TT vs 5th for 1st time RV, Mama & 2 kids

[LittleBit]

Hello everyone!

I am totally new to the RV world, but I have a grand plan and will really be needing some advice and help along the way and this is looking like a good place to find it. Thank you in advance for your thoughts & input.

MY BASIC QUESTIONS for TT vs 5th Wheel (around 30'):

1) Is hitching & unhitching significantly easier with a 5th compared to a TT (assuming that the TT will have sway & weight distribution bars - and I will be traveling often)?

2) Will towing be easier (less stressful) with a 5th than a TT?

3) Any downfalls to either as basically a solo traveler (kids are too young and short to be able to help guide the RV, will get a back-up camera to help)?


Want more information...

BACKGROUND INFO:

IN A NUTSHELL: I have an opportunity to take my kids (10 & 8) out of school for a year and travel with them around the country. It will mostly be the 3 of us, with my husband joining when he can on vacation. I've never owned, towed or camped in any type of RV, but I am not going to let that stop me.

RV SEARCH: Trying to decide between TT or 5th (both bunkhouse models).
Specifically I am looking at the Coachmen Freedom Express 257BHS (TT) or the Jayco Eagle HT 25.6BHS (5th).

PLANS: Go on 2 extended trips, each about 4 months long (plus some shorter trips). Goal is national & other parks - mostly & following warmer weather. I plan on leaving this summer 2017, coming back to TX for Nov - Feb (but with a shorter trip to Florida somewhere in there), and then going back out March- Aug 2018.

OTHER INFO:

TV: Do not have one yet. Will get something that will match the needs of the RV. Possibly a Tahoe or a 1/2 ton for a TT, and a 1/2 or 3/4 ton for a 5th wheel.

BIKES: I will be bringing bikes with me. If I have a TT, they will go in or on the TV. If it is a 5th, than that is more complicated. The Jayco Eagle HT has a factory installed 2" receiver that I can put a bike rack on, so I think that will work, but have not found other like that. Will not put bikes on a bumper & don't want to void a warranty by welding on a receiver.

CCC: Since we will basically be living full time (for 4 months at a time) in this, I want enough CCC. Thinking at least 2,000 lbs. I have been finding that an issue- with many of the TTs & 5th being under that CCC (hard to find small trailers that are not ultra light). That is why currently I have it limited to the 2 choices.

Thank you all very much for reading & have a great day.

[J Birder]

Originally Posted by LittleBit

Hello everyone!

I am totally new to the RV world, but I have a grand plan and will really be needing some advice and help along the way and this is looking like a good place to find it. Thank you in advance for your thoughts & input.

MY BASIC QUESTIONS for TT vs 5th Wheel (around 30'):

1) Is hitching & unhitching significantly easier with a 5th compared to a TT (assuming that the TT will have sway & weight distribution bars - and I will be traveling often)?

2) Will towing be easier (less stressful) with a 5th than a TT?

3) Any downfalls to either as basically a solo traveler (kids are too young and short to be able to help guide the RV, will get a back-up camera to help)?

1) With the 5er, hitching will be easier, Unhitching will not be easier either way.

2) Towing will be much less stressful with the 5er.

3) You will probably want a good backup camera. I use one of these https://www.amazon.com/Rampage-Products-7710-Silver-Portable/dp/B00QHZV7IQ/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1486137071&sr=8-24&keywords=backup+camera+wifi. when hitching, When hitching, I move the camera to the roof of the truck, and aim it at the hitch.

With the 5er, you do loose some storage space in the truck bed, but it will tend to have a lot more basement storage space.

Joel

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Hope you find the perfect rig for your family. Personally, I would go with the 5th wheel if you're gonna have to buy a tow vehicle anyway. They are much more stable on the road!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[gtsum2]

Fiver will tow better and easier and quicker to hitch and unhitch. 3/4 ton truck needed even for your jayco fiver you are considering. imo. I don't like a suv for towing as wheelbase is short and suspension soft (unless you have an excursion). Fiver will feel more open inside due to higher ceilings also. Pay close attention to payload sticker on the tow vehicle located on driver door jam. You will find most half tons don't have much

[tizzyfit]

As for the bikes and a 5th wheel. It's fairly easy to mount a bike rack on the 5th wheel hitch. Bikes ride much better on the front of the 5th wheel VS the rear bumper or rear trailer hitch. The 5th wheel will tow better and less likely to jack knife and are much easier to back up. The 5th wheel is much easier to hitch up and unhitch compared to a travel trailer particularly if you use hitch sway bars. My comments are based on my previous 29.5 Arctic Fox. With that particular 5th wheel, you'll need a F-250, other manufacturers make a lighter 5'er but you might be asking a lot of a f-150.

