The Fifth Wheeler

A short drive around a few local caravan parks and camping spots is usually all it takes to confirm the emergence of a striking new force in the RV world - the fifth wheeler.

Born in the US, the fifth wheeler concept has finally shaken off its gas-guzzling, monster-sized, monster-priced reputation to gain a firm foothold in the Aussie marketplace. Okay, so of the estimated 350,000 RVs currently doing the rounds in this country, only around 1,000 of them are fifth wheelers but that market share is poised to increase rapidly.

The vehicle - which bills itself as offering the best of both the caravan and motorhome worlds - is designed to be pulled by a Ute. Unlike conventional caravan towing, however, the point of hitch is right over the Ute's rear axle, delivering fantastic on-road stability. The overall length of the fully-hitched rig is also significantly shorter than the average car-caravan combination making it easier to overtake other vehicles safely.

The fifth wheeler's major advantage over the motorhome is the freedom of movement it provides once the Ute is unhitched. It is extremely easy to hitch up and unhitch again, and this is very much a single person operation.
The sleeping area of the fifth wheeler is generally in the section that overhangs the Ute tray so there is not all that much headroom above your bed. Another drawback could be seen to be that the towing vehicle is normally a two-person ute so it is impossible to give extra people a lift.

Many of the fifth wheelers now doing the rounds in Australia are babies compared to some of the American monster rigs. It was the sheer size of these US vehicles that prevented the early fifth wheeler imports becoming an immediate success over here.

Most Australian caravan parks are simply not set up to take rigs that large and there aren't many vehicles here that could tow them. Other early problems with the imported vehicles were the fact that the doors were on the wrong side, the electricity was 110volt, and the gas installations didn't meet Australian standards.

But these problems are certainly now being addressed. Fifth wheelers, and their associated comfort and towing stability, are being appreciated by more and more grey nomads. While the price tag can be anywhere up to $150,000 or so, there are nonetheless likely to be increasing numbers of these innovative rigs coming to a camping area near you very soon.

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