Anyone know what the smallest 5th wheel available is/was? Been thinking of making a toy hauler, doing the camper/GN thing but our family is rapidly out growing a camper plus I think a 5th wheel would give more room just cause its not restricted by a 4foot wide box.

Only problem is I want to stay under 30ft deck length(would prefer 26 or 28)and want 14ft of deck, so that only leaves 16ft max for a 5th wheel(more like 15 as I don't want the jeep's bumper touching the 5th wheel). The smallest I've seen is 18ft.

Did they ever make a 12" or 14" 5th wheel?

 

Like you, the smallest I have seen is 18' but I have "heard" of a 16' 5ver. Earlier this year, I was on the same quest. Only difference was that I was after 16' of deck. I could not find a reasonably priced 18' 5ver and the thought of a 34' trailer was getting to be just too long for my liking. I ended up keeping my old slide-in and lengthened it to 16' to allow for a side door and extra space (32' overall). I have the trailer frame mostly done and I am in the middle of lengthening the camper. It is more work than what I was hoping for but I just couldn't come up with another way to get what I was after (on my budget, anyway).

 

Take a 30ft goose & put a truck camper on the front. That leaves 19 to 20 feet of deck behind.

 

Well I did think of that... but I think you missed the main two points of my post, or maybe you just didn't read it.

I want something bigger than what is offered by a slide in camper.

I want to stay as small as possible, perferably 26-28feet. I don't need a 20ft deck.

If I can find a 14 foot 5th wheel and mount it on a 28 foot GN I'll have 14ft of deck space.

Caught up now?

 

Smallest I have seen is a 19' Scamp.

Sounds like a deal you will have to build yourself or compromise.

Forest River has a line of work n play bumper pulls if you end up compromising.

 

Don't forget that a 19' 5er is measured to the pin, so the body length is shorter

 

A 28 foot goose has a 28 foot deck... a fifth wheel is measured from the pin to the rear. So you could probably use a 19 foot 5ver on the 28 foot deck and still have 14 feet of deck.

 

Ahhh, didn't know that. Thanks for the tip! Is there a general rule of thumb for length from pin to the front of the main body is?

 

The problem is, not everyone measures to the pin on an RV 5ver when they advertise them. I have found this out the hard way.

 

That is true My last 5ver was a 31 bunk model and the overall length was 33 ft 11in. However in this case the overall length doesn't really matter as it's the lower body length that will count and the more that hangs over the neck is just a bonus.

As for the distance from the lower body to the pin, I think each manufacturer is different. My last 5ver had about 3 feet from the lower body to the back of the truck and my new one is so close the tail gate almost touches.

 

Have you inquired as to what you can license your trailer as ? At one time the MTO would not recognize a flatbed trailer with a camper mounted on the front and deck behind as anything but a flatbed trailer with cargo on it. At that time using that set up required following all the rules of a commercial rig.I just wonder if they have changed their thinking.

 

Not sure how it works in Ontario but in AB you only need to register it commercially if you are using it commercially. If you buy a trailer to haul your Jeep then you just register it as a personal use trailer, no inspections nessecassry.

 

I know Travelaire used to make some short 5th wheel campers. I have seen some with single axle. My guess they could have been 16 to 18 feet. Very low profile. You cant stand up in the neck. We had a 22' Travelaire 5th tandem axle of that vintage. I have seen a few other small makes like that.
I have not seen any new ones.
Stan

 

No worries there. This trailer was built and registered as an RV from day one. There is no flat deck where the camper is located. The camper is not simply sitting on a flat deck. The camper is an integeral part of the trailer and is permanently attached to it. It does not look like a slide-in on a flat deck and regardless of anyones interpretation, it meets the requirements of a 5th wheel travel trailer RV according the highway traffic saftey act. It is a dedicated RV and is registered to reflect that. The only stumbling block is that I need an A-R licence to tow it.

 

I guess their interpretation has changed ,that setup was not accepted at that time .I'll be waiting for pictures of the setup, might consider doing the same thing.