| For many RV'ers, this question is a burning issue. For | | | | feet of living space. The rest of the length is the |
| others, it isn't even on the horizon. It all depends on | | | | tongue sticking out in front of the trailer. As for overall |
| what kind of RV you're in and what you'd like to move | | | | length of the truck and trailer, that whole 30 feet is |
| into. | | | | added to the length of the truck. |
| For example, I've been towing travel trailers for several | | | | A fifth-wheel uses the length more efficiently. A |
| years. What is my next RV going to be? I'm planning | | | | 30-foot fifth-wheel will, in most cases, give you about |
| to get a fifth-wheel toy hauler. Why? I want the toy | | | | 30 feet of living space. Because the hitch is over the |
| hauler for the flexibility in the ways I can use it. I want | | | | rear axle of the truck, the amount of trailer hanging out |
| the fifth-wheel version because of the floor plans | | | | behind the truck will be more like 24-25 feet. The |
| which are not available in the bumper pulls. But, that's | | | | combined length of the truck and trailer will be 8-10 |
| just me. This article is about what you want. | | | | feet shorter for the same amount of living space. |
| By the way, the descriptive terms you'll hear can be | | | | Most of the fifth-wheel trailers require at least a 3 |
| confusing. A fifth-wheel is a fifth-wheel. That's what | | | | 4-ton truck as a tow vehicle. Most of the bumper pull's |
| people call it. On the other hand, there isn't one | | | | can be handled safely by a 1/2-ton truck. The main |
| standardized term for the others. You'll hear people | | | | reason for that is the amount of weight placed on the |
| refer to them as, "travel trailers," "bumper pulls," | | | | hitch. |
| "tow-types" or a few other terms. For the sake of this | | | | Most of the bumper pull trailers are designed to put |
| article, I'll use the term, "bumper pull" because it best | | | | about 10% of the total weight on the hitch ball. Putting |
| describes the hitch location. | | | | that much weight on a hitch 3-4 feet behind the axle |
| Now that we understand the terms, let's look at the | | | | works as a lever to lift the front of the truck. A good |
| basic differences between the two. The most obvious | | | | weight equalization hitch becomes extremely important |
| difference is where the trailer is hooked up to the tow | | | | as the size of the trailer moves into the medium or |
| vehicle. The hitch for the bumper pull is, of course, | | | | large sizes. |
| located at or near the rear bumper of the tow vehicle. | | | | The fifth-wheel trailer is designed to put about 15% of |
| The fifth-wheel hitch is located in the truck bed over | | | | the total weight onto the hitch pin which is over the |
| the rear axle. | | | | truck axle. That amount of weight, by itself, requires a |
| The first thing that becomes apparent is that you | | | | heavier-duty truck. |
| won't be using a car to tow a fifth-wheel trailer. The | | | | So, where does that leave you? If you already have a |
| location of that hitch requires a truck. The bumper pull | | | | 3/4-ton truck or larger, your choices are pretty wide |
| trailer can be towed by either a car or a truck. | | | | open. It comes down to which floor plan and price |
| There's another factor about the fifth-wheel trailer that | | | | range work best for you. |
| requires that a truck be used as a tow vehicle. The | | | | If, on the other hand, you have a car or a small pickup |
| design of the fifth-wheel frame is such that it tends to | | | | truck, you're pretty much limited to a smaller bumper |
| be heavier than that required for a bumper pull trailer. | | | | pull trailer. Most of the cars and small pickups are |
| That additional weight needs the strength only a truck | | | | limited to trailers weighing 3,500 pounds or less. Trailers |
| can provide. | | | | that light aren't going to offer a lot in the way of |
| So, why do people choose one over the other? One | | | | creature comforts. At the same time, they do offer an |
| reason is the size of the unit. The longer a trailer is, the | | | | inexpensive entry point into the wonderful world of RV |
| more likely it is to be designed as a fifth-wheel. The | | | | travel. |
| smaller it is, the more likely it is to be a bumper pull | | | | It all comes down to where you are and where you |
| design. | | | | want to be in the grand scheme of things. The tow |
| The main issue here is the stability of the trailer when | | | | vehicle will dictate the size and style of trailer you are |
| it's being towed. The pivot point (the hitch) of a bumper | | | | able to safely pull. If you want to pull something bigger, |
| pull trailer is a few feet behind the axle of the tow | | | | you'll need to upgrade your tow vehicle. |
| vehicle. This can cause the trailer to exert leverage on | | | | The other main factor is, of course, your budget. It's |
| the truck. The longer units need a good anti-sway hitch | | | | true that you can save a lot of money on your |
| to keep the truck and trailer under control if you're hit | | | | vacation travel if you travel light with a tent or, even, a |
| with side winds. | | | | pop-up tent trailer. Because hotel and restaurant costs |
| The pivot point for the fifth-wheel hitch is over the axle | | | | can add up pretty fast, camping can be a real bargain. |
| of the truck. There's no way the trailer can exert | | | | However, there comes a point where you're no longer |
| leverage on the truck if a gust of wind hits it. That is | | | | camping to save money. You're camping because you |
| the main reason why the longer trailers tend to be | | | | really enjoy the RV lifestyle. Let's face it, a new 3 |
| fifth-wheel units. | | | | 4-ton truck with a matching fifth-wheel trailer can easily |
| Another factor in the choice is the cost. The | | | | approach $80,000 - $100,000! You can't camp enough |
| fifth-wheel units tend to be more expensive than a | | | | to save that much money! |
| bumper pull trailer of the same size. That's why most | | | | So, as for the question of fifth-wheel vs. bumper pull, |
| of the smaller, less-expensive units are bumper pull's. | | | | the bottom line is this: how much are you willing to |
| They're lighter and less expensive to produce. | | | | spend? Most of the bumper pull units are at the low |
| There's a huge difference in the amount of living | | | | end to the mid-point of the scale. Most of the |
| space you get for every foot of space the trailer | | | | fifth-wheel units will start from the mid-point and range |
| takes up on the road or in the camp ground. A bumper | | | | up through the high end of that same scale. |
| pull trailer that is 30 feet long will give you about 25-26 | | | | Where are you and where do you want to be? |