Fifth Wheel Buyers Guide?

[Muddin]

Hey guys, I will be in the market for a used "fiver" in June / July this year. I am looking at getting one to for my wife and I to live in for a year or two while traveling for work.

We have been looking at Keystone and Heartland a lot.

Rough specs:
35'-40'
Well insulated / Winterized
Washer / Dryer
3 slides or more

Any suggestions or tips when comparing the many many different brands etc?

Also looking at the B&W Companion hitch since I have a B&W turnover ball in my F350 DRW now.

Thanks for your advice!

[Zytek_Fan]

Look at the Forest River brands too, they're top notch. Cardinal or Cedar Creek.

I wouldn't recommend using the gooseneck for towing a very large fifth wheel. It won't be as under control on the road compared to using a fifth wheel hitch. The extra $1000 or so for a good fifth wheel hitch would be well worth it once you get going down the highway. Not saying it won't work, but it just feels better going down the road with a fifth wheel hitch vs a gooseneck adapter.

[Muddin]

I thought the B&W Companion hitch was a regular fifth wheel hitch that utilizes the B&W mount already attached to the truck frame?

I know the gooseneck conversion for the fifth wheels are a bad idea b/c of the added stress on the neck that is not engineered for it..

Thanks for your help!

[MikeThompson]

Spend alot of time looking at the insulation packages, no matter which brand you look at. Make sure you get double glazed windows. Some brands will have lots of insulation, but single pane glass, which kinda makes the insulation useless. All brands use the same 1 or 2 brands of A/C's, furnaces, water heaters, fridges, etc, so pay attention to the actual build of the RV (aluminum frames rather than wood) and really look at detail. You'll be able to see lots of differences there. Check options like a bigger water heater. We have a 12 gallon w/h rather than a 6 gallon. Makes a huge difference. We've lived in ours for about 3 years and I've spent some time making it meet our needs for fulltiming.

[Zytek_Fan]

Originally Posted by Muddin

I thought the B&W Companion hitch was a regular fifth wheel hitch that utilizes the B&W mount already attached to the truck frame?

I know the gooseneck conversion for the fifth wheels are a bad idea b/c of the added stress on the neck that is not engineered for it..

Thanks for your help!

Oh sorry I thought it was the name of the adapter deal.

The B&W Companion hitch looks like a good hitch to use, so go ahead and get that.
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/r...urce=froogle_p (for the people who don't know what they are or didn't like me lol)


Do you have any toys that would require a toyhauler?

[Muddin]

Originally Posted by MikeThompson

Spend alot of time looking at the insulation packages, no matter which brand you look at. Make sure you get double glazed windows. Some brands will have lots of insulation, but single pane glass, which kinda makes the insulation useless. All brands use the same 1 or 2 brands of A/C's, furnaces, water heaters, fridges, etc, so pay attention to the actual build of the RV (aluminum frames rather than wood) and really look at detail. You'll be able to see lots of differences there. Check options like a bigger water heater. We have a 12 gallon w/h rather than a 6 gallon. Makes a huge difference. We've lived in ours for about 3 years and I've spent some time making it meet our needs for fulltiming.

Thanks for the advice! I will look at the double pane windows for sure! The larger hot water heater is also a great idea since there will be two of us living in it. We are headed to the San Antonio Boat & RV Show this weekend to look at some of the fancy new stuff for fun. (Not going to buy a new one!)

Do you have any toys that would require a toyhauler?

I do however, I think we will prefer the living space vs the toy hauler area though.

Thanks! All advice is appreciated guys!

[MikeThompson]

Originally Posted by Muddin

Thanks for the advice! I will look at the double pane windows for sure! The larger hot water heater is also a great idea since there will be two of us living in it. We are headed to the San Antonio Boat & RV Show this weekend to look at some of the fancy new stuff for fun. (Not going to buy a new one!)



I do however, I think we will prefer the living space vs the toy hauler area though.

Thanks! All advice is appreciated guys!

Don't give up on a toyhauler just for the extra room. We have a 37' toy hauler and I've built a large pantry (stock pantries are not as big as you'll need if you're fulltiming) and a good size bookcase in the garage. We also have a chest freezer, big screen TV and a double recliner in there, with room for at least 1 bike. Gives us lots more living space.

[Zytek_Fan]

I picked out a few reasonably priced used ones (if you don't mind slightly used) to take a look at

2009 Heartland Cyclone 3912 Toy Hauler Fifth Wheels at Explore USA Kyle Texas Explore USA
Used 2008 Heartland Cyclone 4012 Fifth Wheel Toyhauler For Sale - Camping World RV Sales - San Antonio
Used 2010 Heartland Bighorn 3670 Fifth Wheel For Sale - Camping World RV Sales - San Antonio

I think you're right with looking at the Heartland ones

[Muddin]

Thanks for the links. I am definitely looking at used ones as opposed to new!

[SuperCrutyPS]

Sounds like you have a good plan. Just so ya know, usually, in the ones that I've seen anyway, if you're going to have a W/D in there, you're probably looking at a 50amp service. When ya go to park it where ever you may be working, you'll need to make sure the RV park you're at has that available.

If you're going to live it - definitely get one with the comforts of home!!