Need some HuntTalk wisdom on 5th Wheels

[elkantlers]

Nice looking setup.
Is the Generator going to fit in the trailer or is it going in the bed of the truch?

Mine has an Onan built in with a start button on the inside. Sure is nice.

 

[npaden]

Nice looking setup.
Is the Generator going to fit in the trailer or is it going in the bed of the truch?

Mine has an Onan built in with a start button on the inside. Sure is nice.

It is all prepped and ready to go for the generator with the button inside the trailer. The Onan fits in there perfectly. All wired up with the fuel lines already run and everything.




Just got to get it put in there.


My first toy hauler I got used about 6 years ago had the generator and fuel dispenser setup and I’m not sure I would want to own a trailer without either now.

 

[Big Slick]

I've had a 5th wheel for quite a while and (knock on wood) have never had any issues. Mine is not a toy hauler, it's 32'. I have the larger 235/85R16 tires that are 14 ply. I welded a hitch on the back myself and used heavy duty materials. I tow a couple ATV's on a trailer, and I also have a 17' Crestliner boat that I pull around. I would never go back to a bumper pull after having a 5th wheel.

My truck is a 2019 GMC 2500HD Diesel, which I think is pretty similar to yours. It has plenty of power to tow my stuff faster than I should, so I am very conscience about keeping it safe. We have some elk tags in Wyoming this year and I will be towing this setup there in October.

If you decide to go with a 5th wheel I have no doubt you will be glad you did.

One other note. I have an Anderson Hitch that's rated for 24,000lbs. It attaches to my B&W turn over ball. It's all aluminum and I can lift it in and out of the truck easily.

View attachment 336228

14 ply tires are the way to go.

 

[elkantlers]

14 ply tires are the way to go.

Absolutely. I just put 4 new 14ply tires on my 5th wheel last week. The last ones were 5 years old and still had plenty of tread, but I don't chance it. 5-year-old tires is my limit. I would rather keep fresh tires on my trailer than have a blow out and have to pay for repairs.

 

[Big Slick]

Absolutely. I just put 4 new 14ply tires on my 5th wheel last week. The last ones were 5 years old and still had plenty of tread, but I don't chance it. 5-year-old tires is my limit. I would rather keep fresh tires on my trailer than have a blow out and have to pay for repairs.

No doubt about it. I like to be able to cruise at 80 mph when travel across Wyoming.

 

[elkantlers]

No doubt about it. I like to be able to cruise at 80 mph when travel across Wyoming.

That's where I'm headed in October.

 

[npaden]

Just got done with our first real trip with the new trailer. Pulled it to our place in Colorado and back.

Averaged 7.6 mpg for the trip, that's a little worse than I had been getting with the old trailer (I think the average on it was 8.1) but I was pulling into a slight north wind going up there and into a fairly brisk south wind coming back. It's always amazing how that works isn't it.

It towed fine, coming home the forecast was for 30+mph gusts that afternoon so we left early since I hadn't ever pulled it in the wind and wasn't sure how it would handle. The winds were up in the 20 - 25 mph range by the time we got home and I would say it handled the wind better than any travel trailer I have pulled in the past. It is taller so it catches more wind, but it never once felt like it was going to start swaying on me. Towing it up to our place in Colorado is about 7 miles of gravel/dirt roads and I was a little worried about some of the steeper spots and there is one place where there is a tight turn right at the bottom of a steep loose hill but it went right up it so that was a good thing.

Put it on a scale to make sure I was good with the weight and came in just under and that was with the heaviest machine in it. Will be interesting to see if I load the lighter machines in the back how much that will change things.

Probably the most surprising thing so far on the difference between the 5th wheel and the bumper pull is backing it up. It backs up so much better and even though the combined length is about 3 feet longer it gets into tighter spots a lot easier. On our place in Colorado it would take about a 10 point turn to get it turned around at the end of our road with the old trailer and it was a 2 point turn with the 5th wheel.

The new trailer has a lot more space and the longer garage makes things a lot easier. Very happy with it so far.

