Travel trailer vs 5th wheel

[John H...]

Have had both and my vote's for the 5er, especially if you go with something longer around 30'. If you have a small TT and plenty of truck with the correct hitch, then TT's are OK.

[hooverbill]

Originally Posted by Dadeaux

I have had both and the 5th wheel gets my vote hands down.

Same here...easier to tow and MUCH more room (both living and storage space).

Disadvantage...takes a bigger truck if hauling a large 5th wheel with lots of pin weight.

[HoboPals]

Originally Posted by John H...

Have had both and my vote's for the 5er, especially if you go with something longer around 30'. If you have a small TT and plenty of truck with the correct hitch, then TT's are OK.

I pull a 21 ft TT with a Dodge Ram Diesel 3500 truck. I get decent mileage. It's just me so the trailer is plenty big enough. I don't even know it's back there as I have the weight distribution and anti-sway hitch. I don't have the basement storage, but my truck bed more than makes up for it. I've been told by friends that a TT is more difficult to hitch up than a 5vr and that a 5vr is easier to back up (don't know from personal experience). The shorter the trailer, the more difficult it is to back up. That said, I wouldn't want the stress of pulling something longer. I sail up and down mountain roads as though I'm driving a car.

[LadyFitz...]

I'm going to be buying and moving into a TT when I finish getting rid of a lifetime of accumulated "stuff." Like the OP, I do not want to have to deal with more steps once I'm inside the trailer (I'm not getting any younger). I won't be moving the trailer often (no more than 2 to 4 times a year) so I don't want to buy a tow vehicle any larger than necessary since it will also be my grocery getter. Fivers usually require a larger truck than a same length TT. I also have a shell on my truck that has a locking tool box on each side where the windows would normally go (Leer 100R) that I totally love and there is no way I'll ever part with it (which I would have to do if I had a fiver). The major downside of a TT over a similarly sized fiver is the TT has less storage space.

Everyone has different needs. If properly set up with the correct hitch and tow vehicle, a TT will pull as nicely as a fiver. Fivers have the edge when it comes to backing and when hitching up. TTs are lighter. Fivers have more storage and more luxury ammenities. TTs can be pulled by any vehicle with the correct capacity. Fivers need a truck for towing and the fifthwheel hogs the bed. One has to consider the pros and cons of each against their needs to determine which would be best. What's best for one person will not necessarily be best for another.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Draw back, yes you need a good truck, but for any TT of a good size you still need a good truck.

But for comparable trailers, you'll need more truck to tow the 5er. 5ers are heavier and have significantly more hitch weight than comparable TTs.

Example:

Tow vehicle is a 2010 Ford F-250 CrewCab diesel 4x4, GVWR 10,000 pounds, GCWR 23,000 pounds.

Trailers are:

2011 Holiday Rambler Savoy LX TT model 30BDH.
About 30' inside floor length, with two slides.
GVWR 10,100
wet and loaded hitch weight about 1,200 pounds.

2011 Holiday Rambler Savoy LX 5er model 28RLD.
About 30' inside floor length, with one big slide.
GVWR 12,400
wet and loaded hitch weight about 2,100 pounds.

The typical crewcab 4x4 diesel-engine tow vehicle when wet and loaded for the road is going to weigh about 8,000 pounds or more. So it needs a GVWR of at least 9,200 pounds and a GCWR of at least 18,100 to tow the TT without being overloaded. Using 2010 model year specs, any F-250 diesel pickup can handle it.

But it needs a GVWR of at least 10,100 pounds and a GCWR of at least 20,400 pounds to safely tow the 5er without exceeding any of the tow vehicle's weight limits. The 2010 F-250 is overloaded because of the max 10,000 GVWR. So go up one notch to the F-350 with single rear wheels (SRW) and then you can safely tow that 5er without being overloaded.

So in the case of those comparable trailers, one a TT and the other a 5er, the 5er requires more truck to tow it with.

[RedRocket]

I feel that the initial posts to this thread are being somewhat bias on how a TT can tow. The more recent posters have pointed out it really depends on your set-up. Do it right and do not cut corners and a TT can tow like its not even behind you. Cheap out and you will pay for that mistake.

So, to state again:

Proper TV ratings for the TT you are purchasing or own. Proper W/D hitch adjusted with sway control if you should get into a situation where the sway control will save you.

***Sway control should not be used to correct an improperly set-up W/D hitch***

[offthewall]

Originally Posted by SmokeyWren

But for comparable trailers, you'll need more truck to tow the 5er. 5ers are heavier and have significantly more hitch weight than comparable TTs.

Example:

Tow vehicle is a 2010 Ford F-250 CrewCab diesel 4x4, GVWR 10,000 pounds, GCWR 23,000 pounds.

Trailers are:

2011 Holiday Rambler Savoy LX TT model 30BDH.
About 30' inside floor length, with two slides.
GVWR 10,100
wet and loaded hitch weight about 1,200 pounds.

