Just exploring my 5'th wheel thoughts!

I actually own a fiver (2 slides) and a motor home (no slides).
Keep the motor home for traveling, I love my fiver for the room when I am in Arizona. I love my motor home at all other times. I would give up the fiver before I gave up the MH.
A little newer, a little nicer and a lot less money in your bank account.
As the cowboys used to say ride a good horse till it drops then get another horse

Like you we started out small (pop-up) ten to a (TT), now we have a 5'er. One suggestion is get a something like F 350, no need for a dually, but something that can do the job. Our 5'er is 39' Montana. Because you never know what you will end up with 5'er wise. We went out just to kill time one Saturday, to look at campers, ended up buying the Montana. The good thing is that we had the truck that could pull it. So try to think ahead, cause you never know lol. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!

md_procouple wrote:
Snip... We went out just to kill time one Saturday, to look at campers, ended up buying the Montana. The good thing is that we had the truck that could pull it. So try to think ahead, cause you never know lol. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!

People sometimes seem to forget that Looking turns into Wanting. Wanting turns into Needing, and Needing turns into Can't do Without! :B
Barney

NAUTIQUE wrote:


My initial thoughts would be something along the lines of a used mid-size like an Artic fox 29-5k and a F250. (Don't really want a giant rig with a giant dually.)

This will change after you buy a truck and 5th wheel. So you will save yourself a lot of money if you just buy the giant dually to start with.

The new 1 ton SRW trucks can handle all but the heaviest of fifth wheel RVs. We weigh in at about 23000 lbs gross combined weight and our SRW is within its ratings. I really don't notice any difference between pulling a 3000 lb motorcycle trailer vs a 15000 lb RV...other than fuel economy, but, even that isn't all that much different. We usually get about 9-10 with the 5ver and about 12 with the motorcycle trailer (miles per US gallon). I think it is hard to find real nice floor plans without going to 35-36 feet in length.

Correct me if I am wrong but the 29-5k and a 3/4 ton are not a good match...

ramyankee wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong but the 29-5k and a 3/4 ton are not a good match...

I'm sure you're probably correct ramyankee.
That's kinda what I'm trying to ask I guess - what size truck required for what size rig?
I'm just assuming that we'd be happy in around a 30'r (since that's the size MH we have now) & I'm thinking that a F250 size truck would work with my non-towing needs.(Just not sure what type rigs the F250 and/or F350's are capable of dragging around?)
Please note - I've never really been around 5'rs since back in the late 70's when my dad had them. :)

5th wheel is a good option
- Just as easy to hook up and set up assuming the MH has a toad.
- Assuming it's not overloaded, it will drive just as well.
- Typically better MPG
- Check the weight ratings. 3/4 ton may be marginal but SRW 1 tons are almost identical and get you the extra capacity you need.

With a SRW an a 5th wheel you will get some sway when a semi passes you 3/4 ton or 1 ton ...

With Dually you will not get the sway an is more stable in heavy side wind when needed ... Bad points are with a Dually is that parking spots in parking lots is a little harder an people like to open their doors into your fenders if parked close ...

I can tell you we went from a 26ft Class C, was to small, then to a 33ft 5th wheel with two slides, after a few years it was to small when taking the dogs an grand kids, we now have moved up to a 40ft 5th wheel and of course a F350 dually ... But I have always owned a dually so there was question about pulling a heavy 5th wheel ...

A couple of points here is that most owners of 5th wheels but not all have at least a heavy duty 3/4 ton truck with a camper package, in the Ford line a we have always had F350's which are 1 tons so not to worry about the weight. I am seeing more and more F450's an a few F550's of late in the ford line ...

Point being here if you buy a one ton or more dually you save money in the long run by not having to find out that you have to small a truck for what you have to pull. On our friends was talked into a 3/4 ton SRW truck by a salesman saying it could pull anything they would buy in a 5th wheel, well they found out real fast when pulling the 5th wheel an 3/4 truck across the truck scale this was not the case, they were 1400 pound overweight. That salesman cost our friends about 6k for an upgrade to another truck but this time a DRW long bed Ugh ... leasson learned at a very high cost ....

Campers are allot like boats, you start out with a row boat and after years of boating getting bigger and bigger you end up with a 45ft cruiser LOL

Safe travels and good luck

5th wheels have some advantages and some disadvantages. The Arctic Fox would be at the top of my list if I buy another.
I would not get a 3/4 ton truck to pull a 5th wheel. I would have serious reservations about a Ford F350 SRW. I had a 2014? F350 SRW with only 3267# payload capacity. I was pulling the Montana High Country (lighter than a regular Montana) with an advertised 2175# hitch weight. When I CAT scaled all loaded up for a 3 week trip I realized I was 3500#+ on the hitch. I traded the Ford for an identical equipped Ram with 4018# payload per the yellow door sticker. Ford may build SRW F350's with different GVWR packages, so do your homework on the Ford capacities if you just have to have a Ford.
It's kinda the perfect storm...RV manufacturers fudge on the true weights and buyers load that big front storage bay with everything they (we) can dream of to bring on a trip.