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Can't decide: Motor Home & Toad or Travel Trailer


rollindowntheroad

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Hi All:

Don't know if this is really the best area to post this or not.  If it should be posted in another area let me know.

I have several more years before I retire but can't decide what to do.  Here are my plans as of now:  1)  Won't be "traveling" all the time, will find a location and stay a month or so then move to another location and stay a month or so.  Will be in the south in the winter and mid-west during the summer, my daughter lives in Northern Illinois.  Will be there to see her during summer, then go to either Florida or Arizona for the winter.  2)  It is just me, no significant other, no pets.

I can't decide if I should get a motor home, would definitely be a used, gas one and use my Jeep Wrangler for the toad OR get a Travel Trailer and something to pull it with.  The issue with the travel travel is that I really don't want to buy a truck.  I have never owned a truck and don't really want a truck as a daily driver.  I would prefer to get something like a Tahoe or Yukon.  I realize getting the Tahoe or Yukon will limit the size of the travel trailer.  I have looked at travel trailers that can be pulled by the above vehicles and I don't think I would be comfortable living full time in them.  The reason I would like to make the decision now is that I would get the Tow vehicle now while I am still working and get it paid off before I retire.  When I retire would pay cash for the travel trailer.  Even keeping the jeep and getting a motor home the jeep will be paid off before I retire.  Obviously the motor home is going to be more in maintenance.

Wondering if you could give me some suggestions or what you would do.

Thank you.

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Off the top of my head, here's some quick considerations. How old is your Jeep? If you buy a new vehicle you can get a towing package on it which will help when you hit the road. It's important to have a comfortable vehicle for towing or as a daily driver. Does your Jeep fit that criteria? There's more, but those thoughts might help you get started.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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1 hour ago, rollindowntheroad said:

Don't know if this is really the best area to post this or not.

To me, it fits here nicely but what actually matters is that you feel it fits. The admin here is pretty flexible on what should be posted where. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Why the choice of motor home or travel trailer, what happened to a fifth wheel. Fifth wheel is IMO the best of both worlds. You get more space (maybe even more than a motor home) than a travel trailer. You only have to maintain one engine. And... a pickup can be used as a daily driver. 

 

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1 hour ago, rollindowntheroad said:

I can't decide if I should get a motor home, would definitely be a used, gas one and use my Jeep Wrangler for the toad OR get a Travel Trailer and something to pull it with.

Is your Wrangler capable of towing as it is or would it need to be modified? If I read things correctly it would need to be modified to tow on it's wheels so that and the needed tow bar and base plate will push up the cost to tow, but it would still be well under the cost to trade. I know that it isn't a popular option, but we traveled for 12 years in a gas chassis motorhome (owned it for 14 years) and towed a Honda CR-V the entire time with great success and low costs. There is some risk in buying any used vehicle but I assure you that the modern gas-powered coaches serve very well and many fulltimers live in them. Because of the overwhelming advice from those with diesel pushers, only a few posters here who own one say much about it, but they are still quite common. We bought a gas RV for budget reasons and loved every bit of the experience. One advantage this arrangement has is that you will put far fewer miles on the motorhome while you do your running about in a rig that costs much less to drive and to replace. In our years on the road, we traveled a lot like you plan as we would move to a place where we volunteered a few days per week in return for an RV site. On days off we would go see everything for 100+ miles in all directions, then move on and not return to that same location. We visit nearly all of the states in that 12 years and experienced many things that only a volunteer gets to do. We put less than 80k miles on the motorhome and in that same time driving more than 250k on the two CR-Vs. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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We tow a wrangler with our Jayco Melbourne 29D.  The tow bar setup for the wrangler cost $2,700 so as Kirk stated that’s another expense to consider.  Our main reason for the this type of setup is the comfort in knowing that if the motorhome would breakdown we still have the wrangler as a backup.  Of course it is two engines to maintain.  To each his own in making this type of decision.

Rick & Phy

Mount Joy, PA

2010 Jayco Melbourne 29D

2016 Jeep Wrangler Toad

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Recently sold a truck and travel trailer, then bought a motorhome. 

No more running between the truck and trailer when it is raining, real hot or too cold. 

Now, we can travel and be safer not having to get out of the truck to go in the trailer for the night.

Push a few buttons and the motorhome is level from inside the rig, no cranking leveling jacks up and down.

