Hi everyone I am new to the forum today. My name is James. My wife and I are shopping for a camper and pull truck for our upcomming retirement.I would like to hear feed back on TT vrs. 5TH WHEEL.Any and all help would be great.We have had TT,s in the past ,but never any 5W experience Thanks again. PELL cITY ALABAMA
Welcome to the forum! It's really not a "vs" situation with Travel Trailer and 5ers. It's more of a preference. A 5th wheel requires you install a king pin in the bed of your truck and a Travel Trailer uses a Class III or IV hitch that is attached to your truck frame. I own a Starcraft Travel Trailer and like the fact I don't have to own a pickup truck to pull it so I have a wider choice of tow vehicles. But I know that 5ers pull much better than a standard Travel Trailer. Both are very nice and each has it's own features. Look at both, but the most important factor WILL be your tow vehicle.
Right now we are leaning more towards a TT than a 5er because our truck is already set up for it, plus we keep the room in the bed of the truck for bikes, firewood etc. When we retire and are full timers we want a Montana Big Sky 5th wheel. So it comes down to finding a floor plan that will best suit your needs! Good luck!
Bottom line is whatever you prefer. Most important factor is to match your tow vehicle to the trailer - do your own research and DO NOT take the word of either the RV or truck salesman. Generally, they do not know the answers and are just interested in selling whatever they have in stock. That said, I will give you some factors to consider - we've owned both and much prefer the 5ver.
5ver Pros: Pulls much better - more stable, is not affected by semi blowoff, etc. It has more usable space for the overall length of the rig since about 3-4 ft are over the truck. Easier & faster to hook/unhook. 5ver Cons: higher profile, higher off the ground - steps may be a problem for some, requires hitch in bed which limits what can be carried in bed when hooked up (hitch comes out of truck for daily use).
TT pros: lower profile, fewer steps, no hitch in bed so full bed available for cargo. TTcons: Harder to hook/unhook,longer overall length of rig, hitch is counted in TT length so less usable interior space in relation to overall length. I, no doubt, have left out some factors but these are most of the important ones to us. Look around, spend time in any you might seriously consider & pretend you are camping in it - does it do what you want done? You might consider buying used the first time or two until you really know what you like/need. And know that everything has a tradeoff; for instance, I have the island kitchen which I love, however, it means that we cannot use the whole trailer with the slides in. Its a great life - enjoy!!
Hi James and welcome to the forum... This topic is one of the more popular on the forum...
It depends a lot on how you are going to use your RV and what your requirements are but here are some pros and cons...
5ers have a reputation of being outstanding towed vehicles because of their inherent stability... This is due primarily to the type and location of the hitch in the truck bed... They are generally considered to be more spacious than a standard TT and are usually better suited to two people...
5ers are generally heavier than standard TT's and as such usually require a stout tow vehicle... 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are pretty much the norm and even larger trucks for the larger fifth wheels... 5ers are usually more expensive than standard TT's because of their construction and amenities...
TT's can be pretty economical, especially when buying used... Some of their construction can be pretty poor so choose your brand wisely... Some say TT's tow poorer than fifth wheels... This can be true and will depend a lot on the type of hitch you use and how well it's set up... The premium hitches like the Hensley Arrow and Pullrite will eliminate all sway and your TT will tow just as stable as a fifth wheel... But the hitches are expensive, in the $2000-$2800 price range but will probably still end up costing less than a fifth wheel...
The fifth wheel hitch will take up bed space in the truck... You can still store some things back there but not as much as with a conventional TT...
Fifth wheels generally have a higher profile and more frontal area than a TT... This results in more wind drag (less mileage) and less clearance when going under tree branches etc...
There are probably more pros and cons but these are the a few that immediately come to mind...
The best thing to do is get out there and shop... Look, look some more, and then look some more... Eventually you will find what you want and then MAKE SURE you have enough tow vehicle to pull it... Once you find a few RV's you might be interested in, I would then consult those on this BBS with regard to quality and the size of your tow vehicle... While quality can be somewhat subjective depending on an individuals past experience with a given brand, tow vehicle choice is pretty cut and dry, although there are varying opinions on that topic as well...
Good luck on your quest and hope you find the ideal TT or fiver and tow vehicle you are looking for...
Best Regards,
Les
2000 Ford F-250SD, XLT, 4X4 Off Road, SuperCab
w/ 6.8L (415 C.I.) V-10/3:73LS/4R100
Banks Power Pack w/Trans Command & OttoMind
2006 Nomad 3150 Double Slide (Bunkhouse)
Hensley Arrow
Jordan Ultima 2020
We have owned both. We had TT's for 6 years, and just traded for a 2003 Forest River Wildcat 5th wheel. We prefer the 5th wheel over TT's. Our wildcat has more storage then any of our TT did, and we are now able to keep most of our stuff packed in the trailer. I still put the coolers, firewood, generator (if we are dry camping) in the back of the truck. I did have to install a bike rack on the camper, but it wasn't a big deal. The 5th wheel handles much better then any of our TT's did, and for that reason alone, I don't believe we will be going back to a TT any time soon.
David
You guys are great! I am very thankful for all the info.I am very excited about all the help this for will be. Thanks again.
Question in aquestion. I have looked at the Sportsman 5W 2452p ? model # and either a Dodge 2500 or ford 350 D.Any comments ? Please excuse my typing I do it about as well as I do piano bang bang. Thanks agin moto
Welcome to the forum....I won't add anything here that you haven't already heard, except that you should consider how you plan to use your RV..primarily weekends? long trips? stay in one place? move around alot? How about your family..kids? if so how many? etc. etc. Your answers to those questions will have a big impact on the floorplans you will want to consider, then look for the TT or 5th wheel that gives you the floorplan that will fit your intended use. A word of caution here....an RV that "sleeps" 6 might not "live" six. For example dinettes and couches that become beds at night will be in use in one capacity or the other on a prolonged rainy weekend.
My experience with floorplans is that most 5th wheels are designed with a couple in mind....no kids...so (for example) you won't find a lot of bunk models in 5th wheels.
I would this read this forum for a while before deciding, if I were new to RVing. Sometimes people bring up little details that you would never have thought of. This is a great place for information. Have fun!
To Drbolasky : It will just be my wife and I. We will be using it for weekend and vaction trips until retirement in about 4 years. After ret. we will travel year round. We have been out of camping for about about five years. We have had a 18 ft Sunline and a 24 f. wilderness lite and are looking foward to the great outdoors again.Thanks again for the experienced comments. Moto
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