Why to Go to Class A from 5th Wheel Part 2

[JCGibson]

I want to add more information from my original post I had. We have camped for about 15 years. We have gone from tenting to popup to travel trailer toy hauler to 5th Wheel to 5th Wheel toyhauler to our current 37' 5th Wheel which is very nice.

My wife and I are in our 40s and finally empty nesters. The wife is a school teacher and I am mostly retired (from USAF) and now just watch my grandson when needed. Summers are open for us to do our traveling with a little weekend stuff in the spring and fall.

Our budget, if we went to a Class A, is about $110K. That is the combined amount of our 2011 Dodge 3500 Dually and our Bay Hill 295RL 5th Wheel.

I know people say to go with a used DP, but for what I have seen for that amount they are about 2009 or older and the interiors are pretty dated in our opinion. So we would want to go with a new or 1-2 year old gasser. Don't want to go longer than 35'.

Also want something comparable to what our 5er is. It has auto leveling, fireplace, dual ducted AC, residential size microwave, LED lighting throughout, 4 door fridge/freezer, central vac, self closing kitchen drawers, real hardwood cabinets, over 140 CF exterior storage, and solid surface countertops.

The only ones I have seen within our price range that is similar in features to our 5er are 2015 Forest River Georgetown 335DS, 2015 Fleetwood Rv Bounder 33C, or 2015 Tiffin Motorhomes Allegro 31 SA. Are there any others?

Now, I have heard advantages of Class As, but want clarification.

How is the ride better (gasser only)? Our dually has rear air bags and the 5er hitch also has air bag setup so my ride is pretty descent.

How is the setup/take down quicker? With the auto leveling, I can be parked, plugged in, slides out, and ready to camp in 5 or so minutes.

Someone said your vacation starts when setup at a site with the 5er, but with Class A it begins when you turn the key. How is this different?

The only real advantages I can see with a Class A is being able to tow one of our sports cars and not having to stay at a hotel/rental. Also having quicker pit stops or not having to stop at all for the passengers.

Are there other things that are really an advantages and would be worth making the change?

With our experience with the 5th Wheels, we are unsure if going to Class A is a reasonable thing to do given our wants.

[RBabb]

Weve got both. I prefer the 5th wheel except for long trips with a 2yr old baby. The class a is better while traveling. When hes older Im confident the class a will be sold

[msmith1199]

JCGibson wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:

JCGibson wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
I'm so lazy I go to a place where I don't even have to get out of the car to have the oil changed!

That's awesome! I would do that if I didn't even have to get out. I have never heard of anything like that around here. Maybe a business opportunity...

The place is called Oil Can Henry's. It's chain outfit but I don't know how spread out they are. You pull your car into the bay and they hand you the newspaper and you sit and read the paper while they do the work. They even push a TV monitor over to your window with closed circuit cameras on it from under your car so you can watch the work being done. I'm usually in and out in under 15 minutes.

That is too cool. Might be a calling around here for something like that.

Check their website, looks like their selling franchises.

[JCGibson]

msmith1199 wrote:

JCGibson wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
I'm so lazy I go to a place where I don't even have to get out of the car to have the oil changed!

That's awesome! I would do that if I didn't even have to get out. I have never heard of anything like that around here. Maybe a business opportunity...

The place is called Oil Can Henry's. It's chain outfit but I don't know how spread out they are. You pull your car into the bay and they hand you the newspaper and you sit and read the paper while they do the work. They even push a TV monitor over to your window with closed circuit cameras on it from under your car so you can watch the work being done. I'm usually in and out in under 15 minutes.

That is too cool. Might be a calling around here for something like that.

[deandec]

If you have a dog traveling with you, the advantage of not leaving the MH during a rainy night set up is lost!!

[msmith1199]

JCGibson wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
I'm so lazy I go to a place where I don't even have to get out of the car to have the oil changed!

That's awesome! I would do that if I didn't even have to get out. I have never heard of anything like that around here. Maybe a business opportunity...

The place is called Oil Can Henry's. It's chain outfit but I don't know how spread out they are. You pull your car into the bay and they hand you the newspaper and you sit and read the paper while they do the work. They even push a TV monitor over to your window with closed circuit cameras on it from under your car so you can watch the work being done. I'm usually in and out in under 15 minutes.

[JCGibson]

msmith1199 wrote:
I'm so lazy I go to a place where I don't even have to get out of the car to have the oil changed!

That's awesome! I would do that if I didn't even have to get out. I have never heard of anything like that around here. Maybe a business opportunity...

[msmith1199]

msturtz wrote:

JCGibson wrote:
Another couple questions I would like to ask, how accessible is the engine on these? Is it possible for me to do all the regular drive train maintenance on a DP or gasser? I usually do most everything required on my Dodge (especially since it is out of warranty) and our 5er (at least I have the previous ones).

In theory it is possible. Not easy but possible. Initially I wanted to stay away from a DP for that reason. However now there are YouTube videos on exactly how to do the work. I even saw a video on how to do your own maintenance on a diesel generator! BTW DP units have commercial engines and transmissions and have much longer service intervals vs. gas rigs or even diesel pickups.

