5er VS travel trailer

[Iwannacamp]

A storm tore up our 5th wheel Puma Palamino 295KBH. Today we go fantasy shopping to see what's out there...my wife really liked the TT she was looking at. I am really nervous about a TT over a fifth wheel in pulling. I have an 05 ram 2500 diesel 4x4 and am not really worried about the weight of the TT vs a medium 5er, but I am worried about the horror stories of pulling about a 35ft TT.

Should I be? I have obviously never pulled a TT.


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[BandJCarm]

Not the right person to answer...............but..........

I figure there's about the same amount of trailer behind the bumper with either one. It's the issue of hitch that's different.

I never found a TT laid out like I wanted, though........and did find several 5'ers that were.

[northstar1960]

Not sure about what horror stories are out there but pull my 34' across country no issues ,plus i have the bed of my truck with topper for carrying stuff . both have their pros and cons .

[Kels4g]

I've never pulled a 5er. We have a 29 ft TT. We had never towed ANYTHING when we got it. We have had no issues after a slight learning curve. We still find backing it up to be difficult.

[uhduh camping]

5ers seem to have better storage. Sometimes I wish I had gotten a 5er. If I had known that I would have to get a 3/4 T to tow a "1/2 T towable" I would have gotten the 5er.

[Broadway Joe]

I moved up from a 25 foot trailer to one 33 ft, and no problem. If your tv is equipped with enough payload or tongue wt either is a matter of floor plan and preference for layout. I do believe TT's can be had for slightly less money then a 5er.

When towing it's just a matter of giving yourself enough room when turning and keeping an eye on your tail.

[pbryan]

I went from a 33' TT to a 34' 5er. The 5th wheel really gives you more room for the length, the tongue of a TT adds 4 to 5 ft of overall length that is not very usable. So most TTs the "box" will be shorter, my 33' had only 29' of living area. On the 5er the living area uses the entire 34'.

The overall length of truck + trailer will be shorter with a 5th wheel, since there is overlap of the truck and trailer. With a TT overall length will be truck + trailer + about a foot for the hitch. If that matters to you.

As far as towing goes, it wasn't necessarily hard to tow the TT, but the 5th wheel is clearly easier. There is a reason that TT's need sway control on the hitch and 5th wheels don't. With the TT, not that it was hard to control, but I'd know when a truck was passing. Steering input can cause sway too, especially a "swerve" maneuver. With the 5th wheel it just stays behind the truck, and I've never really detected any sway.

You do lose the use of your truck bed with the 5th wheel, but in my case the TT had far less exterior storage so it was close to a wash...

The TT was significantly shorter in height, so if you goes places with low clearance that could be a positive.

Lastly my fuel economy got better with the 5th wheel. Not sure I have fully figured out why, but I get about 1mpg better with the 5th wheel, even though it is 2 ft taller and about 2500 lbs heavier. They both had aerodynamic fronts. The only thing I can figure is that the front of 5th wheel being so close to the truck cab improved the overall aerodynamics.

[Oakman]

I prefer 5th wheels for the large under belly storage area and taller ceilings in the living area of the trailer.

If you do buy a TT please be sure to post about your experiences. I've always read about bad experiences TT owners have with trucks passing them. I've always owned a fifth wheels so I'm interested in what your experience might be if you buy a TT.

[DSMURPHY]

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

A storm tore up our 5th wheel Puma Palamino 295KBH. Today we go fantasy shopping to see what's out there...my wife really liked the TT she was looking at. I am really nervous about a TT over a fifth wheel in pulling. I have an 05 ram 2500 diesel 4x4 and am not really worried about the weight of the TT vs a medium 5er, but I am worried about the horror stories of pulling about a 35ft TT.

Should I be? I have obviously never pulled a TT.


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The MOST important thing for you to do if you choose a TT is to have your hitch PROPERLY setup to your TV. I also recommend learning the initial setup procedure yourself so that you will be confident with your rig.
Best of luck to you.
Dan

[Ford Idaho]

I went with a FW because I know the boss can hook it up and drive in the event something were to happen to me.

Real sure there is no way she would be able to do the hitch needed for a TT.

