Customer Reviews

The Fifth Wheel Bible

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was very disappointed in this SMALL book. It indicated that it would tell you 'everything you needed to know' about fifth wheels. However, the details were extremely sketchy. You can get similar information in most RV articles or manufacturer's information. Even worse, many of the photos/illustrations were of OLDER fifth wheels - not the 'luxury' models now available. We had expected several 'typical' floorplan examples, with pros and cons about the spaces allotted. (As: If traveling with friends or children, a bath SEPARATE from the master BR will let you get a full night's sleep without interruption. Now, that's a good tip!) We got the book to determine the type of construction we wanted in a fifth wheel (pros and cons), and what type of truck would be required for towing (pros and cons. We were hoping for quite a bit of detail on these two subjects - since it's important to have a well-built RV that will hold together well over many years of travel. (The truck you pull it with will probably be replaced a time or two over the life of a good RV.) The author did give basic information on towing weight, and how to figure it -- but we certainly wanted more detail. Is it false economy to choose a 1/2 ton truck that might be borderline for pulling, because of gas mileage? Does a 1 ton or larger truck make the RV easier to tow - particularly in hill and valley country? "The Fifth Wheel Bible" fell far short of all the DETAILS we expected. Use the same money and subscribe to a good RV mag - and do a lot of Googling to weed out all the information you want and need!

It's a small book, to be sure, but then again it's price is in line with the size. There isn't a lot here that you couldn't find elsewhere with enough research online, but I found it nice to have this information bundled up into one guide and reading it as a whole instead of in bits and pieces, as I would have had to do with various online sources, helped to make the information stick in my head. For the price, it's a nice little guide.

I also bought this book in the hopes that it would help make decisions regarding which fifth wheel to purchase, hitch technology and general aspects of towing, setting up and taking down a trailer at a campground or RV park. I was disappointed from about the first chapter. This book could have been written in an afternoon by a 5th Grader rather than a so-called expert. The technology discussed was very dated and did not explain much either. I know a fool and his money are soon parted so I feel a little foolish having paid more than 99 cents for this one. I'd give it zero stars if I could.
Finally as a pet peeve, there were several spelling mistakes in the book that indicated crappy editing as well.

This is far from being considered an end-all beat-all source of information but I feel it is worth it's price and would buy it again. You will not be able to use this for troubleshooting at all but it does have some good advice for helping you avoid situations to begin with. A second volume with more specific details would help this to become a more complete resource as the title implies.