Hi Guys!

My wife and went out yesterday to look at some used travel trailers. We found a nice 28' used one. Anyways after looking at the used travel trailers, we then looked at some used 5th wheels of same length and kind of like them better.

My question is amusing we would buy one or the other at 28ft, what are the pro's and con's vs the travel trailer and 5th wheel?

My truck will be a 2012 or newer F-250 4X4 Crew cab short bed set up with tow package with a 6.2L under the hood with the 6 speed auto trans.

I have towed lots of trailers before but not a 5th wheel. I'm thinking the 5th wheel would tow easier but with more expense (5th wheel hitch) to set the truck up for it. Your input is much appreciated!

 

5th wheels do tend to tow better. Usually setup for longer stays or farther away from home trips.


Just more stable of a platform towing.


TT's tend to be geared more for families and shorter, closer to home trips.


The trucks you are considering can do either.


I would suggest zeroing in on the trailer then go get the truck for the job.

 

Agree with the above. Do make up your mind on what you are towing before deciding on what to tow it with.

Steve

 

5th wheels do tow better than TT's. But a properly set up hitch on a TT will tow fine, all things considered. I'd look at floor plans first. There's give and take on about every model. The TT floor plans have pros, such as flat floors with no stairs or steps between front and back of unit. This may or may not be a big deal to you. Also, TT's will be lower in over all height than a 5th wheel. Especially a front room/bedroom that you can fully stand up in. I'm 6'1", and I can stand up fully in our front bedroom of our 5'er. It's overall height is just under 13' high. Our last TT had an overall height of right at 9'. Not only can you fit under more overhangs with a TT, but with less wind resistance, you won't have as much drag on your rig towing into headwinds.

We bought a 5th wheel because we prefer the trailer type to TT's, and we really liked this floor plan and features/options on our unit. It was a bit larger than I was really looking for, but couldn't find another unit we liked as much.

Whatever unit you pick, just make sure you pick a truck that's up to the task. There's more to worry about than just having "enough power" to get the rig moving. You also have to be able to stop the thing, and it has to be stable in all road conditions while under way. Too many folks blow off the weight ratings in my opinion, and just look at "power".

If you go TT, don't skimp on a high quality hitch with weight distribution and anti-sway, that's rated for your trailer's size and weight, and is properly set up on your tow vehicle. Obviously, same goes for a quality hitch for a 5'er, but there's less adjustment to sort out than with a TT.

Look at as many different units as possible, and compare notes on the features you like, vs. the ones you don't. Also try to think about how you will be using your rig, and for how long a duration each trip will be. Some things will be more important than others in your specific case.

 

Thanks for the advice Guys!

We went to a big RV dealer in Akron Ohio last weekend that had lots of new and used units in stock on TT and 5th wheels. We spent about 4 hours there going in and out of a lot of units talking and making notes of what we liked and did not like. My parents had a TT, then a motor home, then a 5th wheel, and finally a park model at the end so I had some idea of what I wanted to begin with. We found out what we wanted as in rear living space, a large slide out containing the couch and table so there is lots of room for the kids (Dogs). Mom said that to make sure that your kitchen is not located at the rear as there will be more bouncing around of dishes then if it was located near the center of the unit.

We are going to start with a TT and then will upgrade to a 5th wheel when I retire if that ever happens. We found the TT we liked but after looking at the 5th wheels, just was wondering about the differences between the two. The F250 will easly do the TT for now and when or if we up grade, then will reevaluate the truck at that time. So for now going to get my F150 upgraded to the F250 and in a couple of months then go for the TT!

Thanks again for your input!

 

Hello Home Town Guy.
I live north of Akron Ohio. currently in south Texas.

trailer, 5th or not.. FIRST find a trailer that "FITS" you and family.. doing family things...
my first trailer.. wife and I kept bumping into each other while she cooked.. made her angry.... ending up selling it for a better designed kitchen and dinning room setup..

be careful of dealers... useful but not always offering Truth in what they say.

F 250/350 are towing machines.. I have a F 250. Gas 6.2L
I have a 30 foot travel trailer... at 9,000 pounds.

I have a tow behind.. because I have a motorcycle in the bed of the truck.. and other stuff..
no one makes a good Toy Hauler with a good design in living space.

 

Am I the only one who bought a camper to fit my tow rig?

I'm not really arguing, but to me getting the camper first is just backwards. I already knew what I was going to tow with so I just had to find a camper that fit within the confines of what I could tow. When I was looking, the first thing I looked at was the wheels. If I saw 6 lug nuts, I didn't even stop to look because I knew it would be heavier than I wanted to pull. And from there I found one that fit the family.

