To pull a trailer or a toad

[1nolaguy]

OK, it is clear to me that if you are full timing or semi-full timing (basically more than just weekending)you are likely either towing a trailer (TT or 5er) or pulling a toad of some type.

Lets face it, no one relishes breaking camp every time you need to run to the store or want to go exploring.

So if you pull something, please share which you prefer and why.

Now as a point of clarity, obviously what you two is determined by your type of RV. My main question is your pros and cons for making your choices. current day MH, TT and 5ers can have many of the same amenities so do you prefer one motor and drive train or two?

I look forward to everyone's comments.

[Atlee]

Ditto. These are the same reasons I have a truck and TT.

DutchmenSport wrote:
TT and pick up truck. Wanted ability to separate the house on wheels from the vehicle moving it. Wanted a TT over a 5er so have complete access and use of the bed of the truck and TT is on a single floor and fewer steps. No motorhome with toad. Too much engine maintenacne on 2 vehicles. And can't do "dirty" jobs with a motorhome like you can with a pick-up truck.

[STBRetired]

We have found that the MH makes the driving portion of the trip much more enjoyable. Once you are parked, the MH or a 5er seem pretty much equivalent. We did not own any vehicle that could pull a trailer much over 24 feet, so it would have meant buying 2 vehicles. By purchasing the MH, we were able to use our Malibu on a dolly as a toad.

DW liked the idea of being able to move about the MH while rolling down the highway instead of being confined to the passenger seat. And happy wife = happy life.

[1nolaguy]

Thanks so far to everyone who had contributed. I see most of you are Senior member and senior members as well. We Too.

I will be retiring soon and the DW and I plan at US/Canada trip that will likely last a year or two. We do plan to sell the house and full time with periodic stops back home with family. In our hunt so far we have narrowed the focus to either a 5er or MH in the 25 to 32ft range. We have seen a few TTs with floor plans we like but ceilng height is a bit of an issue. I'm 6'1" and the 5ers just feel less claustrophobic.

My Nissan Titan tow capacity is limited to small TT and our other Mazda Tribute can not be towed 4 down so I will likely have to look at replacing at least one or two vehicles unless I put the Tribute on a dolly.

At this point I would either buy a new(er)3/4 ton truck and a 5er or a Class A and tow the Tribute.

Most of you who have replied seem to prefer a MH and toad over a truck and trailer. Is the MH and toad that much more convenient for those of us in retirement?

[Veebyes]

So many ways to skin this cat. You can start with something as simple as a scooter, not 50cc, or road legal dual sport motorcycle & go up from there. It comes down to styles of travel & needs to support it.

If off-roading is your interest, vehicles can be rented wherever it is done if you have nothing or don't want to drag it. The ideal toad to me seems to be something small like a Yaris or even a small cross over that can handle some easy trails.

[jplante4]

Our post retirement trip in the motor home (6 months on the road), we wanted to keep things simple. We decided to rent when we needed a car. Enterprise (and I think Hertz as well) will pick you up within a certain distance, and seeing that Enterprise locations seem to be everywhere, we figured that was a reasonable solution. Plus, neither of our daily drivers could be towed 4 down.

Well, it was a partial success. Although there are Enterprise locations everywhere, not all of them are staffed all the time. Some are satellites of a bigger office, sometimes just a desk at a car dealerships or body shop. Dropping off a rental without having someone in authority inspecting it for damage was a good way to get hosed, so I made some waves at a couple of places. The pick up drivers were just contractors and none of them were willing to say the return was ok.

Also, we were picking places to stay based on proximity to an Enterprise location. Not the best criteria. At one place where we didn't have a car, we needed to break camp to get propane.

When my 11 year old Caddy blew a torque converter, I gave it up and bought an Equinox, which can be towed 4 down. My informal survey of toads over the 6 month trip shower that most people towed a Honda CR-V or some kind of Jeep. Looking at Craigs List, the prices on these vehicles was outrageous, and I got a 3 year old Chevy for the cost of a 10 year old CR-V with 150,000 miles on it. Before the next trip (in the spring), I going to set the Equinox up to tow.

