which tows best?

[arthynne]

Curious as to which is easiest to tow a 5th wheel or trailer? Starting to do research to go full time on the road with Scamp or similar.

Thanks Ally

[Donna D.]

Alida, "best" is really subjective. Variables include speed, condition of tires and axle, condition of roads, amount of traffic, temperature.... well, you get the idea.


I own both in the all-molded world and I don't think one tows particularly easier than the other with enough difference to make that the decision on which I would purchase. Budget, tug capability, layout of the interior of the trailer, options, etc. To me those are far more important. YMMV

[arthynne]

Thanks Donna, good to get feedback from a pro

[Donna D.]

It's important to wait and hear from others Alida, truly. Since you mentioned Scamp, I think you'd find the 16' or 5er tow very, very similar since they're both single axle.

[Darwin Maring]

I think a 5r tows best. It puts the toung weight over the rear wheels. I have not had sway with a 5r. Read the threads about sway, weight distribution hitches and anti saw control.

The 5r has the sleeping arangement up on the upper level so you do not have to change the dining area to a bed at night and a dining area in the morning.

Should one person get up earlier than the other, one can remain in bed and the other comfortable at the dining table.

Because it is a 5r, you can B sure it will have brakes. I have never seen a 5r without brakes.

I had a large stick built tag along once but had a pull rite special hitch that made it tow like a 5r. Have not seen one of these hitches in years.

Now, the tag along owners will give you the pluses of their models and this will assist you in making a decision.

The 5r will require a pickup and a tag along any vehicle that has the tow capacity.

We pull with a Silverado Crew Cab. Room in the bed for many things and the same for the back seat.

[honda03842]

The fifth wheel should tow better but our Scamp 16 tows beautifully. The difference for us is that the 5th wheel requires a truck. Since we have only one vehicle we'd rather not be driving a truck around all the time.

We now tow with a Honda Odyssey and it's cave like inside and rides comfortably.

[floyd]

While each has its advantages, One consideration would be the additional clearance needed for the 5er. ( no more drive throughs)

[Byron Kinnaman]

I think it's a matter of choice. There's advantages and disadvantages to either. Here's few I have used to make my decision.

Tow Vehicle -- 5th wheel requires a pickup truck
Trailer can be towed with any one of many SUVs

If you tow to with apickup... The truck bed is mostly taken up by the hitch and remains uncovered.
Trailer, the truck bed can have a cover over it and store a lot of camping gear.

From observing people backing into a camping spot it appears that a 5th wheel is harder to get used to backing that trailer.

That's my 2 cents work.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by floyd

While each has its advantages, One consideration would be the additional clearance needed for the 5er. ( no more drive throughs)

That's a very good point. Ginny loves the fact that she can stop just about anywhere with the Scamp, never worrying about height, it's barely taller than our Odyssey.

[Jim Bennett]

Just to add to what others have said, there is a bit of a tow advantage to a 5th wheel, but just about any fibreglass bumper pull set up proper will tow nicely too. Like Donna said, I would base your choice more on layout and feature, and not on whether it is a 5th wheel or bumper tow.

[arthynne]

thanks for input. I once had a trailer, on a windy night, almost take me off the road when it swerved in front of me and I've been wary ever since.

[arthynne]

all very good points. I've actually seen where a front hitch can be used to maneuver a trailer into a tough spot, very handy I thought.
I will be at the Ohio rally in Sept. checking out all the rigs.

thanks everybody

[War Eagle]

Alida, Two more points, just to add more confusion: 1) there must be a reason why all those millions (by my approximation) of commercial tractor-trailer trucks going up and down the interstate are set up 5th-wheel style, and 2) there must be a reason why tow-behind campers out-number 5th-wheel campers 50:1 (by my approximation) at fiberglass camper rallies (at least in our neck of the woods). As others have said, each has it's advantages and disadvantages. The main thing that concerns us about a 5th wheel is the thought of possibly having to maneuver those stairs in the middle of the night, for whatever reason, as we grow older. All that said, as others have suggested, get the camper you feel you will enjoy the most for your camping lifestyle. But if you choose a 5th-wheel, you're restricted to towing with a pickup - good, bad or otherwise. In the end, just get camping! To paraphrase an old fishing saying, "A bad day camping is still better than a good day at the office." Dale

[David B.]

