This weekend, we took our new fiver for its maiden trip to the Coon Creek dispersed camping area (boondocking) that is located off of RT38 about 18 miles before Big Bear. The dispersed camping is on the same road as the Heartbar campground. Our camp site sits at about the 7500 foot level and we had to pull up some mighty steep grades to get there. The outside temp was in the high 90’s when we left Redlands and started the big climb. The temp gauge on our Tundra held solid all the way even with the air on. I don’t think the added trans cooler hurt any though. I was able to pull all the way from sea level to Redlands (2000ft.) in OD without the trans hunting for gears, then it was second gear all the way up to.
To get to the dispersed camping area we had to travel down a mile long washboard road that really shook up our new fiver. What a great test for lose screws and poor fittings. We had one drawer that opened during the 10 minutes of shaking, rattling and rolling. I think it was equivalent to a 5.5 earth quake. Nancy thinks she might not have closed it properly so I let her take the fall. Anyway, I carry a good tool kit in my truck and I replaced the screw that came lose with a larger diameter one.
I sure like those 15 inch wheels and the two inch lift on my trailer axels. We went over a few deep ruts on the way into our site and any lower trailer would have bottomed out.
I had problems getting the frig to light on propane, so I took it apart. Fun and games. I ended up bending the igniter a little past 90 degrees and it worked fine.
It got down in the low forties at night and I ran our forced air heater off of my batteries. Well that heater sure put a big load on those batteries, but I brought my Honda 2000i inverter (generator) with me and I was able to charge up the batteries without an problems.
We had a nice camp fire both Friday and Saturday nights and the sky was awesome. Simon and Sally (our second dog) loves the new trailer and Simon really likes running free and trying to catch critters. When it was time to leave, he didn’t want to get into the truck. Sally, stuck close to us most of the time and chased Simon around the camp site. She also barked at the horses that came by. Both of them barked at me when I came in after putting out our campfire for the night. I sure wouldn’t mess with them if I was a bad guy.
All the research I did over the last two years and my 25 plus years of camping experience sure paid off. A well matched rig makes for a great ride. No white knuckles this trip.
The camping trip sounds wonderful. I can't wait to get back camping again...
We sold our 21' Flagstaff Lite (3800 UVW - no slide) a few weeks ago when we decided to look something bigger and nicer (which, by the way, our Tundra pulled without breathing hard). We've been looking at several... the "heavy" one I was asking about is a 2001 Terry model 23-5M, which is a 25 ft fifth wheel with a mini slide-out. The UVW of this particular trailer is 5860#. It's a slightly used unit, just a few months old, in real good shape. We really like it, but we'll probably pass on it because of the weight. I sure don't want to get rid of my Tundra! The 23-5M is not in Terry's lite line. They make some lite 5th wheels, but I haven't seen any. Lite weight 5th wheels are scarce around here (new and used). The dealers don't stock many, and recently they have all sold out. We'll probably end up having to order something. We've looked at many different brands including Dutchmen, Coachmen, KZ Sports (haven't seen their lites, though), Jayco, McKenzie, Conquest, Innsbruck, Terry, Rockwood, Aerolite, etc. Seems like a good time to buy stock in any of these companies - all the dealers around here are having a great month.
I really want a fifth wheel for all the usual reasons, but will settle for a conventional trailer if the floor plan is right.
How do you like your KZ? Which model did you get? What is the weight? How is the quality of their lites? That's one thing that bugs me with some manufacturers - sometimes when you go to a "lite" series you give up quality also. I don't want to make a choice between weight and quality.
Boy do I know what you are going through finding a suitable fiver for your Tundra. We looked around for over three years and it was brutal. Most of the dealers do not want to carry lite fifthwheels because the profit margin on a smaller unit is so much less then the big rigs. Most of the dealers don’t bring them to shows for the very same reasons. Two years ago, we were at a indoor show and we couldn’t find any fivers that were right for us. On the way out, we stumbled on KZ Sportsmen and tucked away in the back was the Model 2253.
I crawled all over that trailer and boy was I impressed. The floor plan is almost identical to our old 21ft. Komfort lite that we now have up for sale. As you know, quality and RVs do not go hand and hand, but this unit had much more going for it then any other fiver we looked at. I didn’t know KZ existed prior to that show so it was an eye opener for us. About 6 months after the show, our local dealer went under and we had to wait another 8 months before another dealer picked up the line. No fun!
Well, I am vertically challenged (5’1”) and I needed a rig that fits me and my wife. The 2253 has a low ceiling, making it easy for me to reach the vents and the highest cabinets. My feet touch the floor when I sit on the couch and dinette making it a lot more comfortable to sit on. In short, “no pun intended” The trailer has to fit us.
We looked at a lot of trailers that were designed by people who haven’t got the slightest clue about camping in their trailers. The 2253, is an older model, and everything was well thought out. As far as quality of lite weight fivers go, this one appears to be well made. The brochure says it weights 4100 pounds dry, but ours came in weighing 3300 pounds from the factory. KZ makes the 2253 with a queen size bed slide-out and I think they use that weight in the brochure. Believe me when I say I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw that it only weighed 3300 lbs. Our old fiver weighed in at 3000 lbs and the KZ pulls just a good as our older fiver, so I think the weights are correct. I will get the unit weighed in the near future.
KZ made all the modifications we asked for without a blink of an eye. We order the build on April 12th and we got delivery on May 31st.
