5th Wheel or a Class A

[dreamingrv]

We have decided that we want to give the rv living a shot. Selling the house and moving forward. I am having a really difficult time trying to decide on a Class A motorhome or a 5th wheel. The 5th wheel seems to have alot more room in it and since this is going to be our living quarters I am leaning more toward the 5th wheel but my husband on the other hand says life would be simplier with a Class A motorhome. Any suggestions????

[valhalla360]

WyoTraveler wrote:
I've had both and now in MH. Towing a 5ver down the highway in the hot summer when I stop it is hot inside. So no stopping for a quick snack or nap on the road unless you enjoy the hot 5ver. I had a propane gen but that gets real pricy running that down the road. Get where you are going and that big PU is a pita in some areas.

With the vent covers, you just leave the vents open and it mitigates most of the issue (full timers usually travel with the seasons so they don't spend a lot of time in 100+ temps)

Does your MH dash A/C really keep the entire rig cold or is the fuel cost just hidden in the low mpg?

[lawrosa]

Whats your realistic budget? That may help you decide....

[WyoTraveler]

I've had both and now in MH. Towing a 5ver down the highway in the hot summer when I stop it is hot inside. So no stopping for a quick snack or nap on the road unless you enjoy the hot 5ver. I had a propane gen but that gets real pricy running that down the road. Get where you are going and that big PU is a pita in some areas.

[wintersun]

The comparison should be between having a tow vehicle pulling a trailer or a motorhome pulling a small car. Either way you will be towing something. Both types involve more going up and down stairs than a travel trailer.

Two sets of friends that have towed 5th wheel trailers for many years recently sold them and both went to Class B motorhomes towing a small car. The park the motorhome at a campground and then use the small car to explore an area.

Many areas will not have places where you can pull off much less park with a Class A motorhome with or without its towed vehicle (TOAD). In addition the longer the total rig the more difficult you will find locating a campground in US national forests and BLM lands and at state parks and the more you will be relegated to staying at private RV parks at much greater expense.

Rent a Class A and a Class C and try each for at least a week so you can get an idea what works for you with each type and whether or not a motorhome is aligned with how you like to travel.

5th Wheel trailers require a 3/4 ton pickup and special mount. Travel trailers do not affect the available storage in the tow vehicle or make it very difficult to carry bikes and boats and other gear in the bed of a pickup truck or SUV.

A motorhome is not as versatile as a tow vehicle and travel trailer but you do have the option of mounting a bicycle rack and a roof rack on the towed vehicle.

Nothing depreciates (loses it value) faster than a Class A motorhome. If you decide to go this route get a used one and save yourself a great deal of money.

[Pop-Pop_C]

With the larger fivers for FULLTIMING , comes the larger tow vehicle.
Usually the one ton Dooley. As a daily driver we had some issues,. Getting
into parking spots while sight seeing. Always got you exercise as we usuallym
had to,park in the back 40! Again it is all personal preference. We have have had both.
Currantly have a MH..

[BB_TX]

Realistic prices.

Local Ford dealers routinely advertise Superduty trucks for around $13,000 off MSRP. That puts even a King Ranch in the mid $50K range depending on options. Lariats even lower. I would guess GM and Ram are in the same range.

And depending on the brand and style, you can get new 38'-39' 5ers with 3/4/5 slides from less than $50K and up with mid range 5ers going for around $60K-65K if you shop end of model year sales. Advertised prices drop dramatically when new year models start coming out.

If you are looking used, then prices would be proportionately lower depending on year. Same with MHs.

[BB_TX]

et2 wrote:
There is no more room In a fiver than a DP MH. If both are the same dimensionally then they are they same. There is no magic wand making the fiver bigger. This is a urban myth. ................

Except in the 5er you do not lose space due to an engine compartment and front dash/steering/driving area.

[2012Coleman]

Since you are advocating for the 5th wheel, do you plan on doing some of the driving which means pulling the fiver? Would you be as comfortable driving the TV as you most likely would be driving the MH? To me, setup time is a wash - each has it's own procedure. You have to decide on pulling a fith wheel or pulling a toad. You have to unhook both. Something else to chew on is that you can't back up while pulling a toad with a MH.

