Looking at a new trailer

[gutsnthegrass]

I'm looking at selling my 24' camping trailer.  I'm thinking of getting a 30-34' 5th wheel toy hauler, Looking for peoples thoughts on bumper pull vs. 5th wheel delimas.  I know that with the new style hitches, you can easily remove the hitch in the bed of the pickup with removing 4 pins.  My biggest concern was losing the bed of my pickup with the cumbersome hitch.  Any thoughts?

[kenbell27]

If you are worried about losng the bed of your truck you should check on the the 5th wheel to gooseneck conversion kits they have on the market. With the gooseneck you dont have to worry about taking anything out all you do is pull a lever and flip the ball over and you have the whole bed back.

[KimberRich]

5th wheel is easier to pull and back up as well as the weight is over your rear axle so it's disbursed better.  I can't really think of a con of the 5th wheel set up besides you loose most your bed space while towing but if you're upgrading to a larger trailer you should have room inside it for your stuff.  My Dad pulls a 28' Pull Behind Toy Hauler and wishes he would have gotten a 5th wheel.  To much weight, to far back on the truck.  Even with his air bags pumped up it sags pretty good. Only benefit we've found is he can put his canopy on and tow the trailer so when we take it hunting it's easy to drop the trailer and still have dry storage in the back for gear but all in all the 5th wheel is the way to go in my opinion.      Good Luck!!

If you are worried about losng the bed of your truck you should check on the the 5th wheel to gooseneck conversion kits they have on the market. With the gooseneck you dont have to worry about taking anything out all you do is pull a lever and flip the ball over and you have the whole bed back.

I have one of these hide-away gooseneck hitches and they are slick.  One draw back is there is no place for your spare tire after it is installed.  Not sure if all of them are like this??  But I don't like not having a spare..  Especially while up in the woods hunting. 

[kenbell27]

It might depend on the make and model of the truck, we have a 2004 chevy with the hideaway gooseneck and still have the spare tire mounted underneath.

[whacker1]

advantages to hitch tow
keep the bed of your pickup for other uses.
The roof is lower than a high top 5th wheel for low clearance storage.
can tow with any 3/4 ton or larger truck
more flexible floor plans based everything being on one level

disadvantages to hitch tow.  
30 ft + 4 door pickup and 8 foot bed is approaching 60 feet long.
wider turning radius due to overall length - can limit some spots in campgrounds, because one can't maneuver well.
typically doesn't tow as well as 5th wheel, but design can help.

advantage to 5th wheel
tows better
shortens overall lenght
tightens turning radius
better weight distribution.

disadvantages to 5th wheel.
lose the bed of your pickup
typically bed is over 5th wheel hitch.  We notice in the older one we use that the air conditioner doesn't distribute evenly for the fam because the wife and I are 3 feet higher than our son who is on the couch.  All the cold air gravitates toward the floor, which he is closer to.  So we end up hot and he ends up cold when running the air conditioner.
floor plans are more limited based on 5th wheel rise in front end
can't use your buddies pickup to tow, unless you mount hitch in that rig.

i am sure I missed some, but these are a few we noticed.

[whacker1]

Other thoughts. 

If I were to buy one to replace the one we are using, I would buy hitch tow.  But we leave it in the same spot all summer long, so 32-35 foot hitch tow would only get moved once in the spring and once in the fall. 

We don't use it during hunting season, but if we did.  I might reconsider due to the overall length. 

I don't like the air conditioning as I mentioned in the 27 ft 5th wheel we are in now. 

Think about how often you use the bed when towing. Rhetorical questions:  How often do you take short trips vs long trips?  Where do you take it?  Will logging roads be a problem?  Do you have any limited areas, based on turning radius?  Do you use the bed of your pickup a lot when you take it?

I know what I would buy if we replaced, but it wouldn't be the same for everyone based on the way we currently use it.

[KimberRich]

It might depend on the make and model of the truck, we have a 2004 chevy with the hideaway gooseneck and still have the spare tire mounted underneath.

Mine's an '03 Chevy and no spare but I'm thinking it also might be due to the upgraded, larger exhaust that also goes into the spare area.. 

[GoldTip]

Toy haulers are heavy, quite simple, they weigh a lot.  I have a 26' bumper pull toy hauler and love it, like said above, my equalizer hitch can be put on my buddies truck quite easily and we can take his truck, can't do that with a fifth wheel.  Fifth wheel does have a better turning radius, nice to have that upper bedroom as well.  One other thing to consider when going with a toy hauler is what your pulling it with.  I have an 05' dodge diesel, and my toyhauler taxes it, will go anywhere at most any speed, but it is working harder.  Remember toy haulers usually have a 150gallon water tank, have a 30gal gas tank with pump and most come with on board generators.  Throw 3 full sized four wheelers in the back and your running well into the 13-14K range.  Then like last fall throw a couple of coolers and a four wheeler trailer and a Moose in the bed of the truck, and you are LOADED down.  If getting a toy hauler, I would recommend having a diesel truck, minimum 3/4ton.  Personally I like having a bumper pull just so I always have the bed of my truck when needed, aslo the ability to let your buddy pull it when taking it places.

[gutsnthegrass]

This is good info guys, thanks.
 Goldtip, I'm running a F-350 with diesel so i'm ok on the pickup end of it.(It is a Ford though!)
I'll mostly be just taking it to campgrounds with the wife and kids but the occasional quick hunting trip might occur also.  We do have a tent and stove for the back country adventures.  I figured with the toy hauler we could throw all the bikes and other toys that end up in the bed of the pickup in the back of the trailer.