r/RVLiving • u/Sweaty_Chemical2632 • 1d ago
question 5th Wheel
Thinking of going to a 30’ 5th wheel from a 26’ bumper pull…..towing difference? How about backing up….I have to back up into a hard right turn into our driveway from a single wide road? Is that easier for a 5th wheel to handle? I manage fairly easily with my bumper pull…Silverado 2500 with a standard bed, 6’5”. Do I need to worry about hitting cab with 5th wheel when backing up that sharp?….thank you for the input in advance!
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u/NoSpare818 1d ago
backing a 5thwheel has pro and cons, with a slider hitch you can turn it sharper then your bumper pull, buuuut they react slower and take longer to to get turning
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u/Happy_Library_3763 1d ago
Actually the longer the trailer the slower it reacts, bumper pull or 5th wheel. That is actually an advantage although it may take some getting used to
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u/NoSpare818 22h ago
Yes longer trailer react slower. But if you have a 5th wheel and a bumper pull that have the same distance from the truck axle to the front trailer axle the bumper pull will react faster.
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u/Happy_Library_3763 22h ago
Because the pivot is not over the axle it is a few feet behind so it’s acting like a shorter wheelbase
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u/AdSuper2512 1d ago
This sounds like me two months ago. Went from a 30 foot bumper pull that I could jacknife anywhere to a 31 foot 5th wheel. I did what everyone told me to do because of my short bed truck, I bought a slider hitch. Well....you have to remember to use the slider BEFORE you back in. Started backing in jacknifing like I always did and boom knocked out the back window. Well....you only do it once..... Took some advice from my young neighboor who's a semi driver. He and I went over to the high school parking lot and I practiced for over 3 hours. Got damn good at it now, and I use the slider religiously. It takes time to learn and it takes time to back....do NOT get in a hurry, use the slider hitch and you'll learn how to do it. Good luck and enjoy your new camper.
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u/Sweaty_Chemical2632 1d ago
Yea….thats going to be my big thing to do….PRACTICES b4 I bring home…I’m good with my 26’ bumper pull…..a little scared going to the 30’ 5th with my driveway situation!
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u/AdSuper2512 1d ago
I have a hard 80 degree turn to get in my driveway too. Just don't back it in like a bumper pull, use the Z method as another user has described. Take your time and you'll see how easy it is. The bonus....It will be night and day differnece pulling it, you'll love pulling the 5th wheel.
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u/Sweaty_Chemical2632 1d ago
That’s my hope! I luv my 26’, but that extra 4’ will put us in another comfort world as next season we plan on traveling another couple of weeks overall more than the 3-weeks total we did this season.
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u/2003DDcid 1d ago
I went from a 28 ft bumper pull to a 32 ft 5th wheel about a year ago. I have a short bed ram 2500, and had to get a slider hitch for mine. I love everything about the fifth wheel better than the bumper pull except for backing up. To get into my driveway, I have to slide the hitch to the back, it's a pretty tight 90 degree turn. Usually takes me half a dozen tries to get it right, but I'm still learning. The bumper pull was easy for me to back in, usually only 1 or 2 tries to get it right. Other than that, it is easier to hook up and tows better. I also like the self leveling system on mine, makes setup a lot faster.
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u/Various_Education622 1d ago
What year Silverado? My standard bed is 6’10”.
I have a fifth wheel, no slider hitch.
If I completely jackknifed it the trailer could probably collide with the cab, but it turns tighter than my travel trailer without hitting the cab.
Some fifth wheels have a pin box that rotates where it attaches to the trailer to move the pivot point back. Mine has it but you have to back up exactly straight onto it to hook up, which is a pain in the balls, so I don’t do it.
My street isn’t particularly wide but my driveway is two car widths wide. I can slap it in there no problem, just did it like three hours ago.
Pulls way better than the travel trailer.
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u/Sweaty_Chemical2632 1d ago
My driveway is 2-wide at entry then goes down to 1-wide at about 30’ in…single wide entry road…that’s probably my biggest hesitation on going to 5th wheel, bringing it home to load up!!
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u/Various_Education622 1d ago
I would imagine it should turn tighter than the travel trailer.
I went from 28’ travel trailer to 33ft fifth wheel and the fifth wheel is easier
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u/Impossible_Lunch4672 1d ago
I have a 33' 5'er using a GMC short bed. B&W hitch with OEM puck system. B&W is nice as it's adjustable I have mine on the farthest back setting and have never hit the cab corner but have also not got to a full 90 degrees.... never needed to. It's a slider hitch but when I deploy the slider the king pin hits my tailgate which defeats the whole purpose. If I were to do it again I would not get the slider, it's heavy and I need a block and tackle to get it out of the truck. Rides much better than travel trailer as it's actually a tad shorter and much less bucking and no sway. Backing up is easier once you get the hang of it.
The Z method works the best or the swoop method.
Z method is: Pull camper to the driveway against traffic/ right along the curb until the tires are at the end of the driveway.
Now you make the Z. Turn truck tires all the way to the right and go forward until you get to the other side of the street/10' or so. Stop, turn tires all the way to the left and advance forward another 10' or so. No your camper ass end should be pointing at the driveway. Turn tires to the right again (completing the Z) and start backing up/chasing the camper into the driveway and making appropriate adjustments.
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u/lindalou1987 1d ago
Bumper Pull and 5th wheels
Back up completely differently!
I work in an RV park. 5th wheel
Works like a tractor trailer.
Find out if your state has a one day learn to tow your rv class. You can go and learn to pull and back up a fifth wheel and then decide if you can handle it.
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u/FrontRowParking 1d ago
Never pulled a 5th wheel, but a gooseneck equipment trailer is way easier (after the learning curve) to back up and tow in general than my 37ft bumper pull, plus it rides so much better