Fifth Wheel vs Travel Trailer

bmg · 11-06-2010, 11:39 AM

This year we plunged in and bought an SV 264 and it pulls fine with our Yukon. But we're kinda getting the bug and wondering what else is out there. At some point I want to upgrade the TV and probably get a 2500 series diesel with a crew cab and short bed. If we went with a 5ver we'd get a sliding hitch.

I've never pulled or tried to back a 5ver. Our TT is about 32 1/2' hitch to bumper. I'm not sure how much longer I would want to go with another TT. Sometimes it's a chore to back into spaces in some of the older parks eg. KOA. But I'm not sure a 5ver would be any easier.

What I need is some POV from you that have had both. Some pros and cons for both types. If we do upgrade I don't want some 12,000 lb monster, but something up to 9 to 10,000 lb would be ok. Let me know.

bdb2047 · 11-06-2010, 02:39 PM

I have had both.For me the fifth wheel tows better,eaiser to hook up can do by myself w/out problem.Generally more storage,, is important to me we go 4-6 months at a time.I would not go w/short bed unless there are other considerations.Be carefull on weight of 2500/250 series trucks very easy to get over on rear axle weights even thought truck will be able to pull it.Fivers seam to more expensive for same amount of trailer space.Backing fiver is a little different than TT but not a problem once used to it,I have had more problem getting out of some space than getting into.In end it is personal preferece both get to same end.

08flagvlite · 11-06-2010, 04:59 PM

For me, I have a 1500 truck, short bed, and the same floorplan Flagstaff camper in trailer was 3k cheaper than the 5ver, and the trailer has the V front, tons of storage, and it has 2 slides- makes the front bedroom much bigger than the 5ver. Plus, the hitch setup is substantially more than the WD hitch, and you can carry more stuff in your truck bed, if needed. Lighter weight was also a plus with the trailer. Yes, the fives do pull better down the road, however, but the trade off is a matter of preferences and price. My opinion, Randy

Emptypockets · 11-06-2010, 05:23 PM

If you have truck enough (ton dually) a 5er is the most stable unit.

nailit · 11-06-2010, 06:18 PM

We have both, a 23' TT and a 34' toyhauler 5er. The biggest difference is that the 5er is a lot more stable when pulling, especially in high cross winds. We do a lot of camping and hunting and you do have to take extra care when it comes to the height of the 5er, especially squeezing in between trees. At least for us, the 5er has a lot more room for everything compared to the TT. Some of the selling points for us about the 5er is the walk-in shower, walk around queen size bed, and the 110 gal. fresh water tank. And for me, the 5er is a lot faster to set up than the TT.

bmg · 11-06-2010, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nailit

We have both, a 23' TT and a 34' toyhauler 5er. The biggest difference is that the 5er is a lot more stable when pulling, especially in high cross winds. We do a lot of camping and hunting and you do have to take extra care when it comes to the height of the 5er, especially squeezing in between trees. At least for us, the 5er has a lot more room for everything compared to the TT. Some of the selling points for us about the 5er is the walk-in shower, walk around queen size bed, and the 110 gal. fresh water tank. And for me, the 5er is a lot faster to set up than the TT.

Is the 5er as hard to back into a space as I've heard?

bmg · 11-06-2010, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 08flagvlite

For me, I have a 1500 truck, short bed, and the same floorplan Flagstaff camper in trailer was 3k cheaper than the 5ver, and the trailer has the V front, tons of storage, and it has 2 slides- makes the front bedroom much bigger than the 5ver. Plus, the hitch setup is substantially more than the WD hitch, and you can carry more stuff in your truck bed, if needed. Lighter weight was also a plus with the trailer. Yes, the fives do pull better down the road, however, but the trade off is a matter of preferences and price. My opinion, Randy

Randy, the floor plan of your TT is similar to what we would like to move up to. I noticed that Flagstaff has a similar plan in a 5er. If the prices were the same would still pick the TT?

nailit · 11-06-2010, 06:40 PM

Once I got the hang of backing the 5er into tight areas, it's just as easy as the TT. But, at least for me, it took a lot of practice and realizing that 5er turns at the bed, not at the rear bumper. I've gotten good at jack-kniving the 5er into tight spaces. Again, it just takes practice and knowing what your towing vechicle and what you are towing can do and cannot do.

daverain · 11-06-2010, 07:15 PM

We had a 5er 31' that we pulled with a f250, now we have a tt. IMO, the only way to pull a tt is with a hensley arrow hitch, no lie I can let go of the wheel and have a semi pass me left and right and not lose any stability. The cons of a tt are less storage than a comparable length 5th. wheel. Our 5th always chucked driving down the road although it was stable. The ride I have with the excursion and the trailer is like a car, again the hitch is the secret.