A travel trailer has no generator built in... push a button from inside the motorhome and the gen starts.

A motorhome is easy for me to back... not as easy with a truck and travel trailer in a tight space.

I've tried both and the motorhome is so much easier for me to use.

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We have a 32' Class C and Honda CR-V (2002). X2 what other's have posted. 

The 2 gas engines are easy to maintain, mostly oil changes.

Love the MH when traveling from point A to B.

Check out Escapee parks in FL and AZ and get in the waiting list(s) if you might want to stay there in the winter. The park in AL is also worth checking out.

We like a smaller vehicle for our daily driver, the Honda CR-V fits the bill as could your Jeep.

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Keep the Jeep and get a motorhome - especially if you winter in Arizona.  A Jeep can give you so much fun and endless exploring off-road.  We full-timed for 8 yr. with a 5th wheel and truck. We always hated driving that truck. Friends got us hooked on Jeeping and we enjoyed it immensely. We then got our motorhome.  Best of luck planning your new lifestyle!

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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Over many years of RV travels and more than a few years living in one, I have learned that the best choice of RV type is more a matter of what the people living in them prefer than it is of any sort of logic. Most people have a preference for a particular type and while we can all give you many reasons we prefer what we do, there are just as many reasons to buy what someone else prefers. A motorhome is more convenient while traveling, but the fifth wheel has more space for its size and the travel trailers have a flat floor and fewer entry steps. The list could go on and on but the point is that what you want and will be happy with. Most of all, do not jeopardize your financial security to get something others recommend. We lowered our initial standards to get what we could afford and in the long term it proved to have been a wise decision. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Kirk hit it pretty close to right. You have to decide how you will travel and what works for you.  In my experience (not full time, probably put in 6-8 weeks a year on our rig) a motorhome pulling our Jeep Wrangler unlimited is pretty close to perfect.  For someone else it may not be.

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Since you still have several years until retirement you may want to back up your planning even more.  You said you will stay summers in the northern Illinois area and winters either in Florida or Arizona.  We generally spend 3 months in central Illinois each summer.  We have 2 families of kids/grandkids in this area, 1 set in the Rockford area, and 1 set in the Chicago area.  

What I am getting at is this.  Maybe you need to visit some local CG's in that northern Illinois area and get an idea of where you may want to stay for a month at a time while visiting your daughter each summer.  I know we have searched in the Chicago/Rockford area for a CG large enough for us and they are few and far between.  Also, when we stay someplace for a month or more we want a good cheap monthly rate.  So, if it was me I would get an idea of where I could camp for reasonable rates in that summer area and then see what if any size limitations would possibly apply.

Each type of RV has it's advantages and disadvantages.  Floorplans and having enough space to live full time is important.  Our first stint at full timing was with a 1-ton Ford and large fiver.  We didn't put much importance on the daily driver part of the equation.  This time around we wanted a car for a daily driver plus I didn't want to give up my Harley so we went with a MH and a trailer for a toad.  

Good luck with your planning and subsequent search!

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

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To FL-JOE:

My daughter lives just a little north of Rockford in South Beloit.  I wouldn't necessarily need to be right there but within a 30 to 45 minute drive would work.  What part of Florida are you in?  I lived in Clearwater for a little over 6 years.  I miss it!  Now in upstate NY - job transfer.

I have looked at motor homes in the 35" range, they seem to be a very comfortable size for me.

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To All:

I had pretty much made up my mind to get a motor home and keep my Jeep Wrangler as a toad.  The jeep is not set up for towing yet but will get that done my last year of working.  

I guess the main reason I was asking was that people have told me that motor homes are made to be driven, so I didn't know if I wasn't going to be traveling all the time if that would do the motor home any harm or not.  Some people said it would be bad, some said no, so I got confused.  I would probably be moving every month or so, maybe a "trip" once or twice a year.

All responses are much appreciated.

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I'm no mechanic, but I believe moving once a month is enough to exercise the MH systems. The problem comes up when people go "off road" and decide to live in their MH. Then it is at great risk for deterioration if they park it more or less permanently. In my opinion, they would be better off selling the MH and buying a used park model at that point.

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We can not tell you what is best f or you that will be your choice. We can tell you what we did when faced with a similar choice MH, 5th wheel, TT. We had a TT and had 3 prior We were still working and were weekend and perhaps vacation some years. 

