Travel Trailer vs. Motorhome (my situation)

DallasSteve wrote:
2manytoyz

Thanks for all that info. That's a beautiful motorhome you have. I might still go that route. I know that the HD trucks are expensive (I would probably need an F250), but big truck + big TT is still significantly less than big RV + Jeep. The Jeep Wranglers aren't cheap, either, and I would want the 4 door version (more $$$).

There are a few points you raised that I would quibble with.

1 - You start off comparing a new big truck to a lightly used big RV. Sure, you can save money if you go used, but then you can go used on the big truck and it's still cheaper. We need to compare apples to apples. Used to used or new to new. The last thing I would probably buy is a used motorhome. I think there are too many more expensive gotchas that could bite me later and I'm not an expert at inspecting all of those things (and I don't know how to pick an "expert" I would trust). It's new or nothing for me.

2 - You talk about how much easier it is to set up the motorhome, but you don't mention the toad. Is there a button you can push to unhook the toad without getting wet in the rain? Apples to apples again. I'm not going to travel in a motorhome unless I pull a Jeep. If I'm going to buy and tow a Jeep I want to unhook it when I get to the campground. I guess you can unhook it later when the rain stops if you have a big enough space to wait, but I think a lot of RV parks don't have spaces that long or you'd probably have to pay extra for them.

3 - You make the class A sound safer than a big truck in a head on collision. At high speed nothing is very safe, but I would feel safer with the engine compartment in front of me instead of under me. And a big HD truck sits pretty high, too. It's not like the car in your example.

One other pro for the big truck + big TT that I left off my initial post is that (I think) you can find more mechanics who know how to work on an HD truck than a Class A motorhome engine, but I may be wrong about that. That's what my brother tells me about his Class C motorhome, that it's easier to find service because it's based on a Ford or Chevy truck. Class C is another can of worms that I had considered earlier, but it's probably not for me.

Steve

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond!

1. When you say "big truck", that obviously means something different to you. When I think big truck, I'm thinking an F350 dually with a diesel! When you price those, and a big 5ver, that can easily exceed the cost of a Class A (gasser) + Jeep.

I did buy my Class A used, with 10K miles. It came with a transferable factory warranty for the chassis/drivetrain from Ford. It's still good for another year yet. The coach itself only had a 30 day warranty, but I could have purchased one of three available levels via Lazy Days (dealer). Having owned RVs for so many years, and doing almost all of my own repairs, mods, and upgrades, there was no reason for "me" to do this. Obviously YMMV. I don't know many people willing or able to do the stuff I find fun. I'm weird that way.

2. The slick thing about the TOAD is not having to wait to unhitch at the campground, especially when it's raining. I can simply go to the nearest gas station, with covered pumps, pull in, and unhitch. The process takes about 2-3 minutes. Incredibly easy, and the towbar arms collapse, and fold. They stay attached to the back of the motorhome. No heavy lifting.

Once I've backed the motorhome into the site, pushed all the magic buttons, I press the one for the awning, and now the wife has a covered carport to park the Jeep. Cheating, but when you live in Florida, where rain can be a daily event, you tend to be creative. How do you like them apples? :W



When we depart, we have the same options for hitching. BUT, since I'm going to need to disconnect the shore connections, I typically throw on the poncho, and take care of everything at once. Not as slick for sure.

3. The engine is still in front of the driver on our Class A.



But it is lower than the driver. The engine cover is only a few inches above the floor. From the outside, it's hard to see the very long dash between the driver, and the front of the vehicle. The windshield at the front of the rig gives a false impression of where it's located.

This evening I took a tape measure to get an accurate reading on the height of the driver in our Class A. The interior floor of the motorhome is almost 48". The seat is another 18". That puts my butt 5.5' or about 66 inches in the air. This is why my eye level is about the same as a full sized tractor trailer rig. The average car is well shorter than that, which is why I made the comment. There are no winners in an accident, but the odds are better if most of the collision is where you're not.

The F53/F550 chassis is by far the most common. The V10 6.8L gas engine has been around a long time for RVs and trucks, and can be serviced at ANY Ford dealership, and probably every other shop as well. Kind of like finding someone to work on a Chevy 350. Doesn't require a "diesel mechanic", or some weird authorized service center. It even has the standard OBDII computer port for diagnostics.

Everyone will have a different opinion. My recommendation is to listen to those who actually own/use a particular setup, and take complaints about something they don't own with a block of salt. I've been on this forum a very long time, and you wouldn't believe the number of people who told me what I was already doing wouldn't work, despite pictures and videos to the contrary!

But your preferences are yours, and yours alone. Whatever you think works best for you, probably will. Go kick the tires, take 'em for a drive, try to get a little seat time before you commit a big chunk on a new setup. Renting for a week is another consideration.

Happy Shopping!