how often to drive MH

I think you have combined two different comments into one generalization. Many people feel that MH's are easier to use if you're going to be moving around from RV park to RV park since there is less setup time than there is for a 5er. But there isn't any reason a MH has to be moved frequently

Diesel engines, in particular, do not really care about sitting around for months waiting for their next use. Think about how many farm machines sit around waiting for the next planting season. Sure, if you didn't start them for years you might have issues, but a couple of months isn't going to bother them or the rest of the MH. If we're at the seashore for an extended period of time I'll put a few ounces of algaecide in the fuel tank, but that's all I'll do.

wannavolunteerFT wrote:
I am debating whether to buy a MH or trailer for fulltiming. I constantly see the comment of "If you are a going to stay in place for a while, get a 5ver and if you are going to be moving frequently, get a MH."

Everything I have read/heard says you need to start or drive MH regularly, not leave it parked too long. So how often do you need to start/drive a MH when you are basically staying put?

I see myself staying for 2-3 months at time part of the year, and possibly moving/traveling weeks at a time between the times I park. I plan to volunteer park host in some state and national parks between travel times. I am leaning toward MH as by the time I retire, I hope to take DGD with me on trips and MH would be much easier to manage while traveling. Just haven't found a floorplan yet that I like as well as trailer floorplans for when I stay put. Trying to make a decision based on logical factors, not just "feelings".

You should DRIVE not just start your MH at least once per month. More would be better. I never had a 5er but the MH sure is nice when moving, parking etc.

That said if you do not drive it a lot because you have a job or just like staying put then a 5er makes a lot more sense to me. Especially if you prefer the floor plan.

BTW most of this is about feelings. The good news is either is a lot of fun and better than sitting at the stick house imo.

Good Luck with your decision

Since you said fulltime I'll assume a DP. First diesel will last... not go bad for years unlike the current gas that will hardly run in a 2cycle engine if 6 months old. The nice thing about diesel engines, is they can sit for years and put a new battery in and and they start right up so every 2-3 months is BS. If anything, I'd worry not running a gas MH/generator every 3 months... not a diesel because of the sorry gas today.
Since you will pull a toad behind your DP and will put close equal amount of miles on both (NO, I do not mean those behind the MH :S) your overall MPG could be as high as 20 MPG. 7 for the DP and 33 for the toad = 20 average MPG which is better than any 5er combo.
Having had a 5er, there is no way I'd go back and we snowbird for 3 months (yes it's not started) and usually go out west for 3 more. Unfortunately those summer plans went south and the DP has been sitting since April and will probably not get started until the end of December... 9 months so I practice what I suggest.
Especially for FT, buy more MH than you think you need... ONE TIME!

The only component on a DP that will want some routine monthly operating time is the generator. The reason to run it under load is to keep the electric generation part dried out and working. Many generators, however, are not started routinely and still seem to do their job when called upon.

If a gas rig, put some storage treatment in the gas tank before your last trip to park the rig.

Your tires may last longer if rolling frequently as that seems to reduce the effects of the stored tire aging process. If three months sitting for part of the years is your plan, then you will be ahead of those DP owners whose rig sits for 6 months.....

Parking for a few months and moving on should not be a problem. Most problems are from sitting for years. Most of my use is around Florida for weekend trips. I have a reminder on my phone for the first of the month.. If I haven't used the MoHo in the previous month I exercise everything and take it for a drive. I also drain fresh tank and refill with chlorinated city water. If you are set up for a month it wouldn't be a bad idea to start it and run the genny under a load.

I run my genset very month for 30 minutes to an hour....Cummins engine sits from Thanksgiving to first week of April....RV tarped over...no Cummins running.

We prefer not to be out over the weekends when schools are out, so our trips are short during the late June to early September time-frame. April through mid June and September through mid October are for our longer trips.

We often leave the rig parked in the driveway for 6 weeks and have never had a problem with the V-10. Following a cardiac adventure almost 3 years ago, I didn't get out to run the generator or the chassis engine on a regular basis for about 4 months. The V-10 is fine, but the generator hasn't run since! It's on my "to-do"list, but we're almost always at elec/water or FHU sites. At 11+ years (three of them with us), the generator time recorder only shows 51 hours.I'll get it sorted before we put the MH on the sales block, maybe after the end of the 2016 season.

We bought a 2001 DP in 2011. It had 45 hours on genset. We have added 120 hours to it,and it has performed perfectly. That said, it doesn't hurt to run it for 20-30 minutes with some load on it several times a year if it is sitting.Starting the main engine and at least moving it around the yard occasionally, excercising the transmission is possibly the more important practice.Maintaining oil,fluid & filter change schedules is paramount,that from 40 years experience operating class 8 tractor-trailers .....

asphalt sailor wrote:
We bought a 2001 DP in 2011. It had 45 hours on genset. We have added 120 hours to it,and it has performed perfectly. That said, it doesn't hurt to run it for 20-30 minutes with some load on it several times a year if it is sitting.Starting the main engine and at least moving it around the yard occasionally, excercising the transmission is possibly the more important practice.Maintaining oil,fluid & filter change schedules is paramount,that from 40 years experience operating class 8 tractor-trailers .....

That advice is contrary to that of the generator makers (who suggest an hour a month at around 50% load) and the diesel engine makers (at least Caterpillar and Cummins) who suggest that if the engine is started, it is driven at least 25 highway miles-- enough to get the oil, not just coolant up to operating temperature.

wolfe10 wrote:

asphalt sailor wrote:
We bought a 2001 DP in 2011. It had 45 hours on genset. We have added 120 hours to it,and it has performed perfectly. That said, it doesn't hurt to run it for 20-30 minutes with some load on it several times a year if it is sitting.Starting the main engine and at least moving it around the yard occasionally, excercising the transmission is possibly the more important practice.Maintaining oil,fluid & filter change schedules is paramount,that from 40 years experience operating class 8 tractor-trailers .....

That advice is contrary to that of the generator makers (who suggest an hour a month at around 50% load) and the diesel engine makers (at least Caterpillar and Cummins) who suggest that if the engine is started, it is driven at least 25 highway miles-- enough to get the oil, not just coolant up to operating temperature.

X2; that's what we do also. The generator is exercised with the oven and/or A/C on once a month. Our CAT is not run at all when we're parked. Running a big diesel and not getting the oil and coolant up to operating temperature is not good for it.