2011 Holiday Rambler Savoy LX 5er model 28RLD.
About 30' inside floor length, with one big slide.
GVWR 12,400
wet and loaded hitch weight about 2,100 pounds.

The typical crewcab 4x4 diesel-engine tow vehicle when wet and loaded for the road is going to weigh about 8,000 pounds or more. So it needs a GVWR of at least 9,200 pounds and a GCWR of at least 18,100 to tow the TT without being overloaded. Using 2010 model year specs, any F-250 diesel pickup can handle it.

But it needs a GVWR of at least 10,100 pounds and a GCWR of at least 20,400 pounds to safely tow the 5er without exceeding any of the tow vehicle's weight limits. The 2010 F-250 is overloaded because of the max 10,000 GVWR. So go up one notch to the F-350 with single rear wheels (SRW) and then you can safely tow that 5er without being overloaded.

So in the case of those comparable trailers, one a TT and the other a 5er, the 5er requires more truck to tow it with.

... And as I stated before, your tow vehicle has to be a pickup with a 5er. With a TT, there are roomier, more luxurious HD SUV's that can be used. I'd rather go out to dinner at a nice restaurant in a Cadillac Escalade than a Dually dodge PU

[Groveite]

Smokey really knows his stuff....Welcome to this forum and I look forward to seeing your knowledge shared here.
Ian

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by offthewall

... And as I stated before, your tow vehicle has to be a pickup with a 5er. With a TT, there are roomier, more luxurious HD SUV's that can be used. I'd rather go out to dinner at a nice restaurant in a Cadillac Escalade than a Dually dodge PU

The Cadillac Escalade and it's Chevy and GMC brothers won't tow much of a trailer without being overloaded. Plus they aren't available with a diesel engine. And Ford no longer markets an SUV with a diesel engine.

Plus even a gasoline engine in a pickup can tow over 10,000 pounds. But the Escalade ESV (equivalent to the Chevy Suburban) has a "maximum trailer weight" of only 8,000 pounds. And the fine print says to not count on anywhere that much trailer weight if you don't want to be overloaded.

[quote=Cadillac brochure]Maximum trailer-weight ratings are calculated assuming a base vehicle, except for any option(s) necessary to achieve the rating, plus driver. The weight of other optional equipment, passengers and cargo will reduce the maximum trailer weight your vehicle can tow.... [quote]


So forget trying to tow your new Fusion 300 TT, with its 13,000 pounds GVWR and 1,560 pounds of wet and loaded hitch weight. You need a pickup for that, preferrably an F-350 or 3,500 with a diesel engine.

[mattholew]

It sounds like the 5er is the more "fool proof" method of tow and thus more safe overall, but I think my TT pulls as safely as any 5er.

I bought a Coleman 26 foot with a rear bed slide and a dinette slide that opens to 31' yet weighs only 5208lbs. I pull it with my 1999 F250 Super Duty 7.3L Diesel 4x4. I have NO sway control and NO weight distribution at the moment and I have not experienced even one moment of sway or any sense of danger. This may not be the norm though for TT towing. I attribute my positive experiences to:

1. The trailer seems to be well balanced.
2. It has widely separated Trailer Axles.
3. I have a heavy tow vehicle and a lightweight trailer.
4. Careful driving (I don't exceed 65mph regardless of situation and I don't hang out near Semi's)

A good thing about pulling a TT is if you have a truck you still have bed capacity for other toys like motorcycles, bicycles, scooters, etc. (within the weight limits of trucks ability of course).

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by mattholew

I have NO sway control and NO weight distribution at the moment and I have not experienced even one moment of sway or any sense of danger.

Sway is one of those phenomona that often telegraphs no warning, and you might go thousands of miles with no indication of a problem, but then it bites you in the butt when you least expect it. After you go into an uncontrolled sway condition, it's too late to do anything about but hang on and hope for the best.

Bad things that can happen as a result of sway is you'll be upside down in the median, or in the oncoming lanes, when you come to an abrupt halt against a bridge abuttment or the front end of a speeding semi. That can ruin your day.

Weight distribution gives you better control of your tow vehicle when emergencies pop up in front of you. Sway control keeps your greasy side down and on the right side of the highway. Cheap insurance.

[RustyJC]

I agree. I've seen far too many TTs upside down in the median or the ditch. All it takes is one good episode of sway, and it can/will strike when least expected.

Rusty

[Rysh]

Don't forget that GMC/Chevy offer a 3/4 ton version of the Yukon XL/Suburban. We recently bought a Yukon XL 2500 to use as our TV and couldn't be happier. We are well within all the tow/weight limits with our TT and still have the space/amenities needed inside to be comfortable with our two kids. Tows the TT great!

[mattholew]

I have towed in high winds, being passed by Semi's and through the mountains with this set up and haven't felt any inkling of sway, can you please explain to me how it may sneak up on me like a ninja? Not being a jerk, I seriously want to know, I am new to towing TT's. I have towed many many miles with double and triple axles trailers, both tongue and goose neck styles but that was with Farm Equipment loaded down which is different from TT's.