[Cumminsfan]

I would recommend a 5th wheel over a TT for a women any day. Not that women aren't strong but a 30' TT will require a WD hitch and cranking up the spring bars is not that easy. That and removing the spring bars and WD stinger are heavy. Once the 5th wheel hitch is in the truck it can stay there. No safety chains or greasy parts to deal with. the bikes can go on the back of the 5ht wheel without causing any sway or reducing too much pin weight. Hitching up is way easier with a 5th wheel as well. Unhitching is about equal.
Get a backup camera and it shouldn't be that much of a problem. After aa few times out the 10 year old may be able to help more than you think.

[Arch Hoagland]

I would suggest renting a class C RV for a week before you buy anything. You will learn a lot.

I've pulled trailers with a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton. I suggest buying a 3/4 ton diesel.

Travel trailer or fifth wheel? Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

I've never had people help me back up into a campsite. It's best if you learn how to do it alone. Have you ever seen a truck driver have a helper guide him or her?

You are going to have problems with the RV and the truck during the year. Don't let that discourage you. Anybody who has been on the road for a year without problems please chime in now.

I think your children will learn a ton of things that they could never learn in any other way so all your efforts will be beneficial. Good luck and have fun.

[SouthpawHD]

Most responders above are focusing on trailer choice but I've never towed a 5er, so no comment there.

But I have towed a moderately heavy TT with both a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton with a larger family and lots of gear. In my opinion, you really need to be looking at a 3/4 ton or even a one ton (virtually the same price) for your type of towing. Using a 1/2 ton really limits the amount of gear you can put in the truck. A 3/4 ton gives you so much more leeway due it's higher CCC. A 3/4 ton is also a heavier truck which makes the towing experience better due to its overall stability. When running empty, the fuel mileage isn't that great and that's really the only downside.

Good luck.

[SmokeyWren]

Hi, LittleBit, and

Originally Posted by LittleBit

MY BASIC QUESTIONS for TT vs 5th Wheel (around 30')

1) Is hitching & unhitching significantly easier with a 5th compared to a TT (assuming that the TT will have sway & weight distribution bars - and I will be traveling often)?

I don't agree with most of the others in this thread. After the hitch is installed and properly adjusted, there's no significant difference in the effort required to hitch or unhitch the trailer. A high-end TT hitch might seem to be more trouble at first, but with practice it gets easier.

2) Will towing be easier (less stressful) with a 5th than a TT?

Assuming a high-end TT hitch such as a ProPride or Hensley Arrow, there's virtually no difference. With a less-expensive but goodTT hitch, then the 5er is slightly better, and with a cheap TT hitch that cost less than about $500 from a discount online source, the 5er is much better

3) Any downfalls to either as basically a solo traveler (kids are too young and short to be able to help guide the RV, will get a back-up camera to help)?

Big difference for me is the ability to haul a camper shell on the back of the pickup when towing a TT. The shell gives you all sorts of extra out-of-the-weather storage space that you cannot have with a 5er.

RV SEARCH: Trying to decide between TT or 5th (both bunkhouse models).
Specifically I am looking at the Coachmen Freedom Express 257BHS (TT) or the Jayco Eagle HT 25.6BHS (5th).

I suspect the Jayco model number is a typo and you intended 26.5.

Huge difference in weight between that 5er and TT. GVWR of the TT is 7,500, and GVWR of the 5er is 9,950. So the 5er probably has a much heavier frame. The room inside the RV is about the same, with the 5er being marginally bigger. Notice the 5er has a couch/hide-a-bed and the TT doesn't have extra seating to watch TV. The heavier 5er means you probably need a bit more truck to tow the 5er than the TT.

TV: Do not have one yet. Will get something that will match the needs of the RV. Possibly a Tahoe or a 1/2 ton for a TT, and a 1/2 or 3/4 ton for a 5th wheel.

The 7,500 pound TT is way too much trailer for an SUV, and too much trailer for all but the very rare heavy duty half-ton pickups. So count on buying at least a three-quarter ton pickup for either trailer. Don't even think about trying to tow that 5er with any half-ton pickup. In fact if you were my daughter who is about your age, I'd advise you to get an F-250 with gas engine for the TT, or an F-350 SRW with diesel engine for the 5er.

