5th Wheel Trailer RVs
- Towable 5th Wheel-Trailers This is
typically a larger trailer with a hitch that is
seated in the bed of a pick-up truck.
- The Good News
- This is unequivocally the best way to go if you plan to RV full-time and you don't plan to
spend a lot of time on the road. I believe that if you're planning to purchase an RV, this is one of your two best
choices; a Class A Diesel is the other.
- Towing a 5th Wheel is safer
and easier than a trailer hooked
to a bumper hitch. The weight is
more evenly distributed and
handling and cornering are much improved over other towing alternatives.
Because of this stability and distribution advantage, larger and more versatile trailers are available.
- 5th Wheel Trailers are typically taller and longer than most
Travel Trailers. As I've said before, bigger can mean better.
- As 5th Wheels are designed to be towed by large trucks, they typically have a more durable and safer build structure.
- Higher ceilings. If you're 6'4" like me, this makes all the difference in the world.
- Larger bedrooms, kitchens and living areas.
- Substantial interior storage. The most exterior storage of all towables.
- Larger holding tanks for water/waste are available.
- Space for a generator.
- Tip: if you have a generator in your 5th Wheel, you can run
it while you're towing and have your unit heated/cooled when you arrive at your destination.
- Seemingly boundless configurations for "Toy Haulers."
- All the comforts of home.
- Air Conditioning & Heating are standard equipment.
- Larger, higher quality appliances.
- Larger, more
comfortable beds and
furniture.
- More privacy with private room(s).
- Several optional slide-out configurations.
- Spacious lavatories and "full-size" showers.
- More "home-like" amenities: Flooring, countertop, cabinet options, central
vacuum, washer/dryer and other upgrades abound.
- As opposed to motorized RVs, a 5th Wheel Trailer offers you the versatility of keeping your RV and trading in your tow vehicle
or vice-versa. If you plan to full-time in a motorized RV, you have to remember that you have a motor, transmission and all other vehicular systems to
repair and maintain. If you're not planning to spend a lot of time on the road, you're
investing a lot of money on a machine you don't need very often.
- The Bad News
- Towing can still present challenges.
- The variety of 5th Wheels lends itself to your towing options,
but hitch weight, GVWR, size, road conditions, and weather can
still have consequences.
- You're going to have to have a truck to tow one of these (no cars, vans or SUVs).
- Having a truck as your only option for a tow vehicle can be difficult for families
with several children or pets that they
wish to take along.
- The hitch
for the 5th
Wheel is in the
bed of the
truck, so your storage space in
the truck bed is greatly diminished.
- Manufacturers continue to make larger and larger 5th Wheels. I know I keep saying "Bigger is Better," but you have other factors to consider when getting something as big as some of these
up-to-39-foot monsters.
- As the size and weight of your 5th Wheel increases, so does the size of the truck needed to tow it.
You'll need to plan
on getting a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck depending on the size of your 5th Wheel. Recently, there has been in increase in
the number of people choosing trucks
even larger than 1 ton
with which to tow. Want to see what kind of "Big Boys"
Ford
and
Chevy
are making now?
You should seriously consider getting a diesel truck, which will make towing much easier in the mountains (or everywhere for that matter).
Larger trailers = decreased fuel economy.
Traveling inside the 5th Wheel while in tow is unsafe and is illegal in several states, so everyone is confined to the tow vehicle when you're on the road.
- Some states allow passengers in the 5th Wheel as long as they have 2-way communications with the driver.
- With the increase of
slide-outs in several
models, you often cannot navigate your way inside a 5th Wheel when the slides are not extended.
- Likewise, as with any towable, the amenities in the RV are not available to you while you're in transit.
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