5th Wheel or Bumper Pull Toyhauler?

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chopperdog45

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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
 

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Go to an RV Show and you should get a pretty good idea what probably won't work. Having a family and a bike there is no doubt a 5th wheel is the way to go for me. I might be bias but having 2 kids dogs and wife, there is no way a tag along trailer would suffice with the cramped space, limited floorplan options, and the size & weight restrictions, it would never work.
You may run into an issue though having only a 2500. Most fifth wheel toyhaulers loaded will be over weight for your truck, especially cargo capacity, so keep that in mind.
I'd start with you and your wife finding a suitable floorplan to go from. Many manufacturers offer the same floor plans and differences come down to quality and manufacturer support.
Best of luck.

The Georgia RV & Camper Show

 

Roper46

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Hello from south Georgia. Your 2500 with the Cummins probably has close to the same payload as my 2020 2500 did, 2097 lbs. In my opinion the fifth wheel toy hauler is the way to go. Fifth wheels are so much easier and safer to tow, imo. As stated, shop around and compare floor plans and weights. Good luck.
20220823_131030.jpg
 

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TT is what I have had for 50 years. (get off my lawn!) I really need the full 8' of bed and fill it up quickly. As far as towing/safety I have pulled 5th wheels and goosenecks and cant tell any difference except turning radius. Those that think bumper pulls are inferior to 5th wheels either havent tried both or had a bad balance setup on their bumper pull.
 

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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

The key number is the payload.

Subtract the weight of your family from the payload and that is the pin weight or TT hitch weight you can handle.
 

Zoe Saldana

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Hello from south Georgia. Your 2500 with the Cummins probably has close to the same payload as my 2020 2500 did, 2097 lbs. In my opinion the fifth wheel toy hauler is the way to go. Fifth wheels are so much easier and safer to tow, imo. As stated, shop around and compare floor plans and weights. Good luck.
View attachment 502554

Lets go with 2100 payload; then subtract the family 450 = 1650 pin weight.

That sounds more like he can handle a travel trailer.
 

Randy Grant

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I own an RV park, and the number of 2500's pulling toy haulers far outweighs the number of 3500's. In the 40'/- range any way. A lot of the haulers we see are families with all the usual kid stuff, but a number have Harleys and the like. If you talk 40'/+, a 3500 is the way to go for most. Watch the bed weight, and remember that the weight in the back will unload some of it.
Good luck in finding what suits your needs.
 

Zoe Saldana

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I own an RV park, and the number of 2500's pulling toy haulers far outweighs the number of 3500's. In the 40'/- range any way. A lot of the haulers we see are families with all the usual kid stuff, but a number have Harleys and the like. If you talk 40'/+, a 3500 is the way to go for most. Watch the bed weight, and remember that the weight in the back will unload some of it.
Good luck in finding what suits your needs.

There is a difference in payload between 2500 gas vs diesel.

I agree with what you say about the 3500.
 
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chopperdog45

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The key number is the payload.

Subtract the weight of your family from the payload and that is the pin weight or TT hitch weight you can handle.
Thanks for the reply. I get the payload capacity and whatnot. I have been looking at some 5th wheels that do not exceed my limitations, as well as some bumper pulls. I guess my question was more around are there any benefits of getting a 5th wheel other than floorplan/size? Honestly, some of the bumper pull campers I have looked at have floorplans that I prefer over some of the 5th wheels.

I am leaning more towards a bumper pull, but am just wondering if there is anything I might be missing. I have heard so many people talk about how much nicer it is to tow a 5th wheel. Any truth to that?
 

Zoe Saldana

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Thanks for the reply. I get the payload capacity and whatnot. I have been looking at some 5th wheels that do not exceed my limitations, as well as some bumper pulls. I guess my question was more around are there any benefits of getting a 5th wheel other than floorplan/size? Honestly, some of the bumper pull campers I have looked at have floorplans that I prefer over some of the 5th wheels.

I am leaning more towards a bumper pull, but am just wondering if there is anything I might be missing. I have heard so many people talk about how much nicer it is to tow a 5th wheel. Any truth to that?
I think you can find a TT with similar floor plans as a 5th.

If you are looking for a toy hauler; that might be more difficult.
 

Roper46

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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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chopperdog45

chopperdog45

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I think you can find a TT with similar floor plans as a 5th.

If you are looking for a toy hauler; that might be more difficult.
Yeah, you're right - you do lose a little as far as floorplan with a toy hauler, but I really prefer having a toy hauler. Having a toy hauler would open up more opportunities for us to take our kids with us on more trips that we go on around the country with CVMA. We usually ride the bike, but then we have to leave the kids with my parents because they won't fit in the saddlebags anymore.
 
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chopperdog45

chopperdog45

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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.
View attachment 502652View attachment 502653
We have - a lot. We have stayed in a friend's toyhauler, too. I'm not put off by the size - I spent years at sea, and our berthing compartment wasn't exactly spacious lol. Some of the toyhaulers we have looked at are laid out really nicely as far as floorplans go, especially the ones with slideouts.
 

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5th wheel Toyhaulers are super nice although it seems with the 5th wheel you may be over payload with the pin weight. I don’t see you needing a huge garage with just 1 motorcycle though.

I would look at some smaller TT toyhaulers like Forest River Shockwave, Sandstorm, etc. something around 24’ should work.
 

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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.
 

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I've towed and used both and for me it's a fiver hands down. There's a reason that you can legally have people inside a fiver when in tow and you can't in a TT. Maneuverability and stability with the fiver plus the headroom inside. The tunnel feel might be second nature to you, but what about the rest of the family?
 

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The 5th wheel will be easier to maneuver into a space at a campground. The downsides include having the interior space at two levels and usually more steps up to the main salon area. Check the floor plans and while you are doing this verify the sleeping setup. Often an RV will be advertised as sleeping 6 which often does not translate into 6 adults or 2 adults with teenagers.

Second downside of a 5th wheel setup is losing the use of the bed. With a regular travel trailer and a cap on the bed it is practical to carry a lot more gear including a small boat or kayaks or bicycles or camp chairs, etc. inside or on top of the truck cap.

The 5th wheel trailer will generate a lot more air drag when towing and result in worse fuel economy and reduced range between fuel stops.

The longer the trailer the fewer places available in terms of federal and state campgrounds. A campground may have 6 spaces for a 30-34 ft trailer but often these are on a first come basis and is some takes a 34 ft space with their car pulling a tent trailer it will preclude your using it with a much longer trailer.

I would also be sure that the trailer is pre-wired for adding solar panels to the roof and a solar charge controller to recharge the house batteries. Expensive to try to do this later.

Lots of RV specific websites where you can research problems with various models and model years. Many RV companies have moved to non-propane fridges and induction cooktops which means a lot more demand on the house batteries.

Something few people will take the time to do is visit campgrounds and talk to people there about what their prior RV was and why they changed to their current RV and what they may get in the future. I had two friends who had large 5th wheel trailers and both replaced them after a few years with motorhomes. You can also learn a lot in terms of the various tricks used to maximize the use of the storage in their RVs.
 
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