[jtaylor1920]

I've had a 24' ft TT and now my 36' ft 5th wheel and I have found pulling the 5th wheel to be a much better experience. Also, backing up the 5'er has been much easier.

[stantyszka]

Originally Posted by Kels4g

I've never pulled a 5er. We have a 29 ft TT. We had never towed ANYTHING when we got it. We have had no issues after a slight learning curve. We still find backing it up to be difficult.

I went from a Mazda 3 to a Ram 1500 and a 30 ft TT. Never towed anything before but with careful research, common sense, and patience I had a great first season last year. Backing is still a skill I'm working on but I've not had a tough time, or any nightmares to report with towing. I'd imagine anything behind the cab (5er or TT) can cause drama, it's just how the driver handles the drama that matters.

[SilverArrowPro]

Towing a 38' and never give it a thought. Had a 2500 crew cab long bed hemi. No issues other than weight. Never blown over the road or anything like that. Upgraded to the 3500 dually diesel and look forward to getting on the road with the extra towing ability. 2500 diesel should be no issues.

[oldsmasma]

One of the reasons we moved from a fifth wheel to a small motorhome was because DH frequently had trouble hitching or unhitching after his heart attack. Working with his arms over his head for long was difficult. I found the stairs to the fifth wheel daunting after my knee replacements. As for those high ceilings - well that made a lot of those beautiful cupboards out of my reach.

[satdog01]

While we love the fws, as age had crept up on us and frequent trips to the potty, steps in fws were a noticeable issue as all the fws the bath was up stairs. Third rv was a tt because of it. Wife uses a scooter after knee replacement, rides very nicely in back of pu due to full use of the bed on the tv.

[CaptnJohn]

I have had them all. Only mistake was going to a TT after the MH. Now in a FW and like it the best.

[Major Oz]

We have gone back and forth between MH and TT for about 40 years. After about five months without any form of RV, we finally found a TT that we HOPE won't cause us to continue swapping.

I am wimpy and have copd, so got a Flagstaff 26fkws with all the power goodies, that I have modified (took out a bedroom closet and put in a custom made king bed.....took out the couch and put in two plush rocker/recliners.)

Pull with a 2012 ecoboost.......no problems.

Never bothered with a 5th wheel for four reasons:
1. Too tall for the boondockers we have always been
2. Too much storage, tempting us to take all kinds of stuff we don't need
3. Obviates using the truck.....as a truck.
4. Breakdowns (towing, etc) are REEEEELY expensive.

But YMMV, which is why the lots are full of a variety.

[raytwntrvlr]

Probably not very important to many but we have always been put off by the low ceiling in the 5th wheel bedroom. Seems a bit claustrophobic. We wanted to get a 5er as our 2nd trailer but could not find one our truck could pull spec wise (pin weight limit) that had a roomy enough bedroom. That, plus the 10 grand or so difference in price is why we have the TT we have now. BTW... we love it.

[Herk7769]

Having rented a travel trailer for 2 years and own a 5th wheel, I can give you some help.

The travel trailer has lower wind resistance and for similar weight will yield better fuel mileage at speed.

The cargo space advantage of the 5th wheel is wiped out (IMO) by the loss of most (if not all) the cargo space in the truck bed.

Stairs in the 5th wheel are tough on old knees. To get the higher bedroom ceilings, they increase the height and frontal area in bigger 5th wheels. Both are bad for fuel economy.

Properly balanced, 5th wheels tow better (IMO) than Travel Trailers, but not so much as to rule one out over the other. The key is to have the pin fall between 15 and 20% of total trailer weight for a 5th wheel and the tongue between 10 and 14% of total trailer weight for a travel trailer.

Length of trailer vs tow vehicle wheel base is more critical in a travel trailer. Long trailers and short wheel base trucks are squirrely even when properly balanced. The best anti-sway hitch you can afford is a must (Equilizer is a good bet). Also go oversize on the hitch (way better to have more anti-sway than not enough).

Herk

[Iwannacamp]

Thank you for all the help. I want a 5er...I am already set up for one. Will have to start over on TT. Wife is leaning towards a TT...she will agree to what I want. With the help here I feel better about the TT. Prolly the most deciding factor is finding what we want with floor plan and must haves in the budget we have and at least I am not as scared of them now.


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