questions about 5th wheels

[dakota85]

Anyone with answers please help

1. I have a Ford f250 super duty with a 6 inch lift, do I have to have a lift on a 5th wheel?, if so, would just having the axle flipped give it enough clearance to tow?

2. Right now I tow a 27' Aljo on the under the bumper hitch, is it easier to tow a 5th wheel as opposed to a hitch tow?

3. Which causes more sway?

4. Thinking about a tow hauler, however my wife worries about the fumes from the bikes, is this a problem alot of toy hauler owners have?, if so, how do you deal with it?

5. Reason for wanting 5th wheel is to tow flat bed with bikes behind it (if it is not a toy hauler), or boat (if it is a toy hauler). What is the maximum length one can pull behind their vehicle and still be legal?

6. With regards to weight, is the max towing capacity the same from a regular camper to a 5th wheel? (someone told me you can tow more because it was not pulling on the rear of the vehicle), is this true?

[K.T.G.]

quote:Originally posted by dakota85

Anyone with answers please help............I WILL TRY TO OFFER ANSWERS/OPINIONS AS BEST I CAN

1. I have a Ford f250 super duty with a 6 inch lift, do I have to have a lift on a 5th wheel?, if so, would just having the axle flipped give it enough clearance to tow? I would do the axle flip on the trailer, that should be enough. I know AZmiguel tows a 5th with an axle flip on his F250 running a lift and 35's

2. Right now I tow a 27' Aljo on the under the bumper hitch, is it easier to tow a 5th wheel as opposed to a hitch tow? I have heard that 5th's are easier to tow, more stable. Tighter turning radius due to the pivot point being over the axle.

3. Which causes more sway? Bumper pulls will tend to sway more being connected to the bumper vs. being over the axle with the 5'er

4. Thinking about a tow hauler, however my wife worries about the fumes from the bikes, is this a problem alot of toy hauler owners have?, if so, how do you deal with it? IMO....The fumes from the bike are blown out of proportion...........If you have a bike that leaks gas, it might be more "smelly"......BUT I'm on my 2nd toyhauler (both bumper pulls) and even IF you show up to your destination and it stinks, once you lay down the rear ramp, the smell will be gone/aired out by the time you finish unloading...........Never been a problem for me

5. Reason for wanting 5th wheel is to tow flat bed with bikes behind it (if it is not a toy hauler), or boat (if it is a toy hauler). What is the maximum length one can pull behind their vehicle and still be legal? I think that someone mentioned last week that the max length is around 72'??? Not positive on that one.

6. With regards to weight, is the max towing capacity the same from a regular camper to a 5th wheel? (someone told me you can tow more because it was not pulling on the rear of the vehicle), is this true? For this one, you will need to check your trucks owners manual, but I think you can tow more with a 5th wheel........Not sure why.

[dakota85]

Thanks for answers/opinions KTG. Hopefully with the response to #4 my wife will reconsider a toy hauler.

[Arizona Griz]

1. Flipping the axle can give you as much as 4 to 6in. in additional trailer height.

2. I am sure that they are probably a little easier to tow but now you have just lost most of your bed space.

3. Fifth wheel should sway less.

4. Mine is 3 years old and there are no fume smells in mine and I don't have the garage type.

5. Not sure about the max. length. You will need to check with MVD or ADOT. This type of two trailer set up is where I see most of the swaying and it is on the last trailer.

6. You need to be very careful about how much you intend to pull. You need to stay within the pickup's guidelines. Another issue is stopping the vehicle.

[jsfitter]

