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????

[TXiceman]

We have had both class a's and 5ers and lived in both long term. When we decided to go full time, the logical choice was a 5er and one ton dually.

One thing we consistently noticed was that the 5th wheel trailer usually had better storage in the bedroom for clothing and in the kitchen for food. Most motorhomes have a small it any pantry. Hanging space for clothes is usually better in a full time 5er.

With a motorhome if you have a mechanical break down, your house goes in the shop and you have to find a motel. With the 5er and truck, if it the truck has a mechanical issue, ERS will tow the trailer to a campground and the truck to a shop. Rent a small car for a couple of days and yo still get around.

I can get my Ford worked on in just about every city in the USA. With a a large motorhome you have to find a large chassis shop and they generally give preference to commercial trucks over RVS.

With the 5er and truck, I only have to maintain one driveline. About the only time we have a parking issue is parking garages where is left it with the valet service. When we came back, they had simply parked it over to he side out of the way.

But to each there own. But if the OP has never RV'ed, he need to rent one and give it a try for a week. They should also look at a gently used 2 to 4 year old unit rather than a new one. The bugs are pretty well worked out and the huge depreciation has been paid by the original owner.


Ken

[wbwood]

dreamingrv..... there are many variables that you will have to consider. Since budget is in the picture, you need to get out the pen, paper and calculator. And crunch the numbers in various ways. Not just the purchase price of the units, but the operating costs, living costs, travel costs, etc.... Do it based on moving twice a week, once a week, once every 2 weeks, once a month, once every three months and so on. Then look at your convenience factor. Depending on how you will travel (move). What about set up ad take down. What if after a few months, what if you decide moving is not for you, but you would rather sit in one spot for a while. Will that extra room mean more to you? And like I said, if budget is a factor, you need to consider that as well.

[dreamingrv]

Thanks everyone. You definitely have provided some great information but I think we are going to go with the motor home. By the time we buy the truck and the 5th wheel would could have a nice used MH. I love all the comments though.

[Jim_Shoe]

Either way, you'll need a tow vehicle to pull the 5er or a "toad" to pull behind the MH if you want to visit anyplace besides the CG. Or hook up and unhook every time you want to explore an area. Its a toss up. Unless its pouring rain when you pull into the CG. Then the MH has the advantage. You can wait comfortably until the rain stops and still have access to the bathroom. 🙂

[goducks10]

Tough call on choice IMO. I would ask you if you want to drive a dually truck as a daily driver or a small car/SUV. Even though you are staying put for months at a time you still need to get around town.

I guess I would be opposite of most if I was traveling less and staying longer in one spot I would opt for a large MH and small car/SUV. I currently have a SRW CC LB truck and while it's great for me to drive, my wife hates driving it. If you go large 5th wheel and DRW truck will your wife be okay driving it? Or are you taking another car for her to drive? I would imagine she would have places to go without you on occasion.

IMO a 5'er gives you more bag for the buck in the same length. But you need a DRW for towing it. A nice 5'er in the $100,000 range and DRW @$50-60,000 puts you at $150-160,000. Hard to find a decent MH for $150-160,000 to FT in.

[wbwood]

Rollnhome wrote:
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.

X2

[et2]

2012Coleman wrote:

Again that comment is totally an opinion and in many cases not correct at all. If you're referring to a front engine gasoline then there is a issue as the engine encroaches into the cab area.

So an opinion that is different than yours is not correct at all? I guess not with three paragraphs of proof! Thanks for cracking me up!

Looking at DP perspective yes, it's not correct. Glad it was amusing. Sometimes facts seem odd to those who don't know better. 😉

[valhalla360]

WyoTraveler wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

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?

I run the generator on the road. gas is cheaper than propane. Plus I didn't have a large propane tank on my 5ver. Had to keep changing small tanks. At the end of the day I would be thrashed. With MH I just hit slides and jacks and kick back in a cool or warm unit depending on outside temp. All a matter of choice though. I've had TCs, TT, 2 MHs, & 5ver. For comfort and ease of driving just prefer MH. I will admit 5vers have some better floor plans for watching TV but we very seldom watch TV.

