Facing a conundrum, what to do?

[ElCaminoManT]

The wife and i have been going to the Northwood dealer here to look at the Arctic Fox 29-5k 5er for about a year now. we really like that one and find ourselves always compare other products to it. we just sold the super c so now looking way more seriously at options. factoring everything in this time and since it is well known how heavy the AF units are I'm also checking other options. have found and looked at the Jayco Eagle 319mlok as is basically a lighter, slightly lower profile, and less expensive 'twin' to the AF. i know they are not technically direct competitors because they are on quite different quality levels from each other.

being that the AF is about $20k more expensive and ~3-4k lbs heavier at least, its hard to not strongly consider the Jayco. I'm just worried if we did go with the Jayco that i would always feel like i settled or sold myself short by not getting the AF since i know the quality of the AF is known to be so much better, especially in what counts, the structure and frame. that being said, the Jayco felt pretty darn solid under my feet and had a few design features that i actually prefer over the AF as they make more sense for us. registration and insurance fees are reflective of the unit cost and play into the overalls as well.

also, we are looking strongly into going full time for a year or 2 in the (hopefully) near-ish future to figure out where we eventually want to relocate to. i know the AF can handle this, can the Jayco?

dang it, what the heck am i supposed to do here?

[laknox]

I, OTOH, had towed enough bumper-pull trailers, as well as a GN utility trailer, that I knew from the get-go that I wanted a FW! :B While I never really towed a fully-rigged TT, I could see the pros/cons of the FW right away.

Lyle

[MarkTwain]

Veebyes wrote:
Hmmm, there seems to be many more people going from a class A to a 5er than a 5er to a class A. Must be a reason for that.

Might be the <$200 tires for the 5er & its truck vs >$300 tires for the class A. Might be the 10mpg for the diesel 3500 truck vs 5mpg for the class A. Might be the likelyhood that any decent small town garage can deal with issues that the truck might have vs finding a place that can or wants to deal with a pain to get access to DP engine. Finding a not very old 3500 diesel truck & a decent not very old 5er for under $100K is not too difficult. Try finding a not very old nice DP for anywhere near that.

But hey, some of those DPs are really nice. Near yacht quality finish some of them. Near yacht level pricing too.

Availability of RV parks/sites is greater for 5th. wheels because of size. Cost of insurance between Class A vs 5th wheel.

[mtofell1]

Veebyes wrote:
Hmmm, there seems to be many more people going from a class A to a 5er than a 5er to a class A. Must be a reason for that.

Okay.... I'm game. Do you have some stats or info to explain this? I'm not saying you're wrong but just wondering if it's correct?

[Veebyes]

Hmmm, there seems to be many more people going from a class A to a 5er than a 5er to a class A. Must be a reason for that.

Might be the <$200 tires for the 5er & its truck vs >$300 tires for the class A. Might be the 10mpg for the diesel 3500 truck vs 5mpg for the class A. Might be the likelyhood that any decent small town garage can deal with issues that the truck might have vs finding a place that can or wants to deal with a pain to get access to DP engine. Finding a not very old 3500 diesel truck & a decent not very old 5er for under $100K is not too difficult. Try finding a not very old nice DP for anywhere near that.

But hey, some of those DPs are really nice. Near yacht quality finish some of them. Near yacht level pricing too.

[GHop]

For us, it has been a Northwood fifth wheel due to the quality. We currently have the Arctic Fox 35-5z and love it. Yes, there is other's out there with more bling but we can tow without worries of our fifth wheel falling apart. Get what your wallet can handle and what is best for your family. Whatever you decide, be safe and have fun.

[goducks10]

Here's a nice used DP. Good luck in your search. Many to choose from.
https://www.marathoncoach.com/product/marathon-coach-1252-certified-pre-own-with-warranty/

[ElCaminoManT]

The wife and I have been doing a LOT of discussing of this subject and going back and forth and have come to the conclusion that a 5th wheel actually isn't the best fit for us at this point in our lives. Even if/when we do the full-time gig, we are not ones to post up somewhere for any length of time. I also would see myself always thinking that I settled by not getting the AF if we had gone with a Jayco or something similar. For us, a used diesel pusher makes more sense so that is where our search is now going. Yeah, there is way more complication with maintenance and such on a pusher but at least the majority of the depreciation has already taken place on the age of pushers that we are looking at.

Thank you for everyone's input, the wife and I really do appreciate it!

[DogTrainer]

Buy what you want. you will never be happy if you don't.

they will all have problems. your problems will be less if you are happy with your unit.

[2012Coleman]

I looked at a YouTube video of the Arctic Fox 29-5k, and although I've never been in one, the placement of the TV would not suit me. Who wants to look at the TV sideways? Arctic Fox units are scarce around me - no dealerships either, but I've been inside Jayco Eagle fivers and was able to compare to Grand Design at the local show. Grand Design for me was a much better value for the money. Worth checking out - take a look at the 303RLS which is 33 ft, rear living, and the 337RLS which is 36 ft, with more space in the bathroom and front bedroom. Also, the GD is factory certified for full time living. Not sure about AF.

Good luck!

[mtofell1]

Tough call and I understand your quandary. The full timing makes me lean a bit more towards the AF. That being said, Jayco Eagle is a nice line of trailers. I'd probably do a lot of research to see if/how much Thor has ruined Jayco since they got their hands on them a few years ago. Historically, Jayco has been the best of the mass produced, high volume brands. I arrive at that conclusion from hundreds of hours spent on message boards reading of people's troubles so take it for what it's worth. 20K does buy a lot of repairs and upgrades.

[minnow]

troubledwaters wrote:
I can make a lot of improvements for $20,000.00.

And from what I've read since Thor bought out Jayco, you will be.

[goducks10]

Real world CCC. 1817 lbs. Not really conducive to full timing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PsOuBGjoG4

[JesLookin]

We previously had a Forest River and a Keystone built 5ers. When looking for our retirement 5er we discovered the Arctic Fox 5ers. After comparing the specifications Arctic Foxes to other brands, it looked like the AFs would work for us. Only problem was that there were very few to look at, whether you wanted new or used. We did find a new 27-5L, which is the model we wanted. We drove four hours to look at the camper. We were impressed with how it looked and felt compared to our other 5ers. Our AF was expensive but has been very reliable for the last 5 years, hopefully will be for the next 5 years.

We don't full time but have been on many very long trips. From Wisconsin to Maine & back, to Texas & back, to California & back, to Alaska and back, and many shorter trips. We have spent 3+ months at a time in or camper. Getting ready for a few more trips summer. We also volunteer workcamp at a state park for a month each summer.

[4x4ord]

Towing a 16,000 lb RV with a 2006 Duramax 3500 SRW should be a relaxing experience under almost all circumstances. I pulled about $15000 lbs with my 03 Duramax and found it lacking in certain conditions. The older Duramax engines were prone to over heating. The 5 speed transmission without an exhaust brake proved to be incapable of holding a 15000 lb trailer back on long steep grades. I think the 6 speed will do much better. I very much doubt if you will feel a need for duals. In my way of thinking 20k is not much money .... if you can easily afford it and think you'd be happier with the Arctic Fox buy it. 10 years down the road you might even get 5 or 6 of that 20 k back.