good. Our first month we saw temps in the 20's (and a couple nights in the teens). We went though a tank of propane in 4 days at those temps. As soon as the lows were above freezing a tank would last a week (FWIW, there are two tanks). Better than my previous fifth wheel which had little insulation at all.

Contrary to some, we like the bed. We always put a synthetic 'featherbed' on top of our mattresses and the Simmons has been great. But, we like soft beds.

If you are going to tow a lot get a 3/4T. These trailers are not that light (loaded, ours hit the scales at near the GVWR of 11,000lb).

If buying now make sure to get the Goodyear Endurance or Maxxis tires. I am replacing my Rainiers with Goodyears next week.

We did replace the sleeper sofa with a 'theater' recliner set. Much more comfortable, but, not cheap We didn't need another sleeping area but we did want comfortable TV chairs.

Best thing for us is the bunkhouse we got. It is our 'hobby room' with workbench and storage.

So far we love the rig.

[Chrisb-24]

Hey Bud here's what I'd do.
1. Travel to the Jayco Factory and see how the HT's are made.
2. 3/4 ton Chevy pickup (2500) for example is about $8000.00 more than the (1500) 1/2 ton. Plus you can only get a 6.0L engine in the 2500 pickup. You can get the 6.2L engine with the 1500 pickup. I have a 1500 Chevy with the 5.3L 5.8" bed and I do just fine pulling. I will upgrade in a couple of years to the 1500 with a 6.2L with a standard 6.8" bed just because. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, if you know what I mean. I do have the Firestone Ride-Right air bag system just for the extra support.
3. I'd go with the 28.5 RSTS because that's what we have and plus my wife liked the extra length and space over the 27.5 model.
If you have anymore questions you can email me; chrisb@pld.com
Have a good one Bud.
Chris

[Archie]

Originally Posted by raising4daughters

Couple of questions on the smaller, lighter HT FWs. Wife and I are considering one for our next purchase in a few years, upgrading from a PUP directly to our empty nest / early retirement version. Three oldest girls (currently 18, 22, 23) no longer come with us, but if they did, they can bring along the PUP. Youngest (8) might bring a friend/cousin and sleep on the pullout sofa. So, we like the Rear Living versions since we plan keeping our PUP (still in very good shape) as our "bunkhouse".

We like the 27.5RLTS and the 28.5RSTS, NOT because they're (supposedly) "half-ton towable" but because we don't feel like we need anything bigger.

Questions:

1. Should we just assume we need a 3/4T truck? Specs are 10,000 GVWR and 1400-1500 hitch. I'm thinking the HT (half-ton) is an exaggeration at least for any 1/2T on a lot.

2. More importantly, are the HT's made cheaply to keep weight down (relative to other FWs)? We see this is a long-term investment, not a throw-away, and don't want to sacrifice quality for weight. Put another way, is the HT Eagle line just smaller than the Eagle line but with the same quality.

Goal is to purchase in 2-5 years and keep for at least 10.

We have a 2017 27.5 rlts with the 16" Maxxis tire option and Revolution pin box and a Reese 20K hitch. We haul it with a 2016 Chevrolet 2500 HD gas. The truck has 20" wheels and our 5er runs about 1.5" nose high. We choose gas because the 3/4 ton diesels payload is ( approx.) 300 lbs to 500 lbs less than the the gas model. Per sticker on driver's door we have a allowable payload of 2733 Lbs. We looked at a 3/4 ton GMC diesel and the payload was only 2150 lbs. We have a loaded pin weight of 1800 lbs and we added 600 lbs of payload to the truck- passengers, hitch, misc. As you can see we have a total payload of 2400 lbs- we would be over the GMC diesel limit. If you decide on a diesel go with a 3500 HD. We are more than happy with the chevy 2500 HD gas- handles our 5er with no problem-big difference between this truck and the 1/2 ton Ford we had.

[vcbice]

Please take into account the transmissions on the 1/2T trucks. I have no idea what they are like these days but a lot of towing at GCWR on a Toyota Tundra killed the tranny. Engine was great and showed no signs of stress.