EdJunior · 11-06-2010, 07:28 PM

I have had both. I currently have a 5er. First, backing a 5th wheel is not necessarily harder, but it is different. Once you get used to it, it is no problem. Like anything, practice makes...well, better. No such thing as perfect when backing any kind of trailer.

5er is more stable, and much easier to tow. It is also waaaay easier to hook/un-hook. And generally easier to setup/tear down. Much more room in the 5er (storage and otherwise)

The TT was much less expensive. In general, it was easier to maintain.

I do not regret my move to the 5th wheel. I have a long bed F-250 diesel, and it tows beautifully. I have a slider hitch, only because I had a short bed when I got the 5er. I love my truck, and love my 5th wheel. But more importantly, my wife does! If Momma is happy, everyone is happy!

bmg · 11-06-2010, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daverain

We had a 5er 31' that we pulled with a f250, now we have a tt. IMO, the only way to pull a tt is with a hensley arrow hitch, no lie I can let go of the wheel and have a semi pass me left and right and not lose any stability. The cons of a tt are less storage than a comparable length 5th. wheel. Our 5th always chucked driving down the road although it was stable. The ride I have with the excursion and the trailer is like a car, again the hitch is the secret.

Thanks I'm not sure what you mean by "chucked". Did you find the 5er harder to back in than the TT?

bmg · 11-06-2010, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdJunior

I have had both. I currently have a 5er. First, backing a 5th wheel is not necessarily harder, but it is different. Once you get used to it, it is no problem. Like anything, practice makes...well, better. No such thing as perfect when backing any kind of trailer.

5er is more stable, and much easier to tow. It is also waaaay easier to hook/un-hook. And generally easier to setup/tear down. Much more room in the 5er (storage and otherwise)

The TT was much less expensive. In general, it was easier to maintain.

I do not regret my move to the 5th wheel. I have a long bed F-250 diesel, and it tows beautifully. I have a slider hitch, only because I had a short bed when I got the 5er. I love my truck, and love my 5th wheel. But more importantly, my wife does! If Momma is happy, everyone is happy!

Thanks EJ, did you have any problems with the short bed and slider? Did it affect the turning radius when backing in?

M109Rrider · 11-06-2010, 09:12 PM

Just traded our TT in on a 5er. Only pulled it once, from the dealership to the house. I experienced "chucking". It's the king pin moving around in the hitch. It feels like a slight bump when I first hit the brake or hit a hard bump that caused the trailer to bounce. We decided to trade our TT because we no longer had use for a bunkhouse. We chose a 5'er because we had a truck that could easily pull one, they tow better, more storage, more amenities, and a more spacious feel. I did alot of research on hitches (slide vs non slide). I found it differs from trailer to trailer. Most new models are short bed friendly. I put my new 5'er/truck in almost a full 90 yesterday just to see how much clearance I had. I had tons. On new trailers, extended pin boxes and special nose pieces have almost eliminated broken windows and dented cabs on TV's. I don't know if backing up a 5er is harder than a TT or not.....yet. It's definitely different. Seems to respond much slower which is/isn't a bad thing. I imagine once I get practice I'll be threading the needle into my back yard and challenging campsites just as good as I could with the TT.

bmg · 11-06-2010, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M109Rrider

Just traded our TT in on a 5er. Only pulled it once, from the dealership to the house. I experienced "chucking". It's the king pin moving around in the hitch. It feels like a slight bump when I first hit the brake or hit a hard bump that caused the trailer to bounce. We decided to trade our TT because we no longer had use for a bunkhouse. We chose a 5'er because we had a truck that could easily pull one, they tow better, more storage, more amenities, and a more spacious feel. I did alot of research on hitches (slide vs non slide). I found it differs from trailer to trailer. Most new models are short bed friendly. I put my new 5'er/truck in almost a full 90 yesterday just to see how much clearance I had. I had tons. On new trailers, extended pin boxes and special nose pieces have almost eliminated broken windows and dented cabs on TV's. I don't know if backing up a 5er is harder than a TT or not.....yet. It's definitely different. Seems to respond much slower which is/isn't a bad thing. I imagine once I get practice I'll be threading the needle into my back yard and challenging campsites just as good as I could with the TT.

