Looking for advice on purchasing a smallish (25-27' ish) 5th wheel

[rm.w/aview]

Found one that fits your parameters, use the Dealer Locater on the website to possibly find a used one at a dealer that carries them. https://northwoodmfg.com/ Look at the Fox Mountain 235RLS (rest the cursor on 5TH WHEELS to reveal the Fox Mountain 5er)

 

[highdesertranger]

I see several features on the one above that are not off highway friendly. highdesertranger

 

[rm.w/aview]

For the benefit of our OP, who is admittedly new to RVing, elaborate on each of these features and include your reasoning so as to educate them. They seek advice on an appropriate RV with a focus on a 5th wheel for doing what many RVs do, though some certainly push the limits generally associated with RVs. I suppose some anticipate and are prepared for breakage as part of the outing, similar to most off road fans. While each traveler has their own view of off highway use & the various camping opportunities that are far from RV parks, I'm not clear on just how far off road our OP intends to go as the focus is on a 5th wheel currently. While there are suitable places that are very enjoyable, you and I both know what is needed to leave the crowd behind and venture down roads that would cause many folks to turn. With your elaboration our OP may get a better idea of what they may want to take on initially. Again, I know nothing of the off road experience that the OP may have, might even have a tool pack that'll make you proud. Many RVs find themselves camped after a three hour drive that has the final hour done at a speed slower than I can walk. There is certainly some clean up to do inside once there, oh but the solitude.

 

[maki2]

One of the trailers you should put on your must investigate list are the Bigfoot trailers, they do make a 5th wheel version. They have a fiberglass body, most of them are already setup for 4 season. They are made just north of Washington state up in British Colombia. Because they are nearby there are quite a few used ones around in the Pacific NW and also Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Oregon.

The company did close for a while but then reopened again a few years ago. Some of the units even had thermopane windows!

 

[highdesertranger]

well they said they wanted to go off road.

a Gooseneck has much better articulation for off road driving. in fact the only positive I see a 5er having over a goose is they are easier to hook. up.

we already discussed the slides. they get misaligned going down rough roads then they don't open or close or both correctly. once they are misaligned then they leak both air and water. they are not super difficult to realign but they are also not super easy to realign and it gets to be a pain in the ass. everyone I know with slides on anything, a trailer, a 5er, or a Motorhome has had this problem.

next is the torsion type axle or whatever they call it. they don't handle longevity well off road. if they fail you are DOA wherever they fail it's next to impossible to jerry rig it to get out of the back country.

as a note I am not referring to rock crawling type of off roading. sometimes the worse roads are graded but then they develop washboards that will vibrate the fillings right out of your teeth. most people drive way to fast on these roads. but some you can't slow down enough, airing down helps but then your side walls become venerable.

warning graded roads eat tires right after they have been graded, slow down. on a minor note I have never seen a trailer tire that can hang in there off road.

highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

If you do not like standard RV interiors and plan on back country travel I would recommend you seriously think about how and where you plan to explore. Many people have found electric fat tire bicycles, dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs or 4x4s allow them to scout out remote areas before taking their trailer down a road that may have looked fine on Google earth and allows them to get to even more remote areas without damaging their home. I would therefore consider an appropriate sized toy hauler also. There are several that the rear door makes a deck or even screened in room so you could get even a shorter trailer and still have a lot of space when set up. The shorter the trailer the easier it will be to turn around. More ground clearance is good off road but many times tree limbs and overhead obstructions will be the problem so less height with lots of ground clearance and no low hanging plumbing or unprotected tanks. If a 5th wheel trailer then I would see about converting it to a goose neck hitch. Livestock trailers use them for a reason as they are off road often. Also no front facing windows as breakage and water leaks tend to be a problem. As you find something you want to consider post pictures and specs here as we like seeing what we can find.

