King of the Road, Nu Wa, or Titanium....please help us decide!!

[Pattipl]

We have narrowed our search for a 5th wheel (never owned one) to 3:

? ? King of the Road
? ? Titanium
? ? Nu Wa

Can anyone tell us if these are reliable or if there are any problems we should look out for?? We really would like to purchase a used 5th wheel as we have never camped for an extended length of time and don't want to get into a brand new one and then discover we aren't happy with full timing.

Is it better to buy used through a dealer or private party?

Thanks for any and all advice.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

They are all respected brands. NuWa and Titanium are now more popular than King of the Road, but that doesn't mean much.

By all means buy used - most used rigs are fine and trailers can't have much wrong anyway.  You should be able to get a lot more for your money in a private sales - you should be able to buy for well under the NADA average retail value from a private seller.  If the trailer is a reasonably late model, there is little risk. Use the money you sabe to buy an extended waranty if you need peace of mind.  Dealers wont warranty a used trailer once it leaves their premises anyway, so there is little advantage in buying from adealer.

 

[Shayne]

Also what are you towing it with?  Please let us know so GAry and Carl can adise you of what will pull what and that may narrow things down for you.  They do need to know all the facts in order to assist you.  They definately know what they are talking about.

 

[Pattipl]

It depends upon the size.  If we go with a smaller unit we can tow it with our 2005 Ford F150 FWD.  If we go with a bigger unit we will get the Ford F350 FWD Diesel. 

Again, thanks for any advice.

 

[Carl L]

You are not going to tow much of a 5th wheel with an F-150.  Figure on your F-350.  Even there, be sure that the trailer's gross vehicle weight rating is well below the truck's tow rating.    There are 5ers out there that should only be hauled by a medium duty truck (ie small semi-trailer tractor).

 

[fireball69]

We have a new 2006 hitchhiker II LS 29.5 FKTG and pull it with a 2005 Chevy 2500 HD Duramax.  I would not go any smaller than that.  Even though they say that some 5th wheels are towable by a 1/2 ton truck, they are wrong.  We had an F-150 pulling a travel trailer and it did poorly at best.  Pulled the same trailer with the 2500HD and what a difference.  It was driving pleasure verses WORK.  That was on the driver and the truck was working harder.  It was within the specs of the truck but barley. 

I would recommend a 1ton (F-350 or 3500HD) and definitely a diesel.  The three trailer choices are good.  The Titanium is the lightest, then the hitchhiker II's, then the rest of the Nu-Wa line and the King of the Roads. You could pull the Titanium's and the smaller HHII's with a 3/4 ton like we do.  All our weight numbers are within the limits of the truck and trailer although we are closer on the pin weight then I like.  My next truck will be a 1-ton even with our current trailer.  I prefer to be on the safe side.

Just to let you know we looked at a bunch  of trailers and manufacturers before we bought out trailer.  Took over a year of research and looking before we finally bought the onethat met our needs, our camping style (today and in the next seven years) and our budget.  Take your time and look for what fits you and your needs.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The very smallest Titanium (the 24E29) will max out an F150 and the Nuwa and KOTR are in the same league. Forget the 150 and start looking at serious sized diesel trucks.  Ad not just pretty trucks - note the trailer GVWR for the trailers you like and then look at truck models that have a max tow rating greater than that. Preferably 10-20% greater if you can.