Forum Discussion

JCGibson's avatar
JCGibson
Explorer
Oct 15, 2014

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

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.
Class A
  • msmith1199's avatar
    msmith1199
    Explorer II
    Oct 15, 2014
    I had a 32' Rexall gasser with the Ford V-10 and traded it in for a National 35' DP on the Freightliner chassis. The ride and handling was much nicer in the DP. In the gas rig I felt every single bump on the freeway.

    If I were you, since you already have the 5er, I probably wouldn't change. Sounds like you have a real nice 5th wheel. The main advantages for you to change, is you can take a long a smaller car to have to drive around versus driving around in the giant monster truck.

    On setup, I often camp with friends who have trailers. When we check in at the RV park at the same time, I'm usually parked with the slides out and power hooked up and have time to go help them back into their sites. At check in my wife usually goes and checks us in while I unhook the toad. When she comes out she tells me where the site is and then jumps in the running toad and we head there. If I'm hooking up everything, I leave the slides in at first. Level it and then go do all the hookups and check and make sure I have clearance to open all the slides. Then once is all hooked up I open the slides. 10 minutes max. I guess if I jogged I could get it done in 5 but why the hurry?
  • msturtz's avatar
    msturtz
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2014
    Hi
    my wife and I went from TT to bunkhouse TT then to Class C MY gas. From my opinion going to a Class C gas unit was a big mistake. There is too little payload in the gas units (class C or A). Towing anything is a pain and they are loud inside without major work. The other thing we noticed storage is a real pain. Usually the front axle is under weight and the rear is close to over weight. The issue is it's unusual to see real storage cocompartments in the front. I have done a lot of research there are a few units that have good ccc. As to the use of a MH vs a towable there's no comparison. We are MY all the way. Setup takes a few minutes. On our first trip out we ended up leaving our toad home. That meant we were using our MR for the day excursions. We were in a national park. It was great to have the MH all day. Setup back at the campground evey day was very fast compared to my TT.
  • holstein13's avatar
    holstein13
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2014
    Overall, if you are comfortable with your 5th wheeler, I'd say there aren't a lot of advantages to going with a class A gasser.

    Given that you already have air bags on your truck and rig, the ride might be similar or could even be worse because gassers don't come with air bags. But there is no need for us to guess, a quick test drive of a class A gasser will answer that question for you.

    Setup will be very similar if you are towing because the time you save not unhooking the 5th wheeler will be spent unhooking the car. Slides and leveling should be about the same thing. hookups to utilities should be exactly the same.

    The big advantage to a class A is that you can drive in your coach. You already touched on the fact that you will have quicker pit stops or avoid them altogether. But overnight stays without hookups are easier as well, especially if it's raining. Theoretically, you could spend a comfortable night in the rain without ever stepping foot outside.

    Another advantage of a class A is that it is easier to learn how to back up into camp sites. Now, if you are proficient with the 5th wheeler in backing up, this is probably a non-issue.

    And the biggest advantage to me is the view. No matter what tow vehicle you drive, the view out of a one piece huge windshield will blow away the view out of your current truck. Driving a class A with a huge windshield is like sitting in a huge 3d high definition theater.

    Two more advantages are the larger, higher seats, the raised driving position, and the better visibility out of the side mirrors.

    Since you only asked about the advantages, I'll stop there. But you may want to carefully evaluate the disadvantages as well.
  • holstein13's avatar
    holstein13
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2014
    I forgot to mention that you get two motors when you drive a class A and pull a toad. This could potentially turn out useful in case your one engine fails.

    Another big advantage is the distance between fuel stops. In my last coach, I could go close to 500 miles between fuel stops.

    Also, I don't know about your generator on the 5er, but on the class A, it's tied in to the chassis fuel tank. It gives you lots of power without having to fill up an external tank.
  • luvlabs's avatar
    luvlabs
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2014
    Given the way your 5th wheel is appointed, there really isn't any advantage going with a gas motorhome. You will probably have to give up two slides as most class A gas motorhomes are two slides, a few 3 slides, and a rare one has four.

    I would use what I have now, and start saving for that diesel pusher. Nicer to drive and are less weight limited on towing.
  • bhivetravels's avatar
    bhivetravels
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2014
    Coffee on the road; using the bathroom while traveling; pets with us in their home; easy access to everything; more storage; as mentioned easy setup (can't tell you the number of times I setup in bad weather from the driver's seat; making sandwiches; great views; warm/cool while driving same when setting up; grandkids love it; driving is cool; 12 volt/120 volt system assures us of comfort no matter where we are; Walmart parking with ease; my toad gets great mileage while traveling around seeing the sights when camped.
  • JCGibson's avatar
    JCGibson
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2014
    holstein13 wrote:
    Overall, if you are comfortable with your 5th wheeler, I'd say there aren't a lot of advantages to going with a class A gasser.

    Given that you already have air bags on your truck and rig, the ride might be similar or could even be worse because gassers don't come with air bags. But there is no need for us to guess, a quick test drive of a class A gasser will answer that question for you.

    Setup will be very similar if you are towing because the time you save not unhooking the 5th wheeler will be spent unhooking the car. Slides and leveling should be about the same thing. hookups to utilities should be exactly the same.

    The big advantage to a class A is that you can drive in your coach. You already touched on the fact that you will have quicker pit stops or avoid them altogether. But overnight stays without hookups are easier as well, especially if it's raining. Theoretically, you could spend a comfortable night in the rain without ever stepping foot outside.

    Another advantage of a class A is that it is easier to learn how to back up into camp sites. Now, if you are proficient with the 5th wheeler in backing up, this is probably a non-issue.

    And the biggest advantage to me is the view. No matter what tow vehicle you drive, the view out of a one piece huge windshield will blow away the view out of your current truck. Driving a class A with a huge windshield is like sitting in a huge 3d high definition theater.

    Two more advantages are the larger, higher seats, the raised driving position, and the better visibility out of the side mirrors.

    Since you only asked about the advantages, I'll stop there. But you may want to carefully evaluate the disadvantages as well.


    Thanks for the info. My question about the large front windshield is does it get hot when going into the sun? Also, does the dash AC keep the front cool while driving or do you need to use the generator so can use the coach AC?
  • korbe's avatar
    korbe
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2014
    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.
  • JCGibson's avatar
    JCGibson
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2014
    bhivetravels wrote:
    Coffee on the road; using the bathroom while traveling; pets with us in their home; easy access to everything; more storage; as mentioned easy setup (can't tell you the number of times I setup in bad weather from the driver's seat; making sandwiches; great views; warm/cool while driving same when setting up; grandkids love it; driving is cool; 12 volt/120 volt system assures us of comfort no matter where we are; Walmart parking with ease; my toad gets great mileage while traveling around seeing the sights when camped.


    Where is there more storage, inside or out? I have lots of cabinets and a huge basement storage area. For passengers, going to the bathroom is easy, but still have to stop if it's the driver. We have easy setup, but I agree being out in bad weather isn't that fun. We make sandwiches ahead of time for our travel day and have them in the rear of the cab along with drinks.

    Have you gotten gas at Walmart's Murphy USA stations (used them because of 10 cent savings with their gas card--why not save on fuel if you can so have more for other stuff?)? This last summer we went to several and I find it would have been harder for some longer Class A's to do. We are able to unhook and fill up the truck if needed.
  • JCGibson's avatar
    JCGibson
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2014
    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.


    This is another reason for NOT getting a class A. I use my truck a lot for my wood working hobby. A definite plus.

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