The elk didn't cooperate so didn't have to figure out how to fit an elk rack in the bed of the truck with the 5th wheel though.

 

[npaden]

Last update on this. Pulled the 5th wheel up to Montana and just got back last week. Got 8.0 mpg going up and 7.8mpg coming back. Kept the cruise set on 70mph (unless the speed limit was lower). Pulled so nice compared to the last bumper pull that I wrecked. Still haven't had it out in much more than 20mph winds but everything I read says that it will do better than a bumper bull in the wind.

This was the first trip that we really filled it up and it held everything we needed. Had the Rzr trail in there with an ATV and my dirt bike and the wife's ebike in the garage. Had 2 inflatable kayaks and rafts in the under storage plus all the other junk you need for the week. I was in a rush going and coming so didn't get a chance to take it across a scale to see what the numbers were. With all the stuff in the garage I think I would have been about the same or less on my hitch pin weight which was the only thing I was close on last time and the Honda Pioneer I had in it when I did scale it is supposed to weigh like 1,800 pounds and all the machines I had in it this time probably only add up to around 2,000 pounds so really not much difference.

I've had it up to our place in Colorado twice now and it doesn't seem to be an issue on some pretty tight and steep gravel/dirt roads there. The trailer has already been in the shop once under warranty to get one entire slide assembly replaced. Warranty is coming up in a few weeks and trying to decide if I'm going to extend it or not. One other slide is making some noises and might get someone to look at it before the warranty goes out.

Overall very happy with the switch to the 5th wheel. Didn't have a wiggle or a waggle the entire trip.

 

[elkduds]

Last update on this. Pulled the 5th wheel up to Montana and just got back last week. Got 8.0 mpg going up and 7.8mpg coming back. Kept the cruise set on 70mph (unless the speed limit was lower). Pulled so nice compared to the last bumper pull that I wrecked. Still haven't had it out in much more than 20mph winds but everything I read says that it will do better than a bumper bull in the wind.

This was the first trip that we really filled it up and it held everything we needed. Had the Rzr trail in there with an ATV and my dirt bike and the wife's ebike in the garage. Had 2 inflatable kayaks and rafts in the under storage plus all the other junk you need for the week. I was in a rush going and coming so didn't get a chance to take it across a scale to see what the numbers were. With all the stuff in the garage I think I would have been about the same or less on my hitch pin weight which was the only thing I was close on last time and the Honda Pioneer I had in it when I did scale it is supposed to weigh like 1,800 pounds and all the machines I had in it this time probably only add up to around 2,000 pounds so really not much difference.

I've had it up to our place in Colorado twice now and it doesn't seem to be an issue on some pretty tight and steep gravel/dirt roads there. The trailer has already been in the shop once under warranty to get one entire slide assembly replaced. Warranty is coming up in a few weeks and trying to decide if I'm going to extend it or not. One other slide is making some noises and might get someone to look at it before the warranty goes out.

Overall very happy with the switch to the 5th wheel. Didn't have a wiggle or a waggle the entire trip.

 

[wytex]

After a nice drive up to the mountains for a wedding last Friday I'll say a big thank you if you can pull at 70mph.
The parade of big 5th wheels chugging along at 60 mph in a 70 zone was not fun.

 

[npaden]

70 is currently my self imposed speed limit. The truck will pull much faster than that, but it seems that over that speed things could go bad really fast pulling something that weighs 16,000 pounds. The fuel economy really starts to drop once you go over about 65 mph but I have a hard time going that slow. Pulling at 80 mph I bet I would be averaging closer to 6 mpg instead of 8. I still feel like a snail on those sections of the interstate with an 80 mph posted speed limit. On the 75 mph speed limit sections I don't feel too slow.

Driving through Denver on a Saturday morning wasn't that pleasant. The traffic on the north side of Denver was actually worse that the section between Colorado Springs and Denver with the construction that seems to be never ending there.

 

[appaloosa]

The money people will spend on an RV is insane. They are such garbage and depreciate so fast, it totally blows my mind....