5th wheel vs bumper pull TH

[rcmike]

Thinking about going to a TH 5th wheel, its about 5 feet longer and would be what I have wanted since I first got a travel trailer. For people that have had both, what are some of the big differences you noticed right off the bat ? Am I going to be able to back into a tighter spot with the 5th ? why I ask is the area I got to work with now parking my 35 foot bumper pull can be a task at times but the more I do it, the better I get at backing ,lol thanks

[hboy]

I'll be interested in other input you get on this topic, but for me I went from a bumper pull travel trailer (about 33') to a 39' TH 5th wheel. I was concerned about maneuverability as well.

I could crank our bumper pull trailer in the driveway a little easier than the larger 5th wheel. I really have to jack knife the 5th wheel pretty hard (due to the pivot point change between the 5th wheel and bumper pull). There are times I wonder if I'm going to peel a tire off the camper when backing 90 degrees. While the 5th wheel is longer than our TT, the king pin location that replaces the TT tongue is also about 6' or so forward on the tow vehicle. So the overall length (truck and camper) is not that much longer, but the difference in the pivot point does change the maneuverability bit (ie; wider cornering, etc).

I guess there are pros/cons of the change in pivot point. Just depends on how you use it.

I much prefer towing the 5th wheel compared to the bumper pull set up. With the bumper pull I was often locked into the side mirror watching the trailer on the highway. Every wind gust or slight swerve when steering would wag the tail. With the 5th I don't feel or see as much tail waging or side wind transferring to the steering.

The 5th wheel is harder to see out the side mirrors when backing up. Seems like I could see down the side of the travel trailer better out the side mirrors, pry because the front of the trailer was further back behind the truck. With the 5th wheel it's easier to loose sight of the back of the trailer when backing up.

Which toyhauler are you looking at?

[BuddyRay]

I went from towing a 20ft TT using a Ford Explorer to a 30ft FW using an F150.

The biggest thing I noticed is turning radius - and that's the F150 not the FW. My Explorer would do a U turn in 30 ft. It takes the F150 over 40 ft (3 full lanes) to U Turn. That makes a difference getting in and our of my storage area.

Stability is MUCH better with the 5th wheel - I have to look in the Rear View mirror to remind myself it's back there. I had assumed, because of the larger wind drag and just the surface area on the sides was so much larger, that a Semi passing me at a high speed would push me all over the place. NOPE - much less motion than with the TT - which had a great hitch setup by the way.

Everyone from the dealer to my Father in Law told me I would have an awful time learning to back the FW - especially after towing a TT for so long.
NOT - I like backing the FW better - I can really cut into a site.
The one difference is that it seems to take the tow vehicle longer to straighten out - when backing you have to start coming out of a deep cut sooner.

But the biggest reason I switched was the hitching. I'm 65. I intend to be using this RV until I'm 90. That TT hitch block, torsion bars and sway control were killing my back at 65 - what was it going to be like at 75 or 85? I leave the FW hitch in the bed and the only time I bend over is to put down the front Landing Gear.

Now that I'm FW, I'll never go back to a TT.

By the way - What's up with the front landing gear anyway. Why should I have to get down on my knees, pull a pin and drop those posts. I bought an auto level system so I wouldn't have to do stuff like that. Common Engineers - lets find a solution to this last setup hassle.

[Edd505]

What BuddyRay said, every point he makes is right on. Trailer weight is over the axles not as far back as you can go on the vehicle. Once you pull a 5W you won't go back.
If bumper pull was better wouldn't commercial trucks use that system? They use 5W for shorter length, stability, ease of hooking, security of the hitch.

[Gman1372]

Edd gives me hope for the future with that 2000 7.3ltr.

[robkelly]

Originally Posted by Edd505

What BuddyRay said, every point he makes is right on. Trailer weight is over the axles not as far back as you can go on the vehicle. Once you pull a 5W you won't go back.
If bumper pull was better wouldn't commercial trucks use that system? They use 5W for shorter length, stability, ease of hooking, security of the hitch.

