class A vs. 5th wheel

[Old_Ephram]

We currently have a 30ft. 5th wheel which we pull with a Chevy 3500 SRW, Duramax. This weekend we went to an RV show and a 33ft class A Alegro caught my eye. My question for those of you who have had both is, how does the MH compare with the 5er in terms of driving/hauling? We would pull a small car, probably a jeep wrangler. My only complaint about the 5th wheel is the boucing and banging on rough roads. My wife likes the idea of being able to go back into the MH while in route. Any thoughts on pros and cons would be appreciated.

[Ivylog]

I'm impressed with NMDriver because in six weeks he's a "Senior Member"... that may be a record.
Having owned every type of RV other than a TH there is no way I'd go back to a trailer. I still have the diesel PU and 5er, but my kids use it.

[et2]

NMDriver wrote:

Feel free to add whatever I missed

You missed saying you do not know much about 5ers and like to make broad generalizations that are not true in detail.

You almost got one right. The one advantage to a class A is your passengers can use the bathroom without pulling over. Although it is not true for the driver and illegal in the US.

However, I am happy with you believing what every makes you happy.

What is funny is your comments about me which you know nothing about. If it gives me more credibility, I've owned two travel trailers and four fifth wheels. At least 3 of the last fivers were of the higher quality - last being a Cameo ( which had hydraulic jacks).Pulled with everything from a 1500 gas pickup to diesel and dually diesel. I had the last pickup setup with an extra 100 gallon fuel tank ( which gave me more driving capacity than my MH).

So the question was how do people feel about a fiver vs a MH in comparison. I have owned and maintained more than enough fivers and have the actual experience of which I'm comfortable I hit the nail on the head with my post. Not sure what I'm missing as I've been there done than. What experience I have you don't by the sounds of it - experience owning and driving and maintaining a class A diesel pusher.

Some day you might understand. 🙂

[willald]

NMDriver wrote:

Feel free to add whatever I missed

You missed saying you do not know much about 5ers and like to make broad generalizations that are not true in detail.

You almost got one right. The one advantage to a class A is your passengers can use the bathroom without pulling over. Although it is not true for the driver and illegal in the US.

However, I am happy with you believing what every makes you happy.

...And you missed saying you do not know much about the laws, and what is illegal and what is not with regards to passengers getting up to use the bathroom in a Motorhome without pulling over.

The 'myth' about it being illegal for passengers to get up and move around in a Motorhome, has been debunked and shown to be baloney time and time again here and on other forums. Still, some people still insist on bringing up and propagating that myth.

Thats OK, though, like you, I am happy with you believing what ever makes you happy. 🙂

[1BryNelson]

kaydeejay wrote:

1BryNelson wrote:
I have to beg to differ also. My F53 chassis with a 37ft Moho rides fabulous. Everyone who has ridden with me has commcommented on the ride and the power it has to pull hills in such a big rig.

Well, I can only relate my experience and that was a 1999 Coachmen Mirada 300QB, a 30 footer, no slides unit on a V10 F53 chassis.
It was positively THE WORST riding vehicle I have ever been in or driven. On other than perfectly smooth roads it was a bone-jarring ride which left me exhausted after less than a couple of hours.If we were on a road with expansion joints the whole coach felt like it was shaking itself apart.
Ford was of no help, neither was Coachmen, which is why I took it to a local truck suspension specialist. This was the outfit who could not believe the cabinets had not ripped out of the ceiling.
We played with tire pressures but beyond that was going to cost big bucks. They suggested Mor-Ryde suspension conversions and Bilstein shocks to the tune of $6000. I passed, at which point I sold it.
My GMC 2500HD truck felt like a Cadillac after that experience!

Well you make me extremely happy that I bought the Pace Arrow. Apparently they understood how to put a Mohome together. Sorry the coaches you bought weren't done correctly, but I think that is on the coach builder not the chassis.

[NMDriver]

Feel free to add whatever I missed

You missed saying you do not know much about 5ers and like to make broad generalizations that are not true in detail.

You almost got one right. The one advantage to a class A is your passengers can use the bathroom without pulling over. Although it is not true for the driver and illegal in the US.

However, I am happy with you believing what every makes you happy.

[kab449]

I still have the F250 Diesel truck I pulled a 40 foot Montana fifth wheel with. I can tell you that my Allegro on the Ford F53 24000 lb chassis rides much better. The tires are Michelin 22.5" with Sumo Springs. The fifth wheel combo was terrible on roads with joints. It pulled and pushed even with the air hitch.
I will never go back. Motorhome is better on all counts.

