thinking about getting a fifthwheel

MCMD wrote:
We have had a class B+ motorhome ( Forest river lexington) for 10 years but have only had time for 2 or3 week long trips per year and then some weekends. We have loved it but the storage is terrible and we decided we didn't really want to tow. We retire in a little over a year and my husband wants to swap to a fifthwheel for bigger storage/living space and to be able to drop/detach for longer stays. The goal is to not full time but go for a month or so at a time.
We are active but not as agile or as strong as we used to be so I find the size a bit intimidating.
Our motorhome has had it's share of usual annoyances and repairs but nothing terrible so we are only handy to a certain degree.
We like the rear living model...but wondered if any particular model/company has a better reputation or honors warranty work without huge hassle( if we go new) in your opinion. We would like to stay under 35 ft.
How important are bells and whistles like automatic leveling etc that seems to add a big $?
We will try to buy within the next 6 months so we have time to search.
Also...any thoughts..do you think we would regret giving up the ease of the motorhome,is a fifthwheel "difficult" to get used to :)

First, don't depend on the mfr as much as the dealer for warranty work. Find a =good= dealer for the brand(s) you're contemplating. That being said, remember that you =won't= be able to use them when traveling, so a call to the mfr to check to see if they have issues with using mobile service for warranty work, is also in order.

While our new KZ doesn't have a ton of stuff, one of the things that I was adamant about having was the self-leveling. While there's been a learning curve, so far, I love having it. Shoot, just having dual motors on the front jacks makes it so much faster to raise and lower. If money were tight, I'd have this over the solid counter tops (and pick up some cargo capacity, too) any day.

I'm NOT a fan of the electric awnings as I feel they're too fragile, especially if you camp in windy areas. Here in AZ, we end up losing all our shade if it gets too windy and, even at 7k+ feet, it gets hot in the sun, and worse if you're boondocking. Unfortunately, manual awnings are no longer available on the majority of RVs above the most basic.

I love the all LED lighting and noticed a huge difference in power usage over my old FW, which was all-incandescent lighting. I use 2 6v golf cart batteries and had no issues on our boondocker.

For someone just getting into a FW, even though you've been RVing, look at good used rigs. Ones in excellent condition tend to have all the bugs already worked out and, maybe, even some mods done that make it even better. 2 mid-level brands that have a better warranty than most are Jayco and KZ. I extensively researched for over 2 years and they had the floorplan I most wanted, though did NOT end up with. :B KZ was my #1 choice for 2 reasons. I felt that they had a slightly better "rep" than did Jayco, but it was pretty close. Secondly, the KZ models I was looking at simply had larger tanks and, since we boondock some, having a larger black tank was a necessity. Both these brands have 2 year warranties, so I think that sets them above other brands just a bit.

Now, one of the biggest mistakes is that many FW buyers either already have a truck, or buy a truck =first=. Better to look at FWs first to see what you like, then get a truck to fit what you like. Second biggest mistake is that new FW buyers listen to salesmen when it comes to what a truck can tow. With FWs it's not about TOWING; it's about PAYLOAD, i.e., how much weight can any particular truck carry. You've got the whole front of the FW to carry in the bed of your truck, on top of the hitch, fuel, people and "stuff". Even a 35' FW can easily have 4,000 lbs on the hitch, so you have to be aware of this when buying.

Good luck in your search and do NOT be afraid to ask questions. The only dumb questions are the ones that don't get asked, IMO. :B

Lyle

Do you already have a tow vehicle or is this another purchase?
This is important as attempting to tow a 36+ foot fiver means your encroaching on dually terratory.
So lets start with the premise you do not have a truck. Buy a dually and them pick almost any fiver you like.
Buy a 3500SRW and you start to limit yourself to sizes 36 feet and under.
Pick a 2500 and limit yourself to 33 feet and under. These of course are general numbers and can vary widely based on which fifth wheel you want.
BTW class A MHs by far will have more storage. Fifth wheels will have more living space for a given length but less storage.

We just upgraded from a TT to our first Fifth Wheel.
We actually put a deposit on a MH before we bought the FW, but changed our mind.
We too had about a 35' max on it, due to the size of my storage building.
We just took it out for our first weekender and had a good experience.
I would not have made the purchase without auto-leveling. That one feature was important, as I, too, am approaching retirement. In our Grand Design Reflection, the auto-level, the waste tank handles, water connection, etc is all at waist level. No more crawling around on the ground for an old fat guy to get to everything.

If you are buying a new tow vehicle, I'll share some information with you.
We bought a Dodge RAM 2500 gasoline engine.
The Diesel engine takes up almost 1,000# more cargo capacity (around 3600# to around 2700#).
The 4.10 rear end versus the 3.?? gave us more tow capacity. approximately 2500# more.
If you want to go to a 3500/350, you will be able to tow nearly any 35' FW around.
If you stay with a 2500/250, just look at the cargo capacity difference between gas and Diesel and the tow capacity between rear ends.
I am a lot more comfortable towing our 12,000# (wet) FW with my 2500 than I was towing our 7200# (wet) TT with my F150 Ecoboost.

Read this and other forums long enough and you will eventually see someone complain about problems with every manufacturer and every brand, including the “high end” models.