X2

We went from a 29' TT to a 37" 5er and our overall length is the same. It has taken me a while to get used to backing the 5er, but getting better with practice

[NVGun40]

I am one who has transitioned from a tongue tow to a cabover in bed, back to a tongue tow, then to a 5th wheel and now back to a tongue tow.
Like has been said, Buddy makes points that are right on. Yet, unlike Edd says, I won't say you would never go back to a tongue tow after towing a 5er.
One of the reasons people go back to tongue tows from 5ers is cancelled out by your purchase of a toy hauler. Then again, depending on how many toys your hauling, or the size and length of toys, perhaps not.
For all the advantages a fifth wheel has there are disadvantages as well and they can vary depending on your lifestyle. If you're like Buddy and you have the freedom to leave your hitch in the bed of your truck then no problem. That is until you need your truck to haul something large or something which cannot fit around the fifth wheel hitch. Fifth wheel hitches are much bulkier and usually heavier.
If you travel a lot into the back country on boondocking trips, you will find the lack of vertical travel ability annoying. On more than one occasion I found myself starting to go downhill and damaged the back corners of the truck because they pushed up into the 5er.
Truck bed accessory space becomes limited as well. anything in front of the hitch has to be center line loaded if it is taller than the clearance of the fifth wheel. left to one side or the other and making a tight turn you will see what I mean. loading anything behind the hitch and it has sit at or below truck bed level.
Again, whether its an advantage or disadvantage depends on how you will utilize your trailer. My changes back and forth have been out of the necessity of the lifestyle. I tend to take my trailers into more extreme places than most people. I also primarily boondock and utilize my truck bed for extras which (currently) a fifth wheel will not allow. Will I go back to a 5er, maybe, eventually. They definitely tow a lot nicer. However, again as my DW and I age, it will depend on where our bodies start betraying us. My older brother went to a class A from a 5er because his knees are shot and his wife only has one leg and they don't like dealing with stairs if they can help it. The ones going into the RV are enough, they don't want to have to go up and down them for the bedroom too.

[tdcoody]

I have transitioned from a TT to a 5th wheel. Comments by BuddyRay and NVGunn40 are spot on. I like to remove my 5th wheel hitch from time to time. My hitch weighs over 200 pounds, so I modified an inexpensive tool to assist me. I purchased an engine puller from Harbor Freight. I had the boom extended 34” at a weld shop. Now when I need my truck bed I attach a choker to the hitch, remove the pins, lift with the engine lift and roll it out of the way. The same for placing the hitch back into the truck bed. 5th wheels are quicker and easier to hook and unhook. And with a little practice they are easier to back as well.
Tim

[NorthPoint5r]

I had a TT 15 to 20 years ago and made two trips around the USA with it. I hated bending those sway bars and once I lost control of the tool and it hit the camper next to me. A windy day in S.D. blowing the trailer back and fourth with sway into the path of passing trucks was enough for me to return to the RV world with a 38' 5er. I agree with others that I have not got use to backing it up when in the past I could swing that TT into tight spaces without much effort. It may be that I have not got use to the 5er yet. Driving the 5er down the highway is much easier than a TT.
Make sure you understand the payload pushing down into the bed of the truck as with a 5er that is usually the limiting factor. Don't go by dry pin weight as you will put stuff in the storage bay and hitch weight. I now have a 2012 Tundra 27K miles in the street with a 4 sale sign and a new 3500HD diesel Chevy under the 5er.
If you got a 1/2 ton truck then go to an RV show and show your wife the 1 or 2 light pin weight 5ers you CAN tow. Then let her look at all the luxuries in the larger 5ers. Within an hour she said you will need a bigger truck. YES>>>>

[TxLoser]

Not a TH, but I did go from 30' TT to a 32' Fiver. My comparison is a pretty apples to apples comparison given the length is similar. Like others have said, I've not mastered the backing thing. It'll go into equally tight spots, I just don't have the site picture down as to when to start to crank and when to start to straighten. As for the towing, I just did a 2000 mile trip. Some rough concrete, and high NM, and West Texas winds. The fiver hands down, tows much better, and the ease of hookup is wonderful. Just line up and back up. Insert pin w/brake cable, close gate, and plug in.

