Moving to a 5th Wheel
The wife and I are looking down the road a little at a time when neither of us will have to go to work. The thought is to buy a new/newer 3/4 ton diesel truck to pull a 5th wheel trailer. We won't ...
Forum Discussion
We went through a similar process and ended up with a fifth wheel and an F-250 with 7.3 gas engine. I load the fifth wheel to keep the pin weight between 18% and 19%. For us, it is a good combination of ride and tow capacity. We use about 22.5K of the 26K tow rating. Because DW likes to take day trips, a SRW was required. The 22 foot length is a challenge, but can be managed. The F-350 with 7.3 gas had less payload than the F-250. The F-350 diesel can be bought with 11.4 GVWR and has more payload. Our fifth wheel is a great portable one bedroom unit. DW says she has a "dream kitchen" for an RV. We have six residential appliances, but that means we always have full hookups.
We had three class A motorhomes, with a 40DP for 12 years. The fifth wheel has a better kitchen and living room than the 45DP's I looked at in 2019. The big benefit is that our fifth wheel is likely to have about 1/3 the maintenance of the class A. I am more "seasoned" than you are, so the lower maintenance was a big factor. Yes, the setup and unhooking takes longer than a class A, but the living space is worth the effort.
We had three class A motorhomes, with a 40DP for 12 years. The fifth wheel has a better kitchen and living room than the 45DP's I looked at in 2019. The big benefit is that our fifth wheel is likely to have about 1/3 the maintenance of the class A. I am more "seasoned" than you are, so the lower maintenance was a big factor. Yes, the setup and unhooking takes longer than a class A, but the living space is worth the effort.