Our Tundra’s ride rear end high, and with the Roadmaster Active Suspension, my truck only squats about 2 inches. You may need to switch your trailer axel springs and possibly put a 2 inch lift kit just to get it to ride level. I had the 2 inch lift kit installed at the factory and I am thinking very strongly of doing the axel spring switch thing. Our truck beds are not as deep as the big three trucks and the Reese Kwick Slide hitch can’t be adjusted any lower, so my rig rides about 2 inches nose high. Make sure you get the extended king pin.
Well that’s more then enough for now. I plan on posting some pictures soon.
Originally posted by 5thwheeler Hi Hunter, and fellow tow masters
Boy do I know what you are going through finding a suitable fiver for your Tundra. We looked around for over three years and it was brutal. Most of the dealers do not want to carry lite fifthwheels because the profit margin on a smaller unit is so much less then the big rigs.
......
Bill
The trailer dealer I bought mine from only carries small and mid sized trailers. He said that he'd tried big ones and spent so much money on 'flooring' (interest payments) on his expensive inventory that he ended up making less money.
Ken
I am glad Pullrite is finally recognizing us Tundra owners. Last year at this time, I called Pullrite and asked about their Super Glide hitch (at that time they only had the 20k monster available). They told me they don't make hitches for foreign vehicles. I got a laugh over that remark since Pullrite is located in Indiana. I guess some parts of Indiana aren't considered part of the US of A.
The 16k Super Glide is a great hitch, but like everything, there are drawbacks. The sliding rails on the Super Glides have to be kept well greased when in use, and do accumulate dirt. All the grease has to be completely cleaned off after every use. Fresh grease has to be applied before using the hitch again. What is “after every use” is questionable? Getting the plate that is mounted on the king pin to mate with the hitch can be very tricky, even on flat surfaces. The plate should be removed from the king pin when the trailer is being service at a repair shop. Many repair shops use a forklift to move trailers around the lot.
If the 16k Super Glide was available a year ago, I probably would have bought one.
I have used the Reese Pro Series 15K hitch for about 3 months now. It "floats about 5 degrees" according to the installer - Terrell Camping Center. This hitch has been easy to couple and when uncoupleing, I need to use a spacer to hold the engage arm fully out to prevent any binding. Once I figured this out it has been the easiest fiver hitch I have used.
I just checked out the Reese Pro Series hitch. It looks like Reese is finially making a sliding bar mechanism available. It they had the sliding bar when I bought my hitch, I would have bought the sliding bar instead of the jaws of death hitch. I had a sliding bar hitch in my Jeep Comanche and I felt safer with it. I wonder if Reese is offering the sliding bar hitch for the kwik slide?
Gene, does your fiver ride level? Can you lower your hitch? How much clearance do you have between the fiver and the bed rails?
My kwik slide can be raised but not lowered and my fiver rides nose high. I have about 8 inches of clearance between my bed rails and the fiver.
DrawTite is offering the same Pro Series hitch. Reese & DrawTite are the same company and most of the products are now the same. If a buyer finds one he likes, he can go to the other brand dealer and try to dicker for a better price.
Ok My dad has a `94 23' Nomad house trailer. I really don't want to pull it with the Tundra. Dang thing weighs like 7500# loaded. We pulled it with a 94 Chev 1500 Suburban, before. I am curious about what you guys think of pulling it with the Tundra. If I decide not to pull it, my father has thought of trading it in aon a fifth wheel instead. What are the advantages of the Fifth wheel over the House trailer? What would be easier on the Tundra? I love my truck and That house trailer killed a 88 Bronco w/302 (unending engine problems afterward) when I pulled it to Kalispell from Spokane. I do not want that to happen to my baby. What are your thoughts. The weight is somewhere close to 7500# when it is loaded.
The thread "Trailer Pulling vs. Fifth Wheels" merged with the thread "Fifth Wheel Towing" as they are the same subject. ~MustangSally
It is not 7500# I am not shure what it is BUT it is a `94 23' Nomad House Trailer made by skyline, dual axle, I think the model is 2360. I will have it wieghed in the next week, guess I will pull it after all... at least to the scales. If it is reasonablly light I think that I will pull it with the Tundra... It just put the fear of GOD in me that the trailer killed my old Bronco. Thanks for letting me make my own mistakes
My combo rides level to the eye. Haven't done any measurments. Guess I could get on a level paved parking lot and measure from the pavement to the fiver both at the front near the lift legs and at the rear? The clearance between the truck bed rails and the fiver is approximately 7 inches.
The adjustments that can be done with a fiver include raising or lowering the hitch which has 4 sets of holes; adjusting the kingpin up and down - all of my fivers had one or two additional sets of holes for changing the kingpin height. Then you get to "axle" changes which I have never done.
Toyota claims that you can tow up to a gross combined weight of loaded truck and loaded trailer equal to 11,800 pounds with a V8 Tundra. Also remember that Toyota is in the replacement parts business.
I don't think I'd want to tow much over a 5000 or 5500# trailer with any 1/2-ton truck.
With a 5th wheel trailer, you've got to be sure you don't exceed the rear axle weight rating.
I have the kwik slide hitch and I can't lower it anymore then it is now. Also, my King Pin is in the highest position possible. I may be able to remove the kwick slide and go with the standard legs. I will have to take the trailer to a parking lot and do the turn radias test. If the extended King pin allows me to make a fairly good turn with the hitch in the towing position, then I will think very seriously about selling the Kwik slide mechanism and replacing it with legs. I already have the 2 inch lift on my trailer and if I reverse the springs, I will be very high off the ground. We will see!
Bring it on
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