My truck's main purpose in life is to haul my trailer and bicycles, so I'm just leaving the hitch in the bed for now. When traveling, I still have room for a firewood, and some other stuff forward of the hitch. If I need to remove it, I will need help. That and the bed clearance when trailer and truck articulate over uneven terrain are the only downsides in my opinion.

[rsday75]

Some other things to note:
5th wheel with a Reese Revolution pinbox lets you tow with a short bed truck and use almost all the bed up to the rails. Also, turns more like a bumper tow.
For hitch, I bought a B&W. Hitch is 2 pieces. One 50ish lbs and one 80ish lbs. Easy in and out of the truck bed.

[NorthPoint5r]

has anyone just left the 5th hitch pinned to the 5er pull the hitch pins and lift with levelers off truck bed? Leave it hanging there do your truck stuff and put it back on. 1 man job without heavy lifting?

[Kc8yhk]

We had a 28 foot travel trailer, traded for a 38 foot 5th wheel, and recently traded that in for a 37 foot travel trailer.

Honestly I like towing the travel trailer better than our old 5th wheel. It's not as tall and weighs less. When backing the TT it responds faster to input from the steering wheel. I've had zero issues from wind or passing trucks.

I highly doubt we'll ever go back to a 5th wheel.

[Brownie]

Don't know what your physical abilities are, but my dealer told me Jayco introduced the Eagle HT line of travel trailers last year because a lot of full-timers and snowbirds could no longer handle the steps (both outside and inside) of a 5th Wheel. We're getting older, you know. And that brings a whole host of issues. Most 5er floorplans have the bathroom upstairs. That means climbing the stairs every time you have to use the head. May not be a problem now, but it might be in 5 or 10 years. Depends on how long you plan on keeping it.

Just something else to think about.

[JohnWedell]

Originally Posted by Brownie

Don't know what your physical abilities are, but my dealer told me Jayco introduced the Eagle HT line of travel trailers last year because a lot of full-timers and snowbirds could no longer handle the steps (both outside and inside) of a 5th Wheel. We're getting older, you know. And that brings a whole host of issues. Most 5er floorplans have the bathroom upstairs. That means climbing the stairs every time you have to use the head. May not be a problem now, but it might be in 5 or 10 years. Depends on how long you plan on keeping it.

Just something else to think about.

That is the only reason we went from a 5er to a tt, because of DW. The unit in my sig feels just like our 5er.

[sennister]

I don't have a ton of miles under my belt but I have driven my Father In Law's 3500 GMC Crew Cab Long Box DRW pulling their Big Horn which is 42' I think. I know it is as long as they come. On the highway it is great. Very stable.

The biggest issue I have is maneuverability and how they don't track as close to the TV when making sharper corners. Where this comes into play the most is getting fuel. It isn't as big of an issue if doing interstate driving because most gas stations are truck stops and set up for big rigs. So big wide entrances. Things can get hairy though the further you get off the beaten path. Sometimes gas station layouts point the lanes for the pumps toward the gas station so the attendant can monitor things. 5ers need that big swing. When dealing with Diesel in the Duramax that also means most stations only have a couple pumps to make matters worse as you have less choice. Though they are normally stationed on the outside pumps which helps. You have to keep in mind that the overall height of a 5er is much higher so watch low awnings at the gas stations. The point is if you are getting off the interstate try and fill up at that last truck stop as fuel stops are going to be much easier. Then maybe top off before hitching up and heading out.

This also plays in a bit with the backing up. Another factor of this though is that with a TT you may have a smaller TV with a shorter wheel base. The longer the wheel base, the more stability you get but the harder it is to do that slow speed maneuvering because your turning radius is now the size of a small house. That Crew Cab Long Box on my FIL's truck is great for interstate but gets tricky backing the camper into a tight spot.