MH vs 5er

[furryman415]

Getting ready to retire and hit the road. Only been tent camping. I don't know whether a MH or 5er would be the better option.No big truck or a 4 wheel dingy, so we are looking at the total package. Not worried about price, we have been shopping. Which system would be easier to take care and ease of driving. Consider never backing a trailer.

[mowermech]

Interesting comments. I can only give my perspective, from personal experience.
We have full-timed in a 27 foot Class A (horrible floor plan, never again will we own a rear bath rig!), a 32 foot Class A (spent the winter in Billings, MT in it one year. Yes that IS doable!), a 32 foot triple slide fifth wheel with one ton Dodge dually, then when we settled again, we got a 11.5 foot truck camper, then a 29 foot Class C, and now we have the rig in my sig.
The fifth wheel was great for full time living. The three slides gave us a lot of space, and the installed combination washer/dryer was wonderful. Using the one ton dually as a daily driver gave me no problems, but then we seldom use drive-throughs, so, although others have reported problems with drive-throughs, it was not a problem for us. I even accidentally parked it in a "Compact car only" spot at a shopping center! We also spent a winter in the fiver in Billings. For that winter, I rented a 100 GALLON propane tank. That was great!

Our current Class A (with living room/dining room slide out) would be fine for full time living, but I would miss the washer/dryer that it does not have. One advantage is that we can take either the truck or the convertible with us. With a trailer, either a TT or fiver, we would be limited to the tow vehicle. However, in Montana (and some other Western states) we could take the ATV on a trailer with us as a double tow. In Montana, the ATV can be made street legal.
Well, I could if DW would allow it...

[AndyW]

Another advantage of a motor home is that if you give up the toad, you can pull another decent sized trailer instead. That's what made the decision for my wife and I - a TT or 5er would have been cheaper, and we already have a decent truck, but we wanted to be able to go camping with our horses.

Essentially, the motor home enables you to take your other hobbies with you, whether it's a boat, horse trailer, snowmobile trailer, etc. Sure you can get a toy hauler or a triple-towing setup, but those solutions aren't ever going to be as flexible.

[lanerd]

If you are considering a 5er and truck, you really need to do lots of research and become VERY familiar with both the truck and trailer's weight ratings. Don't be misguided by the "dry" weights as they are pretty much irrelevant. Pay close attention to the truck's payload capacity, RAWR, GVWR, and GCVWR. The trailer's main concerns are the pin/tongue weight (again forget "dry" weights) and its GVWR.

For quick estimations, use 20% of the 5er's GVWR for pin weight or 15% of a travel trailer's GVWR for tongue weight. For the truck, make sure you have about 1000 lbs of payload left over "after" the trailer is hooked up.... for you, passengers, tools, equipment, hitch, etc.

For instance, if you find a 5er that has a GVWR of say...14,000 lbs, take 20% of that (2800 lbs) for the pin weight. That means that the truck that you will need to pull it, will need to have a payload capacity of about 3800 lbs.

Don't go into a purchase until you are very confident that you understand all of the above. Don't listen to the salesmen when they tell you "this is ok, your truck will pull this", as they just want to make more on their commission.

Be educated, be smart.

Good luck

Ron

[C-Bears]

furryman415 wrote:
I appreciate all the help. If we would decide to go with a 5er,lets say maybe a 32-37 foot. Do we need a ton truck or could we get buy with a half ton. Must likely a full-timer across country.

For full time use I would not even consider at 32' FW. I would go to as many dealers and RV shows as possible and look at 36' - 40'. You want slides on both sides.

Probably anything around that 36' to 39' range you could get by with a 1-ton SRW. Anything 39' and longer you are probably getting into 1-ton DRW territory. However, there is a lot involved when you start looking at your weight limitations and you can not always trust the selling dealer to guide you to the right TV. There are some brands that have 36' FW's that would need a 1-ton DRW truck.

We spent about a year doing our own research. We wanted to start with a FW that would last us so we were not trading all the time. Even though our first one was a really good unit, we ended up trading for slightly more square feet. After you full time for a couple years space is very important.

[bikendan]

furryman415 wrote:
I appreciate all the help. If we would decide to go with a 5er,lets say maybe a 32-37 foot. Do we need a ton truck or could we get buy with a half ton. Must likely a full-timer across country.

depending on the trailer, a 3/4 ton will be a good choice. only a handful of 1/2 ton trucks could pull that size and it would have to be on the lighter side.
if you full-time, IMHO 32' would be the minimum size.

[crcr]

furryman415 wrote:
I appreciate all the help. If we would decide to go with a 5er,lets say maybe a 32-37 foot. Do we need a ton truck or could we get buy with a half ton. Must likely a full-timer across country.

Definitely one ton. A half ton for that duty would be completely inadequate and way over payload ratings.

[furryman415]

I appreciate all the help. If we would decide to go with a 5er,lets say maybe a 32-37 foot. Do we need a ton truck or could we get buy with a half ton. Must likely a full-timer across country.

