The Fifth Wheel RV

This trailer is mounted to a special hitch in the bed section of the pickup truck. You will recognize it from the "gooseneck" section that extends over the towing truck. It rests for support on the bed of the truck via a horizontal plate that resembles a wheel (ergo, "fifth wheel). Your tow truck will need to be specially equipped to accept this hitch. Although you will not be able to use the bed of the truck, the fifth wheel usually locates the master bedroom in the section that is supported by the truck bed. This trailer measures from twenty feet to over forty and its features, although potentially stripped down, can compare to a high end travel trailer. The larger models are built strong to withstand road stress and have slide out rooms for increased square footage. And like the travel trailer, there is no engine, so no trips to your mechanic for a tune-up.

Although a step up price-wise from the trailer, the fifth wheel is still cheaper per square foot than a motorized RV. But when you are figuring out your budget, make sure to include the prerequisite truck if you do not have one strong enough to pull your RV, plus the potential $1,000 price tag for the hitch. There is a stability in driving the fifth wheel due to its being supported, a feature not found on a travel trailer. There are many different ways to configure them and people who are stationary for half a year can still use the fifth wheel with comfort.

If you get a fifth wheel, you will need to sacrifice much of the use of the truck's bed, as the hitching apparatus takes up a good bit of space. They have a higher profile than the travel trailer so watch out for low bridges and heavy winds.