[Ranger_Smith]

et2 wrote:
Having a toad to use all the time vs a dually that usually sat in the drive, priceless. Now we don't have a extra vehicle just sitting that insurance is being paid on. One less vehicle.

Not having to climb over the truck bed to hook and unhook fiver with a bad back - priceless.

waaayy more comfortable to drive and less stress with a MH, rested upon arrival - priceless.

More room ( yes I did say that) vs same size fiver - priceless.

Quiet Diesel generator that runs off MH fuel tank - priceless

Not having to worry about wheel bearings - priceless

Scenery on trips driving way more enjoyable - priceless

Ease to get up and go in a hurry if needed (security reasons) vs sleeping over somewhere for the night traveling in a fiver - priceless ( not needing to clear a path to the tow vehicle).

Can hook the toad up the night before ( and stay level vs a fiver) departure stow the sewer hoses. Just need to pull the power cord and water - quick exit if needed.

Great to be in a MH in a traffic jam vs fiver - priceless

Feel free to add whatever I missed

X2

[et2]

Having a toad to use all the time vs a dually that usually sat in the drive, priceless. Now we don't have a extra vehicle just sitting that insurance is being paid on. One less vehicle.

Not having to climb over the truck bed to hook and unhook fiver with a bad back - priceless.

waaayy more comfortable to drive and less stress with a MH, rested upon arrival - priceless.

More room ( yes I did say that) vs same size fiver - priceless.

Quiet Diesel generator that runs off MH fuel tank - priceless

Not having to worry about wheel bearings - priceless

Scenery on trips driving way more enjoyable - priceless

Ease to get up and go in a hurry if needed (security reasons) vs sleeping over somewhere for the night traveling in a fiver - priceless ( not needing to clear a path to the tow vehicle).

Can hook the toad up the night before ( and stay level vs a fiver) departure stow the sewer hoses. Just need to pull the power cord and water - quick exit if needed.

Great to be in a MH in a traffic jam vs fiver - priceless

Feel free to add whatever I missed

[msmith1199]

Dons2346 was saying a motorhome is easier to park in a tight campground without a pull thru. If you run into that situation in a motorhome you take the 3 minutes necessary to unhook the toad and back right in. I've got into spaces in my 35 foot class A in one motion, that I've seen people with 5th wheels take 20 minutes to get into, just like Don said. And the biggest advantage to a Class A over a 5er when backing in I don't even need a spotter. I have a camera in the back and my mirrors show me both sides of the motorhome. With a trailer, once it starts to turn you've completely lost sight of the entire side of your trailer.

[valhalla360]

msmith1199 wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

dons2346 wrote:
Another advantage is when you are in a tight campground and there isn't a pull thru. Spent 20 minutes the other day watching a guy try to park a 5th wheel with his big truck. Spot was a simple one for a MH

How exactly do you back up with the toad attached? Assuming you learn how to back up, the 5th wheel has the advantage.

Also, if you goal is push button ease, you can get generators and auto leveling on a 5th wheel. The only horror, is the 10-15 seconds it takes to walk back in the rain from the truck to the trailer. With the price difference of motorhomes, that's a pretty hefty price to pay for the couple times per year when you might get your hair wet.

We find without rushing, we set up or tear down as quickly as most motorhomes do. It's cheaper and easier to maintain a single drivetrain.

The fuel savings with a toad is largely a myth. With MH's typically getting worse MPG by a significant margin compared to PU's towing, you have to put a lot of miles on the toad to make up the difference. The thing is we usally camp close to what we want to see so we aren't putting a ton of miles on the truck. (You may have a specific usage that differs but for most, I believe you will find the same issue if you run the numbers)

If we were to consider a MH it would be because we have need of a particular TOAD. Say you are into off roading and really want a jeep. That's tough with a 5th wheel unless you want to double tow or the spouse drives seperately. In that case a MH makes a logical choice.

Who said they were going to back up with the toad? If you're backing into a campsite, you certainly aren't going to back the toad into the space. My standard procedure is while the wife goes and checks in, I unhook the toad. Then when she's done checking us in we'll either park the toad by the office and come back and get it later, or she'll drive the toad to the site while I take the motorhome. Pretty simple really. And I've gone camping with friends with trailers and we all get there at the same time and I'm backed in, leveled, slides out, and hookups done in time to go help them back in.

Then the original post made no sense. On the rare occasions we are just pulling in for the night, we can back into a spot in 5 minutes and not bother with unhooking.

My guess is some people are just more efficient rather than a type of RV is quicker. I've seen plenty of MH's that take 30min to get in a spot and set up but same as a trailer it's the user not the unit.

