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Topic: How much length do you save?
Posted By: RVcrazy on 01/05/13 02:54pm

We are looking to stay at or under 50' with a short bed CC & maybe a 5th. How much towing length do you save by having the 5th over a TT? Not talking living space, but only towing length. Does anyone have a CCsb Chevy towing a 32'length (not model) to give me feedback? Thanks!

Posted By: Javi1 on 01/05/13 02:59pm

About 5 feet...

I tow a 32' 9" tongue pull and drive a CC long bed F-250 so I'm right at 55'..

2015 Keystone Cougar 333MKS
2015 Ford F-350XL 6.7 CC, DRW, RWD
(Finally enough tow vehicle 14,000 GVWR 6062 payload)

Posted By: Yosemite Dan on 01/05/13 03:03pm

There's a good 3 feet of towing distance but just as important is the manuverabilty of a fiver with a TT you can only turn in so far yet with a fiver on a short bed with a sliding 5th wheel hitch you can get into tight spaces that are impossible with a TT. Once you've owned a fiver there's no going back. So 3 feet of length and 6' of living. Your fiver is 3 feet over the bed with the living space with it and a TT is all behind the truck with it's living space 3'-4' farther behind.

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Posted By: bldrbuck on 01/05/13 03:08pm

There is 4 feet of overlay so you save 8 feet plus tongue lengh or abot 11 feet of living space.

Posted By: rhagfo on 01/05/13 03:27pm

bldrbuck wrote:

There is 4 feet of overlay so you save 8 feet plus tongue lengh or abot 11 feet of living space.


Whoa, your a little long here with your measurements!

Pin location with most newer 5ers is just about even with the front of the living space. Long bed is about 4' from the bumper SB 3.5'. Tongue on a TT is about 3' so max is 7' to 8' of living space in the same overall length, that is also the difference in tow length as I don't think the tongue length in included in the stated length of a TT (not sure on that).

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2005 Copper Canyon 293 FWSLS, 32' GVWR 12,360#

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Posted By: Slownsy on 01/05/13 03:41pm

With a titanium u can ad a futher 5' to that messurment

Frank
2012 F250 XLT
4x4 Super Cab
8' Tray 6.2lt, 3.7 Diff.

Posted By: Javi1 on 01/05/13 03:54pm

rhagfo wrote:

bldrbuck wrote:

There is 4 feet of overlay so you save 8 feet plus tongue lengh or abot 11 feet of living space.


Whoa, your a little long here with your measurements!

Pin location with most newer 5ers is just about even with the front of the living space. Long bed is about 4' from the bumper SB 3.5'. Tongue on a TT is about 3' so max is 7' to 8' of living space in the same overall length, that is also the difference in tow length as I don't think the tongue length in included in the stated length of a TT (not sure on that).


Depends on the manufacture I guess... the paper on my Passport lists it at 32' 9" ball to bumper.. Living area is about 28 feet.. Model # is 2890RL and nothing on it measures 28' 9"... [emoticon]

* This post was edited 01/05/13 07:56pm by Javi1 *

Posted By: RVUSA on 01/05/13 04:32pm

Javi1 wrote:

Depends on the manufacture I guess... the paper on my Passport lists it at 32' 9" ball to bumper.. Living area is about 28 feet.. Model # is 2980RL and nothing on it measures 29' 8"... [emoticon]


Yeh, why is that? I mean logically the model number "could" reflect the length, but it always seems to be short. And it's just the opposite for boats, the model number is usually longer than the actual boat is.

Posted By: rhagfo on 01/05/13 04:33pm

Javi1 wrote:

rhagfo wrote:

bldrbuck wrote:

There is 4 feet of overlay so you save 8 feet plus tongue lengh or abot 11 feet of living space.


Whoa, your a little long here with your measurements!

Pin location with most newer 5ers is just about even with the front of the living space. Long bed is about 4' from the bumper SB 3.5'. Tongue on a TT is about 3' so max is 7' to 8' of living space in the same overall length, that is also the difference in tow length as I don't think the tongue length in included in the stated length of a TT (not sure on that).


Depends on the manufacture I guess... the paper on my Passport lists it at 32' 9" ball to bumper.. Living area is about 28 feet.. Model # is 2980RL and nothing on it measures 29' 8"... [emoticon]


LOL!![emoticon]

I know what you mean!! Our 5er is a 293FWSLS, brochure stated 31'-11", it measures 33'-6" bumper to pin (even with front cap).

Posted By: skrichards on 01/05/13 04:44pm

I think thet take their measurments on the inside. My 34RLSA is 37 foot!!!

