Three wheels on my wagon (1 Viewer)

Big bus man

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Why is a trailer/pickup truck combo called a fifth wheeler, surely it only applies to a Reliant Robin tugging a caravan!! (n)
 
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glenn2926

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It is a term from when artic units had four wheels and the round flat plate where the trailer attached was known as the fifth wheel.

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Zigisla

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Wouldn't a Pick up combo unit be a 7 wheeler then!!! Supose in the States it would more likely be a 9 or 13 wheeler:LOL:
 
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Big bus man

Big bus man

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It is a term from when artic units had four wheels and the round flat plate where the trailer attached was known as the fifth wheel.
That being the case is not every tug vehicle a fifth wheel because of the pivoting in the tow hook!

On a more serous note though...What is the point of them, I mean really, what is the point!!
Is it just another American thing like the Airstream! I can understand the RV, if you have got the balls to drive a juggernaut through our tiny country lanes then good on you, or a huge caravan being towed by a Transit.....Oh no sorry they are not campers they are like campers but start with a W!! so anyway back to the fifth wheel, what is the point!! :giggler::giggler::giggler:
 
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I spent almost six months in a fifth wheel touring the western USA and would have one over here like a shot if only they were suitable for UK roads. Comfortable, easy to tow and set up and surprisingly manoeuvrable as you can turn it almost in its own length (as long as you can tolerate the shrieking from the tortured tyres!).

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Tootles

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It originated in Ireland, where all the cars manufactured there have five wheels. (y)
 

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That being the case is not every tug vehicle a fifth wheel because of the pivoting in the tow hook!

On a more serous note though...What is the point of them, I mean really, what is the point!!
Is it just another American thing like the Airstream! I can understand the RV, if you have got the balls to drive a juggernaut through our tiny country lanes then good on you, or a huge caravan being towed by a Transit.....Oh no sorry they are not campers they are like campers but start with a W!! so anyway back to the fifth wheel, what is the point!! :giggler::giggler::giggler:

More stable and roomier than a caravan,,,BUSBY.
 

vwalan

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usually the fifth wheel on a 5er caravan lets about 500-800kgs impose on the fifth wheel . to be an articulated vehicle at least 20%of the laden trailer weight as to impose on the fifth wheel . many like mine actually have 50%or over .
a normal caravan/trailer on a conventional hitcg can cause tail wag . its virtually unheard of in fifth wheel operation. as others have stated much smoother and easier to maneuver than a normal hitch mounted trailer. once you get trained in driving fifth wheelers you know it can go places a long rigid vehicle would never get. tight villages in spain etc become easy. plus much less length with alot more usable space than a conventional caravan.

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Badknee

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As an ex delivery driver we sent arctics with a thirty foot box into tight drops because a normal seventeen tonne rigid just couldn't get in.
 

vwalan

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my trailer is twenty foot long and can usualy turn it round in a two lane road.
i can almost get it so you can almost climb out the cab and get in the trailers side door.
33ft in length but possibly more maneuverable than many 25ft rigids for sure.
and with the neck of the trailer loaded it goes places most m,home would never manage.
desert ,mountain tracks etc.
 
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my trailer is twenty foot long and can usualy turn it round in a two lane road.
i can almost get it so you can almost climb out the cab and get in the trailers side door.
33ft in length but possibly more maneuverable than many 25ft rigids for sure.
and with the neck of the trailer loaded it goes places most m,home would never manage.
desert ,mountain tracks etc.
Like this you mean?



:D:D

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pappajohn

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so anyway back to the fifth wheel, what is the point!

An average towbar has a down force of 75kg to 100kg.....a fifth wheel coupling can have 500kg and upwards pushing down on the axle which means a higher weight trailer can be towed.
A normal heavy duty towball has a maximum legal towing weight of 3500kg....a fifth wheel can be much more.

Because of the position of the coupling plate, usually just in front of the rear axle, it illiminates the usual sway common to caravans using a towbar hanging a meter or more behind the rear axle...pendulum effect....the cause of most caravan accidents...the tail wagging the dog.

It just doesnt happen with a fifth wheel.
 

TheWM

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5th wheels are ace.

Saw lots of them in Canada and my 'want face' grew.

I had to take a peek inside and became friendly with a Scottish expat, who showed me around his.

Not only do you get a defined living/lounging area, separate dining area. The kitchen is massive (seriously he had an island table) with all the works, you also get a bedroom and full size bathroom.

And once you're setup, you have a big motor to drive about in. There is very little about them that's not to like, especially when you start looking at price. With the car, you're looking at around about £50k (that's UK prices, lots cheaper if you import) and the car you can use as your daily driver.

