Trading in a Fifth Wheel for a Class A

[jfkbunkie]

Looking for advice from those who have experience with both fifth wheeling and Class A ownership.

We are a family of six, with four teenagers and two dogs. We like hiking and biking in state and national parks. Our current rig is a 3/4 ton diesel crew cab pulling a 32-ft FW with a quad bunkhouse.
We consider it a must to have a (relatively) small vehicle to use while traveling.

Questions:

1. Driveability and maneuvering differences

2. Flat towing a vehicle

3. Maintenance and operating costs

[Mile_High]

I had 3 5ers prior, and they were nice. As we got older, got tired of pulling over for the bathroom, and I really hated driving that dually pickup, so traded off for a DP pusher with tag and WOHOOO! Love it. It's easier to park, built like a tank, and it is soooo automated! We show up at the campground already cooled or heated, and if its raining we can level and put the slides out and watch TV or make dinner without ever getting out!....for days 🙂

[StuckinTracy]

jfkbunkie wrote:

StuckinTracy wrote:
…
It was great, once it was parked but I could just never get used to having a 16k pound tail wagging my dog.

This was a big factor in our decision - my wife has never felt comfortable pulling a trailer of any kind. But she test drove the MH and handled it like a champ.

Congrats on the new rig. I'm only looking at Class A's, my wife want another fifth wheel. I told her, fine, then you drive it. She's looking a Class A's with me. 😄

[jfkbunkie]

StuckinTracy wrote:
…
It was great, once it was parked but I could just never get used to having a 16k pound tail wagging my dog.

This was a big factor in our decision - my wife has never felt comfortable pulling a trailer of any kind. But she test drove the MH and handled it like a champ.

[rb71]

I just went through this.
I had a Ram 3500 dually mega cab with a voltage 3895 toy hauler. Then we just got a Winnebago 38w in December. I flat tow a Jeep Wrangler and have 3 kids. My oldest is a diabetic the also which help the motivate the move.
What I like about the 38w
the floor plan is very open
it drives very easy
everyone has a bed
the residential refrigerator
no emerancy stops for food or bathroom
flat towing is easy to do
what I miss
private bedrooms
other then that not much
good luck with your decision.
Bobby

[jfkbunkie]

Well, we pulled the trigger on a 2018 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 36U. Working on financing now. If all goes as planned, we’ll drive it home next week.

[jfkbunkie]

RickLIght wrote:
Thank you to all!

This is a great thread and fits the discussions we are having right now. We've had a small C and a tent trailer. We're now working part time leading to retiring and want to month-plus trips. Maybe go for the National Park set.

We just rented a 30' gas A for a week to try it out. The rental was so noisy and rocking that we almost abandoned As in favor of 5vrs. I wish we could rent a 5ver.

Please keep info coming!

Thanks, Rick. We are close to a deal. Details to follow.

[mtofell1]

RickLIght wrote:

We just rented a 30' gas A for a week to try it out. The rental was so noisy and rocking that we almost abandoned As in favor of 5vrs. I wish we could rent a 5ver.

Even new out of the box F53 Ford gas rigs handle and ride poorly. There are tons of threads with complaints and fixes. The good news is there is a lot you can do to improve things. From my research, larger coaches that get the 22.5" tires seem to have less complaints. The one I'm looking at is 32' with 19.5" tires and I'm looking at putting a few thousand dollars into "fixes" right away.

[StuckinTracy]

18 years ago we started out in a 24' C Class. That lasted one trip half way across country and it was on the lot a week after we got back. We got a 33' Class A that we loved. We had a desire to go full time when I retire so after a couple of years we went to a 40' Monaco Diplomat. We found the idea of "camp hosting" after retirement a great idea so we traded the Monaco for a Chevy Silverado HD diesel and a 38' Carriage Cameo 5th wheel. We lived in the 5er for 4 months when we moved to central Oregon a few years ago. It was great, once it was parked but I could just never get used to having a 16k pound tail wagging my dog. I like to enjoy the trip as much as the stay and got rid of 5th wheel and truck. The truck around town didn't get much better gas mileage than the motorhome. I'm now looking at a 33' diesel motorhome that we can travel and enjoy the ride. As others have mentioned, I like having the motorhome where you don't have to stop to let the wife use the head, or fix a sandwich. I wish you luck in what ever you decide.

