5th Wheel Towing

[bturner]

I've always towed a travel trailer. When turning corners I have to turn really wide to keep from clipping any obstacles that might be in the inside of the turn.

With that said does a 5th wheel of equal length track the TV better, staying in line with it?

Thanks for any input.

[RKR]

Yes. It'll shorten the overall length thus increase your turning radius. You pivot point is in the bed of the truck and not on your bumper.


Sent from my high tech gadget

[OldCoot]

The 5er will track the truck a little tighter in turns than the tt.

[danno2u]

Welcome to the forum!

It's all about the pivot point and the length of your trailer (either TT or 5W). Your pivot point for a TT is the ball at the end of your vehicle whereas for a 5W, it's the hitch receiver in the back of the truck. BOTH setups are going to require extra clearance on the inside of your turn as NEITHER will track behind your tow vehicle.

A longer trailer of either design will require more inside clearance. I think, at least in theory, comparing a TT and 5W of equal length, a TT will track slightly worse than the 5W during the turn due to the pivot point being further aft. But in practice, it doesn't matter. You just learn how much space you need and get better and better the more you drive your rig!

That's my 2 cents anyway...

[driftcreek]

I guess I am the lone dissenter here but it is my experience that the bumper pull trailer follows the tow vehicle in a turn better than a fifth wheel. It believe it is for the reason stated earlier, the 5th wheel hitch is turning over the rear axle and the bumper pull trailer hitch is thrown to the outside of the corner because it is behind the rear axle.
My 5th wheel is a 26 footer and has less trailer behind the truck than my 25 ft. bumper pull, but the bumper pull follows about 6 inches to a foot outside the TV tracks in a sharp 90 degree turn while the 5th wheel requires about a foot and a half or more.
That's just my experience. I have a bent 5th wheel axle as evidence.

[harderd]

Originally Posted by driftcreek

I guess I am the lone dissenter here but it is my experience that the bumper pull trailer follows the tow vehicle in a turn better than a fifth wheel. It believe it is for the reason stated earlier, the 5th wheel hitch is turning over the rear axle and the bumper pull trailer hitch is thrown to the outside of the corner because it is behind the rear axle.
My 5th wheel is a 26 footer and has less trailer behind the truck than my 25 ft. bumper pull, but the bumper pull follows about 6 inches to a foot outside the TV tracks in a sharp 90 degree turn while the 5th wheel requires about a foot and a half or more.
That's just my experience. I have a bent 5th wheel axle as evidence.

I agree!

[mikier]

Originally Posted by harderd

I agree!

x2

[mud yapster]

I'm with you on the turn radius requiring more of it with the 5th wheel. I had been towing a 35' TT for over 15 years and now have a 41.5' 5th wheel trailer and I need alot more room to turn than before. I think more on the line of 10' more room for turning. The 5er just doesn't start turning or straighting out after the turn for quit some distance after I have turned and alot of caution turning is always at high priority for me and scary also. I have to watch real close at things when turning and I need a sign like the Semi's have "This thing takes really wide turners so keep your distance" Or "stay back because I'm about to turn and run over your little car" LOL
I'll come up with a good saying one day and then post it on the back of my 5er. Hey how about "I'm old and can't see like I used to so you better keep clear when I turn this corner" LOL

[DKRITTER]

A 5W's pivot point is over the rear axle so as soon as the TV starts a turn the pivot point on a 5W tracks to the inside of the turn causing the trailer axles to come inside sooner.

In a tongue pull the pivot point is a few feet behind the TV axle so the hitch point actually moves slightly to the outside of the TV axle so the tongue of the TT is moved slightly to the outside and the wheels track a little bit less to the inside.

[Iwannacamp]

Learn something everyday!!

[MtnGuy]

With all being stated, would a Reese Revolution actually decrease a 5th wheel inside track because it moves the pivot point about 20" back ?? A Reese representative at the Hershey RV Show was trying to get that through my thick skull, and with discussion here I am finally able to fathom how the tracking works.