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Big bus man

Big bus man

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(TheWM) I am sure they are brilliant, the way you describe them who wouldn't want one, but that is Canada. UK built motorhomes are designed for UK needs the 5th wheeler may have all these requirements and more but really they are just caravans except you gain extra space at the front end but lose the use of the rear end of the tow vehicle, unless you go all American that is but then you are in juggernaut territory at which point an RV makes more sense.
 

funflair

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I spoke to a guy we met on the Zeebrugge to Hull ferry, he had a Celtic Rambler 5er on the Nissan pick up he said it was difficult to reverse and fuel thirsty, about 15mpg.

We looked at them before buying the Flair but there was not enough "garage space" for me, and when we saw they at one of the shows they were all too engrossed in the Rugby on TV to talk to us.

Martin
 
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I had a 5er for 3 years, no problem. Dodge Ram ( with LPG ) pick up, with six seats, and the rear seats deployed a cargo floor should you need the rear for carrying items. The trailer at 30 feet long was a doodle to manoeuvre, towed much better than a caravan, and set up in minutes. Some 4x4s with bigger caravans were actually longer than mine when hitched.
With a 3 ft by 12ft slide out it became huge when on site, a full 6 berth with separate king size bedroom with en suite. Not an awful lot of maintenance with the trailer compared to an RV, and we could use the truck all year round.

Craig

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I spoke to a guy we met on the Zeebrugge to Hull ferry, he had a Celtic Rambler 5er on the Nissan pick up he said it was difficult to reverse and fuel thirsty, about 15mpg.

We looked at them before buying the Flair but there was not enough "garage space" for me, and when we saw they at one of the shows they were all too engrossed in the Rugby on TV to talk to us.

Martin
A lot easier to reverse than a conventional caravan.

Craig
 

Bluemooner

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We are on our 2nd trip out in our Dreamseeker its under 26ft and towing length behind pickup is 21ft we love it
 

TheWM

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(TheWM) I am sure they are brilliant, the way you describe them who wouldn't want one, but that is Canada. UK built motorhomes are designed for UK needs the 5th wheeler may have all these requirements and more but really they are just caravans except you gain extra space at the front end but lose the use of the rear end of the tow vehicle, unless you go all American that is but then you are in juggernaut territory at which point an RV makes more sense.

You know - when I went to Canada got myself a 33ft RV, thinking yeah no problems massive roads etc... The roads in Canada are no bigger than the UK!!! I kid you not. And the motorways are mostly 1 lane not 3 like the UK. What I would say is that the campsites are far better setup over there to accommodate bigger rigs.

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2657

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A lot easier to reverse than a conventional caravan.

Craig
With one important difference.......you can't drop a 5'er and move it onto a tight pitch with the motor movers.

Not all set ups are as manouverable as some, ours is restricted to about 70/80 degrees and tight corners in either direction had to be taken with care.
 

vwalan

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mine as 6ft6ins above the tow truck needs 18ins clearance for turning .
look at my pick the neck is 8ft the lower part 2ft.
makes a very short length in total.
i used to have a mazda bongo and a 10ft caravan . they were only 9ins shorter than the mini artic .
even the bongo towing my teardrop were only a little bit shorter .

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Big bus man

Big bus man

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I spoke to a guy we met on the Zeebrugge to Hull ferry, he had a Celtic Rambler 5er on the Nissan pick up he said it was difficult to reverse and fuel thirsty, about 15mpg.

We looked at them before buying the Flair but there was not enough "garage space" for me, and when we saw they at one of the shows they were all too engrossed in the Rugby on TV to talk to us.

Martin
Don't get me wrong I think the concept of these rigs is ok, 15mpg would scare the hell out of me though :eek:.
Reading simsy56's answer shows how American these vehicles are, fun to drive a monster truck round the UK but not the easiest motor in the world to manoeuvre round our tiny villages and that's without a van attached so as a result they drive over or park up on verges but more commonly take up 2 parking spaces :confused:
 

vwalan

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mind i also have the benefit of an over cab truck .
the flat front and more manouverability of the truck alone is far better than conventional pick ups .
thats why big artic trucks went off bonnetted vehicles years ago.
i also have driven 40ft trailers around cornwall for a job .
so my little baby is easy.
the secret is dont go enormous .
had mine 15yrs now .
cant really think of many disadvantages .
 
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ianandkath

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we looked at a few 5'ers before we bought the rv. and 15mpg i would be very happy with, lucky if i get more than 8mpg

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BONZO

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we looked at a few 5'ers before we bought the rv. and 15mpg i would be very happy with, lucky if i get more than 8mpg

Are you happy with your RV as its 8to gall
We are thinking of getting one as we think the luxury out weighs the cost to run . What u are looking at is 50p to a mile witch I think I could live. Is your RV ok with our roads .
 

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