Have any of you had experience towing both a 5th & TT with the same 2500 or 3500 tow vehicle, gas or diesel? If so, did it make any significant difference with the heavier 5th? Please give details of what your tow vehicle was and what you were towing. Thanks!
I had a Springdale 292bhls I think it was a 2006, I had a husky wd hitch... I used a single husky friction sway control device.. Terrible ride to say the least. Always tired and angry at the end of a days driving.
Now I have the unit in my signature, it's a little shorter, but loaded I'm a thousand pounds heavier, tow like a dream, relaxed and easy going all the way.
I just installed timbrens and added one more piece of steal to the rear spring packs, didn't need either really but i had the parts and figured why not install them...
2005 PILGRIM 274RL 5SS
2007 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLT 6.0
I have pulled alot of trailers and FWs and its quite common that the longer trailers are more stable on the road. The comment You get what you pay for comes to mind.
This comes up at least once a week. You'll get many people who (I assume never had a properly adjusted quality WDH) say changing to a 5th wheel was so much better, more relaxing. You'll also get (more sensible) responses that say both types can tow well.
My recommendation is this with only TT towing experience: Choose the type that offers the RV features, price, floorplan, storage, etc that you desire. Those are more important than 5er vs. TT. I have towed my TT under conditions where I would not recommend anyone else do and I take great responsibility for the outcome with my family onboard. I also have towed under conditions where I would let my wife, or otherwise inexperienced driver tow. The difference lies in how my weight distribution hitch is adjusted.
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009 2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS 2012 VW Passat TDI
The only significant difference was in fuel economy. I lost about 1 to 1.5 MPG going to the fifth wheel; however, it weighs twice what the travel trailer weighed, and is a lot taller.
there is a significant difference between a bumper hitch and a 5th wheel setup
the difference lies in the hitching location
the 5th wheel is much easily to control when the conditions are poor (wind/ice/etc); if its a nice calm day with good road surface then the trailers will act more alike
when you attach the trailer ahead of the rear axle it signficantly improves the handling of the load as the weight is more evenly distributed on the tow vehicle and when the trailer is pushing (wind / sway / etc) on the tow vehicle its pushing more towards the center vs. pushing way at the tail
for a couple years we had 2 identical trucks pulling 2 similarily sized campers one a 5th wheel and the other a tt; we took a 300 mile trip with significant side winds (~30 mph); it was amazing, the tt was all over the road; constantly pushing on the truck; definately a stressful drive; with the 5th wheel it was signficantly less dramatic (we switched back and forth a few times to experience the difference; very shocking)
with my daily driver (2500hd) i commonly pull a 28ft enclosed trailer that weighs about 10k loaded; comparing that trailer against the 33ft 5th wheel at 14k is no comparison. the enclosed is constantly being pushed by the wind and directing all that energy into the tail of the pickup; in the winter its a real bugger; with the 5er I'd estimate that you get about 1/3 the effect on the pickup
The 5th wheel will tow better, no doubt about it, but a well set-up TT will tow good also. I would never buy another TT but that is just personal preference. I did tow a 31' TT with my truck before I bought my fiver, I have no bad stories to report about it. If you stay in the weight limits your tow vehicle is rated at you should have no major white knuckle moments with either set-up. Hooking up is so much easier with a 5th wheeel. If you want to talk about a good towing trailer, I have a 24' V Nose Gooseneck Construction trailer, now that pulls nice.
2010 Jayco Eagle Super Lite 31.5 FBHS
08 Chevy 2500HD LTZ Duramax CC/SB/4X4
Titan 52 Gallon Tank, Banks Speedbrake
Reese 18K Signature Series
Bilstein Shocks, Ride-Rite Air Springs
I think size of the trailer plays into things as well. I tow a 30' trailer that weighs in at relatively light 6500lbs (fully loaded)behind my 2500hd gasser. This rig pulls so well that I can't imagine a 5th wheel doing any better. With bigger trailers the difference between TT's and 5'ers is probably more pronounced.
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