If you have the tow pig for it go with fifth wheel, much easier to tow, more stable and generally have better quality accessories i.egenerator, refer furnace etc. Also 35' fifth wheel when towed is actually shorter than 30' tow behind since the king pin is over truck bed, this means easier and tighter turns are possible.

 

5th wheel all the way. No question about it. I mean bumper pulls are great. But by going small u will always know that you could have gone bigger. So I saw go 5th wheel.

 

he has a lift kit this makes a 5er a hard one need to flip axles and stuff makes them real top hevy and lift kits dont do well with 5ths might ned to stick with a tow behind....

 

I agree i have a dodge with a 4 in lift an we have a fifth 35 ft wheel trailer with the flipped axles an we had a 30 ft bumper pull an i wish all the time we had the bumper pull still. an it sounds like yours is twice as tall as mine. just my 2 cents

 

You can always go this route...and still bumper pull...
Tow Buddy is Towing Diversity
or this...
Bics Fifth Wheel Hitchs, Columbia Falls Montana

 

I was always wondering how is a towing with those systems. Do you tow with it ?
milos

 

id go fifth wheel

 

I believe the combination of the lift, 5er (38ft w/two slides + toys) is going to make you feel uncomfortable driving and a bit unstable. There's not a worse feeling than not feeling in control of your tow vehicle and what your pulling. The 5er is going to be heavy! I think the lift reduces the amount of total weight you can pull.....at least safely.

I would ask this question to the experts at toyhaulermagazine.com. Join the forum and ask the question. There are a lot of guys pulling with lifts with a lot of experience.

 

Wow!!! Thanks for the input guys.. That tow buddy system looks cool. No issues with DOT (on either side of the border)????

I'm heading back down to the dealership tomorrow to check out the unit again and do some measurments with respects to the box height etc.. I am pretty sure that I can drop at least two inches out of the lift and run 35's for tires. If this is that case I think that I may be able to get away without flipping the axles on the trailer. I understand the ride height may be unstable. That could make for an interesting ride going through the mountains...

The Stealth (Bumper Pull) is fully loaded with a 4.5 Onan, 100 Gal Fresh Water, Pressure Washer, Fueling Station (30 Gal Fuel shared b/w the genset and the fill station), 2 LCD's, inside/outside stereo, power awning, outside shower, sat/cable ready etc..... I guess the main difference is the extra space and privacy.. Is this really an issue when it comes to RV living?

Scott..

 

i have an -03 f350 with a 6 inch lift and run 35s. We just upgraded from a 26' attitude bumper pull to a 40' raptor fifth wheel. FW tows so much nicer. I loved our attitude and miss it but think we will enjoy this fw just as much. Of course we cannot get into the smaller campgrounds but found we weren't really doing that as much as we thought.

I've noticed I only have 6 inches or less between the truck bed rails and the bottom of the fifth front. Its rubbed a few times coming in and out of the parking area (unlevel ground) which worries me a little but we'll see....

 

I am currently in a very similar situation as you. I have a 2004 2500HD D/A with a 6" lift on 35's. I have the cold air intake, Magnaflow 4" exhaust, Edge chip, and air bags. We just purchased the Fuzion 382, actually 40ft, about a month ago. We put the RZR S, TRX450R, and 400EX in the trailer with a little room left over. Prior to this we had a 24' Ragen bumper pull. The 5th wheel set up sure does seem to tow much nicer than the bumper pull. There's a good 7" between the bed rail and the trailer. We have towed some pretty decent grades between Vegas and Dumont as well as Vegas to Amragosa and the truck runs like a champ. If you can swing the 5th wheel I would definitely suggest it. The Fuzions are terrific trailers!

 

Go 5th Wheel they tow so much better and if your worried about the truck height take the lift off or get a smaller one those huge trucks with flipped axles with an extra little lift on the trailer look scary...

 

1. Regardless of what mods or power adders your truck may have you need to stay within your trucks factory tow ratings
2. Bigger tires will alter your trucks tow rating the same way a different final drive gear will.
3. 5th wheels will tow better than a tag trailer but there will always be a trade off, height,weight etc.
4. Regardless of what style you decide on, get the largest unit you can LEGALLY tow. And don't take the rv stores word for it. They don't go to jail with you should something bad happen!
5. I sold rvs for several years including the 5th you looked at and I would take an Eclipse product over a keystone anytime- New from Eclipse RV F38LKSSG Stellar 5th wheel - Yamaha Rhino Forum - Rhino Forums.net

 

Thanks Brother, with the floor plan he just gave you a link to, you wouldn't need to flip the axles if you were to drop down to 35's since we run a large 6000 pound axle and 16" wheels and a off road chassis which was set up for lifted trucks to clear that size lift.
Another thing to watch out for is most MFG's already flip there axles from the start so the only way to get them up higher is to have them add framing to the chassis to lift where the shackles mount to which will void most chassis MFG. warranty’s.

If you have any other questions let me know you can reach me on my work number at 951/684-6868 Ext. 32 My name is Brent and I work for Eclipse RV

Just ask some of my other customers on here and RF.net how happy they are with our product and I guarantee I will make another happy customer out of you... Beside most MFG's aren't users...

 

5th wheel is safer and easier to control. If you can do it without flipping the axles even better. The airbags will make a world of difference too..

 

One thing with the 5th if you want to move to a sand car or haul more toys you will find that little extra space is not enough. Then with the bumper you can throw an extra quad in the bed of your truck if you run out of space. Also the garage is nice for added privacy though,which is nice when you have other peolpe with you.

