Full time with two vehicles?

[KC10Chief]

My wife and I are still a few years away from RVing full time but I was wondering if anybody travels with two vehicles? I have a Jeep problem. I've had Jeeps for years. Currently have a 2015 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that I bought new. It's a pretty useless vehicle for anything but off roading. It gets terrible gas mileage, is big on the outside but small on the inside, drives like a dumpster in the wind, can't tow anything bigger than a pop-up, etc. I know a class A could pull it no problem. But I'd really like a 5th wheel for full timing. Our idea for full timing, is to move short distances and stay for a couple weeks or more before moving on. I'd tow the RV, and my wife could drive the Jeep. I just feel like I get a lot more RV for my money with a 5er. Anybody else full timing and moving occasionally with a tow vehicle and another vehicle?

[CincyGus]

Have you considered a 5th wheel toyhauler and a side by side 4 wheeler for your offroading? Seems like the best of both worlds unless your talking more about rock crawling. Something to check out.

[Wingnusa]

We've been fulltiming since 2005 and for the last few years we have 2 vehicles. Only because I have a tendency towards working at shooting ranges here and there. I really don't like her driving separate but she wants something to run around in while I'm working. Please don't be like some of the other folks and pull doubles. Not a good plan...

[valhalla360]

KC10Chief wrote:
Thanks for all of the replies! We do a lot of off roading in the Jeep. We go to Colorado and Utah several times a year. There is no way a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck would make it down the trails we hit. If we were full timing, we'd probably be off roading on a regular basis. I like the Razors personally and could live with that. My wife loves the Jeep though. Especially when the weather is lousy outside. Believe me, I'm fully aware of how useless my Jeep is for pretty much everything else. I've been looking at a lot of RVs lately. There are some really nice Class A motorhomes out there that would have no issue pulling the Jeep. They're super expensive though and still not as roomy as a 5er that's 1/8 the price! Every time I look at a 5er, I think about my Jeep problem. Are there 5ers out there that I could flat tow my Jeep behind? Is that even legal? Would be a LOT of weight. My Jeep is pushing 5,000 pounds with all of the armor on it.

Anyways, don't get me wrong. I get truck fever all the time. I used to have a 2002 F-250 with the 7.3L Powerstroke. I loved that truck.

Not many 5ers have a hitch that could pull 5k (never seen flat towing but might be an issue since he back will swing to the side in a turn significantly). Those are likely your more expensive 5ers and you likely need to upgrade that 200 F250 to a newer 1 ton dually...if not more...so the cost difference gets cut down quite a bit (probably still a little cheaper but not by nearly as much).

[Sam_Spade]

KC10Chief wrote:
Is that even legal?

NO. As I already mentioned about 10 posts back.

[2gypsies1]

I don't understand what your RV space requirements are but we full-timed in a 40' Class A with abundant space and towed our Jeep.

[time2roll]

Would seem to be easier to flat tow vs pull a boat or something with tongue weight. And I have seen plenty of 5th-wheels with boats behind them.

[KC10Chief]

Thanks for all of the replies! We do a lot of off roading in the Jeep. We go to Colorado and Utah several times a year. There is no way a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck would make it down the trails we hit. If we were full timing, we'd probably be off roading on a regular basis. I like the Razors personally and could live with that. My wife loves the Jeep though. Especially when the weather is lousy outside. Believe me, I'm fully aware of how useless my Jeep is for pretty much everything else. I've been looking at a lot of RVs lately. There are some really nice Class A motorhomes out there that would have no issue pulling the Jeep. They're super expensive though and still not as roomy as a 5er that's 1/8 the price! Every time I look at a 5er, I think about my Jeep problem. Are there 5ers out there that I could flat tow my Jeep behind? Is that even legal? Would be a LOT of weight. My Jeep is pushing 5,000 pounds with all of the armor on it.

Anyways, don't get me wrong. I get truck fever all the time. I used to have a 2002 F-250 with the 7.3L Powerstroke. I loved that truck.

[stripit]

I pulled the 36 ft 5th wheel with a MDT(International) and wife followed in the PT Cruiser. We only moved normally every few weeks for about 300 miles. The PT was excellent for sight seeing the areas. Bought it new and sold it with 130500 trouble free miles. We kept in touch while moving the rig by CB. Worked for us. Almost never had any issues in RV parks with the extra vehicle.

[valhalla360]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
trade the Jeep for a 3/4- 1t tow truck, keep her car. Even set it up to tow her car behind the 5er After a couple weeks having a pickup you wont miss the Jeep, wonder why you ever had one.

In your post I surmise you were going to keep the Jeep, trade her car. Hmmm.

Big pickups are lousy off road vehicle. They are too wide, too long and not enough clearance. Plus the stiff suspensions for weight carrying making the ride horrendous in rough conditions. If the OP wants a jeep for off roading, this is a poor choice.

I'm a big fan 5er over MH but this is one situation where a MH makes sense.

Now if the OP just wants off road ability and isn't wedded to the jeep, you can pick up a Razor (or similar) side by side ATV and put that in a toy hauler 5er.

[arhayes]

We have friends that began full timing last year. He towed the 5ver and she followed in the car. This year they bought a Razor, sold her car and bought a small pickup. Now he still tows his 5ver and she follows with the pickup towing the Razor on a trailer. We would not enjoy that, but it works for them. To date, though, they pretty much rotate between wintering in AZ, and seeing their kids in CO, AR and TX. We travel full time all over the country other than our winter 3-5 month stop.

Having the smaller pickup gives them a more comfortable and fuel efficient 2nd vehicle. Of course I understand wanting the 2nd vehicle which is why we FT in a Toy Hauler and have our Goldwing with us. Good luck.

[Second_Chance]

We've been full-time for three years now and use a second vehicle (tow vehicle and rig in signature). Until this May, the second vehicle was a 2009 Toyota Corolla. My wife liked driving it but the seats weren't good enough for my back when we wanted to day trip, etc. A couple of months ago we sold it and bought a 2018 Honda CR-V EX-L. We're loving it! Both cars have made it much easier navigating inner cities (family in Baltimore, San Diego, etc.) and places like National Parks.

You might want to read these threads over on RV-Dreams.com:

http://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t64640311/second-vehicle/

http://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t57786019/is-there-a-need-for-a-second-vehicle/

Rob

[Sam_Spade]

KC10Chief wrote:
Anybody else full timing and moving occasionally with a tow vehicle and another vehicle?

Forget towing the Jeep behind a 5er. In most (ALL ??) states, tandem towing is illegal....and dangerous and pretty much impossible to back up if you get in a bind.

Actually having someone drive each vehicle is the only good plan.

[dblr]

There are some of us who tow the large 5th wheels with class 8 tractors then modify the truck to carry whatever vehicle you want. Now grant it for a Jeep it makes for a long set up but possible, I suggest looking at the HDT Resource Guide web site for more info. This is not for everyone but just another option, good luck on whatever route you choose.

[2chiefsRus]

It can be done because we know people who have done it. It's not something we would like to do especially on a full time basis. We prefer to travel together. I agree with another poster about considering a four wheel drive truck as a toad.