The Fifth Wheel Trailer is living big

The Fifth Wheel Trailer has the mo
The Fifth Wheel Trailer (also known as the Fiver) has the most available living
space of any RV. They are also the most popular of the towable trailers
category. If you want to experience the great outdoors and the great
indoors at the same time, this is the RV for you.

The Fiver is not designed to be towed with a regular passenger car. In
order to pull it you need a pickup truck and then you need to install a 5th
wheel hitch on the truck. The hitch is identical to the ones that truckers
use to attach and pull their trailers. Because of the design of the
trailer, up to 25% of the total trailer's weight is carried by the rear
suspension of your truck. The length of these trailers range between 20 and 40
feet. The bigger the trailer, the bigger the truck you will need to pull it
(hopefully your eyes haven't glazed over yet from all this information).
Because of their unique configuration the 5th Wheel Trailer has a bi-level
design that puts a master bedroom or living room above the truck bed. Now
add 1 to 5 room slideouts and you have one spacious trailer. These fully
self-contained trailers do or can have every amenity that you now have in your
house. That is why Fivers are popular with Fulltimers (a person or persons, who
chooses to travel and live in their RVs permanently).
The 5th Wheel Trailer has one sub-type:
The Toy Hauler
If your motto is "have toys will travel" then this trailer is
for you. A Toy Hauler is a 5th Wheel or Travel Trailer that has been
designed to carry your toys such as quads, dirt bikes, dune buggies, your
favorite Harley or even a small car. They have a big back door that
doubles as a ramp. Your toys are stored in a mini-garage behind the main
living area of the trailer. Once you are at your camp sight and you have
removed all of your valuable cargo, these mini-garages can be converted to
useable living space such as a bedroom, etc. (this depends on the model you
have). These special trailers can have up to 3 axles dependant on the
weight they are designed to carry. As with any RV there are Pros and Cons
to owning one.
5th Wheel Trailer PROS and
CONS
PROS
-
Most livable space of any RV.
-
Most storage space of all the trailer types.
-
Most optional amenities available (more money you can
spend).
-
The safest of all towing systems (your using the system that
the truckers use)
-
Easiest to backup of all trailers due to the fifth wheel
design (less arguing with significant other upon backing).
-
Tow vehicle can be used for running errands and local
sightseeing.
-
Ideal for Fulltimers.
-
Toy Hauler option available (gotta have that quad).
CONS
-
Requires a truck with a 5th wheel hitch assembly installed.
-
The larger the trailer the larger the truck needed to tow
it.
-
Due to the higher profile, low branches and low bridges are
a concern.
-
Can be hard to maneuver in tight spaces.
-
Dependant on the length of your Fifth Wheel Trailer, you
will find that some campgrounds and RV Parks will not accept an RV over 35
feet in length (as time goes on this limitation is fading away).
-
Requires a large storage area when not camping.
Hopefully, the above information will be helpful in steering you
in the right direction. If you have decided that a Fifth Wheel Trailer is the
right type of RV for you, you should now head over to the Buying a RV section of
this web site to get some more helpful hints. If you are still not sure,
continue browsing the other
Types of RVs
that are available. One thing is for sure you will never regret becoming an
RVer regardless of the type of RV you choose.


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