Now we are thinking TT over MH.. need opinions

[luberhill]

Ok we have been looking for a good under 30 ft motorhome.. just wife me and dog..didn’t want a toad so figured stay under 30
Haven’t been able to find a A or a C used that didn’t have issues... thinking of going new if we can around 60k or less
Now we are seeing lots of TT’s and thinking I alread have a F150 4x4 5 liter V8 truck...
What are the pros and cons of one over the other ???
Do TT’s have onboard generators ??? How would my truck pull a decent sized one ???

[DallasSteve]

luberhill wrote:

What are the pros and cons of one over the other ???

For the same age, size, features, and quality a travel trailer plus tow vehicle will typically save about 20% to 30% in total cost compared to a motorhome (plus a toad; I would have to have an extra vehicle). Motorhomes are more fun and convenient to a lot of people. If money was no object I would get a big Class A and pull a Jeep Wrangler. But for me money is still an object.

[afidel]

Arctic Fox offers generator prep and/or factory installed generator on their single door travel trailers.

[Sandia_Man]

With your current truck there are some very nice TTs you can tow under 25', if you want to go longer you can look at some ultra-light models although their overall durability and insulative factors may not be comparable. Look at your door jamb label to see your available payload, everything loaded into the truck including passengers and hitch subtracts from payload.

A properly loaded TT will place about 15 percent of its total weight on the hitch ball, look at the GVWR of the TT to estimate the tongue weight that your truck has to carry, this is where half ton trucks have the most issues since payload capacity is sorely lacking under most circumstances. If the numbers look good, get a WD/SC hitch and get out and have some fun.

As for onboard generators, standard TTs rarely have them but they are commonly found on toyhauler TTs. Unfortunately, these type of TTs are not best suited for towing by half ton trucks as they are much heavier with large loading capacities for motorized toys. Many have no toys and just use the garage as an extra room for whatever they want, need at least a 3/4 ton truck.

Since the vast majority of TTs and 5ers don't have onboard generators many will purchase a quality inverter generator that are quiet and fuel efficient. Some stow them in their truck and others in their TT's storage bay, if you need to power your RV AC unit about 3K watts is minimum for reliable service at most elevations. We use a Champion 3100 remote start genny that easily runs our AC.

[Happytraveler]

We had a trailer one time and now on our second motorhome. On the road I prefer the motorhome and pulling a car. If we parked at one place and never moved I would prefer a 5th-Wheell or trailer.

The motorhome is nice because you can run your generator and air conditioner while traveling. We run ours about 75% of the time on the road because of our dog. I like it because we can leave our dog in the motorhome with the air on and do a little shopping, plus eat at a nice restaurant.

[afidel]

jarata1 wrote:

luberhill wrote:
Ok we have been looking for a good under 30 ft motorhome.. just wife me and dog..didn’t want a toad so figured stay under 30
Haven’t been able to find a A or a C used that didn’t have issues... thinking of going new if we can around 60k or less
Now we are seeing lots of TT’s and thinking I alread have a F150 4x4 5 liter V8 truck...
What are the pros and cons of one over the other ???
Do TT’s have onboard generators ??? How would my truck pull a decent sized one ???

Won't find a new class a for 60,000 not even close

Thor, Fleetwood, Holiday Rambler, Forest River, Coachmen, Winnebago etc all make ~25' gas class A's for $65-70k. For $3-5k more you can get one ~30'. To my mind that's pretty close (20% isn't going to stop me from making a purchase if it's what I really want).

[Grit_dog]

Tough call. Every rv has its pluses and minuses based on type of use, locations and owners preferences.
One plus for a TT is $$. You could be in a very nice almost new med size TT that your truck would have no issue with for like $20k. And if you don’t like that type of rv, sell it next spring for most of all of what you paid depending on how good a deal you get.

[jwandvassie]

It's a real pain to not have a toad with a MH. Each time you leave a campsite, you must unhook utilities and secure all inside loose objects. With a TT, you only do that when when you leave at the end of your stay. I put a topper on my PU so have lots of storage.

[jwandvassie]

MURPHY55347 wrote:
If I already had a truck that would pull the trailer I "wanted" I would just get a trailer.

+1

[luberhill]

Yea we camp but stay in tent or cabins in state parks,
That’s why we thought a mh under 30 we wouldn’t need a road.
Some people where we are camping right now have a brand ne 22 ft tt
He pulls it with a GMC Canyon,,, it has a slide and queen walk around bed,,, just seems smaller inside than a 22 ft mh
I thought I saw class a Thor’s brand new for 79
I know everyone says they are junk though

[valhalla360]

Keep in mind with the explaination above...if you want auto everything, you can get it for a trailer and negate 95% of the differences setting up and tearing down a campsite vs a MH. (it just costs money...but that applies MH or trailer.)

But back to the main point:
- Don't go by rule of thumb. It's easy to look up the tow ratings on your truck. DO NOT GO STRICTLY BY THE TOW RATING NUMBER. In addition to the tow rating, you need to consider the hitch weight and GVWR. Figure around 12-15% of the trailer as the hitch weight (you don't want less than 10% or it won't pull well).
- I would compare to trailers in the 23-25' range as comparable to a 30' motorhome as the trailer won't lose the cockpit space. But really go looking and see what you find. The layouts are different, so your personal preference may result in a different size range.

Good chance you can pull a comparable trailer with your current truck. No way should you be spending anything close to $60k on a 25' trailer. For $60k, you could probably trade in your truck for something beefier and get a 30' trailer.

[RRinNFla]

Two things:
1) Will you really use the generator so much that you need a built-in.
2) They sell auto-levelers for trailers.

I was amused by trackrigs post. Hooking up a toad is one two minute step, while he makes hooking up a trailer sound like a day long project. Hooking a toad and hooking a trailer have many of the same steps.

[John_Wayne]

So are you campers or just want to start doing it. If you think you want to start doing it rent a few TT of diferent sizes and see how they pulll with your truck. And what you like or dislike about each floor plan if your just getting into RVing buy used.
Rent a MH for a trip and see if you would like that better after setting a TT at camp a few times.

[jarata1]

luberhill wrote:
Ok we have been looking for a good under 30 ft motorhome.. just wife me and dog..didn’t want a toad so figured stay under 30
Haven’t been able to find a A or a C used that didn’t have issues... thinking of going new if we can around 60k or less
Now we are seeing lots of TT’s and thinking I alread have a F150 4x4 5 liter V8 truck...
What are the pros and cons of one over the other ???
Do TT’s have onboard generators ??? How would my truck pull a decent sized one ???

Won't find a new class a for 60,000 not even close

[MURPHY55347]

If I already had a truck that would pull the trailer I "wanted" I would just get a trailer.

[bikendan]

Your Lariat will have a lower payload rating because all the Lariat bling adds weight to the truck.
We aren't fans of MHs, since you have two drivetrains to maintain.

What would you consider a "decent sized" trailer? It different for everyone. One would consider a 14' trailer enough while another would want a 35' minimum.
I don't know of any TT, other than Toyhaulers, that have a built-in generator.