Class A vs 5th Wheel

Cummins12V98 wrote:

DallasSteve wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Tell that to our friends that were traveling in front of us in their 40' MH on HWY 10 East towards Phoenix, AZ. Winds at 45 hitting us at an angle on the sides. When we arrived he got out and looked like he just got out of bed and was rattled. Before leaving he asked how fast I towed, I said 60-62. That is exactly how fast he was going. He said he had a HE!! of a time keeping in his lane. He asked how we did and I told him the ride was very controlled and comfortable with me driving with one hand most of the way. Later over drinks he was asking a lot of question about our combo.

It's all subjective but I have seen WAY too many Motorhomes come across the line. No thanks!

I hadn't thought about it before, but maybe it's because a truck & trailer has more tires on the road (unless the motorhome is pulling a toad). A big trailer has two axles plus two more on the truck; a total of 4 axles with maybe 8 or 10 tires. A motorhome has just 2 axles, with 4 or 6 tires. That's more rubber to grip the road.

This person has a single rear axle. I'm betting it's to do with suspension.

Tag axle MH handle a lot better. Chris

DallasSteve wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Tell that to our friends that were traveling in front of us in their 40' MH on HWY 10 East towards Phoenix, AZ. Winds at 45 hitting us at an angle on the sides. When we arrived he got out and looked like he just got out of bed and was rattled. Before leaving he asked how fast I towed, I said 60-62. That is exactly how fast he was going. He said he had a HE!! of a time keeping in his lane. He asked how we did and I told him the ride was very controlled and comfortable with me driving with one hand most of the way. Later over drinks he was asking a lot of question about our combo.

It's all subjective but I have seen WAY too many Motorhomes come across the line. No thanks!

I hadn't thought about it before, but maybe it's because a truck & trailer has more tires on the road (unless the motorhome is pulling a toad). A big trailer has two axles plus two more on the truck; a total of 4 axles with maybe 8 or 10 tires. A motorhome has just 2 axles, with 4 or 6 tires. That's more rubber to grip the road.

This person has a single rear axle. I'm betting it's to do with suspension.

Yep the wind really pushes you around in a motorhome. After driving mine for 3 hours wind or not I am usually beat up. When driving my truck and toy hauler I am not tired and could drive all day.

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Tell that to our friends that were traveling in front of us in their 40' MH on HWY 10 East towards Phoenix, AZ. Winds at 45 hitting us at an angle on the sides. When we arrived he got out and looked like he just got out of bed and was rattled. Before leaving he asked how fast I towed, I said 60-62. That is exactly how fast he was going. He said he had a HE!! of a time keeping in his lane. He asked how we did and I told him the ride was very controlled and comfortable with me driving with one hand most of the way. Later over drinks he was asking a lot of question about our combo.

It's all subjective but I have seen WAY too many Motorhomes come across the line. No thanks!

I hadn't thought about it before, but maybe it's because a truck & trailer has more tires on the road (unless the motorhome is pulling a toad). A big trailer has two axles plus two more on the truck; a total of 4 axles with maybe 8 or 10 tires. A motorhome has just 2 axles, with 4 or 6 tires. That's more rubber to grip the road.

Yes , I have been in MUCH worse weather than that day but never felt unsafe. Now I can say with my 98 12V towing a 32.5' 5er there was one time a gust hit us coming down a long grade that scared the he!! out of us!

Dually with a heavy RV is the ticket!

We were towing south on I-5 and saw a semi hit an S-10 chev that was going round and round on a rain and windy day. We stopped at a rest stop and a 40 ft MH driver got out and said wow that winds really blows ya around. Not really was my answer. I could tell he did not like my true answer. Same for our neighbor when we were driving North on 395 in wa st. As we entered I-90 he changed lanes. The wind was blowing and we watched him fight to stay in the lane. We stopped at a rest stop and he told me he did not change lands the wind pushed him. Scared them of course. So Cummins 12V 6.7 and I feel we like what we have. chevman

" From experience I can tell you the ride doesn't even compare."

Tell that to our friends that were traveling in front of us in their 40' MH on HWY 10 East towards Phoenix, AZ. Winds at 45 hitting us at an angle on the sides. When we arrived he got out and looked like he just got out of bed and was rattled. Before leaving he asked how fast I towed, I said 60-62. That is exactly how fast he was going. He said he had a HE!! of a time keeping in his lane. He asked how we did and I told him the ride was very controlled and comfortable with me driving with one hand most of the way. Later over drinks he was asking a lot of question about our combo.

It's all subjective but I have seen WAY too many Motorhomes come across the line. No thanks!

Rock Wells wrote:
Thank you all for your input. Momma & I went to look at fiver's yesterday, think we're going in that direction...

Looking at your signature, you should have a pretty good idea of what a Class A has to offer (even though there are number of Class A options out there that are are world apart compared to your current coach).

Did you tow your Jeep? How did that work for you? Did you like driving the Class A? What were the negatives?

A lot of questions for you to consider.

We've been doing the RVing thing long enough to know that everything has compromises.

Hopefully, you can enjoy whatever direction you decide to go.

fj12ryder wrote:

et2 wrote:
Once you start getting older you "might" agree that hooking up a toad is much easier than hooking and unhooking a fiver. It was for me. I'll never go back. Plus the ride is way more comfortable.

I don't know that I totally agree with that. Unhooking a 5th wheel is as easy as pulling the lever and unhooking the plug. Tough to get much easier than that. All the other stuff has to be done with the motorhome too, such as hooking up the electric, sewer, water.

Some of the toads I've seen have to have the towing bars removed in order to drive them around. That looks seriously inconvenient.

And someone else mentioned the steps in a 5th wheel. I'll take those steps over the steps to get into a Class A. Those things are steep and tall, and more of them.

It's not that cut and dry. We've owned 4 fivers. They don't always cooperate when unhooking or hooking back up. Not to mention many of us have to find a way of climbing up on the side to do this while bending over the side. If you have a bad back this gets old. If you don't have auto leveling you many times must level before unhooking and chock the wheels.

Nothing more than pushing a button on the MH. The toad doesn't require climbing up on anything. And many times doesn't have to be disconnected to level the MH. From experience I can tell you the ride doesn't even compare.

Cummins12V98 wrote:




I'm thinkin the 5er is a much easier combo! No need to stop n unhook before pulling into site with 5er. Irritating others because of blocking one lane doing so.

We are conscious of this and will many times unhook the toad before we pull into the camping areas. However, with our set-up, it is less than 2 minutes from the time I start unhooking to when my wife is pulling the Jeep away (I've timed myself out of curiosity).

I've watched many a fiver trying to navigate a narrow spot and taking much, much more time block the road than what it "should" take someone with a toad to move.

Of course, there are those that are not nearly as considerate as we are perhaps but, then again, there are many fiver owners who take their time too.

I don't really think this should be a consideration in your decision.