Alida, we have a Jeep Wrangler to tow our Lil Snoozy to places and events where Jeeps are used to recreate, such as the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab UT, and we have an older (1993) GMC pickup to put our cruiser motorcycle in and various articles we may need during our travels without having to fill the trailer up. Both vehicles tow the LS just fine without sway control or WDH. Another contingent is if we ever get stranded because of a tow vehicle breakdown, friends could tow our LS for us and not need a pickup to do so.
Best of luck with your decision and happy trails.
Dave & Paula

[Mike Magee]

General consensus on another large rv forum I frequent is that 5th wheels inherently tow with the best stability due to the hitch location (over the rear axle). Sway is practically impossible with a 5th wheel (or a gooseneck, for that matter... the Scamp 19' uses a gooseneck connection). A couple of very expensive bumper-pull hitches have been created to approximate this type of stability (Pull-Rite, Hensley Arrow).

A small bumper-pull trailer is usually very stable, but with insufficient hitch weight they can become unstable. I recall a couple of folks with 16' Scamps who felt that their trailers waggled too readily and too frequently, due to their trailer's relatively light hitch weight. Not that it's common, but it has happened.

One nice thing about 5th wheels: when they say they're 19', the trailer body is 19'. Bumper pull trailers measure from rear end to front coupler, so a 16' trailer has only about a 13' body.

Am I saying that it's a mistake to buy a bumper pull trailer? No! I have always used bumper pull trailers and I still do. But I recognize that 5th wheels do have a bit of an edge, and you asked.

[vintageracer]

The 5th wheel is more maneuverable in tight spaces than a tag trailer given the same length of trailer behind the tow vehicle rear bumper.

The 5th wheel limits your choice of tow vehicles to a PU truck in most situations. You also loose the transport or storage use of the PU bed with a 5th wheel trailer that you do not lose with a "Tag" trailer pulled by a PU.

The 5th wheel trailer setup tow vehicle will ride better than a "Tag" trailer behind the same tow vehicle. Gas mileage with a 5th wheel "can" be worse as a 5th wheel trailer grabs much more "air" driving down the road due to the higher profile of the 5th wheel trailer. You will have better control of a 5th wheel trailer in an emergency situation due to the placement of the hitch over the rear wheels of the PU tow vehicle rather than "hanging" on the back of the PU truck with a "tag" trailer. Tongue weight becomes a "mute" point with a 5th wheel trailer and a 1/2 ton PU versus a "tag" trailer.

Probably the BEST reason to get a 5th wheel trailer is that with the Scamp and Escape the bed is located above the 5th wheel area in the trailer, the bed is larger than the similar "tag" trailer models and you do not have to make the bed/dining area conversion EVERYDAY to get FULL use of the trailer which you MUST do with a similar length "tag" trailer"!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by vintageracer

Probably the BEST reason to get a 5th wheel trailer is that with the Scamp and Casita the bed is located above the 5th wheel area in the trailer.....

Casita doesn't build a 5th wheel trailer. Escape does though

[vintageracer]

The "Edit" button is a WONDERFUL thing!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by vintageracer

The "Edit" button is a WONDERFUL thing!

TRUTH!

[Wayne Collins]

The others have listed most of the pro's and con's.
If you're agile enough to crawl up and down to the sleeping loft in the 5r, it is a nice way to go.
We have a 16 Deluxe with side dinette so we leave the rear space as a bed. Just two of us.

With a tow behind, to reduce the chance of sway, arrange your trailer hitch to be as close as possible to the rear bumper of the TV, and add shims and/or set screws to remove all play(looseness) between the drawbar and receiver.
Also, make sure the ball joint is adjusted snug. Any looseness there can lead to trailer sway. And .... practice a steady hand on the steering wheel. Jerky steering will lead to sway too. With all the above, you should not need an anti-sway bar.
But you can add one for insurance.