Fifth Wheel or Pull Behind-What's more Stable

[atvpilot]

Can anyone tell me what is more of a stable platform to tow with with a single rear axel?I have a 30ft tow behind that I towed for the first time with my 2002-2500 HD CC SB D/A this past weekend and I wasn't that comfortable .I used to tow with a 98 chevy dooley and it towed stability wise rock solid. Now I know that the dooley has a wider rear end and I never felt the trailer move around behind me. I am now considering selling my pull behind and buying a fifth wheel trailer because I am told that a fifth wheel is more stable. Can anybody help me out here. I guess I am looking to get the confidence back of towing with a sinle rear wheel axel like I had with the dooley. Any comments would be appreciated.

[Maverick]

IMO a 5th wheel always tows smoother but....whats the weight of the trailer? You will get less see-saw motion with a 5th wheel over bumps. I go by this.....over 10K try to get a 5th wheel or GN. Under 10K, run the bumper.

[silverado]

atvpilot:
I have pulled a tow-behind. But i do tow a 5er
I have pulled w/single wheel and had no problems.
now I pull w/dually an love it much more everthing
is much more stable as you know. But i would guess
an only a guess the tongue weight of the 5er is
over your rear axle. As your tow-behind is out
back which would make the 5er more stable. Hope
this helps some.

Bruce

[srubrn]

After towing both, 5th wheel is the way to go. Nuff said!!

[letsgo]

I tow a 34ft with a tonge weight of 780#, trailer weight 8900#, with 1000# torque bars, and 2 anti sway brake bars, 3 axils, the truck tire pressure is critical 76# in front 80# in rear.

With this setup there is no sway from passing trucks, to pass I can exceed 75mph (do not do that often) travel mostly between 50 and 65mph, very comfortable driving.

One hot day the truck and trailer were all over the place the tire pressures had jumped to 85 and 90psi once pressures were corrected every thing went back to normal driving.

good luck.

[RVGuy]

atvpilot,

Describe your setup to us for more help. I hate to see you simply give up on your TT without looking at it closer.

I'd like to know how long and heavy it is along with tongue weight.

Then, tell us what kind of weight distribution and anti-sway system you are running.

As someone else mentioned, tire pressures are key in any towing situation. When I tow, I run my rears at 75 psi and my fronts at 60 psi. I run my trailer tires close to their max and monitor their treadwear. I reduce psi if the center shows more wear.

I do support the position that a 5er can and usually does tow better than a TT. But a properly setup TT system can provide a very stable towing platform. So do not give up hope.

[FisHn2DMax]

If you have a 30' TT and you compare that to towing a 30' 5'er, there's no comparision!!! I've owned both, and it's like comparing apples to oranges. It all depends on your tastes and needs are in a trailer. There is no question ( Overall) that a 5'er, in theory, should be the most stable given the weight is right over the rear axle, whereas the TT act's as an 8'+ lever on the rear axle.

I do miss having a topper on my truck and full cargo of the bed of my truck, however, my 5' er has so much more storage room under the coach and tows much nicer than the many any TT's I've owned!

There is Pro's and Con's to every setup, you'll need to seek the one that is most comfortable for you. For me, it is the 5' er!


:D

[Diesel Dave]

I tow both & find the gooseneck/fifthwheel the most stable. But I also have found that ply rating of the tires as well as pressure have an effect on handling. I run 10 ply tires which give a very stable tire wall under heavy loads. this keeps things in line when more sidewall pressure is present from either side wind gusts or handling a curve. Hope this helps :D :D

[IndigoDually]

A good weight distributing system along with the tires inflated to the max will help. I pull many trailers 5,000- 15,000 g/n and a 5th wheel 34' Camper. I also have a couple of tag-a-longs also. I never used w/d bars with my hitch because I felt they weren't needed. The trailer is only 7k gross. One day for a laugh I hooked up the bars. What a difference. I only tow my enclosed trailer with them now. No bucking and the ride is much better. Never had a sway problem though.

John

[roegs]

I prefer travel trailers for lower overall height, less expensive, and I get the room in the truck bed. That being said, they need to be set up correctly. Last year I purchased a Hensley Arrow hitch. Its a night and day differance. It does all they claim, but its not real cheap either (probably cheaper than a new traler though). You can see it at:

www.nosway.com

[zip]

I tow a fifth wheel. I have towed a bumper pull travel trailer using a Suburban and a weight distributing hitch. The fiver is much more stable.(and heavier too).
If I still pulled a regular travel trailer I would use the Hensley Arrow hitch too. Here's something else to read on them:
http://mday.day.net/hensleycon.html
It's a comparison between the two top weight-distrib. hitches. And ditto the tire pressure warnings. Hensley Arrow sends you a video of their hitch in action. It's worth getting.
zip

[rtquig]

Once I started towing a fifth wheel I knew I would never go back to towing a regular trailer again. More steady, don't get sucked in by trucks and buses, it doesn't feel like you have a dog with a wagging tail behind you. I've pulled the same size trailers with equalizer hitchs and they just don't feel as stable.

