5th wheel vs. MH advice

[ducksquasher]

Hi All,

We currently have a 30 ft. travel trailer which we do love but are getting to the point of upgrading. At this point we are looking for something with a little more room, self-leveling, easier set-up, more stability, etc.

We are looking at buying a new truck and then a 5th wheel and we start thinking that we could probably buy a Class C and a small SUV to tow for about the same price as a truck and 5th wheel depending on options, model, etc.

I always envisioned myself with a 5th wheel but I thought I would reach out and see why all of you prefer a 5th wheel over a MH.

Thanks in advance!

[Veebyes]

The big argument over toad vs towable hitch/unhitch really is a non issue. It is not like we are making a launch window have to work around live TV broadcast. We have no place to be & no time restraints to be there.

We are retired or on holiday. A couple minutes don't mean squat. They certainly have no weight in RV type choice.

[Winnebago_Bob]

valhalla360 wrote:

Winnebago Bob wrote:
Comparing the hitching/de-hitching of a toad to the hitching/de-hitching of a TT or 5'er is a ridiculous comparison.

True, for a quick overnight, it's easy to just back into a spot and leave it hooked up and ready to go in the morning. With a MH, it's paying extra for the pull thru spot (if they have one) or unhooking.

.

Unhooking a toad takes two minutes..

[DallasSteve]

Dtank wrote:
You are in CA. To "switch" means tossing a bunch of money in the air!

Huh? Unlike "mtofell1" in Oregon (zero sales tax), *YOU* will pay approx ten percent in sales tax to CA for whatever you purchase!

Could be an expensive proposition, or a *VERY* expensive proposition - depending on what you buy.
No "resale value" for/on sales tax!!..:W

😉

It hurts to think about it that way. If someone buys a $100,000 motor home in California they are writing a check for $7,500 to the government which is like burning money except it doesn't keep you warm. In Texas I think it would be $6,250. If I buy a $30,000 trailer here it's still almost $2,000 spent for nothing. But then every three years when I lease a new car I'm doing almost the same thing and I never give it a second thought.

[Veebyes]

I maintain that the best boat is somebody else's. That does not quite work with RVs. The best RV is most likely the one you already have, paid for, & you know all of its strengths & weaknesses.

If you are starting & at your first RV choice, the best one is what you pick after doing hours upon hours of research, first of all determining how it will be used & the basics needed for that use.

Buying a series of mistakes gets very expensive very quickly.

[Dtank]

ducksquasher wrote:
Hi All,

We currently have a 30 ft. travel trailer which we do love but are getting to the point of upgrading. At this point we are looking for something with a little more room, self-leveling, easier set-up, more stability, etc.

We are looking at buying a new truck and then a 5th wheel and we start thinking that we could probably buy a Class C and a small SUV to tow for about the same price as a truck and 5th wheel depending on options, model, etc.

I always envisioned myself with a 5th wheel but I thought I would reach out and see why all of you prefer a 5th wheel over a MH.

Thanks in advance!

Lots of pros and cons posted.

Often - the *BEST* RV.....is the one you have!

You are in CA. To "switch" means tossing a bunch of money in the air!

Huh? Unlike "mtofell1" in Oregon (zero sales tax), *YOU* will pay approx ten percent (10%) in sales tax to CA for whatever you purchase!

Could be an expensive proposition, or a *VERY* expensive proposition - depending on what you buy.
No "resale value" for/on sales tax!!..:W

😉

[chasmatt45]

We have had a MH, TT and FW. By far the most convenient is the FW. Cost of operation is far less than the MH. When we had the MH all I did was pass out multiples of $300. The TT was nice but I di not like the way big rigs passing us pushed us around. The FW has more usable room than either the TT or MH. The MH required a toad if we intended to sightsee. The toad was more work to hitch up than the FW because of the brake buddy. I never let my wife move around in the MH because I felt it was too dangerous. Also people did incredibly dumb things in front of the MH. They still do dumb things around the FW but not quite as bad.

[mtofell1]

Obviously a personal choice and lots of opinions. I largely agree that a 5th is favorable for staying put and a class A is best for moving lot. At least for the way I live/camp it is. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Class A is much better while rolling down the road - visibility for seeing sights is better, on board generator can be fired up to use microwave, etc. Slides are less restrictive to allow for movement while retracted, spouse can take bathroom runs while in motion.