We had dismissed the TT for long time use as  at the time we had not ruled out full timing. The reasons were size we would need something large and ease of towing.

After my retirement we drove for a transportation company  and had the opportunity to drive  large charter and school buses . The straight buses were much easier to drive, park, back and the ride was far  better. The MH was my choice.

The 5th wheels were large enough but required a  proper truck to pull it . The determining factor was the wife's tape measure that  determined that there was more inside living space and storage area  in a 5th wheel of the same size.

We went with a 40 foot 5th wheel four slides and a F-350 Long Bed, Crew cab , Dually Diesel. IMO it is more of a challenge than the MH. The MH does requite a toad as the MH is not suited for sightseeing however you are using a  big one ton dually for sightseeing and that can be a pain.

We also see large expensive MH's sitting  for 6 months in Florida for the winter to me that is a waste of resources.

After one year on the road we decided not to full time but long time so the 5th wheel turned out to be the right choice . This is year number 13 on the road as a long timer. There are challenges but as with any challenge they can be overcome'

That is our story and has nothing to do with  your decision. You need to determine what is best for you and make the proper decision.

Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky

SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter.

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3 hours ago, rollindowntheroad said:

I guess the main reason I was asking was that people have told me that motor homes are made to be driven, so I didn't know if I wasn't going to be traveling all the time if that would do the motor home any harm or not.  Some people said it would be bad, some said no, so I got confused.  I would probably be moving every month or so, maybe a "trip" once or twice a year.

Most years we moved a lot. The summer we spent several months in one park we took the motorhome out on the highway for a half hour or so each month. During that time we ran the generator and the A/C to exercise it without disturbing neighbors. We never had any problems caused by sitting for a month at a time.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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In 8 years of full timing we've never had any problems sitting for as many as 5 months straight with out moving . 

Just do the generator at a good time and run the motor as well . The generator is the main concern as it needs to be 'dried out' occasionally . 

Make sure to check tire pressures and do a thorough 'once over' before you hit the road .

Goes around , comes around .

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As others have said, there is no right/wrong answer here. Its what fits your personal preferences best.

My personal preference differed depending on the type of trip. Sometimes I moved every week for 6 months; then sometimes I stayed in the same spot for 6 months. Sometimes I wanted to haul my ATV & dirt bike into the boonies for a week or two. So at one point, I had 3 different RV's at the same time, a diesel motor home, a 39" 5th wheel & very large truck to tow it, and a 34 ft toyhauler 5th wheel pulled by a 4x4 F250. I used them for different purposes at different times of the year. The motorhome was always my primary traveling RV and its the only one I still own. It just fits me best. 

I have nothing against travel trailers, my parents always had one. When I was ready to buy my own RV, for the size travel trailer I would want, it seemed much more safe & secure to go with a 5th wheel type in that size range.  But, to each his own, if you don't want a truck then that limits your options.

Jim

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You didn't mention whether you have ever RVed before, but if not, I would suggest you rent one for a week or so during the next year,  and go stay at a nearby state park for a week.  That will give you an idea of what basic living will be like in one.  

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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20 hours ago, rollindowntheroad said:

I guess the main reason I was asking was that people have told me that motor homes are made to be driven, so I didn't know if I wasn't going to be traveling all the time if that would do the motor home any harm or not.  Some people said it would be bad, some said no, so I got confused.  I would probably be moving every month or so, maybe a "trip" once or twice a year.

You can get just about every type of advice from someone and you need to figure out who you should believe. I can only tell you that in many years of RV living we typically spent 3 to 4 months sitting in some volunteer position two or three times each year. We did so with a Ford, V10 engine and we followed the advice that I got from the Ford motorhome chassis hotline. They stated that the proper thing to do was to fill the fuel tank completely full, using a quality fuel stabilizer treatment, then drive for about 20 minutes before shutting down to get the stabilized fuel throughout the system. Then shut down and do not start the engine until 5 to 10 days before travel when getting ready to go. I followed that advice for 12 years of continuous RV living and never had one problem from doing so. When our coach was 14 years old I sold it to a new owner who was very happy with it some 5 years later.

6 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

if not, I would suggest you rent one for a week or so during the next year,  and go stay at a nearby state park for a week.

A very good point to consider. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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