5thwheel vs class A or class C, what did you choose and why?

[etcetera]

On 7/1/2021 at 2:27 PM, Nwcid said:

There are the same number of steps between both options.  You reference a toad so you would still have to "mess with connecting it".  As to leveling I do the same thing as a MH and hit auto level (I know some do not come with this but most that would compare with a MH do).  If you are hooking you still need P/W/S and both attach the same way. 

I had a F350 TV plus an Airsream it was a PITA to hitch it when I wanted to go somewhere. It wasn't that often.

A MH is simpler. There is nothing to connect assuming there is no toad. Not everyone has or needs one. You can for example carry a bike or a moped or something.  I think if I had a MH, I probably would not bother with a toad.

 

For a while my DD was an old F350 with a 460 motor that got 11MPG no matter what you did with it.  I did the math and it was actually cheaper using just it without having to get a second vehicle. I forgot what the break even point was.

 

Of course you can get a second vehicle or a toad if it's more convenient, not everything in life is about the bottom $. An F350 or a MH is not a great DD.

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by etcetera

[sandsys]

42 minutes ago, etcetera said:

An F350 or a MH is not a great DD.

Maybe. We lived in a Class C motorhome for a year and a half with no toad because we were traveling a lot so it was easy to stop at sights or do errands on our way from one place to another. When Dave stopped traveling I spent the next three winters in a Class B motorhome with no toad because why would I need a toad behind a van? Both those motorhomes WERE our daily driver.

Linda Sand

[lappir]

My home on wheels has a one car, one motorcycle garage that also is able to carry my recumbent trike and a few other odds and ends. A friend of mine used to say he got 20+ mpg since he would combine the mpg of all the items on their trips. The truck is only used to move the house. The Car and motorcycle for trips to work, the grocery store and what ever else. Is it less expensive, absolutely not, but I would have each if I were stationary, so what's the difference. 

The difference is all of my possessions will tend to depreciate with age. Real estate usually appreciates. If you are young and want to retire early, stay where you are and save. If you want to work on the road accept that it's a long learning process and just when you think you have got it. The new lesson will come for a visit. 

Each vehicle has it's pros and cons. Each person has their opinions on each and what's a pro for me may be a con for you. I travel single and don't have anyone to argue with but myself. I don't have to explain my actions or thoughts. Two heads are usually better than one though. 

 

Good luck with your choice. 

 

Rod  

[Kirk W]

9 hours ago, etcetera said:

A MH is simpler. There is nothing to connect assuming there is no toad. Not everyone has or needs one. You can for example carry a bike or a moped or something.  I think if I had a MH, I probably would not bother with a toad.

That is pretty much what I said when we bought our first small class A and since we were still employed full-time, we felt that it worked out very well, until our first long trip where we stayed a full week in one location to see the area and enjoy the park. We did notice that our bicycles were much nicer to use when weather was good after we used them to get groceries and were caught in a rain squall while returning. Later we took another long trip to an area that it was too far for us to use bicycles and we noticed that it is a nuisance to unhook the water, electric, & sewer each day to go do the tourist thing. We kept that first motorhome for 9 years and somewhere around year 5 we got set up to tow, just for a trip out to our first grandson's arrival. By the time that we returned home we were both convinced that for us, travel with a tow vehicle was so much nicer that we never went very far without towing again for that motorhome or with the larger class A which followed for the next 14 years. 

For me, once I got used to using the tow-bar arrangement it was less than a 5 minute job to connect for travel and even less to drop the towed if we wanted to go to the store or even just for an hour or two before traveling on. With modern towing equipment it just isn't that big a deal. 

[RV_]

I am a great believer in the RV Consumer Group (RVCG.) Lots of folks criticize their evaluation techniques, especially when the RV they have is rated lower than they'd hoped. 😉 Their ratings guides and free online materials are not designed to tell which RV or type to choose. But I see their ratings guides as telling me which RV/s to avoid. 

If you are new to RVs and choosing type and brand the RV Consumer Group, has a page of free info here: https://rv.org/blogs/news

If you read all the pages there you can skip this post.

I would soak up everything on those page because the Gallants have been doing this and investigating RVs and RV accidents longer than most here have had RVs! Many public libraries do have their rating books to loan and you can ask if they will order one that you can borrow too.

