Travel trailer or Fifth wheel

[Anonymous Poster]

I pulled an 18 ft. bumper pull for a couple of seasons. Then I upgraded to a 21 ft 5th Wheel. I did this with a 1/2 ton PU. Like you, I opted for an alum. frame. I found out that not all "Lite" trailers are alum. Some are just less wood. I found out there was no comparison on towing comfort. No more white knucks in cross winds and just all around more control since the weight of the trailer is over the axle. And like Bird said, more usable room for the length.
Shop wisely and consider spending the extra $.

Rod

 

[Anonymous Poster]

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I read it daily. Very friendly, knowledgeable people.

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[Anonymous Poster]

Good comments above.
I haven't seen anyone mention hitches on TT.

If you get a TT, spend the extra money and get a real hitch.
A Pullrite, or Hensley Hitch, money well spend, guaranteed no sway, less fatigue, less wear on TT and tow vehicle.

The no sway along is worth every penny, why spend $300 on a weight dist system and end up in the ditch or over turned on the hwy when a Semi, or cross wind, just not worth it.

RV dealers often sell you the cheapest hitch, why go cheap when you just spent 20-30k on a TT and 30k on a tow vehicle over a cheapie hitch.

John

 

[Bird]

John, I guess you know what those Pullrites and Hensleys cost? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif They are nice and even better than the sway controls we've been talking about. Last year one of my brothers bought a 1989 Suburban, 3/4 ton, 454 engine, and we spent a bit of time fixing it up, even made a dually out of it. He checked into the Pullrite hitches and learned that the company keeps a list of folks who would like to sell theirs after trading vehicles (frequently cannot be moved to a different model vehicle), found a guy in a Seattle suburb who'd been trying to get $500 for one for 2 years, so my brother gave him $300 for it. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Now if you could find a deal like that, then I'd highly recommend it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[kcbarnes]

Thanks for all the info. I went to the factory on tues. and that answered my questions so we will be picking up the frontier on 5/30. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif So I guess it will be a learning experience.

 

[Bird]

I'm sure you'll enjoy it, Kevin. A fifth wheel trailer is not only easier to pull, but it's also easier to back and you can cut shorter with it. I don't know how much experience you have or where you'll be going, but thought I'd mention one trick I learned from Good Sam's magazine that sure helped us at times. When it was dark at night and I put the truck in reverse, the truck's backup lights reflected off the white front of the trailer and made it impossible to see the back end of the trailer. And of course once you start to turn, you can only see down one side of the trailer anyway, and sometimes you may want to back it into a tight spot. Now my wife never wanted to do any of the driving when pulling a trailer, but to back one into tight places . . .. We had a CB radio in the truck anyway, so I went to Radio Shack and bought a cheap kid's handi-talkie (CB channel 11). So when we needed to put the trailer in a tight spot at night, I put her behind the wheel, told her she could just close her eyes if she wanted to and I stood near the back of the trailer and just told her to ease forward or back and turn the steering wheel in the direction I'd tell her. Quick, easy way to put it exactly where we wanted it.

Some of the other amusing things I've seen happen with some fifth wheels was when owners disconnected and forgot to put the front jack legs down or they hooked up, raised the jack legs and started to go, only to realize the hitch hadn't properly locked. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif It's rather loud when the front end of the trailer falls on the sides of the pickup bed; sometimes only paint damage and sometimes dented sides of the pickup (I just noticed a pickup on the street yesterday, no trailer, but easily recognized dents). /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif And of course it does a bit of damage when you hook up and take off and find you forgot to raise the jack legs. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[kcbarnes]

I was already thinking of the motorola radios but I never thought of the radio shack walkie talkie, we already have a cb.As far as my wife driving I don't think that will be a problem because she drove over the road semi for a year, her problem will be adjusting from a 53' trailer to a 24' fiver.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( her problem will be adjusting from a 53' trailer to a 24' fiver )</font>

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Yep, shorter trailer, axles further forward, gonna cut a little quicker when she starts turning while backing up. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[RanchMan]

Picard335 -

<font color="blue">A Pullrite, or Hensley Hitch, ...why spend $300 on a weight dist system and end up in the ditch or over turned on the hwy when a Semi, or cross wind, just not worth it. </font>

While I concur that nobody wants to go off the road, and I'm not saying Pullrite or Hensley make bad hitches - not in the slightest - but I don't concur that a hitch/weight distribution has to cost $2000 (like the Pullrite) or $2800 (like the Hensley) to be effective.

Sure, you can spend $60,000 on a Mercedes or half that on a Volvo. Does the extra $30K ensure you won't have a wreck or get hurt? Nope. Beyond that, there is the concept of incremental gain. Whereas you seem to be convinced that it is a large gain in incremental performance, not everyone (e.g. me /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif) is convinced likewise.

Again, I'm not saying that the other guys don't make good hitches, I'm just saying just because something is less complicated and costs less money doesn't mean it's a piece of junk or that it will fail to perform.

 

[bgott]

You always want to lock the trailer brakes and bump it in reverse before you take off when you pull anything with a fifth wheel. I saw a driver drive out from under a loaded 40' dry box once because some joker had pulled his latch handle while he was in a diner at a truck stop. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif