Fulltime 5er to MH - Help?
Hello all,
like the title says, me and my family live fulltime in a 5th wheel and are potentially looking to get into a motorhome. I've been doing a ton of research and looking at a bunch of MH's online, but I could really use some help. I've also went through this forum and picked up on some key things while reading through various posts. I'll list needs as well as some background and hope I get some helpful info/advice.
About us: Me and my wife are 29, and 30 yrs old, our kids are 8mo., 3, and 4. We have been fulltiming in our 2019 Big Horn 3925MLP for a little over a year now and traveled quite abit within Texas last year. My work can be done remotely and she is a stay at home mom. We like the fact that all our stuff fits in our setup and that we can pack up and move within an hour. We bought this 5er because we got a really great deal but the floor plan is not right for us. Our youngest sleeps with us in bed and we made the closet floor into a nice bed for the oldest 2. We are considering committing to this lifestyle for the foreseeable future and getting something that fits our needs or getting out of this lifestyle and into a nice house in Colorado Springs.
The Setup:
Diesel Pusher with a 24'-26' Stacker in tow with a small 3rd row seat SUV, a UTV and maybe a couple ATV's/Dirtbikes etc., and enough room to have a small office in the stacker for me.
MH Needs:
1.Diesel ( towing the stacker )
2.Tag Axle ( correct me if wrong but this seems like a necessity )
3.Do not want to have to use pull out beds or sofa beds, so a setup like a front overhead drop down bed, 2 bunks, and a king or queen master would be ideal.
4.Kitchen space, countertop space, kitchen storage
5.Do not want loose chairs, booth table is definitely preferred
6.W/D Setup
Biggest things on my wife's list are #3 and #4, privacy is not a big concern for us like I've read it is for some, and although a 1/2 bath or 2 bath would be nice, #3 and #4 are more important. I've struggled with finding a floorplan that checks all the boxes. Forest River makes the Berkshire XLT 45A that checks many boxes but I went to a dealer and they told me about the service nightmares they had with them and they have stopped carrying them, so I want to stay clear of that.
I know to avoid Forest River but what are other ones to avoid? I know Newmar, Thor 2016 and newer, Winnebago, Tiffin, American Coach, and Prevost are good ones but I dont know if I'm leaving another great MFG off the list.
We would fulltime so something suited for 4 season weather would be great as well. The Big Horn is very poor in this area so I feel like almost anything will be an upgrade there.
We are willing to get creative with sleeping arrangements, like if there is a large closet again or something of the sort, but it would be nice to not have to worry about them outgrowing their 'space'. We plan to have another baby soon as well, hence the sleeping spaces for 4 kids is ideal.
Budget, would like to stay under $300,000 for the MH and stacker combo. We have no issues going older used as long as the floorplan is right and its a good unit, we are handy and could do some minor remodeling/upgrading ourselves if needed/wanted, although we do not want a fixer upper. I am also mechanically inclined and would anticipate doing much of the maintenance myself or atleast being capable.
So, does this what I'm looking for exist?
Are there compromises we have to decide whether we are willing to make or not?
like the title says, me and my family live fulltime in a 5th wheel and are potentially looking to get into a motorhome. I've been doing a ton of research and looking at a bunch of MH's online, but I could really use some help. I've also went through this forum and picked up on some key things while reading through various posts. I'll list needs as well as some background and hope I get some helpful info/advice.
About us: Me and my wife are 29, and 30 yrs old, our kids are 8mo., 3, and 4. We have been fulltiming in our 2019 Big Horn 3925MLP for a little over a year now and traveled quite abit within Texas last year. My work can be done remotely and she is a stay at home mom. We like the fact that all our stuff fits in our setup and that we can pack up and move within an hour. We bought this 5er because we got a really great deal but the floor plan is not right for us. Our youngest sleeps with us in bed and we made the closet floor into a nice bed for the oldest 2. We are considering committing to this lifestyle for the foreseeable future and getting something that fits our needs or getting out of this lifestyle and into a nice house in Colorado Springs.
The Setup:
Diesel Pusher with a 24'-26' Stacker in tow with a small 3rd row seat SUV, a UTV and maybe a couple ATV's/Dirtbikes etc., and enough room to have a small office in the stacker for me.
MH Needs:
1.Diesel ( towing the stacker )
2.Tag Axle ( correct me if wrong but this seems like a necessity )
3.Do not want to have to use pull out beds or sofa beds, so a setup like a front overhead drop down bed, 2 bunks, and a king or queen master would be ideal.
4.Kitchen space, countertop space, kitchen storage
5.Do not want loose chairs, booth table is definitely preferred
6.W/D Setup
Biggest things on my wife's list are #3 and #4, privacy is not a big concern for us like I've read it is for some, and although a 1/2 bath or 2 bath would be nice, #3 and #4 are more important. I've struggled with finding a floorplan that checks all the boxes. Forest River makes the Berkshire XLT 45A that checks many boxes but I went to a dealer and they told me about the service nightmares they had with them and they have stopped carrying them, so I want to stay clear of that.
I know to avoid Forest River but what are other ones to avoid? I know Newmar, Thor 2016 and newer, Winnebago, Tiffin, American Coach, and Prevost are good ones but I dont know if I'm leaving another great MFG off the list.
We would fulltime so something suited for 4 season weather would be great as well. The Big Horn is very poor in this area so I feel like almost anything will be an upgrade there.
We are willing to get creative with sleeping arrangements, like if there is a large closet again or something of the sort, but it would be nice to not have to worry about them outgrowing their 'space'. We plan to have another baby soon as well, hence the sleeping spaces for 4 kids is ideal.
Budget, would like to stay under $300,000 for the MH and stacker combo. We have no issues going older used as long as the floorplan is right and its a good unit, we are handy and could do some minor remodeling/upgrading ourselves if needed/wanted, although we do not want a fixer upper. I am also mechanically inclined and would anticipate doing much of the maintenance myself or atleast being capable.
So, does this what I'm looking for exist?
Are there compromises we have to decide whether we are willing to make or not?
