buying a 5th wheel trailers
My wife and I are about three years from retirement at which time we are going to sell our house and become full time RV's. We presently own a travel trailer that we want to upgrade to a fifth wheel ...
Forum Discussion
ETCSSW Welcome To RV.NET
There are many options available to you, but alot depends on your wants and needs and budget.
Where you plan to spend the bulk of your time will make a big difference in the onboard amenities and the audio and thermal insulating values of your fifthwheel that will make your fulltime living comfortable.
Where you plan to spend the bulk of your time also will dictate the maximum size of fifthwheel that you will want to purchase. If state park are your type you will want ot limit your size to 32-34 ft maximum.
If you plan to go off the grid quite a bit boondocking you will want weight capacity for a generator and solar panels
What brand of trailer do you now own and how often do you currently use? With lite weight units all components are not biult for constant day after day of use. Cutlery drawers in low-end lite vacation units with plastic runners and plastic brackets are opened and closed 15-25 times per day which for a vacation unit which equals 600-1000 times per year assuming 10 weekends and 2 weeks use during the summer time.
Fulltime use would result in you opening and closed a drawer full of all your fulltime cutlery needs 5000-9200 times per year. How well do you think a lite weight unit with plastic hardware will stand up to this quantity of use.
Make sure you purchase the correct unit once and not waste your money on the wrong unit and become very disillusioned.
What do you plan to use for a tow vehicle? The size of TV will determine the weight of trailer that you can safely stop and control while towing.
I strongly suggest a used (3-5 year old) mid to high-end unit and a TV capable of the weight.
Keep asking questions as that is the only way to learn and avoid costly mistakes.
There are many options available to you, but alot depends on your wants and needs and budget.
Where you plan to spend the bulk of your time will make a big difference in the onboard amenities and the audio and thermal insulating values of your fifthwheel that will make your fulltime living comfortable.
Where you plan to spend the bulk of your time also will dictate the maximum size of fifthwheel that you will want to purchase. If state park are your type you will want ot limit your size to 32-34 ft maximum.
If you plan to go off the grid quite a bit boondocking you will want weight capacity for a generator and solar panels
What brand of trailer do you now own and how often do you currently use? With lite weight units all components are not biult for constant day after day of use. Cutlery drawers in low-end lite vacation units with plastic runners and plastic brackets are opened and closed 15-25 times per day which for a vacation unit which equals 600-1000 times per year assuming 10 weekends and 2 weeks use during the summer time.
Fulltime use would result in you opening and closed a drawer full of all your fulltime cutlery needs 5000-9200 times per year. How well do you think a lite weight unit with plastic hardware will stand up to this quantity of use.
Make sure you purchase the correct unit once and not waste your money on the wrong unit and become very disillusioned.
What do you plan to use for a tow vehicle? The size of TV will determine the weight of trailer that you can safely stop and control while towing.
I strongly suggest a used (3-5 year old) mid to high-end unit and a TV capable of the weight.
Keep asking questions as that is the only way to learn and avoid costly mistakes.
