I'm contemplating trading in my Class C RV for a 5th wheel trailer. We probably spend 4-5 weeks out of the year in our RV and are looking to get more room and to save on insurance, and fuel as the RV is a gasser and gets about 7-8 MPG with a car in tow. The motivation is to save on gas and insurance, eliminate maintenance on a powertrain and generator, gain living space, and move from a 3 year old vehicle to a new trailer with nearly no out of pocket costs.

I've been doing alot of research on 5th wheel trailers. Can you guys give me some practical advice as I go shopping for a 5th wheel trailer and also about pulling one as well? I've narrowed my choice down to a Jayco Flight 30.5 BHS since the pin weight is only 1445 lbs given the 2000 lbs payload capacity of our truck. I've got a short bed (2005 2500 CrewCab CTD 4X4, 48RE, 3.73) and know I need either an automatic or manual slide 5th wheel hitch, etc. Does a trailer of roughly equal weight to the truck behave well in towing? Does it move the truck around when getting passed by a semi? I'm used to towing a 3000lb car with a 12,000lb RV which does sway when getting passed by a truck.

Your help and advice is greatly appreciated!
Greg

 

Check to see if the 5er you are looking at is available with an extended pin. This may allow you to not need a slider.

As for towing characteristics, I find the 5er to be very stable. I just traded my 25 footer for a 28 footer but they are close to the same weight. As for the pin weight be ready to be surprised because as the weight of the 5er goes up as you load it so will the pin weight. Don't take this as criticism but as information.

The link below will get you a world of information.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...s/forum/24.cfm

 

If you get a balanced setup in your fifth wheel, you will be amazed at how much more stable the fiver is than a motorhome when being passed by trucks and in a wind. Even my diesel pusher would always veer to the left when a bus came up on my left - - the fiver just keeps running straight. And, my fiver is twice as heavy as my truck - - sure drives nice.
Bob

 

My 5er fully loaded is ~ 11,500lbs. The 5th wheel is so much more stable and sway resistant than most travel trailers. I highly recommend spending the money on Pullrite's superglide hitch. Many people will recommend getting a conventional manually sliding hitch to save some money up front. IMO, this is what happens too often. First of all, you have to predict ahead of time if/when you need to slide the hitch back. Then you stop, get out, flip the lever, get back in the truck, slide the trailer/hitch back, complete your manuever and then stop the truck, flip the lever, get back in the truck, put it in reverse and bring the trailer/hitch forward again....you can see this getting old pretty quick and you stop sliding the hitch. You tell yourself that you'll be careful and watch really closely and 95% of the time you won't need it. But eventually you'll get into a situation and now you have a broken back window and a big dent in the rear cab. The repairs are more money than what you would've spent on the automatic slider hitch.

 

well said bob, i can't comment on the pusher but i have a 07 jacoeagle 341rlqs (38footer) and it does pull nice, not much sway from semi's either.i am ancy to hook it on my new 07 mega dually and see the difference and my wife is ok with me spending the money on a pullrite as dadwolf suggested.

 

If you have not already made your 5th wheel purchase I stronly urge you to visit RV.ORG and purchase a copy of their RV rating guide. In my opinion, no one should ever purchase any RV without first reviewing the ratings in this guide. As to the pulrite superglide I can only say that this hitch should be a must for anyone with a short bed truck. Yes you can get by with a conventional slider but the superglide can pay for itself by avoiding just one cab to 5th wheel collision. I just returned from a 3K mile trip that started in MA and ending up in CO (via Florida). As a side note we were within hours of getting caught in major storms that hit the SE this past week. Back to the superglide. I don't know how many times I had to make turns that approached 90 degs. Simply navigating a McDonald's parking lot can require tight turns that a conventional slider will not accomodate (My wife and I love McDonald's coffee). Am I spoiled by the superglide? You bet I am. I place the superglide in the same category as the Brakesmart brake controller. How anyone can justify going cheap on a hitch or brake controller when you consider the cost of a truck/RV combination that approaches $80k give or take a few bucks is beyond me. Like anything else you get what you pay for. Of course when it comes to RVs you generally get less than what you pay for, thus all the more reason to invest a few bucks and purchase a copy of the RV rating guide

Good luck with your purchase.

