Who says you can’t pull a 5th wheel

[j-ten-ner]

Just for good measure ;)

 

http://escapetrailer.com/trailers/the-5-0-escape/

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[Artie61]

6 hours ago, j-ten-ner said:

Just for good measure ;)

That is A cool setup may have to look into that !

[RP53]

pretty cool little 5th wheel wouldn't work for me i can't stand a wet bath

[Donstar]

1 hour ago, RP53 said:

pretty cool little 5th wheel wouldn't work for me i can't stand a wet bath

We looked long and hard at these especially because they are fiberglass and are locally made.  They also require(d)  pre-ordering and a lengthy wait.  It was finally the wet bath that had us looking elsewhere.  We are delighted with our Winnebago!

[j-ten-ner]

2 hours ago, RP53 said:

pretty cool little 5th wheel wouldn't work for me i can't stand a wet bath

lol fair enough. My point was to show that there are fifth wheels available for half tons and to take some of the tension off this thread

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[Jon A]

Yes, it was a funny joke.  Chevy Luv owners everywhere are rejoicing as they run out and buy 5th wheel hitches.

[KARNUT]

I can remember an early 60s movie called the long trailer staring Lucy Ball ( Ricardo). I guess those people who pulled campers with cars must have been nuts.


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[Artie61]

I wonder why these are not popular Lmfao

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGeUSjRMlQ4

 

[SierraHD17]

I just got sick of mickey mouse leaf springs and pathetic payloads and thus stopped buying half tons unless I was looking for a commuter car.  Sub 2000 lb payloads can tow but it's a lot more effort and planning lol.  To each their own I guess. The whole fifth wheel thing here is pretty silly though... anyone that tows anything in their life knows a fifth wheel distributes weight better but that's what the internet gets you!

Edited June 24, 2018 by SierraHD17

[Imcrazy]

A basic understanding of physics would indicate that 5th wheel / goose neck is going to be MUCH safer than bumper pull assuming you're within the recommended weight limits of towing and payload capacity.... Bumper pull is tougher to back, weight is way behind the weight carrying and moving portion of the truck (the rear axle) and for the same length of trailer you're rig will be longer... 

[Donstar]

1 hour ago, SierraHD17 said:

I just got sick of mickey mouse leaf springs and pathetic payloads and thus stopped buying half tons unless I was looking for a commuter car.  Sub 2000 lb payloads can tow but it's a lot more effort and planning lol.  To each their own I guess. The whole fifth wheel thing here is pretty silly though... anyone that tows anything in their life knows a fifth wheel distributes weight better but that's what the internet gets you!

Your comments are well stated and your location reminded me of a different time.  In the early to mid 80's I worked north of High Prairie.  Half ton trucks were the most common "car" on the road followed by full-sized sedans.  Any serious work vehicles were 3/4 or 1 ton pickups. It sounds like things are much the same! ;-)

[SierraHD17]

Yup and northern Alberta hasn't changed a lot.  The half ton front ends especially with their non greaseable parts don't last particularly long and it's a lot more conducive running an HD truck for that ability alone. I mean my 05 1500HD still has the original front end minus the pitman arm at 320000 kms lol... just gets greased often.  Most of the half ton run trucks need balljoints before 100000 kms which is annoying at best.  

 

The near 3000 lbs payload my HD trucks all have is pretty nice though... makes things easier with less headache.  They ride rougher but I got over that haha.  

 

The new half tons are a lot more truck than they once were but the soggy springs for that plush ride and light duty front end just aren't the right fit.  

Edited June 24, 2018 by SierraHD17

[Jon A]

7 hours ago, Imcrazy said:

A basic understanding of physics would indicate that 5th wheel / goose neck is going to be MUCH safer than bumper pull assuming you're within the recommended weight limits of towing and payload capacity.... Bumper pull is tougher to back, weight is way behind the weight carrying and moving portion of the truck (the rear axle) and for the same length of trailer you're rig will be longer... 

 

Exactly.  And it's not as if you need to understand equations on a whiteboard or have faith in some theoretical ideas to get it when the differences are so easy to feel in real life.  A ton of F150 guys have switched to 5th wheels (just do a google image search for "Ecoboost" "5th wheel") and basically every single one of them rants and raves about how much better it tows, many wishing they had started out with a 5th wheel to begin with instead of spending so many years with a bumper pull.

 

Of course it's easy to go too big with a 5th wheel and overload the truck.  It's not hard to do that with a bumper pull either with a 1/2 ton, that's not the point.  The point I was trying to correct after the opposite was put forth, is that "white knuckle," stressful and even unsafe towing experiences people often have with bumper pull trailers (especially long travel trailers), even when well within their truck's published limits, are dramatically less likely to occur with a 5th wheel or gooseneck of similar size.  That's just the way things work.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Jon A

[2018GMC]

On ‎6‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 5:04 AM, Artie61 said:

I wonder why these are not popular Lmfao

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGeUSjRMlQ4

 

Wow that is crazy. Wonder how many of those were sold or still around. Maybe on a future episode of American Pickers! lol

[slimjim2525]

Very very interseting thread.  Thanks to all for giving me a little education.  I don't have a trailer or want one, but i love to learn from people who know their shiot, rather than just spewing theory.