[Community Alumni]

We have a 31' Class C. We trailer my motorcycle on a utility trailer or we pull the MINI on a tow dolly. Short or long trips, we take some sort of vehicle. As you said before, no one likes to break camp to go somewhere. We are also going to by a 35 gallon tote so we don't have to break camp to dump when we stay at campsites without sewer hookups.

[valhalla360]

Assuming a toad and similar fancy gadgets (ie: generators, leveling systems , etc..)it's roughly the same amount of time to set up or break camp.

You can go to the bathroom while driving with a MH but as a full timer, you don't have to do 20hr drives. We shoot for 2-3hrs and if we need to stop we can always walk the "massive" distance back 20ft and use the bathroom we are towing.

Setting up in the rain likewise isn't a big difference. As full timers, we don't typically have to travel in bad weather. But even if we do get caught in it, you can just open the slides and wait it out in comfort, so not a big deal.

Fuel economy with the toad is not so great when you look big picture. MH's typically get 4-6mpg while trailers typically get 8-12mpg, so it's going to take a lot of miles on the toad to cancel out the extra fuel when the RV is moving.

Cost is where the TT/5th wheel shines. For equivalent units a MH is typically far more expensive.

[bikendan]

our preference is truck and trailer.

one-DW doesn't like motorhomes.
two-I don't want to have to maintain two drivetrains on the road.
three-Better fuel economy with trailer.

[CA_Traveler]

On our Alaska trip we put 2,700 miles on the toad. Without that we would have seen much much less. For us bicycles are just not an viable option.

Over the years our driven toad miles are about the same as the MH miles.

[DrewE]

In my opinion, how necessary a separate vehicle is depends to a large extent on how frequently you move to different camp sites. A toad is a lot less necessary for a long tour than for a medium-length stay at a single place. If you're moving every couple of days, it's not so hard to make a stop on the way to get groceries or whatever.

I got back about a month ago from a ten week trip to Alaska. The closest thing I had to a toad was a bicycle on a rack on the back of my class C motorhome. There were a few times it was very handy, but I didn't really need it the vast majority of the time. (There were other times and places that, if I could have been on a slower schedule, I would have very much enjoyed using it for recreation.)

[Peg_Leg]

For over 40yrs of camping we've had truck campers, class C, travel trailers and now our 5er. Each one had a place and time as the correct unit. 5yrs ago we had a popup truck camper for one trip, 13,000 miles to Alaska. Once again the perfect unit for us on that trip.

We now prefer the 5er with 3 slides as we spend 3-4 months snow birding in Florida. I've pulled a S-10 and a 16' alum boat behind the class C, and a alum boat behind both the TT and the 5er. I prefer the 5er for ease of hookup and towing. The basement and a tray on the back make up for the space in the truck with a TT. It just fits what we want to do at this point in life.

[theoldwizard1]

A lot depends how many days a year you are going to use your rig.

My gut would be a truck and a TT. If you have a family of more than 4, a Suburban or a Expedition. An Expedition will haul 8 as long as 3 can fit in the back seat (the back seat will hold 3 smaller adults but not for hours on end).

A MH parked for 250+ days a year is not a good investment.

[2gypsies1]

During our 16 years of full-timing we had both.... a 5th wheel pulled by the truck and a motorhome towing a Jeep. We hated driving that truck everywhere and the Jeep gave us endless fun on the trails and exploring.

[TheLuvShack]

I see more TTs and Fivers out there. Makes sense cause many folks have a pickup for a daily driver. Had a TT. Didn't really like the time it took to set it up. No genny. Like fivers because they're spacious. Never had one but I imagine it would take just as long to set up. Bought a Class C and tow four down. Takes me ten minutes to hook up the toad. Push a button and it levels itself, slide pops out and awning pops out. I like pushin' buttons. Has a genny and bathroom is right there. Wife can stretch her legs as we travel. I like the C. Maybe would like to have a little more room but I'm careful what I wish for. Friend was into boats. Always wanted more room. Started with a 24'. Then 32',38' and 55'. The 55' was spacious but drew so much water that when Lake Michigan went down he couldn't get it out of the marina. He had a real expensive cottage with a motor!

[ScottG]

If money were no object, I would have a class DP and pull a nice little car behind it. I'd rather not drive a full size truck everywhere.
I know some like to drive big trucks everywhere but I've been doing it for 30 years and I'm over it.