 

I second what dadwolf2 said about the Pullrite Superglide. It is more costly but the peace of mind is well worth the price and you will never make the mistake of getting your trailer into the back of your cab. Which only has to happen once to more than make up the difference in cost of the Supperglide.

 

Try going to
http://www.rvdirect.com/index.asp
you can buy it direct from the factory for about 30% to 40% off

 

Thanks guys for all the input. I'm getting closer to a decision. Was at a dealership today and learned more about the Superglide (I'm convinced that it is worth it) and the models we are considering.

I've also been talking to RV Direct. I like thier concept but their terms get a little complicated when doing a trade and I'm not too comfortable with them. Basically, they won't give me prices for all the things I want in writing without giving them a non-refundable deposit and a committment to buy immediately; They also want me to sign over and mail my Class C title to them before I take delivery of the trailer; . If I was buying without a trade, It would be much simpler but I'm getting the runaround with them as they won't give me a written committment on beating the other dealers price with my trade and the cash I would get back.

The offer from another dealer is decent and it doesn't seem like RVDirect will beat it my much. Thier terms and games are pushing me towards the other deal at this point.

Also Prodigy vs. Brakesmart? Close, no comparison?

Thanks for all the info so far.

 

I also have the 341 eagle (same as srtchris) I pull it behind my 2500, no problems at all, pulls real nice, I also have the superglide, what god send. I had a reese sliding hitch before, what a POS.

I would like to know more about the differences between the prodigy and brakesmart too. I have just a plain controller, and I do see its limits

Kevin

 

To elaborate on my needs for a brake controller a little more, I will pull 5-6 weeks of the year tops. I get the impression that the the Brakesmart is a great product and would be interested in knowing what I am giving up with the Prodigy for $150 less installed. I get the impression that the Prodigy is a good product too.

As far as the Superglide, I am thoroughly convinced at this point that this is money well spent. I was playing with the demo setup in the show room and was very impressed with the overall build quality of the unit. My only concern was developing a hernia by lifting it! I'm coming from Class C with a flat tow setup w/ braking system (involved) and look forward to the increased simplicity of the 5th wheel. (I will probably be selling my Blue Ox Aventa II tow bar at some point if anyone has a need. I've got a setup for towing both a Jeep TJ and a VW Golf.)

 

You won't regret getting the Superglide!
Good luck on your trailer purchase. There are so many floorplans available now it can really make your head spin but this is where I would focus the most. Try and pick a floorplan that you think will fit the closest for your lifestyle and then start paring through the manufacturers. There are some real quality conscious ones and then a lot more with "smoke and mirrors." Take your time and listen to "the little voice" and you will end up a Happy Camper.

 

i jst did a build of my trailer on rvdirect and mine was 5700.00 less than what those guy's quote was.

 

A few loose comments on your dilema:

- We just came back from a 5,000mi trip to Arizona. Had some very strong winds; hardly noticed difficulty in handling (mileage was another story). Most of the time I did not notice that there was a 11,000 lbs trailer behind me.
- Superglide is a must with a short box Dodge - the shortest short box of all three makers. A kind of "install it and forget about it" thing.
- Initially I installed a lift in the carport for lifting that superheavy hitch, and it worked fine. On the Arizona trip I purchased a tonneau cover and I think I'll never have to lift the hitch again; tonneau will protect it from the dust and rain.
- I like my exaust brake. Hardly had to use foot brakes, even at the lights.
- I enjoy my Prodigy brake controller. Very easy to setup and adjust. It works well. I cannot imagine a better one, however, it is the only type I've ever used.
- When you analyse the weight distribution, at first it appears to be not that good: 6,600 lbs truck towing 11,000 lbs trailer. However, after hitching it, and loading the truck the ratio changes: about 9, 500 lbs truck towing 9,000 lbs trailer. I use my tongue weight of close to 2,000 lbs, 300 lbs for the hitch, 500 lbs for humans and the dog, 100 lbs for misc. load. I think that a heavier tongue load gives you a better handling while towing.
- I would pay a very close attention to the tires. If I were to buy a new trailer, I'd insist on getting a set of Mitchelin x-ribs (LT, 16", 3000 lbs rated). There are too many horror stories on this forum about exploded tires of poor origin.

 

SuperGlide is a nice hitch, I have a Sig.series slider and have not use the slide mechanism once, guess it depends on the trailers front dimensions ,and I guess I got lucky.