I get to go camping 6-7 times a year, but I drive my truck every day. What good is it to fall in love with a camper that requires a dually to pull, if I'm unwilling to drive the dually every day to work? I'd rather compromise on the camper a bit, than the truck.

For me, upgrading the truck to match the camper simply wasn't an option because I can't afford payments on both at the same time....

Maybe I'm just backwards, though ....

 

I had my camper first, and bought the truck to fit the camper. A 2016 would have worked, but a 2017, in terms of capacity numbers, will work even better.

 

Seems the majority of posts on the topic of size say "what can I tow with my truck", rather than "what truck do I need to tow my trailer".

Steve

 

Either way, as long as they ask the question before both the trailer and tow vehicle are purchased they should be OK.

 

LOL Guys,

Like I said earlier, we have decided on a 28ft TT to start with and know what we want in it. I'm sure the truck I will be getting will be able to tow it. I was just wondering about a 5th wheel differences other then the weight. That up grade will come when I can retire if that will ever happen. We plan on doing a may weekend trips as we can and maybe a trip to Florida or out west once a year for now.

Home town guy, "Chuck's First Ford" Not far from you in Parma Ohio! Yep plan on bringing my scooter along for the ride too if my wife leaves my any room lol

 

Yes, Sir,

my motorcycle is with me in Texas... it rides in the bed..
rode every week since November Here.
42 inch by 10 foot fold-able ride up ramp.
also have both bicycles..

I purchased the truck and trailer on the same day....

LOTS of planning before...
Trailer to fit "US".
truck to tow trailer AND carry the motorcycle...
as past truck could NEVER tow the larger/wanted trailer

Best of Luck on your Search.
Ride Safe, Ride Often.

truck bike and trailer

 

I am gonna throw my 2¢ in the fiddler's hat here.

Generally, 5th wheel hitches are rated at 20Klbs and are rated for 15° of tilt off a 360° level plane.
Gooseneck hitches are generally rated at 30Klbs and 33° of movement.
5th wheel hitches have a 6-10" sweet-spot (the triangle shaped opening that is the pin guide) on hookup, and you can see them by turning around, even in a crew cab.
Gooseneck hitches have a 1" sweet-spot. And unless you have no cab you can't see the ball.
5th wheel hitches dominate your bed. Hauling sheetrock ain't happening.
Gooseneck hitches can be a turnover style that leaves your bed flat.
That being said, you can get a goose adapter for a 5th.

Where am I going with this since the discussion was between 5th and bumper pull? The biggest advantage of the bumper pull is cost. At a bare minimum (and I mean bare), you can pull with a $35 drawbar ball combo from wally world. A 5th pulls so much better, turns so much easier and is so much easier to exceed the 15° angle limitation. A draw bar ball sized at 2 5/16" on a 1" shank has 43° of piviot. I have been in and out of a lot of gas stations where the approach angle would damage a 5th wheel hitch. There are quite a few campgrounds I like that are not KOA quality, but are extraordinary. They just have campsites that exceed the safe angle of a 5th, yet pose no problem to a bumper pull. And what if you make a wrong turn in an unfamiliar city onto a two lane road and come up on a steep railroad crossing?
A lot of campers I have talked to in my years (yeah, I'm old, I know, don't rub it in) have told me that they love the 5th wheel but the hitchs takes the whole bed and they never go anywhere that they are not sure of because they have damaged the camper by exceeding the angle. The hitch in the bed is way stronger that the nose of the camper. And the camper is way more experience to fix with even minor repairs exceeding the cost of the hitch. So they either limit themselves to known routes and destinations or limit themselves to a bumper pull.

Personally, i have a 5th with a gooseneck adapter and a turnover ball. To me it's the best compromise there it. Having showed it to other people and talked to them, I have had a lot of agreement. But everything is a compromise. Everything. Bumper pulls usually get better gas mileage. 5th are easy to hook up. Gooses you can't normally see the ball. (Unless you do this https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post16893424). Bumper pulls like to sway but are cheaper. I could go on.

Remember this:

Bumper hitch (drawbars and receivers):
-cheap, versatile, light to medium duty option
-Not to hard to hookup

5th wheel:
-Stable, medium duty, excellent interstate towing hitch, developed esp for campers
-Very easy to hookup

Goose:
-Heavy duty, developed for agriculture use.
-Hardest to hookup

 

acecase.. thank you for the information..

been debating the tow options.. as wife is looking at a larger trailer.
and One is a 5th wheel. OK, 2.

 

remember with a 5th wheel you can get a hidden hitch system like the current ford factory prep that has been offered for several years now.


When the hitch is removed your entire bed is available for that sheet rock again.