What is the life expectancy of the 5th wheel

Depends on a lot of variables. Among them construction how many miles and how it is taken care of.

WOW. Much depends.
How long will a car last.

Fifth wheel trailers haven't been around as long as our TTS. They first showed up around local campgrounds in the early '70s era and were small single and tandem axle units.
My first 5th wheel RV trailer was a (2 month old repo) 1984 26' Aljo by Skyline. WQe kept it for 8 years and sold it to a older couple who lived in the area where we lived at that time. The couple still have and use it.

TTs are no different and I see many '70s Nomads/Laytons/Holiday Ramblers/etc that were popular units in that era still being used.

Camper0414 wrote:
We just ran I to a problem with our 5th and to our great surprise the insurance, RV company, and dealer were all shocked we were shocked I did not think it was that old. One question I was asked we how long do I feel an RV should last. I am interested what the thoughts are and how old your rigs are.

What was the issue and what is the age and make of your rig.

A quality rig could go 15 to 20 years if taken care of.

rhagfo wrote:

Camper0414 wrote:
We just ran I to a problem with our 5th and to our great surprise the insurance, RV company, and dealer were all shocked we were shocked I did not think it was that old. One question I was asked we how long do I feel an RV should last. I am interested what the thoughts are and how old your rigs are.

What was the issue and what is the age and make of your rig.

Yeah, kind of left us hanging as far as what type of 5er OP has, how old and what was the issue.

Mine is 7 yrs old now and still in excellent condition..

Believe a lot of it depends on how well it was built, quality that went into the building of the unit....

Anything manufactured can last forever. It does not wear out as a whole, just parts of it do. The real question is, "When is it economically feasible to repair?" As an example, a 20 year old RV with laminated sidewalls that have severe delamination due to water intrusion may be considered a total loss; however, those walls could be removed and replaced with new. The cost of repair probably would exceed the cost of a new RV, but once repaired with new walls, that old RV would then be serviceable again.

Automobiles are another great example. What is the life expectancy of an automobile? There are Model T's on the road today. There are Stanley Steamers on the road today. Are they practical? Of course not. How long should they last? They apparently will be around a lot longer!

NC Hauler wrote:

rhagfo wrote:

Camper0414 wrote:
We just ran I to a problem with our 5th and to our great surprise the insurance, RV company, and dealer were all shocked we were shocked I did not think it was that old. One question I was asked we how long do I feel an RV should last. I am interested what the thoughts are and how old your rigs are.

What was the issue and what is the age and make of your rig.

Yeah, kind of left us hanging as far as what type of 5er OP has, how old and what was the issue.

Mine is 7 yrs old now and still in excellent condition..

Believe a lot of it depends on how well it was built, quality that went into the building of the unit....

Ours is also 7 years old, and still in great shape.
Our 1st was 21 years old when we bought it cheap, as the back 1/3 of the floor was shot. I was able to repair, and we got three great years out of it before selling for a bigger unit.

I expect this one to get to that age also, but if it gets and real damage the cost of labor will kill you on a repair.

The TT we sold last yr was 18yr old and still in good shape. I fully expect my present 5er to outlast that and maybe me.

Of course all of that is dependent upon when the world ends.

There are Airstreams made before WWII that are still in use today. Some are 75 years old!

Kennedycamper wrote:
A quality rig could go 15 to 20 years if taken care of.

Dang. Mines a 96 which would make it 17 plus years old. Unless you know something I don't which is highly possible, I should be shopping real soon. I sure hope your wrong as I like what I have and was kinda hoping it had some years of life left in it.