Buy a 5th wheel instead or a bumper pull?

[RevRon]

I have a 2020 Ram 2500 / 4x4 / Crew cab / gas / 3.73/ 6'4" bed. I am about to buy a bumper pull, but I keep hearing that the 5th wheels are easier to drive and safer. While they are usually larger on the inside, making for more room and comfort, they are also bigger on the outside. I am no novice driver, but I'm not a pro, either, so the size is a little intimidating. I realize the engineering is very different between a bumper pull and 5th wheel. If I want to get a 5th wheel... considering my truck that I described above... what is the max size/weight 5th wheel that I should look for? I like the goose neck option... thanks.

 

[Gondul]

Pick what you like and meets your needs.
Neither my wife or I like/care for 5vrs... we are picking up a TT in about a month.

As far what you can pull.. your payload will be the determining factor as you will generally run out of that prior to running out of 'tow capacity'.
And as a note of caution, most places seriously under estimate tongue/pin weight... find someone with something similar and see how much it really weighs.

 

[texas.yankee]

I have a 2020 Ram 2500 / 4x4 / Crew cab / gas / 3.73/ 6'4" bed. I am about to buy a bumper pull, but I keep hearing that the 5th wheels are easier to drive and safer. While they are usually larger on the inside, making for more room and comfort, they are also bigger on the outside. I am no novice driver, but I'm not a pro, either, so the size is a little intimidating. I realize the engineering is very different between a bumper pull and 5th wheel. If I want to get a 5th wheel... considering my truck that I described above... what is the max size/weight 5th wheel that I should look for? I like the goose neck option... thanks.

You get more room for your length on a 5th wheel. They aren't always bigger (usually taller, though). Your living space starts above the bed of the truck on 5th wheel, rather than several feet behind the bumper on a bumper-pull. That may or may not matter to you.

5th wheels are actually easier to pull (more stable) due to weight being above axles, instead of behind it.

Maneuvering is easier with 5th wheels, harder to jack knife.

Either are just fine!

As far as trailer capability... don't worry about anything besides your payload capacity. You'll exceed that before anything else (99% of the time). What's your payload sticker say?

I've towed everything from small equipment trailers to a 45' Toy hauler (moving into a 48'-06" toy hauler next month) and have found all have advantages and disadvantages. Just got to figure out what works for you.

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[H3LZSN1P3R]

Always go 5th wheel when you can they are much nicer to tow.

 

[RevRon]

My towing capacity is 14,300 lbs. Is that what I need to keep an eye on when looking for a 5th wheel... and keep it under that number? What about the pin weight?

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

My towing capacity is 14,300 lbs. Is that what I need to keep an eye on when looking for a 5th wheel... and keep it under that number? What about the pin weight?

Id keep closer to 10k to keep your pin weight in a nice range

 

[jsalbre]

Other things to keep in mind:

• You have a short bed, some 5th wheels will hit your cab in a tight turn
• A 5er will take up the majority of your bed space, which means that you can’t carry anything large in the truck
• A 5er will likely have a lot more storage compartment space for things like chairs and outdoor gear than a bumper pull trailer will

 

[texas.yankee]

My towing capacity is 14,300 lbs. Is that what I need to keep an eye on when looking for a 5th wheel... and keep it under that number? What about the pin weight?

I wouldn't worry about that number, that is how much you can pull, you need to worry about how much you can carry. Think of it this way, you're pulling a little red flyer wagon, you could probably pull a few kiddos sitting in it easily (that's towing) with not much of a weight feeling on the handle, now imagine a third kiddo had to sit on the handle so you had to hold up the handle, that kiddo on the handle makes it a lot harder to hold it up, that's payload (pinweight). You'll run out of payload first and usually nowhere near your max towing capability.

Find the yellow sticker on your door jam. It'll say max cargo carrying capacity. That's the number to go by (primarily). Generally I recommend against 5th wheels in a 3/4 ton truck, but with a gasser you should have higher payload than the diesel.

Payload still matter with bumper pulls, but matter MORE with 5vers due to the weight distribution. A bumper pull is Generally designed to put about 10-15% of the total trailer weight on the truck, where a 5ver can have 20%+ of the trailer weight on the truck. Big difference, especially since 5vers almost always weight more than a travel trailer.