My .02 cents

 

with the bumper pull they have now they will pull better and they do not cut the corners like a 5th wheel a bumper pull will not cut the corners 1/3 as bad but make sure you get the new typ of weight distributing hitch so it does not sway at all

 

if your going to tow a 5er, get rid of your lift, pulling a 38 footer with a big truck is dangerous, i pull a 40 with my non lifted truck and its barely safe, if safe at all...

i upgraded from a bumper pull and 5ers are way better, safer, easier to park and pull, no more sway... etc

 

Cutting the lift out is going to be more of a pain in the ass I think. The plan is to upgrade to a 3500HD Crew next year. (Economy Depending).

deviousracing - You say that hauling your 40ftr is barely safe with your non-lifted truck but then go on to say that 5er is way better, safer and easier to park and pull.. What are some of the safety concerns that you're experiencing? I've hauled everything from a pick-up load of garbage to Cat loader on a bed. Sometimes legal, sometimes not. If I'm not moding the trailer then the ride shouldn't be that different, right? The truck I have right now with it's current configuration handles great under load. I can toss my skid steer on my trailer and haul it all over the place like it was nothing. Starting and stopping with it is great.. The Allison Tranny soaks it right up.

I've got a weight distributing hitch for hauling my smaller race trailer from the shop (28ish foot V-Nose). Works excellent.... If I decided to go with the bumper pull toy hauler I'll have to measure the tounge and bumper height to I get the right drop in the hitch.

Scott..

 

remeber a chevy 2500hd is rated at 12,000 toung.....16,000 5th e cab 4 door is even less... i have a additude and a ww use the additude more!!!!!



and as said above flipef axels are unsafe...and illegle....and as to lifts on a truck if you are involved in any sort of traffic incedent..ie accedent a lift kit is deamed a modified suspention and can be sited as a poss cause of the problem.and ins will denie claim and you could recive a ticket....also lift kits lower the tow capacity by 50% on some kits things to ponder....but bottom line in a normal truck a 5r is the best towing trailer

 

MAke sure your tires are E rated thats a alot of weight for a single tire :rollfinger:

 

Anyone know anything about this unit:

I really like the idea and I think I can get two S's on there. Just nice enough that you're not ruffing it, but it looks awesome and sleeps a ton!

 

I know what you're saying regarding the safety implication(s) on the lift. Got that one covered. The lift went into the truck while I was still using it comercially for work. As such, and based on Canadian Laws, the truck needed to be comercially inspected. Passed with no issues. I was talking with my installer regarding this purchase and we're figuring that we'll just bring the rear end up to a 3500HD and add airbags. A re-inspection after the mod by and seperate Gov't Certified Shop and things should be good. I know that there are agreement in place between Canada and the US regarding motor vehicle certification so things should be good going across the line.

I keep coming back to the length of the unit though. Just thinking about access to sites etc...

 

4 nines i have a friend that had that same rig he liked it small but all the goodies he said the tent part wasnt that great in bad weatheir but loved it only complant was alot of toung weight up front i dont think 2 rzrs would fit i think it was only 90 in of space but not poss it did have alot for what it is and very light my first toy hauler was a tahoe pak rat sort of same thing but bikes went on back i liked it but same thing tent sucked in snow....lol rain didnt botheir me just snow

 

I think you can only put like 1800# or less which would eliminate two rzr's

 

Yeah it would take a little customizing, but I'm pretty sure you could get a 10' deck. The tongue weight does worry me a bit.

 

Sounds like you could go either way. I have the same truck as you and I wouldn't want to pull any heavier. I have 35” tires and the truck has not been re-geared. The Duramax makes enough power to make up for some bad gearing but I would not pull over 15K. I “think” loaded I’m about 13K maybe more with water. There are lots of guys doing it but that’s your decision… your family. You might be fine until you upgrade trucks. If I was buying a new trailer I would buy the KZ with the top deck… Now that is sick!! You will need that bigger truck though!

KZ RV - Inferno Toy Haulers

 

We went back down to the dealership to look at the Fuzion one more time. It's looking more and more like we'll end up buying this one instead. Just seems like a more usefull unit overall. I'm off to talk with my truck installer this afternoon to look at options with respects to the lift on the truck, but when it's all said and done I think that their should only be some minor changes needed.

I'm just looking at hitches now for the unit. I am thinking a Reese 24K Signature Series Hitch. Anyone got and input?

Scott...

 

Dude- I bought the exact same Stealth 28er.
I paid my dues throuout verious pickup campters, two travel trailers and one 5er.

By far, you (and your wife) will enjoy the Stealth bumper pull. It's loaded with Cheery wood, power awning, power tounge jack, the 100 gal water for showers and front bedroom.

I use my empty F350 Powerstroke with a shell for all of my tool boxes, firewood, ridding gear, and 3 Golden Retrievers. Once at the dunes, the truck is empty and ready to go for anything thats needed that I dont want to move the camper for.

My F350 is lifted with 36ers, so I simply obtained a drop hitch, problem solved.

I normally pull over 3 - 10,000 and 11,000 foot mountain passes in Colorado so my weight and wind drag is a big factor.

The Stealth has awsom exterior LEDs/ground effects, 1100 watt power amp, 2 flatscreens and the list goes on.. The Fuson I looked at reminded me of a cargo trailer with seats.