Class A MH vs 5th wheel/pu truck

I would think a small class A would be the way to go. Hooking up a fifth wheel does mean a little more work than lifting the hydraulic jacks and rolling out after you disconnect the water, electric etc... If you are hauling a car behind the Class A, that will require as much work as hooking onto a fifth wheel. As for living comforts, we have never camped in a Class A. Our fiver is quite comfortable, but it is large and bulky. If I was you, I would go with a nice Class A.

We've owned both.....though we prefer the 5er for the both of us because of the roominess, for you I'm thinking a Class A is best. It DOES take two of us to hook up the rig. :) I don't agree that hooking up the car is as much work as hooking up a car. You can move the hitch around to fit on the RV...whereas, the 5er requires you to be dang near accurate for hitching...while going backwards!!!!!

My vote is for a Class A.

Assuming you pull a car behind the MH, it's pure preference. No one hand cranks the 5th wheel landing gear today and if you want auto leveling and other assists, they are available for either. It takes us no longer to set up or tear down compared to a couple in a MH. 5th wheels aren't hard to hook up single handed.

Living space is a bit better with a 5th wheel but not by a huge margin.

Once on the road, both are easy to drive and will go the same places (5th wheel has a slight advantage in that you can back up if you get caught somewhere you shouldn't be. A MH with a TOAD must unhook to back up more than a few feet).

If you are willing to live without a car, a smaller class C would be a good option for a single guy and a dog.

amandasgramma wrote:
We've owned both.....though we prefer the 5er for the both of us because of the roominess, for you I'm thinking a Class A is best. It DOES take two of us to hook up the rig. :) I don't agree that hooking up the car is as much work as hooking up a car. You can move the hitch around to fit on the RV...whereas, the 5er requires you to be dang near accurate for hitching...while going backwards!!!!!

I can connect/disconnect my toad in less than 3 minutes...by my self. Connect the two arms, umbilical cable, and breakaway cable and I'm done. The car doesn't even have to be straight or a definite distance from the mh.

Leveling on a Class A is done from inside. A single push of a button and down they go. Another push of the button and the slides go out. And another push of a button and the Sat antenna goes up. Connecting outside utilities is the same procedure as is any other rv.

During bad weather you better believe I'm glad I have a class A.

However, if going to stay in one spot for a longer period of time, I would much rather have a large 5er...but I'd sure hate to have to drive that dually around to the grocery store or exploring. Our toad is small enough to go just about anywhere with 4 occupants and get 30 mpg doing it.

Ron

I am in a fiver for the room and the fact that we stay in one place for a long time most over a week. That said if I were you then the choice would be a class A as the others have said. It is easier getting around town in a small toad than in a big pickup. Whatever you choose, I hope you hit the road and don't look back for a while:):)

As far as the auto leveling, slides, etc. our 5ver is all electric like a MH so it really comes down to would you rather tow a fifth wheel or a Toad. All the other pluses and minuses have been mentioned. Either way you're towing something. I think a nice 5ver and truck will still cost kess than a comparable class A.

We've had/have both. It comes down to personal preferences, floor plans, needing a truck for other than pulling a FW, not wanting another engine/chassis to maintain, yada yada.

The class A will always be more convenient and easier to set up.

You noted that you will be traveling around the country, alone, with your dog. Based on that criteria, you could do that very well in a Class C and not need to worry about a toad. I had a lot of experience with my FIL's Class A, and our current Class C. Our 27 footer does quite well in cities, parking lots, and even camp ground sites where a Class A or a big fiver wouldn't fit. Our family does more traveling than camping in one spot. But, I think before you make a decision, you might want to consider how you will use it most of the time. If you choose to take it to a spot and not move it for a season, or months, then the fiver might be the best choice.