Anyone thought of 5th wheel?

[gowyn]

Just curious if anyone else considered a 5th wheel? We have an 07 27FBSE and love it. Only thing I don't like is the bathroom, shower a little snug and the loo I have to leave the door open. Better than out Bambi though.

The other nice thing would be an extra bedroom. Bed time we can toss the little one in and not have to do the late night switcheroo.

Anyway, popped into local dealer out of curiosity and had a quick look. Hideous!

They're huge, decorated for "old" people, not overly well made. The only one that really compared was the Mobile Suites but they're HUGE money.

So what are other folks thoughts?

[Road Ruler]

No thanks to 5er's....

Well we are back from our 16 day, 2,000klm adventure up North which included nights at Kilbear, Algonquin, Arrowhead, Grundy Lake, Killarney, and Oasler Bay Provincial parks.

My bh usually doesn't notice towing issues but we came up behind another RV and she commented on how it was swaying and getting slapped around by wind gusts. We passed the slower moving rig and was surprised to see it was about a 24' 5er towed by a pick up. Normally the 5er's are very stable in straight line towing but this one was struggling at 90K/h with the buffeting and wind issues. Ironically, we easily passed this rig with our car and Airstream towing at 100kph without any sway issues or handling concerns.

On our first day out we got 18.5 MPG (IMP) and averaged over 16 MPG towing for the whole trip. With a 5er it is tough to get those kinds of numbers.

[gowyn]

Hi guys, still riding the bikes a lot? We met a couple years back at Science Hill when we had the Bambi. My daughter still has the little bell...

Hope to run into you again some time.

[RoadKingMoe]

Not all fivers are decorated for "old" people. I've seen some with modern European decor. By the way, that's an accusation made of Airstreams, especially of the Classic models.

A two-bedroom Airstream would be fine for those who'd be willing to stay in bed all day on a rainy day, including having to eat off TV trays from the bed. Here's a two bedroom version of your 27' trailer (with a little length stolen out of the front bedroom).

[Mikethefixit]

Hey Maurice
Our 27fter is two bed rooms One in the front and one in the rear next to the BR.
Roger

[RoadKingMoe]

I recall Airstream made some and I think in one model, one of the twins could have a bunk above it.

[happycamper2]

Domani 2008 DF302
Check this one out. Definitely not OLD FOLKS decoration. Have seen one in person and they are very nice looking.
We traded a 29ft 5th wheel for our Airstream 25FB SE in February. The main drawback with the 5er was the height. At almost 13ft tall, it limited the side roads and parks we could get to. Hubby likes towing the AS much better.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by gowyn

Hi guys, still riding the bikes a lot? We met a couple years back at Science Hill when we had the Bambi. My daughter still has the little bell...

Hope to run into you again some time.

For sure!

Yes we recall the Science Hill meet. I asked you if you were the famous rock star from Toronto. The bh says she was thinking of you folks for some reason just last week. I think she was looking for the "bell" and forgot she gave it away..lol. We actually got to Science Hill a couple months ago for a quiet weekend with the Grandson. St. Mary's had the harvest festival going on then.

Still recall your cool Bambi and diesel Rover.

Yes gowyn we are still on the bikes a lot. We did 35k this AM along the Hamilton beach strip.

[Aage]

For me, the height, both interior and exterior, is the best AND worst part of the 5th wheel format.

The best, becasue at my height (5'17") I can use everything there is in height and then some. The first thing I noticed about the few 5ers I have seen was that I could stand up in almost all of the trailer.

But on the downside, they act like a kite when they move. In fact, they look like them too, when you approach form the opposite direction on the road. Big, huge displacement of air to drag around everywhere, can't be good for mileage.

Gowyn, I wouldn't worry about the "switch around" procedure, it takes care of itself very quickly. In the blink of an eye they won't need that any more because they'll be asking for the car keys and a few bucks for gas...

Road Ruler, we've been to all those camps and more, but tenting. I can't wait to get back to them all, wrapped in aluminum instead of canvas (or nylon I guess tents are today).

Not as remote a park, but one we love to camp at and boat on is Six Mile Lake in Muskoka. Great fishing, and a very complete and clean camp.

