5th Wheel or Bumper Pull Toyhauler?

[Texas5500]

You will get more towing capacity with a gooseneck or 5th wheel hitch over a bumper pull. A bumper pull will have more hardware such as torsion bars and sway brakes for towing in windy conditions plus you will have to always make sure that the trailer is level at the tongue with the back of the trailer, I've seen hundreds of accidents over the years with people involving improper towing methods. If you dont already have airbags on your truck get some. With a 5th wheel or gooseneck hitch its more less a preset thing that when you get it and adjust everything to be level before you get on the road and it will stay like that.

 

[Ronich69]

Hey y'all. I am in the market for a toyhauler to haul my H-D Street Glide and family of 4 around in. I have been doing some research and still can't decide whether to get a 5th wheel or bumper pull camper. I have a 2022 2500 CTD as my tow vehicle.

Other than the price difference, what are some of the main things to consider here? Apologies in advance for the noob question - just trying to get some opinions on things that I might not have thought of.

Thanks!

-Jason

I've always preferred bumper pull. Better articulation if I end up off road. Odds are better to get assistance if there's a break down. It's easier to find someone that can bumper pull vs someone that is equipped to pull a 5th wheel. Depending on how many toys you have, BP also allows the bed to be open for other things on a trip like a second quad or more bikes if your toy hauler doesn't quite have the room.

 

[Walter Beesley]

Hey y'all. I am in the market for a toyhauler to haul my H-D Street Glide and family of 4 around in. I have been doing some research and still can't decide whether to get a 5th wheel or bumper pull camper. I have a 2022 2500 CTD as my tow vehicle.

Other than the price difference, what are some of the main things to consider here? Apologies in advance for the noob question - just trying to get some opinions on things that I might not have thought of.

Thanks!

-Jaso

I have towed campers 5thw and bumper the same size with Mt 2500 ram. Both towed well. 5th wheel much better in wind and around big trucks. Same gas milage. 5th much easier to hookup. No bed and anything in bed will get sucked out. 5th wheel upper level warmer then camper if running one AC unit. Ran into a height problem with 5th wheel in the northeast with bridges. Backing up not much difference with practice. If tow vehicle devopls an issue bumper pull lot easier to get towed, been there. I prefer 5th wheel, wife likes bumper pull.

 

[sam darakjy]

I am a full time truck camper guy who also has a TT set up on some land. I would say if you are.kot living in it full time go for the TT/toy hauler especially with a 2500. Sounds like you guys will be outdoors most of the time anyways.

 

[18CrewDually]

I saw a few complaints of losing bed space if towing 5th wheel. The only thing I ever put in my bed towing any configuration was/is firewood. And with a 5er I still do.
With a 5th wheel you alot more storage space for example the basement. I guess that is where I keep all the stuff you guys are putting in your bed.

 

[scausey]

Fifth wheel is the way to go. Many people use a 2500 to pull. 36’ plus trailer. The truck can tow it but payload is where you will max out. When you have that much weight on your truck bed and if you have a flat it can be a very bad day. 3500 dually is much safer way to go. A lot more payload capacity and no problems if you have a flat on the back with a heavy payload. That’s why I swapped to a dually. I don’t like having a truck with big hips, but it’s much safer. Trailer pull verses fifth wheel. No steps in the trailer if someone has physical limitations. Easier to get into tight spots at campgrounds with a fifth wheel. Big plus.

 

[Danny Phillips]

Fifth wheels are safer for towing. It's just like a semi-truck. I find their easier to back up, and they don't sway going down the road. I would only have the Cummins diesel with the engine brake. I tow a 3 slide 12,000 pound fifth wheel that weighs closer to 15,000 pounds. 2015 2500 4x4 Laramie. If I had to do over again I probably would have got a 3500 single wheel with the Aisin tranny.

 

[Jbinramona]

If you have NO need for outside storage go with a trailer. If you need to store anything go with a fifth wheel.