 

[highdesertranger]

good advice as usual bullfrog. that's exactly what I do. highdesertranger

 

[Gemini1771]

I'm looking at trucks now. I found a 2012 F-250 with a 16,000 LB towing capacity that I'm interested in- it seems like these trucks go fast so if I want it I need to move fast. I did a vin search just to verify the towing capacity. On Ford's towing chart, it doesn't list minimum towing capacity, but on the vin decoder search it does. I've never seen a minimum 5th wheel towing capacity listed anywhere. Is this something I should be concerned about? We're still not 100% set on what trailer we're getting, but we've been looking at models with around 10,000 GVWR (7,700 ish dry weight). Is this too much truck?

I'll attach screen shots of the vin info. I'm using the ford-trucks vin decoder.

 

[B and C]

I'll go with you can't have too much truck but you can have too much trailer. I have no idea what that 5th wheel hitch rating stuff is. All I know is 60% of the trailer weight needs to be in front of the trailers axles.

 

[highdesertranger]

x2 on that. there is no such thing as to much truck. highdesertranger

 

[rokguy]

I'm looking at trucks now. I found a 2012 F-250 with a 16,000 LB towing capacity that I'm interested in- it seems like these trucks go fast so if I want it I need to move fast. I did a vin search just to verify the towing capacity. On Ford's towing chart, it doesn't list minimum towing capacity, but on the vin decoder search it does. I've never seen a minimum 5th wheel towing capacity listed anywhere. Is this something I should be concerned about? We're still not 100% set on what trailer we're getting, but we've been looking at models with around 10,000 GVWR (7,700 ish dry weight). Is this too much truck?

I'll attach screen shots of the vin info. I'm using the ford-trucks vin decoder.

Geeze I wish we could have these down under, everyone here seems to be buying underpowered Thai built short wheelbase dual cab utes which I think are a total compromise in itself, let alone tow a heavy caravan (bumper pull) or 5th wheeler.

 

[owl]

The real downside to a fiver over a tt is the tow rig. With a fiver you have to have a pickup. With a tt you can pull with a P U, van, Tahoe, suburban, box truck etc. Gives you lots of latitude. Another consideration is the steps in a fiver, mine has 3 steps into the b.r. TT are flat inside, no steps.

 

[Formaldehyde007]

Be sure to watch at least these 2 BTBRV videos before deciding which truck to get to pull a trailer or 5th wheel

 

[Formaldehyde007]

I'm looking at trucks now. I found a 2012 F-250 with a 16,000 LB towing capacity that I'm interested in- it seems like these trucks go fast so if I want it I need to move fast. I did a vin search just to verify the towing capacity. On Ford's towing chart, it doesn't list minimum towing capacity, but on the vin decoder search it does. I've never seen a minimum 5th wheel towing capacity listed anywhere. Is this something I should be concerned about? We're still not 100% set on what trailer we're getting, but we've been looking at models with around 10,000 GVWR (7,700 ish dry weight). Is this too much truck?

I'll attach screen shots of the vin info. I'm using the ford-trucks vin decoder.

BTBRV recommends towing no more than 12,000 lbs of trailer or 5th wheel with a 3/4 ton truck. See the videos I just posted and others on his channel for details. The place you really need to be careful is the GAWR of the rear axle. 20% of the 5th wheel weight will be on your rear axle, so it is extremely easy to exceed the payload capacity of 3/4 ton and even 1 ton single real axle truck with a 5th wheel.

 

[tx2sturgis]

well they said they wanted to go off road.

a Gooseneck has much better articulation for off road driving.  in fact the only positive I see a 5er having over a goose is they are easier to hook. up.

Andersen Hitches are a good way to upgrade and update from old school 5th wheel hitch to semi-gooseneck style articulation.

 

[wbleatham]

Be wary of pulling a 27ish trailer with a half ton truck. My 32ish 5th w weighs 1750 lbs on the hitch. I think the half ton is rated for 1250 lbs. Same goes for a travel trailer. The tongue weight on a tt vs a half ton might require you to have an equalizer hitch as well. Safety and stability should be top #1 concern. I really don't think a half ton fits my definition of a toater (tow vehicle).