Trailer versus 5th wheel

[Pfun 1]

Does a travel trailer with a good hitch handle as well as a 5th wheel.I heard the 5th wheel  can handle the wind better

 

[edjunior]

A 5th wheel is more stable by design.  But that doesn't mean you can't have a good setup with a TT.  I pulled a TT for 5 years and never really had any issues.  Once with some wicked cross winds on the Interstate, but still it was nothing I couldn't handle. 

 

[Frizlefrak]

Does a travel trailer with a good hitch handle as well as a 5th wheel.I heard the 5th wheel  can handle the wind better

No.  I've towed both. That said, I bought a TT out of preference this time, as I wanted use of the back of the truck on camping trips too.  I tow at 55 mph, and it tows fine. 

 

[warsw]

I have towed both but have more experience with a TT and have a TT now. I have my TT and hitch set up almost perfect and it tows very well but no matter how well you have a TT set up it will never tow as well as a properly set up 5th/W. This is the area a 5th/W really shines.

 

[BigLarry]

Our TT tows fine.  If the hitch is set up properly and the trailer is loaded properly, it'll handle lots of cross wind with no problem.  We had a 5th wheel for several years and liked it fine also.  It depends on your needs.  Like Frizlefrak, we like to use the back of the truck while we're pulling the trailer. 

 

[lavarock1210]

Typically a TT requires some type of sway control.  A 5th wheel does not require sway control devices.  Do I need to say any more??

 

[Foto-n-T]

It sounds like you're trying to decide between purchasing one or the other.  Although a TT "can" be towed comfortably and safely I think that you might want to ask yourself if a TT or 5th wheel would suit your needs best from a living standpoint.

When we purchased our first rig I was dead set against a 5th wheel, I wanted the bed of my truck for "stuff".  Fortunately for me my lovely wife convinced me that a 5th wheel would suit our needs better, as usual she was correct. 

 

[Mopar1973Man]

TT because then I don't have to tow doubles to haul the ATV with me. I can load the ATV in the bed of the truck and hitch up the TT and go camping. I won't have 5th wheel rails in my bed either. Don't have to pull the topper off if I don't want to and store more stuff in the bed if need be.

 

[Foto-n-T]

The point my wife made was that we were purchasing a Toy Hauler so the back of the truck wouldn't need to have the bike in it in the first place.

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Like Good ol' Mom pointed out about the toy haul idea. If you have machines that leak fuel or oil why would you want that in your living area? kind of like parking your motorcycle / ATV in your living room of your stick house.

Foto-n-T I'll give you a run for the money batting back and forth here... (LOL!)

 

[Foto-n-T]

Oil has never been a problem but gas got me once.  Our first Toy Hauler didn't have a discreet garage so the bike was actually in the living area.  Even though it was a Harley the original engine had long ago blown to pieces so it didn't have a Harley Davidson engineered motor in it, therefore it didn't have the tendency to "mark its spot" so to speak.  Since it was carborated I was in the habit of turning off the fuel every time I shut the engine off but I found that forgetting that while bouncing down the road in the back of the TH would quickly trick the floats into leaking gas.  Ya only need that to happen ONCE to make sure the fuel is turned off.

With todays new fuel injected engines there's no need to turn off the fuel anymore and on most you couldn't even if you wanted to.

 

[Frizlefrak]

Like Good ol' Mom pointed out about the toy haul idea. If you have machines that leak fuel or oil why would you want that in your living area? kind of like parking your motorcycle / ATV in your living room of your stick house.

Foto-n-T I'll give you a run for the money batting back and forth here... (LOL!)

This is gonna get good!  LOL

I agree with Michael on this one....I love my toys, but I don't want their smells in my living area.  This is why I keep my garage door to house closed .    Once we get where we can travel more, I want to buy another cruiser in the 750cc range and it will go in the back of the truck.  I always hated hitching the TT vs the fiver, but use the magnetic tennis ball thingamabob, and I can do it easily solo now.  My other thing is that to get the same size as my current TT in a fiver, I'd have needed a bigger truck than my old F250, and it's got a ton of life left in it.

It comes down to a personal preference, and what your situation is.  Both tow well if correctly set up.  The fiver will always have the edge on stability though.

 

[Foto-n-T]

It's kind of like the Motorhome versus 5th Wheel lovers.  A MH owner seldom switches to a 5th wheel and visa verse.  Pretty much the same with toy haulers, ya either love 'em or hate 'em.

I will say that with a 2006 Yamaha Stratoliner back there I never have any issues with odors.  About the only thing that I adjust for is the heat from the engine.  Although I've got a FanTastic in the ceiling I tend to avoid rolling the bike directly into the garage and closing the door, especially when it's hot enough outside to warrant A/C in the living area.  Yesterday though we rode down to Corpus to find the latest specialty brew from Shiner and with the cold front that came through we gladly tucked her directly in the garage just for the heat.

 

[Phil Hyde]

Does a travel trailer with a good hitch handle as well as a 5th wheel.I heard the 5th wheel  can handle the wind better

Just thought I would point out that I would never tow a TT without a weight distributing hitch.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A good weight-distributing hitch, with integral sway control, properly set up on a suitable tow vehicle, will tow very nicely. So will just about any 5W on any adequate size pick-up truck.

If a travel trailer suits your needs better than a 5W, I wouldn't let the fact that it is a travel trailer deter me. But I would plan on spending substantial money on the hitch - maybe even one of the pricey Hensley or Pro-pride models (about $2500). But a $550 Equalizer or Reese Dual Cam would probably do the job too.

 

[concordretiree]

Have towed tt since 1976 with no problems whatsoever all with wdh and dual sway bars, got a new 5er in Feb this yr and it is much easier to tow, more stable and easier to back, etc.  I also put shocks on the 5er to eliminate the "dolphining/chucking".  I much prefer the 5er.

 

[warsw]

I also put shocks on the 5er to eliminate the "dolphining/chucking".

Tell me more............Please.

 

[concordretiree]

Not much to tell, the shocks make the trailer follow the contour of the road without exagerating the swales, bumps and other gyrations of the road without telegraphing them back to the truck.  It is a real pleasure to pull.  Cost about $360 for the shocks & bolts and 3 days to make the parts and install them.

 

[warsw]

Cost about $360 for the shocks & bolts and 3 days to make the parts and install them.

Is this something you were able to do yourself or did you have a shop do the install?

Did you install shocks on both axles or just one?

 

[lavarock1210]

Shocks will help the ride on a trailer.  The equal-flex suspension or equal also helps.  But if your trailer is dolphining/chucking check your pin weight percentage.  If it is below 20% increase it and you may find it will cure the dolphining/chucking problem.  Most towing problems with 5th wheels is towing nose high and low pin weights.