Buying a fifth wheel

[CecilD]

We went from a 25 ft. TT to a 31 ft. fifth wheel. I miss the truck bed storage but find the 5er basement storage adequate and easier to access. The high ceilings allow for a feeling of spaciousness but make for slower cooling with the air conditioner. The fifth wheel tows about the same overall length as the TT, you will pick up a couple of feet of OAL. There is a lot of step climbing in a 5er which is an issue for some, not for us. I preferred backing the TT as I always needed to correct. The 5er is slow to react so you have to get your line right. I had chucking issues so I had to drop some money to mitigate. Fuel economy is not as bad as I had expected considering the 5er weighs 4,000 more pounds. 5er awning sits really high so is not as effective for shade. Overall, very happy with the fifth wheel.

[Wundertaker]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

Popcorn please.

[Dave377]

Thanks for all the reply's I am still looking and trying to make up my mind what I want to do. I know I would miss my space in the truck bed and all the dry storage with the topper on the truck . I do think I would enjoy towing a fifth wheel better then a Travel trailer. Keep the reply's coming.

Dave377

[Cumminsfan]

Originally Posted by Dave377

Thanks for all the reply's I am still looking and trying to make up my mind what I want to do. I know I would miss my space in the truck bed and all the dry storage with the topper on the truck . I do think I would enjoy towing a fifth wheel better then a Travel trailer. Keep the reply's coming.

Dave377

Almost everything we take goes into the 5er. My Northwood Fox Mountain 235 has a two pretty decent size front basements. In the very front I have 4 6V GC batteries on the outboard sides. In between I have a Honda 2000 gen and my Winegard X2 plus misc cable locks, a small tool tote and spare 12V water pump in a small tote.
In the basement behind the front one I have a 2'x4' table thats slide into an overhead tray I DIY'd. Under that are two lawn chairs and a patio mat.
Also in the front is my Coleman Road Trip, Mr Heater, sewer hose supports, Lynx blocks, Chocks 4x6 wood blocking and other misc stuff.
All my water hoses are in a side tall compartment. My bikes are on the rear of the 5er.
We only need the trucks bed for some firewood, a couple 7 gal jugs, 4' ladder.
My 5er is 27'10" long and is perfect for helping us find smaller sights.
Point being unless you're needing to haul something all the time in the bed like 3-4 bikes, or a golf cart/ATV then I think if you find the right 5er with a decent front basement storage you'll be fine. The nice thing about a 5er's basement storage is everything can stay in there after a trip. If you haul most of your stuff in your truck then you need to unload it when you're back home.

Plus what no one ever mentions is that it's way easier to get from one side of the truck/trailer with a 5th wheel when hitched. No climbing over the tongue.

[KHBama]

Originally Posted by Dave377

Thanks for all the reply's I am still looking and trying to make up my mind what I want to do. I know I would miss my space in the truck bed and all the dry storage with the topper on the truck . I do think I would enjoy towing a fifth wheel better then a Travel trailer. Keep the reply's coming.

Dave377

Recently made the switch from a 31' Travel Trailer to a 34' 5er. I find the 5th wheel much more pleasurable to tow, no sway. The set up difference was worth it to me, of course I came from all manual jacks on the TT. Unhitch, lay down my pads and hit the auto level button and it does all the work.

2 AC's
More Storage
Head Room
Master Bedroom we can actually move around in
Find it to be more stable moving around inside

[Airmech]

After having a hand me down popup I was forced to sell in the early 2000s, I searched and considered everything from an expandable to class c. I finally settled on looking at 5vers because of all the feedback on safety of towing, easy to hook up and more room and storage per floorplan. We now have a 39' rear kitchen and would never get any other style of RV. By that I mean to or class c. It stays right behind me on the highway and backing into sites is no problem. The storage is so large, I doubt we will ever fill all the cabinets or basement.