5th Wheels Throw on Weight Like Fast Food Addicts

We recently reviewed some of the current pickup truck offerings on the market. A Motor Trend story touted the heavy duty aspects of the 2007 Chevrolet Silvarado three-quarter and one-ton pickups. Of these trucks, Trend had this to say: "Made for work, the HDs can carry between 2294 and 5307 pounds, with a max trailering capacity of 16,000 pounds (for a fifth wheel). Heavy-Duty, indeed."

This got the juices running. After pumping over $40,000 into a tow vehicle, then spending a "fur piece more," for a good, heavy duty fifth wheel hitch, you ought to be able to hitch up and go, right? Not if the RV manufacturers keep up this fast-food-chain trend of "super sizing" their fifth wheels. Witness if you will, Newmar's baptism last year into the "toy hauler" fifth-wheel market. Rolling out their 2008 X-Aire SURV (sport utility recreational vehicle) the company got plenty of fanfare.

"What distinguishes the X-Aire is that it’s not just a trailer with a garage and temporary living quarters," said John Sammut, vice president of sales and marketing. "It provides space with a dual duty in that the living area is suitable for full-time use." We might add, what also distinguishes the X-Aire is its monstrous scale weight. The XAFW 38CKTH model lists a gross vehicle weight rating of a whopping 19,000 pounds--a full ton and a half more than Chevy allows for towing.

So maybe you could just not load it up fully and hope to "skate by"? With a dry weight of over 14,000 pounds, there ain't much room left on the scale for bringing along that Quad or a few motorcycles in the back before you're over the limit. Fellow RVers, how many toy haulers have your seen shooting down the interstate at supersonic speeds, obviously way overloading their tow vehicle? Would you want one of those zooming up behind you in a traffic jam? If the reaction time doesn't kill you, maybe the over-the-limit weight on the brake system will.

The industry will tell you, "Always use the appropriately rated tow vehicle for any towing application." The reality is, there are plenty of those who will ignore the need for a mid-sized truck and continue to think they can pull their bloated loads behind pickups with impunity. The trouble is, somewhere soon, the ones who will pay for that mentality will be innocent motorists.

Photo credits: Chevrolet: Motor Trend Magazine; X-Aire: Newmar Corporation

Decline in 5th Wheel Sales Drags Towable Market

A Michigan marketing firm says sales of fifth-wheel trailers are down nearly 13% compared to sales for February 2006. Overall, "towables" are down 6.7% for the same period. Meantime, sales of motorhomes are actually on the increase.

Is there a paradox here? Maybe I'm a bit biased as a fifth wheel owner, but when I look at the prices at the fuel pump, I'm awful glad I don't have a motorhome to fuel. My 29 footer falls behind me and I'm plugging away at anywhere between 10 and 12 miles to the gallon. Since when does a motorhome that offers as much living space come near to that? And when I'm sitting in camp, my round-town tower mileage goes up from there--15 to 16 miles to the gallon. I know plenty of tow folks who get even better economy than I do, what with much newer, more efficient pickups.

So what gives here? Why the fall-off in the towable market? We're throwing this one open for your comments.

Pull Your Fiver With French Fry Oil?

It's an interesting--and cheap--concept. Fuel your tow vehicle with inexpensive (or free) recycled deep fat fryer grease. One fifth wheel owner does it--and he'll install the system on your pickup for you. Check out the story on our sister blog, RVs in the News.

Revamped "Bighorn" Fifth Wheel Rolls out for 2008

We’re getting close to the new RV model year, and rolling of the lines is an upgraded 5th wheel line from Heartland Recreational Vehicles. Called Bighorn, these big (33 to 38 feet) coaches are designed with the "residential" feeling, by the looks of company news releases. From islands in the kitchen, to a king size bed, and "full-width walk in wardrobe . . . stunning headboard with matching fascia" up in the bedroom. With all this, should you be surprised that a 42" LCD television is an available option? One nice touch for guests--the perennial sofa "hide a bed" offers something a little more comfortable when turned out: An inflatable air mattress, as opposed to those 3" foam ticks with standard "kidney buster bars." Trim outs on the Bighorns include hardwood cabinet doors, "solid-surface" counter tops, a porcelain sink in the bathroom, and a giant size linen closet.

On the technical side, the company must figure ‘you can take it with you.’ Tank capacities would put a pachyderm to shame: 75 gallons fresh, 90 gallons gray, and 45 gallons for black. The standard water heater is a 12-gallon unit, so long showers are in order to fill up that 90 gallon gray tank. Interestingly, Heartland claims you can make an 88 degree turn, pulling with a short bed pickup, and all this without the need for a slider hitch. Still, you’d best get a heavy-duty short-bed for this operation: The gross vehicle weight rating for these rigs ranges between 14,000 and 16,000 pounds.

These latter figures do give a bit of a pause for concern: Heartland provided typical Net Cargo Capacity (NCC) figures for a few of the new Bighorns which range from 2,315 to 3,230 pounds. NCC is the total allowable weight of all passengers, cargo, and fluids. If you were to fill up your fresh water, and carry around a half tank each of black and gray water, and full LP tanks, you’d have only 962 "pounds" left for everything else you want to carry--including those manufacturer and dealer options. Care to guess how much that optional washer and dryer scale in at? Just a word to the wise.

Base prices for Heartland’s Bighorn fivers start at $45,000. Check out their website for more details.

Want a BIGGER 5th Wheel?

When the RV Industry Association, the promo group for manufacturers, suggested they'd like to investigate building bigger fifth wheels, reaction from related industry folks was swift. And it wasn't pretty. Check out more details on our sister blog, RVs in the News.

I Don't Think the 5th Wheel's in Kansas Anymore, Toto

While New Mexico only ranks 28th on the list for frequency of tornadoes, try telling that to Tamie Elam. Tammy was in Logan, New Mexico on March 23 when a big twister blew through town. She and her dog, Rope, couldn't click their heels together fast enough to avoid living through something most of us fifth-wheel folks have wondered about: What would happen if our 5er got hit with a tornado?

"I think the one thing that I’ve learned throughout this whole thing is that we don’t take the watches and warnings seriously enough. We are way too nonchalant about them. I’ve been ‘round tornadoes all my life ... We don’t take ‘em serious enough." That was Tamie’s assessment from--of all places, Kansas--where she is currently recovering from the ‘up close and personal’ experience of riding out--and being spit out of--a tornado.

Tamie’s 30’ fifth wheel was picked up by the twister with Tamie and Rope inside. Knocked around inside the rig like a tennis shoe in the clothes dryer, she recalls the fifth wheel being spun around a couple of times, and then found herself on the ground outside, unable to stand up. Rope was a 100 yards away, under some of the remains of the fifth wheel. Tamie suffered numerous fractures, Rope came out much better.

With the fifth wheel a total loss and no insurance coverage, Tamie and Rope will be looking for a new home after she recovers from her injuries. This time, she says, the new house will have a cellar. For pictures of Tamie and Toto--er--Rope, visit the Quay County Sun newspaper.

Fifth wheel pauses below majestic volcano

How's this for a great place to take a break from the road? A fifth wheel trailer at a rest area along Interstate 5 near Weed, Calif., is dwarfed by majestic Mt. Shasta, a 14,179-foot volcano in the Pacific state's Cascade range. The mountain is the fifth highest peak in California (Mt. Whitney is the highest) and is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Belt. This north-bound rest area is adjacent to the local airport, so aviation buffs can check out the local air fleet (pretty small) as they dine on their tuna sandwiches for lunch.