[Kit_Carson]

Well, you either drive your truck and pull your house or drive your house and pull your truck/car. I would prefer a trailer, but DW has tiny bladder syndrome and I would be stopping every 45 minutes for her to relieve herself and would never get to where I am going. We have a MH and I just keep driving when she has to go......usually she will be me a snack back to the front...after washing her hands...LOL

[lanerd]

Donn0128 wrote:
Doesnt mean sitting is good for them

Don... I never said it was "good" for them.... just that it's not bad for them.

I think the unspoken key element here is time. For a month or a few months, setting will not cause any detrimental effects to a diesel drive train. Obviously, setting for years can and will cause problems with seals, gaskets, belts....etc. And depending upon the local environment and weather, diesel fuel can become contaminated with alga.

For the average rv'er, who may keep their diesel in storage for the winter....letting them set the entire winter (or summer) will NOT be bad on the diesel drive train.

I apologize to the OP for getting off topic here.

Ron

[C-Bears]

Much of your decision will probably depend on how many days a year you will be living in your RV. Are you just doing weekends and a couple cross country trips, will you be a long-timer, or possibly thinking about full timing?

As I sit here in the living room of my 39' Montana FW I feel like I am in a small apartment. The living room/kitchen area is approximately 13'x20'. It would take a pretty large diesel pusher MH to have a living area that large. We can walk around the king size bed, there is a hallway closet that holds a side-by-side washer/dryer.

My point is, how much living space do you need/want? You can find some new model FW's in the 38' to 39' range that can be pulled properly/safely with a 1-ton SRW diesel truck. It still is slightly less efficient using a 1 ton truck as your driver when traveling and camped, but much easier than having a DRW 1 ton truck.

I think some folks are worried about learning how to drive and back-up a FW. It just seems easier maybe to learn how to operate the large MH. Just remember that you really can't back up a MH while pulling a car behind you, whereas you can back up a FW combination for 10 city blocks if you want to. Either a MH or FW you can practice and learn.

When traveling and I need oil changes and/or fuel filter changes it sure is simple having just a pickup. Generally I just drop it off at the dealer and wait or get a loaner vehicle. With a MH you have to find a garage that will do the service first of all, then with all your belongings inside your unit you have to worry about security issues in my opinion.

There are certainly tons of folks that love their MH's. But for us being full time and traveling the FW sure works better for us.

[RFCN2]

I would buy what you like the best. However, I noticed you indicated you did not want to tow a dingy. Unless you plan to get a small motorhome, 26' or less, you really need a tow car.

Lots more 5th wheels sell to full timers than motorhomes. I suspect because they are cheaper. I much prefer driving a class A DP to a truck. I really like driving our rig. Plus motorhomes are set up to dry camp easily. 5th wheels normally do not have generators and the systems to dry camp.

Test drive a few and then decide.

[toedtoes]

For me, I had an 18.5ft TT and now have a 21ft Class C and I found (again FOR ME):

1. I prefer backing up in the C over backing up with the TT for several reasons. I travel alone, so I don't have a spotter; nighttime visibility was much lower with the TT (my C has large windows on both sides and the back); the combined length of the TT and TV vs the C made maneuverability more difficult.

2. The C is better suited for day trips and quick departures. With the TT, I had to hitch up, and parking it in a regular parking spot was less than desirable. The C, I just hop in and go, and park it just like my SUV. I drove the C to work one day and we used its kitchen for food prep and storage, etc.

3. The TT was better when at campgrounds because if I wanted to head out on a side trip for the day, I could just take the SUV. With the C, I am taking it all with me. This can be a problem if someone goes camping with me, but would prefer to stay back at camp when I do a side trip.

4. With the C, I don't have to think ahead as much as to what I need at hand for the drive. I can easily pull over and grab a soda or snack or camera, etc. while on the road. With the TT, if I didn't think ahead, I had to find a place large enough to pull over in, then walk around the vehicle on the side of the road to the TT in order to get what I needed.

As to distance driving, I find the C is more tiring than my SUV. But, otherwise I prefer it. On highways, I had idiots try to merge into my lane BETWEEN my SUV and TT (that doesn't work), so I was having to maneuver around them. On backroads and in town, I find the C easier to maneuver.

[Dandy_Dan]

There are times that a MH would be more convenient. Being ably to use the little room without getting out, can put a crock pot in the sink and fire up the genny and have dinner ready when you want.
Other than the cost of the MH I opt for the 5er. I only have one drive train to take care of. When I get where I am going I unhook the 5er and have my touring vehicle already. I think you do get more room in the same length from a 5er The choice must be yours. Good Luck in your search and Happy Camping.

[wintersun]

Easiest is a Class B motorhome followed by a Class C motorhome. With either a Class A motorhome or a 5th wheel trailer you will be towing something. With the 5th wheel it is the trailer which you can leave at a campsite and travel around the area with your truck. With the Class A MH you will need to tow a small car so you can leave the long MH at a campsite and use the smaller vehicle to get around the area.

Only with a Class B MH can you travel much as you would with a large SUV and pull over anywhere or park anywhere and fit into any campsite in an area. The longer the overall rig the more restrictive it is in this regard.