[msmith1199]

valhalla360 wrote:

dons2346 wrote:
Another advantage is when you are in a tight campground and there isn't a pull thru. Spent 20 minutes the other day watching a guy try to park a 5th wheel with his big truck. Spot was a simple one for a MH

How exactly do you back up with the toad attached? Assuming you learn how to back up, the 5th wheel has the advantage.

Also, if you goal is push button ease, you can get generators and auto leveling on a 5th wheel. The only horror, is the 10-15 seconds it takes to walk back in the rain from the truck to the trailer. With the price difference of motorhomes, that's a pretty hefty price to pay for the couple times per year when you might get your hair wet.

We find without rushing, we set up or tear down as quickly as most motorhomes do. It's cheaper and easier to maintain a single drivetrain.

The fuel savings with a toad is largely a myth. With MH's typically getting worse MPG by a significant margin compared to PU's towing, you have to put a lot of miles on the toad to make up the difference. The thing is we usally camp close to what we want to see so we aren't putting a ton of miles on the truck. (You may have a specific usage that differs but for most, I believe you will find the same issue if you run the numbers)

If we were to consider a MH it would be because we have need of a particular TOAD. Say you are into off roading and really want a jeep. That's tough with a 5th wheel unless you want to double tow or the spouse drives seperately. In that case a MH makes a logical choice.

Who said they were going to back up with the toad? If you're backing into a campsite, you certainly aren't going to back the toad into the space. My standard procedure is while the wife goes and checks in, I unhook the toad. Then when she's done checking us in we'll either park the toad by the office and come back and get it later, or she'll drive the toad to the site while I take the motorhome. Pretty simple really. And I've gone camping with friends with trailers and we all get there at the same time and I'm backed in, leveled, slides out, and hookups done in time to go help them back in.

[kaydeejay]

1BryNelson wrote:
I have to beg to differ also. My F53 chassis with a 37ft Moho rides fabulous. Everyone who has ridden with me has commcommented on the ride and the power it has to pull hills in such a big rig.

Well, I can only relate my experience and that was a 1999 Coachmen Mirada 300QB, a 30 footer, no slides unit on a V10 F53 chassis.
It was positively THE WORST riding vehicle I have ever been in or driven. On other than perfectly smooth roads it was a bone-jarring ride which left me exhausted after less than a couple of hours.If we were on a road with expansion joints the whole coach felt like it was shaking itself apart.
Ford was of no help, neither was Coachmen, which is why I took it to a local truck suspension specialist. This was the outfit who could not believe the cabinets had not ripped out of the ceiling.
We played with tire pressures but beyond that was going to cost big bucks. They suggested Mor-Ryde suspension conversions and Bilstein shocks to the tune of $6000. I passed, at which point I sold it.
My GMC 2500HD truck felt like a Cadillac after that experience!

[1BryNelson]

kaydeejay wrote:
I went the other way - Class A to a fiver.
Unless you go for a higher level MH, preferably a DP, you will find the ride to be AWFUL.
Mine was a Coachmen on a Ford F53 chassis and it shook the fillings out of my teeth.
Local truck suspension experts couldn't understand how the cabinets had not ripped out of the roof.
Coachmen were of no help "What do you expect, it's a Fedex truck chassis?"
Truck and fiver is a better ride, even if it does bounce on some of the rougher roads.
So, if you go from a Class A, be sure to drive it on some rough roads before you commit to make sure you can live with it.

I have to beg to differ also. My F53 chassis with a 37ft Moho rides fabulous. Everyone who has ridden with me has commcommented on the ride and the power it has to pull hills in such a big rig.

[Gjac]

When I was making the same decision 10 years ago people that had both told me if you are a traveler, moving every couple of days buy the Class A. If you are a camper, weeks at a time in one spot or seasonal buy the 5th wheel. I figured I was more of a traveler so I bought the Class A. Besides the the convenience of set up, having 2 vehicles in case one breaks down to go to the parts store which has happen several times is the overall fuel economy of the Class A over the 5th wheel truck combo. I have a Toyota Corolla that gets 40 mpg highway and the 33ft Class A gets 8.7 averaged over 80,000 miles, I put as many if not more on the tow car to explore, sight see, and go into town. So I average 23 mpg for the combo. The 5th wheel may get 12 towing and 17 running around town so its not even close. Another thing that swayed my decision is that my tow car is also my DD, I would not want to use a truck as a DD unless it was a work truck that I would use every day. Having said all that if you already have the 5th wheel and truck and its paid for, I would keep it until it was no longer operational or nearing the end of its useful life. Camping is good in both.