If you tow a fifth wheel, you have 4' in your bed already. Take a 26' fifth wheel, and a 26' straight trailer; The fifth wheel has maybe 22' past your rear truck bumper while the straight trailer has probably 30' off your truck bumper.

[pinehill]

ATVPilot,

The hitch makes all the difference in the world. There's no doubt that the dually is the most stable towing platform, and that may be why you are now experiencing some twitching with the SRW.

If you go to a fifth wheel, you can easily overload the rear of a SRW with a heavy trailer. The Hensley Arrow pulls my high profile TT with absolute stability. IIRC, the Hensley is rated to 12K.

[NCalDMax]

My 2 cents from my experiences:

A dually is more stable towing either style, there will be less body roll. I really noticed the difference when I went back to single rear wheels (SRW) with my 2002. It's not a huge issue for me, but the DISADVANTAGES of the wider truck made me go back to SRW.

I second the comments that tire pressures, hitch arrangement, etc. can have major affects on towing satisfaction with TT trailers.

My preference also is for Fifth Wheel, more pleasant to tow, easier to maneuever, easier to hitch up, shorter over all rig length, and easier to get much greater than normal ground clearance if desired......but then the truck bed is clogged up with Fifth Wheel hitch and overhang, etc. Not an issue for me, but once in a while I see some guy with his aluminum boat on top of his camper shell and I get to wondering smile.gif smile.gif

[atvpilot]

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the quick response. I will try to give you what I know off the top of my head because I am at work. When I get home I will write the particulars down and post them. I know I ran the tire pressure at 65 in the truck and trailer tires. I have a 30' Olympian travel trailer with a single slide by Marathon homes. I'm not sure of the weights, but I do have a class 3 Reese hitch with weight distribution bars and a sway control. I think with the trailer loaded with dry holding tanks is at the very most 7500 lbs. I'll post more of the numbers when I get home. Thanks again

[CanadaKev]

atv,
A 5th wheel or gooseneck setup is ALWAYS safer and more stable than a pull behind.
It's a simple question of physics.
You either have your pin weight up on top of your rear axle(where it should be) or you have it swinging out behind your bumper. It's a no brainer. I have pulled lots of both types over the years, and there is no comparison. Do you ever see a semi truck with a hitch similar to a bumper-pull? Didn't think so.

Kev

[atvpilot]

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the feedback,it is very helpful.

Rv GUy,
I made the reply to the wrong forum. I replied to the woodalls rv.net site, but I willrepeat myself. I have a 30' Olympian TT with a reese weight dist. hitch and an ezlift sway control. the reg on my TT says 8585 but the plaque on the trailer says it weights 7575. I am not sure what the tongue weight is. I don't know if there is a formula for figuring out the tongue weight but the hitch says the max payload is 12,000 but I remember seeing 750 lbs.
Also RV Guy your truck and mine are identical and I was wondering how your truck handels your 5th wheel? You can either answer back on this forum or e-mail me at atvpilot2003@yahoo.com Again thanks for all the info. :D :cool:

[JEBar]

I really don't believe the choice between a 5th wheeler and a tag-along can be boiled down to one is safe and the other isn't. Depending on the person at the wheel, it appears to me that both can be safely operated or unsafely operated. Let me go ahead and state that not too many years back I earned a living driving semi cross country and right now I own 7 different trailers that I tow. After 14 months of research, I selected a 33' travel trailer and have been well pleased with the way she pulls behind our 3500. For us the fact that we have full usage of our truck bed, the ease of converting the truck from towing to non towing mode, and the lower profile of a travel trailer were the advantages that powered our choice. While I have nothing but respect for the 5th wheeler concept, what it boils down to is which best meets the individual's needs and one size/style doesn't fit all. Question for those with a Hensley ... Have heard it doesn't do well when going down hill and a truck's Allison transmission is down-shifting. Would like to hear comments from those with experience .... Jim

[pinehill]

JEBar,

I've had no problems with downhill braking in the steep hills of north Georgia, western North Carolina, and Tennessee using the Hensley (both wet and dry roads).

[ 05-29-2003: Message edited by: pinehill ]</p>