5th has a better floor plan with more usable space (no steering wheel in the living room, deeper/more slides), 5th and truck will likely cost less than a class A and toad. Most 5th wheels have more/better storage.

Again, we all have different opinions and usage needs so your opinion may vary.

[DallasSteve]

A motor home plus a toad seems like a more complicated tow connection than a truck and a trailer. I'm thinking that whether you use a tow bar (to tow flat), a dolly (on two wheels), or a trailer you have two points of connection that must be secured. It must be secure where the device meets the motor home and it must be secure where the device meets the car. Plus, I wouldn't want to have to drill holes in the bottom of my vehicle to secure it to the tow device. Maybe it's not that complicated, but it seems like to me.

[Nomadac]

ChuckV1 wrote:

As a couple of OP's have stated if you have done any camping at all with a 5th wheel the more you back one in the easier it is. In fact backing a 5th wheel into a tight camp site is easier with a 5th wheel than a TT.

My MH has a 45 degree turning radius and takes less space to backup than a Fiver.

As well DP are very expensive to maintain, your pickup take 10 to 12 quarts of oil, a Cummings or Detroit engine takes 30 to 40 quarts of oil My Cummins takes 22 qts. of oil., your filter on a pickup takes a quart maybe two, a DP takes about the same but the filter it's self cost three to four times more. Tires for your pickup may run a $250 per tire for good tires, a DP will run you $400 to $600 or more per tire depend on the band and size of the tire.

Yes MH's are more expensive but offer more features than Fivers, Air bags for better ride, air brakes, exhaust brakes for long down hills, 8K Quite Diesel generators, greater fresh water, gray and black tank capacity. My Trans is a Allison 6 speed, towing capacity is 10K with CCC of over 3K. Not to mention in after checking in and disconnecting my dinghy I can pull into my campsite in pouring rain and do not have to get out to setup until the rain to stop as I am fully self contained until it stops.

Make no mistakes MH's have a lot of features including ride, etc.for travel if you can afford one.

[valhalla360]

sdianel wrote:

We get to our site, unhook the toad(or 5th wheel) which only take a couple of minutes (unless we're staying one night and have a pull thru then we leave it hooked up(Or just back in and leave the 5th wheel hooked up)), park the RV, hit the automatic air bag level button, hit the dome satellite button, plug in the electric, hookup the water if we're staying more than one night, put out the slides, put out the awning and chairs and voila! cocktail time! We can be unhooked and ready to leave in 15 mins.

Assuming you have a self leveling 5th wheel with automatic satellite (which are options on either 5th wheel or MH), sure sounds like it's about the same.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

We also researched all options when we bought a class A. We have a short Class A and tow a small SUV. We watched other people setting up and breaking camp with various types of RV's and decided the Class A was for us. We also don't stay in one place for months at the time. We get to our site, unhook the toad which only take a couple of minutes (unless we're staying one night and have a pull thru then we leave it hooked up), park the RV, hit the automatic air bag level button, hit the dome satellite button, plug in the electric, hookup the water if we're staying more than one night, put out the slides, put out the awning and chairs and voila! cocktail time! We can be unhooked and ready to leave in 15 mins. There are pros and cons to each type. Only you can decide what's best for you. There have been 2x in 8 years when we had to get a hotel because we had work done on the RV that took more than one day. Most maintenance and work we have done where we can stay in the RV and they bring it back to hookups in the evening. We have been full timing for 8 years.

[1jeep]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

1jeep wrote:
the only real advantage that I could see when we were looking was during travel my wife would have the ability to use the bathroom and make a sandwich. In either unit I would still need to stop for a bathroom break.

And watch her fly thru the window hitting the brakes in a panic situation.

knowing my wifes commitment she would make certain I had my sandwich on her way through.

We could be flying a spaceship I still need to get up and stretch every hour.

[larry_barnhart]

Our friend in a Mountainair MH had his wife get out of the seat and do a nothing thing for their little dog . He made a move for some reason and she hit the corner of the kitchen cabinet. Never had use of that arm again. Seems like that did not need to happen just to get a ball the dog wanted.

chevman

[valhalla360]

Winnebago Bob wrote:
Comparing the hitching/de-hitching of a toad to the hitching/de-hitching of a TT or 5'er is a ridiculous comparison.

True, for a quick overnight, it's easy to just back into a spot and leave it hooked up and ready to go in the morning. With a MH, it's paying extra for the pull thru spot (if they have one) or unhooking.