[driftcreek]

Originally Posted by mud yapster

I'm with you on the turn radius requiring more of it with the 5th wheel. I had been towing a 35' TT for over 15 years and now have a 41.5' 5th wheel trailer and I need alot more room to turn than before. I think more on the line of 10' more room for turning. The 5er just doesn't start turning or straighting out after the turn for quit some distance after I have turned and alot of caution turning is always at high priority for me and scary also. I have to watch real close at things when turning and I need a sign like the Semi's have "This thing takes really wide turners so keep your distance" Or "stay back because I'm about to turn and run over your little car" LOL
I'll come up with a good saying one day and then post it on the back of my 5er. Hey how about "I'm old and can't see like I used to so you better keep clear when I turn this corner" LOL

Wow, your trailer IS as long as some of the Semi trucks I drove when I was younger. Something I did to my "little" 26 ft. 5er to help traffic beside me notice that I want to change lanes is I installed a small yellow LED turn signal halfway down the side of the trailer. Now when I want to turn and traffic beside me won't let me in the next lane I know they are just being rude. I noticed that all the big rigs have this type of turn signal so I thought I would give it a try, I think it helps. Maybe that huge trailer of yours already has something like this.

[driftcreek]

Originally Posted by MtnGuy

With all being stated, would a Reese Revolution actually decrease a 5th wheel inside track because it moves the pivot point about 20" back ?? A Reese representative at the Hershey RV Show was trying to get that through my thick skull, and with discussion here I am finally able to fathom how the tracking works.

I believe it would.

[Kaadk]

I think the short answer to the OP's question is neither a TT nor a 5er is going to track following the truck, so always give yourself a lot of room.

I've had quite a few really close calls, but never a hit on my inside track. The swing on the end of the trailer on the outside is what got me in trouble with that tree last May. Don't forget to watch that too.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by DKRITTER

A 5W's pivot point is over the rear axle so as soon as the TV starts a turn the pivot point on a 5W tracks to the inside of the turn causing the trailer axles to come inside sooner.

In a tongue pull the pivot point is a few feet behind the TV axle so the hitch point actually moves slightly to the outside of the TV axle so the tongue of the TT is moved slightly to the outside and the wheels track a little bit less to the inside.

If I had been on here in time, I would have said this.

[BigBaron]

I've always been too busy monitoring the inside mirror to notice which tracks better.

I do know that Semis turning right (towing 40' trailers) will easily crush the front of a car. A TT? Not so easily.

[camper1999]

I had a 33 foot travel trailer and comparing I now have a similar length fifth wheel 34 feet. Since the FF hangs over the bed a few feet the FF has a much tighter turning radius and tracks the truck much better then the TT. I do not think you can compare a 35 foot TT that is 6 feet less in length then 41 foot FF. Because a FF hangs over the truck more the pivot point is different. So in my experience towing the same size trailers, my FF has a much tighter turning radius

[mud yapster]

Originally Posted by driftcreek

Wow, your trailer IS as long as some of the Semi trucks I drove when I was younger. Something I did to my "little" 26 ft. 5er to help traffic beside me notice that I want to change lanes is I installed a small yellow LED turn signal halfway down the side of the trailer. Now when I want to turn and traffic beside me won't let me in the next lane I know they are just being rude. I noticed that all the big rigs have this type of turn signal so I thought I would give it a try, I think it helps. Maybe that huge trailer of yours already has something like this.

Hey thanks driftcreek I didn't think about that I'll check into putting some on the sides. Yes this thing is long and heavy, 5er is 41.5' and truck is about 24' with the brush guard on front bummper. The brush guard is for the varmets that don't want to move out of the way because I can't swerve to miss them. I haven't ran over anything yet but I'm prepared. LOL Thanks for the turn signal idea.

[mud yapster]

Originally Posted by BigBaron

I've always been too busy monitoring the inside mirror to notice which tracks better.

I do know that Semis turning right (towing 40' trailers) will easily crush the front of a car. A TT? Not so easily.

That's a bummer and not a situation I want to be in but I bet my 5er would have smashed that little car more.

[driftcreek]

I had an incident similar to the picture of the trailer on the car when I was at a Nebraska truck stop, only mine involved a big cement baracade that was there to protect the fuel pumps. It seems they were tired of people hitting the pumps so they put in these big cement baracades and I was the first one to try it out. I swung right coming out of the pump and didn't check my inside mirror and rode that thing all the way to the top. Blew out my tire and bent my axle good. I think they made a good living selling tires there. After that when ever I fuel up I check BOTH mirrors before exiting the pumps.