Why did you choose a 5th wheel

Our situation was very similar to you as we use our 5th wheel Jan-Mar every year. We knew friends who had both 5ers and Class As so we were familiar with the pros and cons of each. The biggest drawbacks to a Class A for me was the complexity of the class A and the $ for something that was just going to sit unused for 9 months.

5th wheels are not that difficult to fix the many small things that come up but a class A has so many more complex systems that the average person is unable to repair on their own. The repair costs are extremely high if you have to take it in for repairs.

It was an easy decision for us.

If you search the forums (not just this one, but Escapees and RV-Dreams, too), you'll find many discussions on this. You also don't say what type of Class A you would consider... a $750K diesel pusher with a tag axle or a 30' gasser. There are many differences there. Fifth wheels also range from light-weight (well under $75K) units to 20,000 lb. almost-$200K units. If a fifth wheel, you'll need to consider a truck that will not only pull it, but handle the loaded pin weight (payload for pin weight is nearly always the limiting factor - especially on 3/4-ton and single-rear-wheel trucks).

Here are some of the reasons we are full-timing in a fifth wheel:

1) We already had a tow vehicle (diesel truck capable of hauling the RV we wanted).

2) If something were to happen to the drive-train of our "home," only the truck goes in the shop and we still have our home.

3) We have had conversations with people who have full-timed in both fifth wheels and class A coaches (larger diesel pushers). Every one of them said they had more living space and a lot more storage space in the fifth wheels. Our fifth wheel is very comfortable for us.

4) To be fair to the "other side," I will say that being able to pull over on a stormy night, turn off the engine, and push a button on the auto-levelers would be very nice.

5) We chose to keep our Toyota and my wife follows behind on travel days. Another plus for the Class A would be to be able to tow the car and have my wife ride with me in the RV. On the other hand, she says that having that time to herself listening to her music or books on CD is "the secret to the success of our marriage." We spend less than 5% of our total time on the road, though, and like to keep travel days to 200 miles or less. It's really nice to have the car - whether your in an A or a fiver - for shopping, sightseeing, getting into larger cities, etc.

Rob

I've thought and read a lot about this as well. The biggest determining factor for me is how I plan to use it. If lot's of time rolling down the road a class A is great since a lot of the things can be used in the coach while driving. Also, the visibility out of the A is great for looking around as you're driving. And that overstuffed captain's chair sure looks comfortable!

If I just driving to a destination and setting up for long periods of time I think the 5th wheel would work better. More usable space, better floor plans (IMO anyway), cheaper in that there isn't an expensive chassis to by/maintain.

I've got a few years to mull it over. A lot of it for us is to see if my wife will like driving a lot. I generally do but she doesn't. I'm hoping a class A would be different. Otherwise, her "2 hour rule" will apply. If it's more than 2 hours she'll take a plane and meet me :)

One can buy 5th wheels with many of the same things on a motorhome. We have auto leveling, built in generator, inverter, roof top satellite, etc. We can hook up and disconnect just as fast as most motorhomes. And we have space. It is easy to tow. The only negative for us is using our diesel dually for siteseeing instead of having a little towed vehicle that motorhomes have. We manage though.

Like you DW liked the space of the fifth wheel, her parents also had a 5er. For me, 1. I love the feeling of towing, we live on a farm so the truck is used for everything a truck is designed for. I like being set up at the campground and not unhooking every time we want to go somewhere, yes you could have toad. I like dealing with one engine problems not two. That's just my opinion, my buddy did the A and loves it. One down side of the 5er is if you are doing a lot of travelling. You are often confined to the cab unless you stop and go back to the trailer. You have to do what's right for you.

Had both. MH demands a toad to get around when parked. Thus two drive trains to service and maintain.
Fifth wheels generally demand larger trucks but a single drive train to maintain. The larger truck could be an issue at times driving crowded streets.
Livable floor plan is paramount, as is your budget. Larger MHs can cost upword of 3000 dollars or more for a set of tires. Both will generally use the same exact appliances, insulation values, roof material, and frame structure. So that should not be an issue.

We have Owned 1 Class A and 3 5th wheels and For us it was a no-brainer in 6 years of full timing,More room that seems more like a house with higher ceilings , Bigger Kitchens, WAY easier maintenance ,when we unhook we have our get around town Rig(no toad), and if you have been fulltiming as long as us when you see a Mobile tech come to a campground %80 of the time it is to fix a class A or C and also we always hated the TV placements in Class A's it sounds minor but when you live in it these things it is important and lastly even when you buy a Diesel truck to pull it and the cost of the 5er you come out with more cash in your pocket than buying a Class A... just my 2 bits

Our choice was based on two things:
1. We always have a need for a pickup
2. Since we already had a pickup the 5th wheel was a less expensive choice. An equivalent Class A would have been about $70,000 more than what we paid for our 5th wheel.

Some additional considerations:
>We liked the idea of having the truck available to sight see once we arrived at a destination
>If the drivetrain on the MH needs repairs you're stuck staying in a motel. With the 5th wheel the truck can go to the shop and we still have a place to live.

I have had both I prefer the MH over the FW due to the fact IMHO a MH is easier to drive( I drove a Fire Trucks for 26+ years) and park and back up. I am currently considering going back to a MH and with said it will be a Diesel pusher