In looking at my DP, changing the oil would not be all that difficult at all. Everything is easily accessible and you don't even have to jack the thing up. However, I don't change my own oil. The thing holds over five gallons of oil and that is just a mess waiting to happen. But I don't change the oil in my cars either. I'm so lazy I go to a place where I don't even have to get out of the car to have the oil changed!

[JCGibson]

msmith1199 wrote:

JCGibson wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:


Although this isn't a bad idea, if you are going to look for an older high end DP, just make sure you have somebody who knows what they are doing inspect it closely for any hidden damage from water or things of that nature.

What areas are prone to water damage or other type of damage? Do you mean from the roof? I am pretty mechanically inclined and have pretty good knowledge of 5ers and my Cummins Diesel in the Dodge so isn't this something I can inspect?

Roof leaks allow water to get into walls and cabinets and other places. A few cheap pieces of trim and/or some paint can often hide this damage from an unsuspecting new buyer. There was a thread on here a few weeks ago from a person who was in the process of purchasing a used motorhome and found out that the seller had used some trim pieces to hide water damage to a wall.

I will look up the thread. Thanks!

[msmith1199]

JCGibson wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:


Although this isn't a bad idea, if you are going to look for an older high end DP, just make sure you have somebody who knows what they are doing inspect it closely for any hidden damage from water or things of that nature.

What areas are prone to water damage or other type of damage? Do you mean from the roof? I am pretty mechanically inclined and have pretty good knowledge of 5ers and my Cummins Diesel in the Dodge so isn't this something I can inspect?

Roof leaks allow water to get into walls and cabinets and other places. A few cheap pieces of trim and/or some paint can often hide this damage from an unsuspecting new buyer. There was a thread on here a few weeks ago from a person who was in the process of purchasing a used motorhome and found out that the seller had used some trim pieces to hide water damage to a wall.

[holstein13]

JCGibson wrote:

holstein13 wrote:

korbe wrote:
If I didn't use my truck at all except for pulling the 5er, I would consider a Class A also.......But I use my truck all the time.

I consider vehicle engines sitting idle not a good use of my money.

I pull my 2012 4 x 4 F150 super crew cab behind me. It's a great toad.

Do you have a DP or gasser? Most gassers, which is in our budget, don't have that towing capacity.

Good point. I just got a new DP and started towing the F150. The truck weighs 5,600 pounds which puts it over the 5,000 pound limit, but...

2015 F150s are made of Aluminum. So it will weigh up to 732 pounds less. That would put virtually every configuration under 5,000 pounds.

[bhivetravels]

JCGibson wrote:
Another couple questions I would like to ask, how accessible is the engine on these? Is it possible for me to do all the regular drive train maintenance on a DP or gasser? I usually do most everything required on my Dodge (especially since it is out of warranty) and our 5er (at least I have the previous ones).

I work on my 496 Chevy gasser on workhorse chassis. Easy. Plenty of room. And it's gas so it's easy...for me.

[JCGibson]

msturtz wrote:

JCGibson wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:


Although this isn't a bad idea, if you are going to look for an older high end DP, just make sure you have somebody who knows what they are doing inspect it closely for any hidden damage from water or things of that nature.

What areas are prone to water damage or other type of damage? Do you mean from the roof? I am pretty mechanically inclined and have pretty good knowledge of 5ers and my Cummins Diesel in the Dodge so isn't this something I can inspect?

Water damage in RVs is very bad. You can check by looking at the seams where they used Dicor sealant. If it is a patchwork of sealant that is actually good. It means that they are inspecting and resealing the roof regularly. If not, that is bad. Also you can get a electronic water detector at Costco or other locations that you put up against a wall and it will tell you how wet it is. It does not damage the finish or put holes in the wall. Another thing to look at is the ceiling if you see water spots that is a red flag.

This is very similar to a house almost. I had to use a water detector to find out where a leak was in our house in Anchorage Alaska. Was very helpful.

[JCGibson]

msturtz wrote:

JCGibson wrote:
Another couple questions I would like to ask, how accessible is the engine on these? Is it possible for me to do all the regular drive train maintenance on a DP or gasser? I usually do most everything required on my Dodge (especially since it is out of warranty) and our 5er (at least I have the previous ones).

In theory it is possible. Not easy but possible. Initially I wanted to stay away from a DP for that reason. However now there are YouTube videos on exactly how to do the work. I even saw a video on how to do your own maintenance on a diesel generator! BTW DP units have commercial engines and transmissions and have much longer service intervals vs. gas rigs or even diesel pickups.

Good to know. I have learned tons of things from YouTube. It has saved me on a lot of things.

[msturtz]

JCGibson wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:


Although this isn't a bad idea, if you are going to look for an older high end DP, just make sure you have somebody who knows what they are doing inspect it closely for any hidden damage from water or things of that nature.

What areas are prone to water damage or other type of damage? Do you mean from the roof? I am pretty mechanically inclined and have pretty good knowledge of 5ers and my Cummins Diesel in the Dodge so isn't this something I can inspect?

Water damage in RVs is very bad. You can check by looking at the seams where they used Dicor sealant. If it is a patchwork of sealant that is actually good. It means that they are inspecting and resealing the roof regularly. If not, that is bad. Also you can get a electronic water detector at Costco or other locations that you put up against a wall and it will tell you how wet it is. It does not damage the finish or put holes in the wall. Another thing to look at is the ceiling if you see water spots that is a red flag.