[dreamingrv]

Everyone's input is fantastic, still not sure and we figure we have 6 months to figure it out.

[valhalla360]

When comparing apples to apples, it's hard to beat the 5th wheel for price. Remember, with a 30' MH, you lose 5-7' at the front for the cockpit.

Set up time: It's really not much difference assuming you pull a car behind the MH.

Both drive very nicely assuming they are set up properly to begin with and properly maintained.

Storage is probably a wash.

Fuel costs: The MH figure 6-8mpg when traveling. 5th wheel 9-12mpg. You gain a bit of advantage with using a small car for local touring but unless you camp a long way from your desired location (not sure why you would do that with a home on wheels), it's really not much of a savings and comes at the cost of maintaining two drivetrains.

For full timing, I really don't see it as a big advantage to be able to get up and roam about while driving. We usually only travel a couple hours in a day and since we aren't in a hurry, it's not a big deal to stop if it's a longer run. I would suggest that any rig you buy is usable with the slides in. We don't normally put the slides out if we stop in a rest area for lunch.

To the new question: How big of a truck depends on how big of a 5th wheel. With our 28' model, a 3/4 ton truck does nicely. If you get up into the 40' models, a 1 ton dually may not be enough and you have to move up into medium duty trucks (I wouldn't recommend going that big anyway). Reality is you need to look at the weigh ratings and the weights of the 5th wheel (don't forget to check the tow ratings if you consider a MH).

[et2]

dreamingrv wrote:
We will be living in one area for long periods of time. Very good valuable information. Now how big of a truck would be need to pull a 5th wheel?

Depends on how big a fiver you get. A well made fiver to full time in at around 39' will be in a dually diesel if you want to be happy. A new truck with all options could be $70,000 or more. Maybe you want a used one?

You could easily be in a decent DP MH $$ compared to nice new fiver and truck combo. If a used MH you could get a real nice one for the price of a new fiver and truck.

[et2]

There is no more room In a fiver than a DP MH. If both are the same dimensionally then they are they same. There is no magic wand making the fiver bigger. This is a urban myth. Of course disregarding the high ceilings in the fiver ( which is not usable other than a ceiling fan).

That being said, we've owned 4 fivers & now our MH. We have plenty of livable room in our MH ( much more than our 40' fiver had - we are 41'8" with the MH). Think about opposing slides in a MH - they really open it up. Some even have full wall slides ( as do fivers). It boils down to how much you want to spend and how you wish to travel.

I thought I'd never own a MH - but after having this one we'll never go back to a fiver or travel trailer. Much easier to get ready to go. More fun driving, the pets enjoy the space when traveling, not as exhausted after arriving, wife is much more relaxed, just some things that matter to us. Plus now the truck doesn't just sit in the driveway ( as it ended up doing with the fiver).

[dreamingrv]

We will be living in one area for long periods of time. Very good valuable information. Now how big of a truck would be need to pull a 5th wheel?

[Rollnhome]

If you are going to be fulltime traveling and on the move I suggest MH. If you are going to be living for longer periods of time(2 to 6+ months) in one place I would suggest FW.

[BB_TX]

Per foot of total length you do get more living area in a 5th wheel than a MH.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. But newer 5ers are now available with automatic leveling systems and power awnings so the set up time is not much different than a MH. Unhook the 5er from the truck (if you want) and push a button to level. On a MH you disconnect the toad. From there it is pretty much the same, hook up water, electric, sewer.

MH has the advantage that you can get up and walk around while traveling. 5er you have to stop and get out if you want to get to the RV.

One factor is your travel plans. If you plan on a lot of miles and road travel days, a MH may be a good choice. If you plan on staying in one place for long periods and only occasionally moving to a different area, a 5er may be the better choice. In our case, we only travel 2,500-3,000 miles per year and only about 10-12 road travel days. Did not make sense to have a MH to be on the road 10 days and sit idle for 355 days per year, and so few miles per year.

An advantage of a 5er. Our truck died on the side of an interstate a few miles from our destination several years ago. Had the 5er towed to an RV park and the truck towed to a dealer for repairs. Got a courtesy car (under warranty) and vacation had minimal interuption. Had it been a MH we would have been without the RV for a few days.