Thanks for the input. Coincidentally, I had spent the last couple of hours looking at the Prime Time website. The DW and I had just said that if we going to consider up grading we would definitely take a look at the 320 RLT. That plan would suit us the best for our needs too. The unloaded weight is just under 10,000 lbs. How did your Dodge handle the weight? How do you think it would tow well in the mountains?

M109Rrider · 11-06-2010, 09:38 PM

The truck handled it great. Starting and stopping felt no different than our 7k TT did. You can tell by the pic the truck isn't squatted much. I don't have factory overloads, air bags etc. Ask me about the mountains after Thanksgiving

. We're taking it from home (eastern Va.) to the in-laws in Kentucky.

bmg · 11-06-2010, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M109Rrider

The truck handled it great. Starting and stopping felt no different than our 7k TT did. You can tell by the pic the truck isn't squatted much. I don't have factory overloads, air bags etc. Ask me about the mountains after Thanksgiving

. We're taking it from home (eastern Va.) to the in-laws in Kentucky.

I already saw your picture on your profile and have been already lusting.

I recall reading about Prime Time when they first opened last year and just read some of their press releases about the new Crusader line. Their dealer network is a little thin. We're in NC and the nearest dealer is in Roanoke. The 320 is their newest and biggest model. I know the 290RLT is around $30k. If you don't mind sharing can you give a ball park on what the 320 is running? Here's the press release info.

Prime Time Manufacturing, Manufacturers of travel trailers and fifth wheels

08flagvlite · 11-06-2010, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmg

Randy, the floor plan of your TT is similar to what we would like to move up to. I noticed that Flagstaff has a similar plan in a 5er. If the prices were the same would still pick the TT?

No, I had to consider the space on my trailer is more than the comparable 5ver at that time, and the 5ver had the rear superslide the same as mine, but in the front bedroom where I have a slide and a large v front closet, the 5ver did not have a front slide out, or the closet space. Otherwise, the floorplan was the same, and I had to consider my tow vehicle, as well. DW said I had to make what I have work! Randy

SaskCampers · 11-07-2010, 07:39 AM

When we bought the V-Lite this spring, we looked at 5er's and TT and there were no 5ers close to the V-lite price wise that offer the amount of floor space or a bedroom slide which was DW's main want this time. The closet in the V nose is also very large. Some times I wonder if we made the right choice but then we go camping and I know we did. The only thing is this particular floorplan is shy on outside storage but I consider that a small tradeoff for the interior room. We have learned to pack better plus we have the full bed of the truck which we would lose in a 5er. Also another thing was if we got a trailer over 10k GVWR at least in Saskatchewan you have to get a G endorsement or class 1 truck driver license and take the tests. I could have passed but it is just another PIA I was not interested in. Bad enough we have to register our TV's with a special endorsement now if we have a gcwr over 11,000 lbs and of course we pay as well, my registration went up 240 bux a year because of it.

daverain · 11-07-2010, 07:44 AM

The word maybe was incorrect, " chucking" was the back and forth movement from the 5th. transmitted to the tow vehicle, did not have a airborne or air glide setup. This was real pronounced on highways with expansion strips. Thanks.
Dave and Rainy

Mr.B · 11-07-2010, 08:50 AM

I agree with most comments regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the fiver. I went from a TT to a Fiver and love it! The two disadvantages is limited carrying capability in the truck bed even when not coupled to the RV and the two sets of steps one has to use to go into the bathroom or bedroom from the outside. If you have knee or back problems you may think about the number of trips you make from outside daily! A fiver typically has three to four steps into the RV and then another three steps into the front room.

As far as maneuverability goes, I think the Fiver has it all over the TT! Much more stable, easier to back, and put in tight spaces. Particularly if you slide the hitch to where you can jackknive it without hitting your cab!

Good luck and regardless of what you decide have a great time!

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