Prime Time Fifth Wheels

Sanibel – a luxury fifth wheel built with a level of Intelligence that far exceeds the status quo. Whether you are examining construction, design, features, or eye appeal, Sanibel has been carefully crafted to provide the highest level of owner satisfaction. Sanibel also has a two year bumper to bumper warranty. The Sanibel is equipped with 12-volt DC heating pads wrapped around fully insulated holding tanks for additional protection from freezing. Prime Time also uses radiant technology in the roof and floor to achieve R-52 insulation values and R-38 in the slideout floors where it is needed most.

A fifth wheel trailer is especially popular with fulltimers because most of these RVers want to go as big as the towing vehicle will allow. The fifth wheel is easy to connect and disconnect from the truck. It’s relatively easy to back up. Its tendency to sway is much less than that of a trailer coach. Because it can easily carry more height, it allows for more storage space – something every fulltimer wants.

That brings us to the most serious issue with fifth wheels — size and weight. The towing and carrying capacities of pickups have increased greatly over the years, enabling them to pull larger and heavier fifth wheels than ever before. The question is now, “Should they?” Loss of control may become a serious problem for ordinary pickups, with their relatively short wheelbases and low curb weights. In other words, we may begin to see more of the dangerous “tail-wagging-the-dog” behavior that is already common with trailer coaches.

Perhaps the answer is to use a larger tow vehicle. For example, if you buy a 40-foot trailer with four slideouts and all the luxuries of home, a medium-duty truck (MDT) should pull it safely and reliably. But do you really want to drive and park a nearly 60-foot long, 8′ 6? wide, 30,000-pound truck-and-trailer combination?

An obvious common-sense solution for most RVers is to simply choose a smaller, well-built trailer that can be towed safely and reliably by any large pickup. For pointers on selecting the proper truck to tow your trailer, see the Fifth Wheel Weight Calculator.

This introduction to fifth wheel travel trailers should be just the beginning of your research into techniques for choosing and using. We encourage you to begin your studies with the Tow rating Search.

We hope that you, as a member of RV Consumer Group, will contribute by sharing your experiences and observations. Making RVing safer and better always begins with you.Barbara Andrews 904 458-3000