2011 Dodge 3500/Crew DRW laramie-Cummins Turbo,B&W Companion. 2011 Cedar Creek 34RLSA

Posted By: 7.3 psdman on 01/05/13 06:08pm

I don't understand the question. If you were asking about how much living space you gain at the front I could see that that makes sense. Otherwise are you asking what the distance would be from the front of a pull trailer to the back of the truck or what the distance is from the front of the truck to the rear of the pull trailer or fifth wheel? If so it would include the length of both the pull trailer and the length of the fifth wheel you have in mind. Otherwise you might be figuring how far a fifth wheel hitch is in the back of the truck bed and how far it is from the back of the truck to the front of the pull trailer by measuring the tongue length plus the distance the hitch sticks out of the receiver. Looks like every unit might be slightly different. Take a tape measure along to a dealer's lot that has both travel trailers and fifth wheels and do some measuring.

* This post was edited 01/05/13 06:20pm by 7.3 psdman *

Posted By: Jay58 on 01/05/13 08:52pm

Model numbers are sometimes, (and begining to be the trend) reflect the living space square footage.

2020 Jayco Precept 34G

Central Florida (East Coast)

Posted By: Dave H M on 01/06/13 06:05am

curious here.

What is the majic issue with the 50 foot. I do not have an idea how longt (to the foot) mine is when hooked up.

Posted By: john&bet on 01/06/13 07:08am

In my case the overall length of my current 32' 5er and truck is about the same as the 27' bumper pull we had with the same truck.

2018 Ram 3500 SRW CC LB 6.7L Cummins Auto 3.42 gears
2018 Grand Design 337RLS

Posted By: JohnBoyToo on 01/06/13 09:08am

I'm not sure model numbers reflect ANYTHING anymore...
or else we'd have the same model numbers for different rv's [emoticon]

Yes, way back when I started, the 1st two digits meant the length...
but how many "29's" would we have over the years [emoticon]


To the OP, as stated by others - a little ambiguous in the meaning of your query, but if you are going after the total length 'savings', MOST states have at least a 60 ft legal length, anything under that is good...

if you are trying to save a few feet because of towing issues [emoticon],
with a 5er, you shouldn't have any if you size the TV properly....

but the math you are looking for depends on the reasoning -
I'll take a guess too... (rounding for simplification)

given:
a 3 foot tongue on a TT AND
a 1 foot of trailer hitch AND
a 3 foot distance to the 5er hitch AND
a 2 foot front overhang (on mine!) YRMV

add all that up and it's 9 foot of length/living area, etc...

and as stated YMMV (Your Measurements May Vary [emoticon] )
good luck !

Posted By: 2hams on 01/06/13 10:07am

What is magic about 50 ft?

It seems that most 5ers are 3 to 4 ft longer than the model number (our 265RL is about 30' long).

Our magic 'length' is the length of the 5er with the truck unhooked and parked in front of it in a campsite. One of the advantages we learned of having the V tailgate.

2019 Grand Design Solitude 310GK
2019 GMC Denali 3500 D/A SRW


Posted By: Oaklevel on 01/06/13 11:37am

Models usually mean nothing toward actual length anymore but some do ours is a Puma 356 QLB fiver & it is 35 ft 6 inches go figure.

I would not go back to a bumper pull (unless I had to).

Posted By: Krease on 01/06/13 05:26pm

A lot of the numbers mean square footage, not length. Think about it, do the math.

2011 Ram 3500 Longhorn H.O. Megacab DRW
2012 Montana 3750FL

Posted By: 7.3 psdman on 01/07/13 11:41am

JohnBoyToo wrote:

I'm not sure model numbers reflect ANYTHING anymore...
or else we'd have the same model numbers for different rv's [emoticon]

Yes, way back when I started, the 1st two digits meant the length...
but how many "29's" would we have over the years [emoticon]


To the OP, as stated by others - a little ambiguous in the meaning of your query, but if you are going after the total length 'savings', MOST states have at least a 60 ft legal length, anything under that is good...

if you are trying to save a few feet because of towing issues [emoticon],
with a 5er, you shouldn't have any if you size the TV properly....

but the math you are looking for depends on the reasoning -
I'll take a guess too... (rounding for simplification)

given:
a 3 foot tongue on a TT AND
a 1 foot of trailer hitch AND
a 3 foot distance to the 5er hitch AND
a 2 foot front overhang (on mine!) YRMV

add all that up and it's 9 foot of length/living area, etc...

and as stated YMMV (Your Measurements May Vary [emoticon] )
good luck !

Thats pretty much what I figured going from a 28' coachman travel trailer to the Bighorn 5er. I figured there is about 8'- four foot for the old hitch and tongue and then four foot from the back of the truck bed to the 5er hitch. So now I pull a 37' fifth wheel in the place of a 28' travel trailer and don't notice any difference except the fifth wheel is a lot better all the way around.

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