I will say don't listen to dealers (either trick or rv) and I estimate a large percentage of RV owners are not legal towing or set up to tow properly. Don't fall into that category.

ETA excuse spelling and grammar errors...

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[Blythkd1]

My first camper trailer was a 26ft travel trailer. Pulled it for a couple years then traded for virtually the same thing in a 26ft 5th wheel. It's better in every way, in my opinion. I'll never own another bumper hitch camper. I thought I would like it since it would keep the entire bed of my truck open for generator, fire wood, etc. Now I've found that I can still haul all that stuff in front of and even under the nose of my 5er.

We have the exact same floor plan as before, just have to climb 3 or 4 steps to get to bed now. With that though, comes the big front storage compartment under the front of the 5er. More than fair tradeoff for me.

5er's are tucked up behind the cab of your truck and typically will get better fuel economy than the same size TT which is way back behind your truck catching air like a parachute.

Same size 5er is much easier to get around with in tight spaces, like if you have a gas truck and have to get to locked down gas pumps that are everywhere anymore. Not much just veering off the edge of the road and easily rolling up to a gas pump with a big trailer anymore.

Someone else already mentioned they pull, ride and handle nicer. If you think your truck might be somewhat marginal for the task? Go 5er everytime vs a travel trailer, they're much more forgiving in this aspect.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Gondul]

My towing capacity is 14,300 lbs. Is that what I need to keep an eye on when looking for a 5th wheel... and keep it under that number? What about the pin weight?

You need to keep an eye on your payload, not your towing capacity..

 

[Blythkd1]

Just noticed you mentioned gooseneck too. Be careful there if you're buying a new camper. A plain gooseneck adapter will likely void the mfr's frame warranty on a new 5th wheel.

 

[Jacob]

After a few bumper pull campers I got a 5th wheel. Tows nicely, especially given the size. A comparable bumper pull would feel a bit bouncy. I think it is easier to hitch up too. There's a few cons. The height is about 13 feet and can make getting gas scary. Also you have a big hitch in your bed. When you are looking at weights of campers add about maybe 1000 lbs or so to the advertised dry weight for all the stuff you will put in it.

 

[joshuaeb09]

As many have mentioned 5vers are an easier tow and driving experience, but they usually have a high hitch weight. They'll also typically require a slider on a short-box or being very careful of your turning radius. I'm currently shopping for a larger bumper pull since I don't want to give up my diamondback, I just can't go camping as often as I'd like, and I'm more than willing to put in the time at a cat scale to setup a proper WDH setup once I settle on a rig. My folks who can afford to do more camping have just moved over to a 5ver for all the reasons that one should so it really depends. For us we'll primarily use the bumper pull as a "cabin" out at the property and maybe pull it camping a few times a season. If I could get away more often I'd suck it up for a 5ver and move to a 3500 to handle the king pin weight of most models we like.

Check what your truck can handle payload wise, including the people/pets/cargo in the truck plus the hitch weight and if you go bumper pull get a good WDH setup even on an HD truck. Longer trailers will sway and that WDH is key to keeping things stabile. Largely ignore the "rated" tow rating of your ram and look at payload first and foremost. When you factor for payload you'll find you can often tow far less safely than what the ram towing guide calls out.

 

[RevRon]

Talk to me, please. Would a 5th wheel that weighs 9,612 dry weight... with a hitch/pin weight of 1850... be too much... or towing the line... or reasonable?

 

[Blythkd1]

Sounds like it's within your truck's capability. You have more flexibility with your truck being gas. It's the loaded diesel 2500 guys that run out of payload quickly.

Remember on the payload/pin weight issue, it's you that determines the pin weight in how you load the unit. If your camper is 11,000 lbs loaded and ready to roll, 20% pin weight is 2200 lbs so if it's too heavy in the front, you shift weight to the back, over the axles is best if possible. If it concerns you, just look to see where the tanks and storage compartments are. My tanks are aft axle although it doesn't concern because I travel dry then fill up at my destination. If you have a lot of storage over the axles or aft axle, you have a lot of flexibility in setting up your pin weight.

That size camper doesn't sound like it's a big issue. It's typically the big 40+ foot 5ers that get pretty heavy on the pin, the ones that can be 14,000 lbs or more empty.