In fact, the one and only drawback for us to go from tent to trailer is that no matter what, unless we get foolish enough to take two TVs, we will have to leave our boat at home when we go camping. Big issue for us, not sure how it will work out.

cheers,
Aage

[yakman]

Big bang for the buck, but I have yet to hear anyone say: "Wow, look at the vintage fifth wheel!"

They carnies must dispose of them somewhere?

yakman

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by happycamper2

Domani 2008 DF302
Check this one out. Definitely not OLD FOLKS decoration.

Everything is white. Ugly.

[Happycampers]

Hello... We sold our 26" Argosy and bought a 30 5th wheel with 2 slides.... Loved it at first for the room BUT it felt like a monster going done the road took longer to set up , and felt like a mountain goat going up and done the stairs in and out .... sold it and we are now back with another Argosy 30' and love it ... will never go back...

[jimmini]

Remember folks Airstream made 5th wheel trailer.
In 1988 they made the Argose 5th wheel and then in 1989 they made the same trailer as an Airstream.Both are nice units but only about 150 where made and only about 5 with a slide out.You can find info on them on this forum under trailer forums then click squarestream.
Airstream tride the 5th wheel market again in 1996/97 with the Integrity,that some say was just a rebaged Dutchman.Info on this unit is also on the trailer forum of the air forums under Integrity 5th Wheels.
The Airstream park at Show Low Arizona has one squarestream TT,a Airstream 5th wheel and a Integrity 5th if any of you are in the area and want to see them.Note the park is closed mid Oct. till the 1st of May.

[janetb]

A 5th wheel was the first thing we looked at when we realized a pop-up wasn't going to be our ticket back into camping. However, we gagged and shielded our eyes upon entering that very spacious abode (slide outs galore.)
Discouraged, we saw a little lozenge thing in a showroom (don't remember what it was called) and the salesman said something like "that's an attempt to emulate an Airstream."
That did it. We'd seen Airstreams, we loved the look, but most of all we loved the simplicity of the design. So we were off to explore. And boy did our brains fall out when we saw all that aluminum beauty at a local Airstream dealer. It was so clearly what we were looking for--and it didn't take long for our Rollertoaster to become our #1 source of fun.
You chose well!

[wheel interested]

Originally Posted by jimmini

Remember folks Airstream made 5th wheel trailer.
In 1988 they made the Argose 5th wheel and then in 1989 they made the same trailer as an Airstream.Both are nice units but only about 150 where made and only about 5 with a slide out.You can find info on them on this forum under trailer forums then click squarestream.
Airstream tride the 5th wheel market again in 1996/97 with the Integrity,that some say was just a rebaged Dutchman.Info on this unit is also on the trailer forum of the air forums under Integrity 5th Wheels.
The Airstream park at Show Low Arizona has one squarestream TT,a Airstream 5th wheel and a Integrity 5th if any of you are in the area and want to see them.Note the park is closed mid Oct. till the 1st of May.

Cool I didn't know about the previous Argosy and Airstream 5th wheels and slideouts too. I would love to see them! I have seen an Integrity and I see why some people thought it looked so much like another brand of trailer. Thanks for the info.

5th wheels have so much space and storage. Perhaps if I was living with a family full-time for extended stays and then relocated for more extended stays that would be a good option. I too am pleased to have an Airstream and feel pretty light and stylish in comparison.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, my tow vehicle has a fifth wheel; I call it a steering wheel. To me, If I wanted a fifth wheel, it would be the same thing as if I wanted a Diesel. And if I want one of those I'll buy a Kenworth, Mack, Peterbuilt, or a Freightliner.

[Soyboy]

I have wanted a 5er for a few years. I just love the room, would be especially nice on rainy and colder off-season days (we camp in Maryland from March to late Nov.). With the right 5er I could camp comfortably year-round in the mid-Atlantic. BIG tanks, again great for boondocking (maybe I could get rid of my blue tote tank!). I am a gear head and like all of the storage too. Many are prepped for generators, that would be a plus as we "boondock" 90% of the time. All in all, I think they offer pretty good bang for the buck.

