If you’re new to RVing, or you’re a Travel Trailer owner wondering if a Fifth Wheel might be in your future, there are distinct differences between these two RV types. While the travel trailer tends to be the first choice of young families, the higher priced fifth wheel is often the better choice for long distance travel and full-time RVers. Travel Trailers are also on the lower end of the sales price spectrum and they’re towable by a larger variety of vehicles. Here are some other considerations if you’re comparing these types of RVs:
Travel Trailers — sometimes also called pull-behinds, generally range from 18 to 39-feet in length. They are attached by a typical ball hitch on the back bumper of your truck for towing. Travel trailers now come in standard weight, light weight and ultra light weigh models, allowing you to tow with everything from a pickup truck to an SUV, and some cars. Height clearance is no worry with Travel Trailers since they’re low-profile. And if camping in the rough is your cup of tea, it’s easier to reach out of the way spots with a Travel Trailer.
Slide outs make Travel Trailer interiors more spacious than ever. Most Travel Trailers now feature at least one slide, sometimes 3 or 4. Comfortable seating, designer appointed furnishings, and larger than ever kitchens make Travel Trailers a great choice, especially for families. If you typically invite family and friends, a Bunkhouse Travel Trailer can provide sleeping for 8 or more.
Fifth Wheel trailers generally range in size from 18 to 40-feet in length. Fifth Wheels are attached to a special hitch mount that’s installed in the center of the bed of your truck. (A long-bed truck is a better choice for pulling your fifth wheel as short bed trucks may require additional hitch work due to the decreased turning radius over the bed.) The design of the fifth wheel with a raised front or ‘gooseneck” section extends over the back of the truck where the fifth wheel hitches to the receptor. With several feet of the fifth wheel’s overall length extending into the bed of the truck, even larger fifth wheels are easily towable and in fact more stable than travel trailers of the same size. Because much of the fifth wheel’s weight is positioned over the truck’s rear axle, they tend to be less susceptible to jack-knifing or fishtailing. Many folks agree that fifth wheels have better handling characteristics for long distance travel, are also easier to back into a campsite than travel trailers.
Like Travel Trailers, Fifth Wheels now come in many lightweight models though a full size truck will always be needed for towing.
Inside, Fifth Wheels are spacious and often built with full-time RVers in mind. Features include higher ceilings and more storage than Travel Trailers.
If you have questions and are trying to decide whether a Travel Trailer or Fifth Wheel is the right choice for you, Contact Us and we’ll lend our experience and expertise to help you make the right choice.
