purchasing new fifth wheel

[4scottd]

I have been looking at fifth wheels for a while, and have narrowed search down to a couple. A Keystone Cougar and Canyon Trail by Gulfstream both have rear garages. Can anyone give info on these models? I was also wondering about price, my thought was 30% off MSRP, is that too much, or not enough.

I also have shortbed GMC with Diesel, so I guess I need a slide hitch. Is Superglide worth the price?

 

[joelmyer]

4scottd,

Welcome to the forum.

Can't help you on those two models.  I have a Sunnybrook.

I have the shortbed Dodge Diesel and the Superglide.  It's paid for itself several times over!  If you are the kind of person who never gets flustered and forgets then one of the manual sliders would be OK.  But if you ever forget - you'll wish that you had bought the Superglide - one oops and you just paid more in repairs than it would have cost.

But as I guess you know it's expensive (about $1500) and heavy (like 360 lbs).  Remember to include the weight in your calculations.  I didn't and I'm over weight by about that much!

General rule of thumb is 25% off list, but if you can get 30% more power to you.

 

[4scottd]

Joel,
I appreciate the advice, it helps a lot. Most of the things I have been hearing, have been from dealers. I would rather hear from people who have been RVing.? I know I will have my share of oops, so the Superglide sounds like a good investment.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Scott (southern ca.)
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

[joelmyer]

I would rather hear from people who have been RVing. 

                    Scott (southern ca.)
                       

Scott,

You have found a fantastic resource.  Many of the folks on the forum have been doing it for years and are willing to share their knowledge.  There are at least two who full time in their 5th Wheels (and many more in their Class As).

Just ask.

 

[DonJordan]

Welcome to the RV Forum Joel.  Glad to see you here.  I'm not into 5th wheel trailers (I'm a Diesel Pusher Person  ;D) but I'm sure that others here have the knowledge to help you.

 

[Herm J]

I would suggest getting  out your tape measure and doing little research before buying a sliding hitch.  After two years of never using the slide aspect of the hitch, I traded down to a standard hitch and I'm happy with it.  Sliding hitches add a lot of weight and for some folks they may not be necessary.  I pull a 27 foot Cougar with an F-250 short bed.
Herm

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Personally I woldn't pay the extra $$ for the Superslide hitch, but I'm a manual-control kind of guy anyway.  However, you can get a darn nice 5W hitch for $500 and you probably don't need a slide often anyway. But as Joel says, if you are the sort of person who might forget to watch the trailer swing when backing in a tight spot, then the extra $1000 bucks will pay for itself.  It's pretty much a personal choice.

 

[4scottd]

Herm,
I like the tape measure idea. If the trailer is going to hit the cab, superglide would work for me, but like you said it may not even be necessary. I could put that money to use in other ways. Thanks
? ?? ? ? ?Scott

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A caveat here: most trailers have what is called an extended pin box, which sticks out ahead of the front wall. Some, however, have the pin underneath the overhang and those definitely need a sliding hitch if towed with a shortbed truck.  But with an extended pin box, there is almost never a need to back so sharply that the trailer hits.  The tape measure will likely show you that you need to turn almost 90 degrees before that happens.  If you even approach that angle, you should pull forward and realign anyway. Or chose a different campsite! 

I'm not saying there is never a situation that might warrant turning that sharply, but it is rare and most people won't encounter it. And the longer the trailer is, the less likely you are to ever do it because the backward turning geometry improves as the wheel base gets longer.

And if it is a real concern, putting the extra $1000 towards a long bed truck should be considered.

 

[mdanielson55]

just bought a 39,6 victory lane  2008 model from national travelersrv.com loaded msrp at 55,000 i only paid 34,000 heck of a dealer ask for phillip 

 

[janpaul]

Another option is a Fifth Airborne sidewinder pin box. This moves the pivot point rearward(which is what a slider does) without having a slider hitch. You can get it with or without an air ride also.

 

[sierramann]

I have a sierra with 6 1/2 foot box. I use a regular hitch and have not run into any problems getting my trailer into any site without the slider........... own preference, I guess. I just found the sliders too much money.............

 

[edjunior]

A lot of this also seems to depend on the design of the 5er in question.  My Dad got his shortbed truck, and the BigHorn 5er is designed specifically with the shortbed trucks in mind.  They design the pin and cap to make it possible to turn almost as hard as you would with either a longbed truck or a slider hitch.  It seems a lot of new 5ers are being designed this way, I assume because of the popularity of the shortbed truck.  I think the bottom line here is, if you doubt either the capability of the 5er or your own ability or comfort with it, then either get a longbed or a slider hitch.