I am in the process of building the 350 for towing and am looking for the trailer I would like. I have been reading the site for a month or two and am trying to understand the difference between the TT and 5th wheel. I would never full time nor would I spend much more than a week or two at a time living in the trailer. I also have determined that the most critical for me is the rear living two swivel chair models and about 26 feet which gets me into most parks. But when I am on the roads I notice that there are so many more 5th wheels.

Is it just a natural progression from TT to 5th wheel. Do people just do it for the towing quality or is there a real benefit for short stays. I think I want the bed of the truck for use and I can upgrade the hitch and structure for towing.

What are the things to consider, I have never owned either a TT or a 5th wheel.

 

With longer and heavier trailers, fifth wheels are easier to tow and back. The downside is the hitch eats up the space in the bed and you won't be able to use a shell on the bed when towing.

 

We went from a 12ft hardtop trailer to a HUGE tent, then to the 5er we have now.

I said I'd NEVER own a 5er, but it's just a GREAT way to travel and spend time in. It's just me and the Mrs, so our trailer is just a small one.....but it suits us just fine.
I LOVE the way it tows, and since it's a smaller one, it's easy to get around.

I don't think it's a "moving up thing" just a matter of choice.

Never say never......

 

Hands down, no questions asked, without a doubt- I would pick a 5th wheel over a tt any day. They tow smoother, are way more manueverable, and you can have a bigger trailer in the same foot print of a tt because of the overhang. And with a F-350 you can pretty much tow what you can afford. I tow others people toys so I can afford my own LOL.

 

No doubt, 5er is the way to go. I have had TT's, Class A's which is my favorite, and 5ers. Towing a 5er is so much easier than a TT it is apples and oranges. I make better time in a 5er and it is so much easier to manuver.

 

I too have gone from a TT to the 5th wheel...on my 2nd one now. I have never missed the space in the bed. I've put everything I've needed in there. If it was too big for the bed, I put in the RV. If it was too big for the RV, I didn't need it camping!

 

I have had both. Currently have a 5er. With the 5er your capacity is higher then with a tag-along.

Key thing here is knowing what you can tow at either location (5th wheel or reciever).
Then work within those constrants.

 

Based on some of the comments and some more research it seems that with a 350 with 3.73 rear end and a 460 I will have no problems pulling a 5th wheel and 30 feet seems right for what we want to do and we would be able to use a very high percentage of campgrounds and parks. And it looks far more comfortable. More pluses than minus.

 

right now i tow a 21ft. toyhauler tt. i like it because i fill the bed up with firewood since the whole trailer is crammed with toys.

 

My tow rig and TT are in my signature. I've never owned a 5'er, and I'm not ready for that yet. Not too many hunting camp and fishing camp locations in the forest have room for a 5'er, then again, my TT is about the maximum I'm willing to take off-road at this point.

As you can see, I have a diesel and 4.10 rear diff. I have a lot of hills and mountains to cross, and the 4.10 suits my purposes well. Also, the diesel gives me an average of 12 - 14 mpg when pulling the trailer and 16 - 18 mpg without the TT.

 

The only reason I'm looking into going back to the 5er is having flexibilty of tow vehicles. If you're always going to own a pick up, it certainly is less headaches towing. Right now I'm faced with owning an extra vehicle just to keep towing my 5er. If it were a TT, I could own a van, Suv, or Pickup and do the job. In the event of a mechanical issue or even an accident, I can go into my local dealership that rents F-250s set up for towing. With my 5er, I'm cancelling the trip. Or being faced with hoping the rental truck has a bedliner, so I can go spend the $150 and an afternoon putting the brachets and rails on it, then removing it and putting the bedliner back in to cover the 4 holes I drill in the bed.

 

There's no way I would give up the use of the bed when not camping, so I'm sticking to the TT. I'd have to be camping an awful lot to get a 5th wheel.

 

The hitch comes out in just a couple minutes. 4 pins is all that holds it in.

 

Removing and re-installing the cap and BedRug every time would make it a bit more troublesome for me.

 

It all comes down to why you bought the truck to start with...... different stokes......