(Darling Wife an I drug a small {25', 8k loaded weight} 5er for over 100,000 miles over 10 years with an F-250 diesel. Then we downsized to a 19', 5k loaded weight TT with a ProPride hitch and towed by an F-150 EcoBoost. Even with our itty bitty TT, our half-ton pickup is slightly overloaded.)

If you go for a TT, then you can have a shorty bed (6.5') with no problem. But for a 5er you need either an 8' bed or a slider hitch. If you're like me and sometimes forget to do all the steps, then you want an automatic slider, such as the Pullrite SuperGlide. Here's the SuperGlide designed to plug into the Ford optional 5er hitch prep kit available for an F-350 SRW:

ISR Series SuperGlide 18K | Fifth Wheel Hitches by PullRite

Ignore that blurb about industry standard bed rails (ISR). Pullrite also has an adapter that lets the SuperGlide ISR use the Ford 5er prep under-bed rails. That's what I would get if I had to have a shorty pickup.

But with an 8' bed, you can use the Reese Elite 5er hitch that is Ford OEM.
2017 Ford F-350 Super Duty Fifth Wheel Hitch | etrailer.com

Note the cost of that 5er hitch, including the cost of the optional Ford prep kit, is about $1,400. The cost of a ProPrice for a TT is abut $2,500. But 5ers cost more than similar size and quality TTs, so hitch price will be offset by the cost of the RV.

[SmokeyWren]

(continued after lunch)

GVWR of the TT is 7,500, and GVWR of the 5er is 9,950.

TTs average about 13% tongue weight while smaller 5ers average about 18%. As a full-timer, you'll have the trailer loaded to he gills, so assume the GVWR is the actual wet and loaded trailer weight. 13% tongue weight for the 7,500 pound TT will be about 975 pounds. That's why most half-ton crew-cab pickups loaded with your family and other stuff will be overloaded with the TT.

Pin weight for a 9,500 pound 5er will be about 1,700 pounds. That's why an F-350 SRW would be beneficial to tow that trailer - you will have a lot more "wiggle room" for hauling weight without being overloaded. The F-250 can do it, but you'll probably be pushing the payload capacity of the tow vehicle.

[450Donn]

To be frank, IMHO as a single person a motor home might be a far better choice. Far easier to manuver and back up without help. Hooking up a small car and driving off you might find much easier. As for long term traveling with kids, GO FOR IT! As long as you are also prepared for the stress of home schooling it sure can be a great experience.

[dayle1]

Originally Posted by 450Donn

To be frank, IMHO as a single person a motor home might be a far better choice. Far easier to manuver and back up without help. Hooking up a small car and driving off you might find much easier. As for long term traveling with kids, GO FOR IT! As long as you are also prepared for the stress of home schooling it sure can be a great experience.

With a MH and a car, there are times when it is not convenient to hook up or unhook at the camp site, so both vehicles have to be driven some distance. That creates a problem with just a single licensed driver. Same problem can occur if the OP needs to back out of a situation. One year we met a rig in a Provincial Park, 2 miles down a paved campground access road, but the cg was already closed for the season. Once unhooked, the car could turn around, but the MH had to back up the full distance. At least they had two licensed drivers.

Otherwise, I agree, with a MH the outside mirrors are always pointed at the rear of the coach. With a TT or fiver, the back of the trailer quickly gets out of sight thru the mirrors, so backing on the driver's side becomes valuable.

[garbonz]

Have pulled a variety of bumper pull and 5er rigs, I would never pull a bumper pull again; unless you do a Hensley etc hitch which essentially turns the TT into a 5er as far as the towing geometry is concerned. A 3/4 or 1 ton chevy would be great w a duramax, but pricey. By the time you rig all this up you could easily be in Motor home range but you can do what appeals to you.

[mtofell]

5th is probably a better fit between the two from what you describe. Once the hitch/anvil is in the bed of the truck hitching/unhitching the 5th is a bit easier. The 5th will generally tow better, especially in windy conditions or when getting passed by trucks on the interstate. The bike thing is more complicated with the 5th no matter how you slice it. It just doesn't get any easier than throwing something in the truck bed as you can do with the TT. I also struggle for storage room without the bed of the my available. My pass-thru storage is actually pretty small - most are much larger.

I've had 2 of each over the years and there are definite pros/cons to each. If one were perfect everyone would own it and the other wouldn't be around.