1. If flipping the axle is not enough, usually there is adjustment on the pin box and the hitch (5th wheel). For bumper pull they have different size shanks to accomondate
2,3. I have had both. A 5th wheel hands down is easier to tow and also won't get sucked into a semi when passed like a bumper pull will. Now if you want to spend $3000 on a Hensly arrow or Pullrite hitch for the bumper pull, they will eliminate for most part sway. Sway is not totally eliminated on either type. If you have a strong cross wind both trailer types will sway, just need to slow down.
4. The fumes are not an issue. There will be some smell, but as KTG said it will be gone as soon as you open the rear door. Now you would not want to sleep in there with the quads still inside. Makes it a pain in the butt to unstrap unload quads when traveling somewhere that takes more than one day to get there. With a garage the quads can stay in there while you sleep in living quarters. May not be issue for most but was for us, as I did not want to unload unstrap quads after long day of driving. Plus wife likes it as we enter thru garage area and leave all the dirt in the garage and not the living quarters.
5. Not sure on the length either. I think it is 80'. Also some states do not allow towing a trailer behind a 5th wheel. Do a search on www.rv.net and you should find the answer to both of these.
6. Weight is weight. Again do a search on www.rv.net . You will find all the information on towing weights. There is multiple limits you have to watch out for. Axle weights, Gross carring capacity, gross vehicle weight ratio, etc. THis web site will be able to really explain it better than I can. Do a search by a guy names "Lincster" He is the weight police and has alot of good information out there.

[azotto]

quote:Originally posted by dakota85

Anyone with answers please help

1. I have a Ford f250 super duty with a 6 inch lift, do I have to have a lift on a 5th wheel?, if so, would just having the axle flipped give it enough clearance to tow? For this you'll have to do some measuring. My first 5ver barely had clearance with a stock height truck and flipped axles but our Raptor seems to have enough room to work with a lift. there is also quite a bit of adjustment on the pin box. If I remember correctly, you need a minimum of 6" clearance between the bed and trailer.
2. Right now I tow a 27' Aljo on the under the bumper hitch, is it easier to tow a 5th wheel as opposed to a hitch tow? I've had both and 5ver is easier to tow. Much more stable going down the road

3. Which causes more sway?See above, bumper pull is much more prone to sway

4. Thinking about a tow hauler, however my wife worries about the fumes from the bikes, is this a problem alot of toy hauler owners have?, if so, how do you deal with it? This was a concern for us also. We got answers all over the place and had other issues with sharing our living quarters with the toys so we have with a garage hauler

5. Reason for wanting 5th wheel is to tow flat bed with bikes behind it (if it is not a toy hauler), or boat (if it is a toy hauler). What is the maximum length one can pull behind their vehicle and still be legal? 65 feet is the max in AZ. It's spelled out in the Statutes

6. With regards to weight, is the max towing capacity the same from a regular camper to a 5th wheel? (someone told me you can tow more because it was not pulling on the rear of the vehicle), is this true?
5th wheel tow rating is always higher than a conventional tow trailer. Many things are factored into this such as trailer and hitch design. Look in your owners manual for the breakdown.

[kickback]

I'll just add a couple of things. I have the Raptor like azotto's with the separate garage. When I take my Goldwing along, I'm glad I have the separate garage as I want the bike inside when I'm not using it. When I take the quads I would rather have the extra living space. I don't mind having them outside at night. Slides are great for extra space but I think a lot of the twisting the frame gets on some of the rougher road is pretty hard on the them. Whatever you do, DON'T BUY FROM ORANGEWOOD. JMHO

[Ric Z]

I also have a Raptor with the 12 foot garage and i like it. You will lose space to haul toys but i am able to get 2 sportsman's and 1 trailboss in with no problem. I like the fact that you can trash the garage and keep the rest of the coach looking good.

I tow it with a 05 F-250 with a 2.5 inch front level kit, airbags in the rear and it tows just fine. I have about 7 inches of travel between the bed and bottom of trailer and sometimes it's real close when i'm off the road. I have towed both bumber pull and fifth wheel and the fifth wheel is definetely easier to pull and control.

Remember to look at them all and then buy what YOU want. If YOU'RE happy thats all that matters.:D

[Kyron]

quote:Originally posted by kickback

Whatever you do, DON'T BUY FROM ORANGEWOOD. JMHO



X2

[azotto]

quote:Originally posted by kickback

Whatever you do, DON'T BUY FROM ORANGEWOOD. JMHO


X3

[K.T.G.]

quote:Originally posted by kickback

Whatever you do, DON'T BUY FROM ORANGEWOOD. JMHO

X IV ;)

[dakota85]

hey thanks for all the help guys, i really do appreciate it. depends on when we get it and if i ever figure out how to put up pics, you guys will be the first to see. thanks again