Forum Discussion

La_hurley1122's avatar
May 29, 2023

New to RVing and In Need Of Advice! :)

Hello! I would appreciate some advice for a first-time RVer. So first of all, I need to buy a new car because my current car is at the end of her life. I'm deciding if I should buy an SUV to tow a small trailer or buy a pick up truck to tow a 5th wheel. What would you all recommend for a beginner?
I do plan to live in my RV full time.

And which SUVs/trucks would you recommend, considering my budget is around 20k?

Any advice is much appreciated!
Thank you!
  • Welcome to the forum!

    First time RVer, and living in full time, normally do not go together! A FW would be a much better option for full time living. It would require a HD truck to carry the pin weight, and tow it.

    Any trailer big enough to live in, will be a learning experience for someone not used to towing. As you add more information, as to travels, or mainly park and live in, we will be better able to advise. :)

    Jerry
  • The first thing you need to decide is what can you drive & feel comfortable with...then after you decide that, be sure that you get something large enough to live full time in, the biggest problem with beginners is they start off with something to small...
  • RVs get heavy quick and small vehicle run out of payload. It's a lot more about the payload capacity than the tow rating. Further, tow rating is a generic rating apply to all types of trailers but trailers aren't all created equal. There are many types of trailers: flat bed, horse, boat, dump, travel trailers, etc.
    I would say by far the most difficult to tow is a hard sided travel trailer. Their large percentage of tongue weight, inability to shift the tongue weight, huge frontal area and large side sail area make them difficult to tow. A tow vehicle that might do a great job towing a 6,000 pound boat might be a struggling handful with a 5,000 pound RV.
    If you want an SUV you will be limited to rather small trailers not well suited to living in. Good picks would be anything with an actual frame (not uni-body). This would include: Suburban, Tahoe, Expedition, Sequoia, Armada, etc. My particular favorite here would be a 2500 series (3/4 ton) Suburban.
    A truck makes a better tow vehicle for a travel trailer because the bed allows for hauling: firewood, generator, gas cans, bikes, etc. A fifth wheel will generally be a lot easier to tow and shorter overall. If you plan to tow a lot of miles I'd get a FW. If you plan to be stationary most of the time a travel trailer would be fine.