Odd, we just filled a 30lb tank (approx 6.5gallons at 80% fill)for $20. That's around $3.10/gal. Gas is running around $3.30/gal here. There is a bit of difference between how long a gallon will run with either but fuel cost isn't an issue.

Refueling propane is a slight issue but they do have gasoline options for 5th wheels. Toy haulers in particualar like this option.

Then again since the question was in reference to full timing, most full timers we've come across aren't putting in 16hr days, so no clue why you would be thrashed at the end of the day. Once on the road, you hardly know the trailer is back there. Were you trying to tow a 40' rig with a 1/2ton truck?

With the 5er, you can also get them set up to hit a button and the stabilizers and slides go out. You do have the burden of walking back to the 5er door to get in.

[WyoTraveler]

BB_TX wrote:

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.

When we FT'd I told DW I didn't want a steering wheel in my living room and went with 5ver. When we bought our RV last year I told DW forget what I said. I'll take that steering wheel over other disadvantages of 5ver.

[WyoTraveler]

valhalla360 wrote:

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?

I run the generator on the road. gas is cheaper than propane. Plus I didn't have a large propane tank on my 5ver. Had to keep changing small tanks. At the end of the day I would be thrashed. With MH I just hit slides and jacks and kick back in a cool or warm unit depending on outside temp. All a matter of choice though. I've had TCs, TT, 2 MHs, & 5ver. For comfort and ease of driving just prefer MH. I will admit 5vers have some better floor plans for watching TV but we very seldom watch TV.

[2012Coleman]

Again that comment is totally an opinion and in many cases not correct at all. If you're referring to a front engine gasoline then there is a issue as the engine encroaches into the cab area.

So an opinion that is different than yours is not correct at all? I guess not with three paragraphs of proof! Thanks for cracking me up!

[et2]

BB_TX wrote:

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.

Again that comment is totally an opinion and in many cases not correct at all. If you're referring to a front engine gasoline then there is a issue as the engine encroaches into the cab area.

In a DP the engine is under the floor. No living space is lost to the engine. Our bedroom sits over ours, and we even have under the bed storage. As far as the dash or frontal area the person who claims is a 5-7 foot loss is also incorrect ( in a DP). Much of the front is utilized. The two chairs can be turned around for seating ( and very comfortable ones I might add). Great for reading a book or watching TV, or just conversation with your occupants. There are many with bunks up in that area, ours has cabinets, others have TV's or storage. There is about 3 feet or less just in front of the steering wheel that is hard to use. However there are tables that go over the steering wheel if you so desire. We spend a lot of time sitting in the front driving area even when parked. It's like a little sun porch.

The rest of the dash area is totally usable. Lamps, printers, books, magazines, and whole bunch of other things can be set upon that dash. Actually that space is probably more useable than a fiver whose door is somewhere along the side wasting space where furniture could be. In a motorhome the door area is most of the time right up front conserving floor space, and most have a electric cover which covers that stairwell making it totally usable to walk on.

The nice thing about a MH is not having to worry about if your truck breaks down how your going to get around. You unhooked your toad and get off the freeway and where you want to go. Even get a hotel room. But there are repair facilities that will allow you to stay in your MH while being repaired if it matters. During the day while they work on it you can do whatever you want. Much easier driving a smaller vehicle when vacationing.

[Dandy_Dan]

There have been a lot of good choices for both of the units. I have camped in a MH and also a 5er. I guess it is going to be whatever suits the 2 of you the best. I chose a 5er as when you have it set up you have a vehicle that you can use to sight-see and be a grocery getter without having two complete drive trains to keep serviced as you would with a toad. As some said you can't very easy back up a MH pulling a toad. I do feel that if both are the same overall length unless the MH has the same amount of slides as a 5er then the 5er "seems" to have more room as you do not lose any for the cockpit area.
Whatever you choose, Enjoy Retirement and your RV. Happy Camping and Good Luck.

[JimM68]

et2 really put it out there. For those of us who travel, there is nothing on god's green earth like the view through the windshield of a class A motorhome.

Anything less is just another truck pulling a trailer.
And yes, they cost more. Sometimes a lot more. IMHO worth every red cent.

No one who can still travel ever goes back.