Choosing a 5th Wheel for Retirement With an F250

[robinoes66]

Hello to Everyone!

My name is Robin, and my husband (Duane) and I will be retired by the end of May. We currently have a 22 ft. travel trailer but are thinking of trading it in for a 5th wheel so we can have a bit more room when exploring the country in our retirement years. If anyone has any experience (good or bad) with a particular 5th wheel make and model, we'd be interested in hearing about it. It needs to be less than 18,000 lbs. towing weight because we don't want to buy a new truck; the one we have is only a year old - F250.

Looking forward to making acquaintances and contacts.

Robin

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Hi Robin & Duane - welcome aboard!

For 5W towing, most F250's are limited by their payload rather than the tow rating. A 5W puts 20%-25% of its gross weight on the hitch, so the truck payload needs to carry all that weight. For an 18,000 lb trailer, that's over 3600 lbs of cargo before adding in passengers and gear you carry in the truck. Few F250s have that much cargo capacity. You should probably looking in the 12,000-15,000 lb GVWR range (which is still a good-sized rig!). Check your trucks Payload (OCCC) as well as its tow rating and GCWR.

The key to RV shopping is to know in detail what you want in terms of features and amenities. Let that lengthy list of "must haves" and "wants" drive the size, weight, and floor plan that meets your goals. Then choose brands/models that can deliver that, at a price you can handle. Doesn't have to be knew and in fact there are good reasons to buy used instead of new. More on that in follow-on posts.

Related questions include whether you plan to travel fulltime, long time, or just occasionally. And whether you prefer full service campgrounds, boondocking with few or no services, or somewhere in-between those extremes. There are a lot of tradeoffs in choosing an RV, and your travel style & duration help choose among them..

So please describe your expectations and needs to whatever level of detail you can manages. You might also mention what you like and dislike about your present trailer, cause that likely shapes what the new one should be like.

 

[Bearcatrp]

Welcome to the forum. One of the best on the net. Allot of experienced RV’ers on this forum. What Gary posted is spot on. You don’t want to be at max weight or even over as that will be hard on your truck. Once you do find the 5th wheel you want, whether new or used, do a thorough inspection. Being on owner already, you should know what to look for. Floor plan will be important as well as storage. Make sure your truck has the tow package as the transmission cooler usually comes with that package. Long hauls and steep grades will heat up the transmission allot. Used to own a 3/4 ton for my 5th wheel. Short bed. Almost took out my rear window a few times. Moved up to a 1 ton with a 50 gallon tank. The 3/4 ton had a small tank. With around 10 miles to the gallon, allot of fuel stops. Cut my refueling in half. Good luck on finding your 5th wheel.

 

[CamperAL]

Spot on what Gary RV Wizard said!!!

 

[John From Detroit]

Alas they are out of business now at least out of the RV business near as I can tell but a company I believbe Wil-Ro or Will Row or some close to that uset to market a line called Trail Hauler.,

Mini Peterbuilt semi tractors (Often used for short bed local delivery type semi trucks liek a 25 or 30 foot trailer instead of the full 40 cross country jobs like my Brother towed)

Only with a RV size 5th wheel and electric trailer brake instead of air.

For the RVer who absolutely, positively, did not want to ask "Will my tow vehicle handle this trailer".

Though that might be a bit of overkill ... I do believe a bigger "Tractor" (Tow vehicle) is better than one that's too small.

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

Welcome to The he Forum.

Your introduction post was one of the nicer ones I've seen posted here, Well said.

I don't know anything about 5th wheels, but I think you and your hubby will be making a good choice for your retirement RV adventures. They definitely seem to be everybody's favorite RV today.

You should get a lot of good 5'er suggestions here. The industry is evolving and consolidating with parent companies like Forest River, Thor, and Winnebago in control of the industry . But, recent start ups like Alliance and Brinkley have really set the big boys back and taking notice.

As I write this, the campground I'm at in Florida has about 36 sites. I'm guessing 8-10 of them are taken by Brinkley's, and more than half are filled with 5th wheels!

Good Luck.