[RickLight]

Thank you to all!

This is a great thread and fits the discussions we are having right now. We've had a small C and a tent trailer. We're now working part time leading to retiring and want to month-plus trips. Maybe go for the National Park set.

We just rented a 30' gas A for a week to try it out. The rental was so noisy and rocking that we almost abandoned As in favor of 5vrs. I wish we could rent a 5ver.

Please keep info coming!

[Rick_Jay]

time_to_go_now wrote:
I used to joke that when I looked in my rear view mirror, what I saw most often was my wife's backside...

LOL, well, I commend your driving skills, my friend. If that was me, I DEFINITELY would've been distracted by the sight of my wife's backside in the mirror! LOL

jfkbunkie,

My recommendation to you is finding a 36'-40' used DP (higher end) which has two sofas and a dinette, with at least one slide up front. This should give you enough sleeping space for the kids (including a sleeping bag or two on the floor if you need to sleep all four of them). But more importantly, it will give you lots of living space up front so that you can all be seated in the living area on the sofas, driver & passenger seats, and dinette for socializing or watching a movie at night or should the weather get nasty.

We have the dual sofa layout in our gasser (kind of rare) and for us, it IS the ideal floorplan. We've had it since new and haven't seen another floorplan that we think would work better for us.

As far as a vehicle to tow, you'll have to search a bit, but the 2004 and earlier Honda Odyssey minivans can be flat-towed without modification to the drivetrain. There IS a pre-tow procedure which must be adhered to, but it's pretty straight forward. They will seat 7 people and STILL have decent storage behind the third seat. Plus, towing an older vehicle means you won't be quite so upset if it gets dinged with rocks when getting towed. Finding one in decent shape might be a bit of a challenge, but they are around.

Good Luck in your search. Please keep us informed as to what you decided.

~Rick

[dcmac214]

Wow - so many! We're working on making the same trade, 40' toyhauler to gas A. Mostly because neither of us can comfortably ride the toys any more - can't straddle a saddle. Just one of the side effects of aging and its related afflictions.

[time_to_go_now]

mtofell1 wrote:
I'm eyeing the same change with the biggest reason being the driving experience. Once you arrive somewhere it's hard to beat the functionality of the 5th wheel floor plan. But, wife and kids HATE just sitting in the truck. Being able to sit at a table or on a couch, or just look out the huge front window is just such a different experience.

Lots of good info here for sure. One thing I'd add is that the newer gas coaches seem to be a lot better than the older ones in terms of power. In 2016 the Ford F53 chassis went to a 6spd tranny which gets great reviews. Of course, the 5K towing capacity is very limiting. Also, finding a vehicle that can be flat towed is a challenge. The only two with auto-trannys I've found are a Chevy Equinox and Ford Edge (V6 only).

And that is why we moved from a travel trailer to a moho.

"In a motorhome, the vacation starts the minute you leave your driveway. In a trailer or a 5th wheel, the vacation does not start until you arrive at your destination."

I had the largest back seat in my truck that you could get. Large enough for three grown men! But, not large enough for my three small kids to sit next to each other! They were always picking a fight with each other. I used to joke that when I looked in my rear view mirror, what I saw most often was my wife's backside as she was turned around settling some fiasco going on in the backseat!

We went moho and will never go back. We are looking at getting rid of our Class A with bunks as the kids have outgrown them.

Good luck!

[mtofell1]

I'm eyeing the same change with the biggest reason being the driving experience. Once you arrive somewhere it's hard to beat the functionality of the 5th wheel floor plan. But, wife and kids HATE just sitting in the truck. Being able to sit at a table or on a couch, or just look out the huge front window is just such a different experience.

Lots of good info here for sure. One thing I'd add is that the newer gas coaches seem to be a lot better than the older ones in terms of power. In 2016 the Ford F53 chassis went to a 6spd tranny which gets great reviews. Of course, the 5K towing capacity is very limiting. Also, finding a vehicle that can be flat towed is a challenge. The only two with auto-trannys I've found are a Chevy Equinox and Ford Edge (V6 only).

[deprived]

3 dog nights wrote:
... rocking and sway. MH's are not as stable as a duelly...

You can get rid of a lot of these issues by upgrading sways bars, trac-bars, sumo springs, Koni shocks, etc. Pricey but worth it!