RSOPNCO1

In a predicament about getting a a new trailer or not. Could you please give me the pro's and con's of both. please give both sides and not push one side or the other. Would like an equal view of both. I have a bumper pull now with the Equalizer set up and have driven 5er trailers but they were missile launchers and flat beds in the ARMY much bigger trucks. I have a FEMA Trailer now which it is not one of the bad ones. fridge took a pooh on me and the entertainment stuff is gone but other than that its pretty good. 2006 35' long bunk house super slide. Trailer pulls good backing could be easier but it is still ok. want opinions about both sides as i have a time limit to get a refund or keep it.TIA

Colo_River_Ram

PROS:
A fiver or goose pull trailer is more stable as the weight is distributed to all four wheels and not the back two only. a tag trailer puts all of the weight to the rear axle which in turn acts as a fulcrum when you hit a bump it pushes down on the back axle while trying to lift the front axle AKA bump steer.. A fiver or goose trailer depending on the rig up can normally be backed to 90 degree bend or more.. the one thing you do have to watch on a goose or fiver is that they turn the corner sharper than you do..Once you go to a fiver/goose you will never go back to a tag.
CONS:
Drawbacks to a fiver/goose set up is you loose your truck bed.as you can no longer install a camper shell.and cost of the Goose or fiver hitch can be more expensive..Hope this helps

rconkin

Go to http://www.rv.net/forum/. Their forum is full of all sorts of information about this subject. I personally have a fifth wheel. I like the way they pull better and the floor plans, but that is just what I like.

SundayMoney

A fiver or gooseneck is more stable because of where the attachment point is. The pivot point is directly above the rear axle,not at the bumper. The further the pivot point is from the axle,the more likely the towed rig will move.

As far as the weight on the rear bumper goes,there is a handy little thing called weight distribution. Alot of guys think they don't need them because they have a big burly diesel truck. W/D is a major part of getting a bumper pull set up correctly. A properly set up bumper pull can be just as stable as a fiver or GN.

Fivers are nice,because you have some of the rig over the bed of the truck. With a 30' bumper pull,you're pulling 30'. With a 30' fiver you're you're only towing about 26'.

Fivers typically have more storage. You'll have to go up and down stairs on a fiver. If your physically able,its no big deal.

Bonshawman

I tow a 45' flatdeck with my single axle tractor - 5th wheel.
I tow a 44' enclosed rv/toy hauler - gooseneck.
I tow a 25' flatdeck - gooseneck
I tow a 26' Airstream travel trailer - receiver pull (weight distributing & sway bar)
I tow a 12' equipment trailer - receiver pull.

The 5th and gooseneck ride better and pivot better (as previously posted).
My single axle doesn't even know it has a trailer, and my Dodge 3500 drw does fine. I have previously had a 16' flatdeck on a receiver pull hauling 8,000#, and much prefer the gooseneck.

Airstream, however, only makes a receiver pull, and I like Airstreams, so I go with that. I have both a weight distributing hitch (which I really don't need as I am pulling with either a DRW Dodge or Chevrolet 1 ton), but I also have an Airsafe air-bag hitch, which evens out the transfer agitation between truck and trailer on a receiver hitch.

I would say that what you want to pull with (IE: tie up the bed with a gooseneck or 5th wheel set up, even if it can be hidden or removed, you loose the bed when towing, and some guys like the receiver pull because they can then have a pickup with a cap), is one decision. The second is the floorplan or style/make/size of what you want to pull.

I have not come across anyone who says they liked how a receiver pull handles better than a 5th or goose, but that is just one aspect.

Hunter11

As rconkin said go to rv.net and do a search and you will get a lot of reading material. We prefer the 5th wheel because to me it is easier to hookup and disconnect and pulls better. We had a 32' Airstream before we bought or 5th wheel and would never go back to a TT at this point. Just personal preference.

Jim W

I pull a 5er and used to pull a TT, never will go back to a TT. Much easier to back up as long as you back from the driver side and take it slow. What convinced me was a small book by Jerry Brown Tiltled "The Fifth Wheel Bible Everything you ever wanted to know about Fith Wheel Trailers". This was a light read but answered a lot of questions. Also like the others said join and read the RVNET. Com forum this will answer all your questions.

carcreations

I have literally pulled thousands of travel trailers. My rule of thumb is the more you are going to use it the more you should lean toward 5th wheel. If you are only going to use it occaisionally go bumper pull. The reasons are too numerous to list but since you already have a bumper pull, keep it. You can always sell it and make a profit. I've bought and sold several FEMA units.

traindrv

I've pulled both types and the 5th wheels definently pull, ride better and will usually have more storage. One draw back to the 5th wheel is a fact of life that as we age steps get more demanding especially first thing in the morning. If you have joint problems as I do and go with a 5th wheel get one with the bath up stairs in the bedroom. Another little problem is the tall ceilings in a 5th wheel, harder to heat and cool. That said I'll stick to 5th wheels for as long as I can make up the bedroom steps.

BigDaddyMC

I tow about the largest bumper pull I have seen. Its a toy hauler and it measures about 36ft not including the hitch work. I'm at about 40 at the Ball. I have been towing it with a SRW 04 qud - long box/4wd. Obviously I had the WDH and sway control (friction). I actually had to put dual friction sway controls on to tame the beast in the wind. Helped a little but not much. Total weight full is about 15K and about 1250 on the ball. Add a rhino in the bed and I was struggling.
Long story short, a good wind was constant for the ride home and it was extremely uncomfortable to tow. My buddy with the exact same truck was able to tow the load like is was nothing had no issues at all. The only difference in trucks was that he had DRW.

Bottom line, in my HUMBLE opinion... you can two both comfortably but on large loads a DRW is manditory!

Now make no mistake, I could have towed that load at 45mph and been wagging all over. He was able to tow at 70mph like I was towing at 25. It was a huge difference.

Good luck.

SundayMoney

Friction sway control is a joke. They shouldn't even allow that crap on more than a pop-up. I don't even think a Reese Dual cam type sway controller would help 15K. To stop 15K from swaying,you might have to go to something like the Hensley.

You should have at LEAST 10% tounge weight as well. Your shy by about 250lbs.

DRW is always an option too.

BigDaddyMC

I think that the friction bars are a joke as well. But I welding an additional arm and a buying an additional friction mechanism cost me $40! It was certainly worth a try. Helped a bit, but they still suck! With the DRW, I get NOTHING in the way of sway! Heck, trading with a buddy for a dual rear wheel - SAME EXACT TRUCK - with 32K less miles... cost me 2K! Better buy than the Hensley. Then again, that deal isn't at there for everyone. I've heard mixed on the Hensley, mostly good though.

seatrout46

I bought a TT because I hated the 5th wheel layouts with the bath in the bedroom. Also I have a covered bed where I store lots of stuff and didn't want to lose that space.
That said, I 'think' the 5th wheel may pull better and get better mileage since there is less space between the truck and front of the trailer.

macawdad@pacbel

I have a 30ft pull trailer about #10500.I use to hate wind and semi's intill I spent the money on a Hensley Arrow hitch.I now have worn a hole in the steering wheel because I can go done the road with just my left thumb on the wheel.On a side note everyone needs to keep an eye on the factory hitch! Mine BROKE off the frame, very poorly designed with mounting holes in the radias bend where it bolts to frame.

tinkerin-w-stuf

I get the same mileage on my 20ft gooseneck horse trailer (5k lbs) plus two horses that I got from my 8ft bumper pull (about 1500lbs?) plus one horse. Goes down the road a million times nicer too. The bumper pull was bad on those concrete highways that have a bit of washboard affect to them, very uncomfortable to drive.