 

[Burton Shriber]

Been shopping a TT for a while, and getting things paid off.
Lightest nicest 5th wheel, I've found is the V-Venom V3313TK,
Otherwise, looking at Torque Travel Trailer T322 or Momentum G Class Travel Trailer 31G. Fairly pricey, but great quality.
Also 2021 2500 Laramie 2500 4X4 Cummins

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[DA Smith]

Everyone will have a different opinion on this question but l will tell you my experience since I've been towing RVs since 1980. I have owned both Travel Trailers and Fifth wheels and have pulled with half ton and three quarter ton both gas and diesel and all have been Dodge Ram trucks. I started with travel trailers and when I bought my first three quarter ton I purchased a fifth wheel and really enjoyed it due to ease of hook up and unhooking along with the fact it pulled nice on the road. As I got older my knees started giving me trouble and with a fifth wheel unless you have a cusom built rig they will all have the bathroom and bed in the upstairs if you want to call it that so every bathroom trip and bedtime means going up and down some usually steep steps which I became tired of. My wife and I started looking at TT and purchased a 34 ft Rockwood with two slides and I certainly appreciate the flat floor from front to rear and it is very comfortable. I purchased a Hensley Arrow equalizer hitch that attaches to the trailer tongue and once set up you never remove it to unhitch you pull two pins release two bars that hold everything together and pull away the only thing left on your truck is the hitch pin sticking out of the receiver and while camping you don't even need to remove that unless you want to. The Hensley Arrow hitch makes the trailer pull as well as a Fifth wheel and I can cut the trailer around when backing up almost as tight as a fifth wheel but not a full 90 degree jack knife which I never needed to do when I had a fifth wheel. I'm now 70 years old and am towing with a 2019 Ram 1500 4x4 crew cab 5.7 Hemi and 390 gears. Pulls the trailer great and I've pulled in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arkansas all over Texas this to say I've been in many different terrains with the rig. Hope this gives you some insight on trailers but the ultimate decision is yours.

 

[fireflymedic]

5th wheels are easier to pull and back up. No jack knifeing. Easier to hook up also.

 

[chopperdog45]

Everyone will have a different opinion on this question but l will tell you my experience since I've been towing RVs since 1980. I have owned both Travel Trailers and Fifth wheels and have pulled with half ton and three quarter ton both gas and diesel and all have been Dodge Ram trucks. I started with travel trailers and when I bought my first three quarter ton I purchased a fifth wheel and really enjoyed it due to ease of hook up and unhooking along with the fact it pulled nice on the road. As I got older my knees started giving me trouble and with a fifth wheel unless you have a cusom built rig they will all have the bathroom and bed in the upstairs if you want to call it that so every bathroom trip and bedtime means going up and down some usually steep steps which I became tired of. My wife and I started looking at TT and purchased a 34 ft Rockwood with two slides and I certainly appreciate the flat floor from front to rear and it is very comfortable. I purchased a Hensley Arrow equalizer hitch that attaches to the trailer tongue and once set up you never remove it to unhitch you pull two pins release two bars that hold everything together and pull away the only thing left on your truck is the hitch pin sticking out of the receiver and while camping you don't even need to remove that unless you want to. The Hensley Arrow hitch makes the trailer pull as well as a Fifth wheel and I can cut the trailer around when backing up almost as tight as a fifth wheel but not a full 90 degree jack knife which I never needed to do when I had a fifth wheel. I'm now 70 years old and am towing with a 2019 Ram 1500 4x4 crew cab 5.7 Hemi and 390 gears. Pulls the trailer great and I've pulled in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arkansas all over Texas this to say I've been in many different terrains with the rig. Hope this gives you some insight on trailers but the ultimate decision is yours.

You mentioned the stairs in the 5th wheel. That's another thing we saw with the 5th wheel trailers that makes me lean more towards a TT because my wife has cerebral palsy, which affects how she walks. She can walk up and down stairs, but if we can avoid them, we do.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

friends have a Momentum G class 25G and it is really nice because it has a kitchen slide and a bed slide making for a little more room than others in that size range. 31' 1200# tongue wt.