 

[CharlieL]

Talk to me, please. Would a 5th wheel that weighs 9,612 dry weight... with a hitch/pin weight of 1850... be too much... or towing the line... or reasonable?

RevRon, I'd guess with the specs provided you might end up being close to your truck's capacity. What we don't know is the payload and actual weight of your truck. Payload is listed on your door pillar sticker. Getting the truck weighed at a CAT scale - fully loaded up in "travel mode" with full fuel, people, stuff, etc. - will give you solid info to plan from. Payload has been well explained, and you need to consider what weight will be over your rear axle, which I assume (like my 2022) has a GAWR of 6,040 lbs.

My 5'r is 7,720 dry with a 1,750 hitch weight as built (or empty). The hitch weighs 250 lbs - autoslider for short bed. I had two CAT weighs done - without & with trailer, but in "travel mode." Without the trailer I was at 3,620 on the rear axle. With the trailer I am at 5,520. The 5,120 on front & 5,520 on rear technically put me 640 lbs over the 10,000 lbs weight rating, but the weight on the rear is 520 under the rear GAWR. Lots of discussion out there about exceeding GVWR, etc., so I'm not trying to get into that topic. I am confident and comfortable with my setup.

Don't rely on the unloaded pin weight. That will go up as you load up the 5'r. I suggest you plan on 20 percent of the gross weight of the 5'r as actual pin weight to determine if you will exceed rear GAWR - and don't forget to add in the weight of the 5th wheel hitch you will install. I recommend you get a CAT weigh of your truck done, so you will have better into to plan from. Your gasser will have more payload than does my diesel, but both will have the same 10k GVWR and rear 6,040 GAWR.

BTW - I had three bumper-pull trailers (each progressively larger) over the past 20 years. Moved up to the 2500 & a 5th wheel. Really prefer the 5'r over a bumper-pull for lots of reasons.

 

[Nick]

You will be fine with that . About 20% of your trailer weight will be sitting on your rear axle . Remember that is empty weight , no propane food loaded stuff in the belly box , etc . Most caps are set up with short beds in mind these days . A B W hitch you can set up the hitch plate up to 4" back from center same with an Anderson . Being a couple of hundred lbs or so over is no big deal in my opinion . I had a 14 3500 Mega and now a 20 3500 LB both SRW been pulling heavy on my pin forever so don't have heart attack or start emptying out your trailer over it . Think about a larger fuel tank if taking long trips . I had a 50 gal in bed in front of behind the cab . Makes life much less stressful and pays for itself in a few years .

 

[Blythkd1]

Good point on the 5th wheel hitch. Sliders have been all the rage for short bed trucks for several years now. But recently the camper mfr's have been redesigning the noses of 5th wheels to allow towing with a short bed truck and standard (non-slider) hitch. I'm admittedly old fashioned and typically set in my ways so in the past if one had mentioned setting up a gooseneck or 5th wheel hitch anything other than a few inches forward of the rear axle, or at least right over it, I would not have even had that conversation. On my last truck, which happened to be an 8ft bed, due to extenuating circumstances I had to mount the hitch with the pin a few inches behind the rear axle. I was very skeptical but didn't have much choice. Now I have to admit, I could not tell the difference. In fact, with my B&W hitch, it was the best riding setup I had ran, and that camper had been behind 4 different trucks, 2 - SRW and 2 - DRW models.

 

[Docwagon1776]

With the caveat I don't tow anything any longer, something to consider is if you ever use your truck as a truck instead of as a tractor. A 5th wheel will make using the bed to carry anything much more difficult. A goose neck splits the difference, in that you can flip the ball upside down and have a flush bed floor again. When I had my Super Duty and did tow, that was the route I went. Without an adapter, there's much less selection for goose neck trailers, though. Maybe even less today than was true in the past.

I bought a bigger TT than I really needed and ended up not enjoying it as much as a smaller one. The extra space wasn't worth the loss in versatility and the extra cost associated with pulling more weight to me. Bigger isn't always better, in other words. If I were to get another, I'd likely go with the smallest I could live out of vs the biggest I could afford. YMMV.

 

[dogbreath650]

If you plan to do much back country camping or boon docking be aware that TTs handle twisty situations (like you would find on rutted or off camber dirt roads) better, as 5ers may hit the bed rails where the TTs would just rotate on the hitch ball.