Why are Fifth Wheels more expensive than TT?

[Sheripoms]

Just curioius,, Why are fifth wheels more expensive that TT's. I see a 35 foot TT is like 15,000 less expensive than a comparable 35 ft. fifth wheel.
Was just wondering why? Are they better made?

[Rupkin2]

Supply and demand would be my first guess.

John.

[nomad297]

More materials, more labor.

Bruce

[SkipnTerri]

Originally Posted by nomad297

More materials, more labor.

Bruce

X2.

[Alex.mcintosh40]

More room in them.and they are better built then TT easier to tow. Hold there resale better also. Like everyone else said not material and labor

[PSUFan1]

Lower amount of competition and therefore higher prices


2012 Ford F-150 EB Crew FX4 3.73 gears
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[bikendan]

Bigger box, so more materials. More room so more stuff and features.

[Dinostop]

I would also say the frame design and engineering that goes goes into that probably helps play a part. A small part, but every little part. Also 5ers are taller so again more material.


Eastlake, Ohio
2013 F-350 Turbo Diesel
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[brewjaz]

Good question!

[Jeff from Burlington Ont]

I would agree with the more head room thus more materials. Also they may be able to charge more because there are people out there like me that would only buy a 5th wheel because of the head room, easier towing, easier backing in etc. I would not go back to TT for any cost because of head room issue Variety makes the world go round

[downtime]

Originally Posted by nomad297

More materials, more labor.

Bruce

X3

[clintbonnie73]

[QUOTE=Dinostop;1121451]I would also say the frame design and engineering that goes goes into that probably helps play a part. A small part, but every little part. Also 5ers are taller so again more material.
QUOTE]

I think you answered the question. I asked the same question about truck campers.. why they are so expensive compared to a TT.. I was told it is a lot to do with the design and extra construction because of the over hang of the bed area.. and they are taller of coarse.

[bareftn]

why do they cost more because they can and people pay

[Blackhat6mike]

LOL. To quote Chief George, "White man build big fire, stand way back. Indian build little fire, stand real close".
When shopping for our current TT, we went in looking at 5ers, but were so impressed at the construction and component materials, we ended up buying the Aviator Wright Flyer. Since there is no wood in the unit, the cost of building it was higher than most 5ers.
The inside of the unit is smaller than a regular 34' TT as the walls have 5" of slab insulation and the floor is 2" composite corrugated material. All this takes up inside room, but their functions more than pay for themselves. Smaller, but way more efficient than any of the 5ers we toured at the Tampa show.
Also, it tows so much better than a 5er. Very aerodynamic. Still have an open TV bed for "stuff".

[BandJCarm]

First, thank you for your service!

Second, my son lives on Wilmington Island.

But I can't find where that unit is in current manufacture..........and I tried to find a bumper pull with enough 'cubic air space' inside to have what we need, and never could.

[WFD]

bareftn hit the nail right on the head.....cuz they can!

[Blackhat6mike]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

First, thank you for your service!

Second, my son lives on Wilmington Island.

But I can't find where that unit is in current manufacture..........and I tried to find a bumper pull with enough 'cubic air space' inside to have what we need, and never could.

FR only built the Aviator one year [maybe 2] and only 70 units. That was 2012/13. They were too expensive to build and their targeted competitor was Airstream. No Airstream owner leaves Airstream. And they were being produced during very bad times in the RV industry. Thus one production run. We lucked out and bought one of the last three units in the US.
We just couldn't see an advantage of a 5er over the Aviator and we looked hard and wide. JMHO

[itat]

Bigger box and more materials, yes. I don't think there would be more storage in the living area because the floor area would be about the same. Any storage above 7' off the floor is practically useless, IMO. However, they will usually have a lot more storage in the "basement" compared to a TT's pass through.

Structurally, the 5er would have to be beefier because the front is cantilevered. The pin box only provides support when travelling. When camping, it's dead weight.

[ccsvolsfan]

I just made the cross over ftom TT to 5er. Bigger better everything, bath room, living area, more head room, laundry hook ups, 50 amp service, 1000 watt inverter, residential appliances, 6 pt auto level, docking station, larger grey and black water tanks, and omg, I pulls soooooo much better, etc, etc. I will not ever go back to a TT.

[Alexha]

Traditionally, travel trailers were designed to be towed by larger passenger vehicles, SUV's and light trucks. The tow vehicle size, and the bumper-pull hitch placed a strict weight limit on travel trailers resulting in the use of lightweight materials and consruction techniques and limited many design factors such as inside dimensions and trim options.
If an RV'er desired more space, headroom and luxury, a heavier trailer resulted, requiring a heavier duty tow vehicle with a sturdier and better load-balancing fifth-wheel hitch, offering better rig safety, stability and manuverability.
Recently a new class of bumper-pull "travel trailers" has become available known as "destination trailers" which are designed to meet the needs of RV'ers who intend to leave their trailers primarily on a fixed site. This provides them with the option to ocassionally have the RV moved, by professional transporters if they so desire, thus eliminating any need to own an expensive tow vehicle. Many of these new destination trailers approach, and is some cases exceed (no limited bedroom height or inside stairs) the design and construction features of fifth-wheel trailers including greater headroom throughout, improved galley appliances, multiple slide-outs and high quality furnishings. Destination trailers also offer such options as no water storage and holding tanks, regular flush toilets, better insulation, larger beds, bigger water heaters and much more living space. Since they are not designed to meet extensive road travel demands and do not require many of the expensive mobile options of fifth-wheel RV's such as automatic leveling jacks, water pumps and dual fuel appiances, the cost of destination trailers can be considerably less than similar size fifth wheel units without sacrificing any of the luxury features.