5th Wheel or a Class A

et2 wrote:
There is no more room In a fiver than a DP MH. If both are the same dimensionally then they are they same. There is no magic wand making the fiver bigger. This is a urban myth. ................

Except in the 5er you do not lose space due to an engine compartment and front dash/steering/driving area.

Since you are advocating for the 5th wheel, do you plan on doing some of the driving which means pulling the fiver? Would you be as comfortable driving the TV as you most likely would be driving the MH? To me, setup time is a wash - each has it's own procedure. You have to decide on pulling a fith wheel or pulling a toad. You have to unhook both. Something else to chew on is that you can't back up while pulling a toad with a MH.

Everyone's input is fantastic, still not sure and we figure we have 6 months to figure it out.

When comparing apples to apples, it's hard to beat the 5th wheel for price. Remember, with a 30' MH, you lose 5-7' at the front for the cockpit.

Set up time: It's really not much difference assuming you pull a car behind the MH.

Both drive very nicely assuming they are set up properly to begin with and properly maintained.

Storage is probably a wash.

Fuel costs: The MH figure 6-8mpg when traveling. 5th wheel 9-12mpg. You gain a bit of advantage with using a small car for local touring but unless you camp a long way from your desired location (not sure why you would do that with a home on wheels), it's really not much of a savings and comes at the cost of maintaining two drivetrains.

For full timing, I really don't see it as a big advantage to be able to get up and roam about while driving. We usually only travel a couple hours in a day and since we aren't in a hurry, it's not a big deal to stop if it's a longer run. I would suggest that any rig you buy is usable with the slides in. We don't normally put the slides out if we stop in a rest area for lunch.

To the new question: How big of a truck depends on how big of a 5th wheel. With our 28' model, a 3/4 ton truck does nicely. If you get up into the 40' models, a 1 ton dually may not be enough and you have to move up into medium duty trucks (I wouldn't recommend going that big anyway). Reality is you need to look at the weigh ratings and the weights of the 5th wheel (don't forget to check the tow ratings if you consider a MH).

dreamingrv wrote:
We will be living in one area for long periods of time. Very good valuable information. Now how big of a truck would be need to pull a 5th wheel?

Depends on how big a fiver you get. A well made fiver to full time in at around 39' will be in a dually diesel if you want to be happy. A new truck with all options could be $70,000 or more. Maybe you want a used one?

You could easily be in a decent DP MH $$ compared to nice new fiver and truck combo. If a used MH you could get a real nice one for the price of a new fiver and truck.

There is no more room In a fiver than a DP MH. If both are the same dimensionally then they are they same. There is no magic wand making the fiver bigger. This is a urban myth. Of course disregarding the high ceilings in the fiver ( which is not usable other than a ceiling fan).

That being said, we've owned 4 fivers & now our MH. We have plenty of livable room in our MH ( much more than our 40' fiver had - we are 41'8" with the MH). Think about opposing slides in a MH - they really open it up. Some even have full wall slides ( as do fivers). It boils down to how much you want to spend and how you wish to travel.

I thought I'd never own a MH - but after having this one we'll never go back to a fiver or travel trailer. Much easier to get ready to go. More fun driving, the pets enjoy the space when traveling, not as exhausted after arriving, wife is much more relaxed, just some things that matter to us. Plus now the truck doesn't just sit in the driveway ( as it ended up doing with the fiver).

We will be living in one area for long periods of time. Very good valuable information. Now how big of a truck would be need to pull a 5th wheel?

If you are going to be fulltime traveling and on the move I suggest MH. If you are going to be living for longer periods of time(2 to 6+ months) in one place I would suggest FW.

Per foot of total length you do get more living area in a 5th wheel than a MH.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. But newer 5ers are now available with automatic leveling systems and power awnings so the set up time is not much different than a MH. Unhook the 5er from the truck (if you want) and push a button to level. On a MH you disconnect the toad. From there it is pretty much the same, hook up water, electric, sewer.

MH has the advantage that you can get up and walk around while traveling. 5er you have to stop and get out if you want to get to the RV.

One factor is your travel plans. If you plan on a lot of miles and road travel days, a MH may be a good choice. If you plan on staying in one place for long periods and only occasionally moving to a different area, a 5er may be the better choice. In our case, we only travel 2,500-3,000 miles per year and only about 10-12 road travel days. Did not make sense to have a MH to be on the road 10 days and sit idle for 355 days per year, and so few miles per year.

An advantage of a 5er. Our truck died on the side of an interstate a few miles from our destination several years ago. Had the 5er towed to an RV park and the truck towed to a dealer for repairs. Got a courtesy car (under warranty) and vacation had minimal interuption. Had it been a MH we would have been without the RV for a few days.

Having owned both, we prefer the motorhome. Setting up is so much easier. Stopping in transit and taking a break is easier. Need a bathroom break while driving? A snack from the frige? Just turn around, there it is.

You'll get lots of opinions becaus both rigs have their strong followers.

Either way, you'll enjoy your travels.

It's a great lifestyle.