The downside is the storage - very little.

The area under the bed is taken by the generator also.

 

[Ratman6161]

You will get more towing capacity with a gooseneck or 5th wheel hitch over a bumper pull....

I'd have to disagree with that. Tongue weight in a travel trailer usually makes out at 15% of the trailer weight. For a 5th wheel you are talking 20% . So for a 10K pound travel trailer I'd plan for 1500 tongue weight (actual weight on mine is 13.8%) where on a 5th wheel I'd be panning on 2000. Also, the 5th wheel hitch will be heavier..around 200 pounds vs 106 for my weight distributing hitch. So the theoretical heaviest trailer you can tow before maxing out payload is the travel trailer.

Ram 2500 CTD's have notoriously poor payload capacity. Example: sticker on my Bighorn 2500 gas 6.4L is 2,974. I've seen otherwise identical CTD's on dealer lots where the sticker says 2,204 (this is always the first thing I look at when looking at a truck). There are configurations like a limited, megacab CTD that have payloads do2n around 1650 i.e. about the same as my old Sierra 1500.

Bottom line is if the OP wants to stay under his max payload, a travel trailer is probably a better option...though I don't see where the exact number has been mentioned. Op, check your sticker or paste your VIN in here: https://www.google.com/search?q=ram...msung-nf-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

 

[Zoe Saldana]

You will get more towing capacity with a gooseneck or 5th wheel hitch over a bumper pull. A bumper pull will have more hardware such as torsion bars and sway brakes for towing in windy conditions plus you will have to always make sure that the trailer is level at the tongue with the back of the trailer, I've seen hundreds of accidents over the years with people involving improper towing methods. If you dont already have airbags on your truck get some. With a 5th wheel or gooseneck hitch its more less a preset thing that when you get it and adjust everything to be level before you get on the road and it will stay like that.

You don't get more towing capacity with a 5th - the limiting factor in both is the payload.

Airbags might help with leveling but they don't add any payload.

 

[wfodave]

Has the OP actually walked a RV sales lot yet and gone inside the travel trailers and fifth wheels? I ask this because my first RV was a 2020 Cougar 30RKD travel trailer. Loved the floor plan of this TT, but the longer we spent time in it the more it felt like a "tunnel". The ceilings are low. Kept this TT for one year and traded for my current fifth wheel. There is SO much more room in the living area and there is a fold out hide a bed. The TT only had one bed. You need to walk the RV lots if you haven't already. Good luck.
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Sorry it's off-topic, but I see you have the night package. It's awesome, but if you have your tires flipped to blackwall side out, and replace the chrome lug nuts with black ones, be prepared to be amazed. I did it to mine and love it. I still haven't figured out why Ram used chrome lug nuts on a black-out package.

 

[aaronedmonton]

You should have done a poll for this one. Every answer is the opposite of the previous

 

[runamuck]

my husky centerline WDH weighs 47#.

 

[ramffml]

my husky centerline WDH weighs 47#.

I had one of those, thing makes my truck porpoise up and down like a yoyo. Could just be my combination of truck, cargo, trailer weight, tongue weight etc, but whatever it is it was completely eliminated when I switched to andersen no sway. The reason is because the centerline has springs, and my truck has springs, and that means I get dual spring action and way too much of it. The andersen uses chains, so the only springing going on now is my rear shocks and my ride has improved 100%. I'm not a fanboy but in the case of our Rams and the soft coil springs, I think the Andersen is probably a great fit for many people.

Oh, also no more creaking noises, no more silly prybars/levers, it weights less than 47 pounds, and its super fast to connect and disconnect!

 

[runamuck]

no springs in my Husky centerline WDH. you may have just needed to do some adjusting..shift some wt. I also added air bags to rear and usually run 25# when towing.