However, they are so darn big and can limited the campsites you get into (we camp in mostly state parks). To me they look stupid and ungainly coming down the road. They shoot your already bad mileage too Heck. Furthermore, we carry bikes, kayaks and a canoe at times. 5ers make that difficult. Also I like having a cap/topper on my truck, we use that feature a lot, plus I had A.R.E. mount rails on the top of it at the facotry for my Thule bars. A good hitch for my shortbed, like the Superglide is expensive. They are SOB's and will start to look like crap in a few years and start to show wear pretty quickly unless you purchase an expensive deluxe model. I think that is part of the price you pay for the "bang for the buck".

We were looking at 5ers this past weekend. i told my wife that in the past I used to get stoked when I looked at them, but now it's kind of been there, done that with SOBs. I had a mild case of aluminitus a few years ago, but then I purchased my SOB. Which has been a pretty good trailer all in all (but for a roof leak that messed up my back ceiling...darn I need to replace that panel). I think Jayco builds a pretty good trailer for the bucks and they have about the best warranty in the business (I guess they still have the same warranty I had; 2 years bumper to hitch and another year on the structure, about the best in the RV business).

Also with the whole oil deal, I think I would feel better towing something with a lower "profile" with the added benefit of a bit better fuel mileage.

BTW I don't agree with the poster about the interiors. They must not have looked at many SOB's recently. A few years ago the interiors were, as we refer to it, too "country cutsie poo", but many of the new interiors have great looking designs with earth tones and are very desirable in that regard. Less etched mirrors more nicely stained wood.

It's funny how the larger the RV, the less people it is really meant to sleep. People say about large RV's / 5ers: Cocktails for 6, Dinner for 4, Sleeps 2.

Anyway, I have aluminitus pretty bad at this point, and while I may still revert back to an SOB, I don't think so. It's an itch that I need to scratch (if the economy ever sorts out)!

[eubank]

Several matters prevents us:

1. There are very few Airstream fifth-wheels.

2. None of them are vintage.

3. We'd need a significantly larger truck.

4. Backing into a site with a fifth wheel is a damnable trick.


Lynn

[dogpound]

I don't believe the fifth wheel A/S was very well received primarily because of what Lynn says
1. Weight-You almost needed a 1 ton diesel to pull the item with.
2. Size of unit made it tough to get into a lot of spaces at most National Park campgrounds

Most of the ones I have seen were used as live in units at construction sites, etc.

Give me the Classic A/S

Bob
Member 4CU
#10105

[Mainstream]

AD A 2004 38 ft. Gulf Stream Tri Axle 5th wheel with 3 slides. It was nice for full timing but we don't full time any more. It weighed about 15,000 to 16,000 loaded. Got 9 to 10 MPG with my 2004 Duramax. Took forever to stop. Don't dare make a mistake and get on the wrong road as it will take miles to find some place to turn around. I hated the rubber roof and the 13ft 6 in. height. Sold it this year and got our 89 AS Excella. Now pulling is fun and even with the many little AS problems of leaking and other qurks here and there I have a lot more peace of mind with the AS
knowing that I will never have to spend thousands to replace that rubber roof some day. Also did I mention the mostly rare pull through that will take a 38 ft plus the truck with out the need to unhook. I guess our last big trip out west, when I Dropped it on my truck bed doing $2000 damage, and the spring shackle on the 5th wheel braking loose allowing my rear tire to come forward to rub against my middle tire to start a smoke screen behind me, was the undoing of our love of the BIG RIG. We had to call in a mobile welder to reattach and reinforce the spring shackle. After I sold it the new owner found that the water run off from the A.C. was getting into the floor and rotted out about one Sq. foot of plywood and it's only 4 years old. I feel obligated to help him repair it since he lives only a mile from me. So I am still not rid of the responsibilty of the BIG RIG.~~~ NUFF said about the Huge upkeep and expense of a Big Rig. and the not so fun time transporting it.
The AS is a MUCH more carefree type of camping.
as I say. "AIRSTREAM TRAILERS~~~ GODS gift to Intelligent Campers"
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"Airstream trailers~~ GODS gift to Intelligent Campers"