I believe I can hitch up to a travel trailer faster than the fifth; because the camera in the gate helps with the TT and my fold-a-cover blocks my view of the hitch in the bed (with both the short bed 06 and now with the 08 long bed).

We towed our TT from 88-07 and never had any problem with the spring loaded pins that retain the equalizer bars; nor experienced any excessive wear. We kept them greased as we did with the two ***** for the sway control friction device. Worse thing was it was hard to not get grease on self when hitching or unhitching; and what to do with the bars while at camp.... and keeping pets out of the grease on the end.... Fiver has less grease fuss for me.

Our 24 ft TT towed great behind Suburban, Ford Van, Chevy & Ford trucks; wind never created any unstable towing conditions. I've actually been pushed more with the fiver behind the dually (of course it has much more area) with respect to cross winds.

As has been pointed out the fivers are typically higher which can be an issue with trees in some campgrounds. The fiver will tend to cut corners with respect to following the tow vehicle's path which can be a problem in tight narrow tree lined camping areas. Steps in fivers have been mentioned; observe how close they are to the bed and what effect that will have if someone wakes in the night. We passed on some floor plans because of step layout.

With the typical crossover basement storage in many fivers there is probably typically more storage. Stuff that I had to load in the bed of the truck each trip w/ the TT now just stays in the fiver storage.

While tight jack knife backing has been mentioned for the fiver; if you have a short bed (w/o slider hitch) then you have the additional concern of cab contact to distract the backing operation....

Both TT and 5th wheels each have their advantages and I don't find that one is better overall. Right now the fifth wheel is our best choice; ours is 38.5 feet overall length from kingpin to rear ladder; we were after more comfort and room. I can no longer camp in some spots I use to like that were nestled in the shade trees; plus, I'm looking for the 50 amp service to run both A/C's to cool things down quickly. Oh yea, it cost more fuel to pull the darn thing too plus at 13'-1" I have to pay attention to height of bridges, etc....

One thing to do is make sure whatever you buy has enough cargo carrying capacity left for all the stuff you're going to load in it. There are some out there that leave you less than 1,000 pounds for your stuff.

Bob

 

I have had both and 5th wheel is the king. There are more floor plans to choose from,they tow better,and in my opinion have more room then some high end motor homes. True they are tall but still with care you can go where you want.The high end ones hold there value.Depending on what you need and or require there is a fiver to meet it.I have a 2000 Jayco 3610 designer and we love it,has all the features you could ask for got it used and don't regret it

 

*A point to consider also is if you add vent covers, factor them in as added height. Also think about how tall the truck under the pinbox makes it -

Best thing to do is measure when it is all hooked together.

 

A big problem that I have (because I like to get into the back country) is the problem you will have with a 5-w if the road is uneven, either/or side to side and front to back. Even getting into some service stations where the driveway is steep or not on grade with the road can cause contact with 5er and bed. Also some 4 X 4s (especially Dodges) are so tall that there is not enough clearance above the bed to keep from doing damage to your camper/bed. If you fix your hitch so that you have enough clearance, then your 5er will be so far out of level that your brakes will not work correctly. (If the front of the 5-W is high then the front axle brakes will lock up.)

 

Another vote for the 5th wheel.

 

This is all great information everyone....its great!!

 

5th wheel is by far the better choice. Just traded our TT in for our 5'er 2 months ago. Just got back yesterday from a 2500 mile run. The 5'er handles so much better than a travel trailer and I find it easier to menuver in tight places even though it is 7 feet longer than my TT was. JMO

 

How was the trip? Got pic's?

I've been thinking for a while that a trip and travel album in this forum would be awesome...

 

They both have their good and bad points. I like my TT as mentioned earlier it keeps the bed empty for gear and my dog (if he is too stinky to ride in the cab). Another thought is most people have a bumper type hitch and they can tow your trailer for you if you get in a jam. I just had a break down in my truck and my brother in law was able to tow the trailer for me so I didn't end up with a double tow bill. I know breakdowns aren't supposed to happen but they do. I have a 04 f-350 powerstroke and only pull a 21ft TT. My flex-plate broke with no warning. The center hub that bolts to the crankshaftbroke out, so the rest of the flex-plate looked like a donut. All is fixed now and I am still confused how it happened. Oh well at least I didn't get the terrible double tow bill.

 

The trip was ok but short. I was the only driver (wife couldn't get the week off). I left on the 12th at 2pm and arrived in Mass. at 1030 pm the 13th. Spent a week at the campground with family and left the 20th at 830am arriving home on the 21st at noon. The best part about the trip was not having to worry about the drive. The powerstroke never missed a beat.

 

I'll never install a replacement flex-plate unless it rings like a BELL (indicates NO CRACKS, not even beginning). Test flywheels the same way - DING them.

If they don't ring continuously like a musical instrument, they're busted.

All you have to do is hold them up with a screwdriver in one of the boltholes and tap it lightly with anything made of metal.

Fractured plates suck - a cracked flywheel can GRENADE on you...

 

I had it replaced at a local dealership (local to where it let go). They gave me great service and installed a new flywheel assembly, so it should be good now. I am happy with the job they did and also happy it just broke and didn't grenade.

 

Trannies are a hassle unless you have the right equipment or have been body-building since you were ten years old!

 

That is true and impossible on the side of the road.

 

new to this site too. where is the diesel site?????

kenshaw
2008 F350 KR 6.4, 4.10, long bed, dually, 6.4, 4.10 pulling a 40' Grand Junction 5er