There are heavy 5ers, there are so called light weight 5ers (that are still pretty heavy), and there are very heavy 5ers. So look at weights, particularly pin weights, before choosing a truck, or choosing a 5er for your current truck if you have one. Pin weights of a 35’ 5er can vary by a thousand pounds or more depending on the manufacturer, model, and floorplan. And buying a 5er does not necesarily mean you must have a dually. All depends on weights.

Another vote for auto leveling. I would also highly recommend disc brakes.

We just moved up from a small travel trailer to a 30' 5th wheel -- a Winnebago Minnie Plus 27RLTS. It's a rear living model with a center kitchen island. We have much the same goal as you -- not to be full time, but to eventually go on longer trips than we can do now.

We have been very happy with this trailer so far. There is more storage than we can fill at this time. Maybe we'll get to a time when we'll fill more of it as we take longer trips.

We opted for NO auto-leveling and are finding it's really pretty easy to level without it. It would have added about $2,000 to the price of the trailer -- no thanks.

Has not been difficult to get used to at all -- although I think we have sacrificed some of the "camping" feel to our traveling. :-)

Yes, definitely do your research on what kind of truck you will need for the trailer you pick, but don't necessarily assume that you must have a dually in order to pull a 5th wheel.

MCMD wrote:
We have had a class B+ motorhome ( Forest river lexington) for 10 years but have only had time for 2 or3 week long trips per year and then some weekends. We have loved it but the storage is terrible and we decided we didn't really want to tow. We retire in a little over a year and my husband wants to swap to a fifthwheel for bigger storage/living space and to be able to drop/detach for longer stays. The goal is to not full time but go for a month or so at a time.
We are active but not as agile or as strong as we used to be so I find the size a bit intimidating.
Our motorhome has had it's share of usual annoyances and repairs but nothing terrible so we are only handy to a certain degree.
We like the rear living model...but wondered if any particular model/company has a better reputation or honors warranty work without huge hassle( if we go new) in your opinion. We would like to stay under 35 ft.
How important are bells and whistles like automatic leveling etc that seems to add a big $?
We will try to buy within the next 6 months so we have time to search.
Also...any thoughts..do you think we would regret giving up the ease of the motorhome,is a fifthwheel "difficult" to get used to :)

Like what has been mentioned before. Look for a Good 30'-35'Fifth Wheel. It will be a start to see how you like towing. If you have a Friend who has a Fifth Wheel ask him what to look for and ask if he would go with you to check out the Trailers. He will know what to look for. Buy the Trailer before you get The Truck. That way you will know the Trailer Weight and get the truck to match. Also Take your time no rushing. Get what you need and looking for in a Trailer. Best of luck in your search.
Best of luck in your search

Auto-level does add quite a bit of $$$ to the price of a 5er, but it is by far, one of the best things we have on our fifth wheel. We are also "older" - DH turned 63 this past weekend and he has had 4 back surgeries, both knees replaced and a shoulder patched up. This allows him to open a compartment, push a button and things are done as long as the thing is at least mostly level to begin with.

As far as good quality, I agree with another poster that a slightly used one will probably be a better buy since most of the beginning "quality" issues have been addressed. Friends with both a KZ model and a Jayco model have had their fifth wheels in for many more warranty work than we have with our Forest River model. I think it is just a luck of the draw as to what problems you have. I do also agree with the poster that said the dealer was more important than the manufacturer with regards to getting warranty work done in a timely manner.

humblerb wrote:
We just upgraded from a TT to our first Fifth Wheel.
We actually put a deposit on a MH before we bought the FW, but changed our mind.
We too had about a 35' max on it, due to the size of my storage building.
We just took it out for our first weekender and had a good experience.
I would not have made the purchase without auto-leveling. That one feature was important, as I, too, am approaching retirement. In our Grand Design Reflection, the auto-level, the waste tank handles, water connection, etc is all at waist level. No more crawling around on the ground for an old fat guy to get to everything.

If you are buying a new tow vehicle, I'll share some information with you.
We bought a Dodge RAM 2500 gasoline engine.
The Diesel engine takes up almost 1,000# more cargo capacity (around 3600# to around 2700#).
The 4.10 rear end versus the 3.?? gave us more tow capacity. approximately 2500# more.
If you want to go to a 3500/350, you will be able to tow nearly any 35' FW around.
If you stay with a 2500/250, just look at the cargo capacity difference between gas and Diesel and the tow capacity between rear ends.
I am a lot more comfortable towing our 12,000# (wet) FW with my 2500 than I was towing our 7200# (wet) TT with my F150 Ecoboost.

X2 - this is our first season with our 2018 Grand Design Reflection 303RLS. 33 ft long, rear living opposing slides, auto leveling standard. This system is awesome. We toured a lot of units with this floor plan and the GD was vastly superior. The new models have better appliances, and two electric awnings that are not flimsy. Motion sensing LED lighting, fireplace, recliners that sit directly across from a big screen TV, huge pantry and storage up the Wazoo. We don't have a use for all the storage this thing has. My only complaint is that the LED under awning lights are too bright - so I installed a dimmer.

I paid about 42K - negotiated down from MSRP, plus some addons like forward AC.

Good luck.