Friends tell us what we need to hear, not necessarily what we want to hear.

I chose a Fifth wheel or Fiver because it was much simpler. I can back it up after a wrong turn, Motorhomes can't back up with a toad. No big deal to get out and unhook it unless bad weather.

We drove our 1 ton Diesel dually Ram/Cummins long bed as a daily driver for me before RVing and many trucks and VW campers before that. MY wife loved driving it too. Lots of folks in many parts of the country have a "Cowboy Cadillac." The comment you see a lot from folks driving a big motorhome is a truck is too big to drive on city streets? How'd they get the motorhome there? 😉

We bought both the truck and the fiver used and cash so we could travel and live on our military retirement. It was too little to travel and have truck and RV notes. We had really nice rigs in the 90s, and the research really paid off. 

I joined the RV Consumers Group early on and learned why it is illegal for passengers to ride in trailers in most states. In a serious crash and/or rollover many RVs of all types look like a bomb went off and do not hold together very well in a wreck, especially roll overs. There isn't much left and all the appliances, TVs, radios are ripped loose and fly around in serious accidents. Many Motorhomes have no passenger protection cage where we sit because the NHTSA does no inspections or tests on MH cabins, and does not regulate them, only the drive train and chassis. No passenger safety regs like cars and trucks. So it is left to the RV manufacturers to police themselves. Not all produce quality rigs regardless of type. That is why many of us visit the factory of the RV we are considering as a last reality check. We can see how they add value or not.

So after seeing the results of RV crashes and how most of all types disintegrate in rollover accidents at speed I decided I preferred to ride in a passenger safety tested tow truck cabin designed to absorb impacts and stay intact enough with airbags to protect us in addition to the built in protective cage.

If I truly believed I would be immune from accidents caused by others or mechanical failures I would carry minimum insurance only or self insure in states where that is allowed. But accidents happen so we all insure. There are inherent safety choices between types of RVs. Most can be mitigated by choice of RV and owner while underway.

Then there is owner driver error. When I heard one member here talk about how they chose a motorhome so their grandkids can play on the floor en-route I was shocked. Just an emergency stop could project them through the windshield. Another how they cooked while under way. Sure would hate to have an emergency maneuver or stop compounded by hot pans of food from the stove being thrown against the front seated driver and passenger/s. But those can be avoided by doing the normal safety on the road things like being sure passengers are belted in and all items are secured on countertops etc. Making sure the driver passenger compartment and cabin frame are steel and the seats and seat belts are secured to chassis metal not just wood or aluminum and/or fiberglass siding that would rip out in a rollover. Look up pics.

That is what I would look for in any motorhome I would consider.

I prefer a big diesel truck like the 1 ton RAM diesel dually we used as a TV with a Cummins engine. Pickup passenger compartments are engineered to survive collisions that would not in the vehicles from my youth in the 50s and 60s. Today it is much less likely for folks who are belted in to be killed. But many who are not belted in and are thrown from the vehicle die despite having steel protection and airbags that would have protected them had they belted up.

I would buy a motorhome with a steel driver passenger cage like the old Bus conversions had. I don't know if they make many like that anymore.

I chose to be a fiver driver for a lot of reasons. Most of all because we drove that 1 ton Ram/Cummins diesel dually as my daily driver and my 5'2" petite significant harassment loved driving it too. We full timed for seven years from my age 45 when I retired to my age 52. We did everything west of the Mississippi and from Mexico up to and including Alaska in 1999.

A fifth wheel even in winds is much more stable behind my truck because of the hitch and weight distribution. I also loved backing it compared to the too fast for me break while backing in bumper hitch trailers. But I could live with that.

IN summary there is least storage in a bumper pull trailer, much more and a basement in most fivers, and with motorhomes it varies between less than a fiver to giant holding tanks, generators, and cavernous storage and much larger weight capacities.

Not all folks are going full time, not all need 45 foot motorhomes or 40 foot fivers or 36 foot tail waggers. My choices may be dead wrong for some others, as theirs may be dead wrong for me. I like to balance safety with ease of use. Although we came off the road after 7 years to take care of aging parents, we traveled the whole seven years and even did Alaska for a season. The plumbing, electrical, propane, heating, cooling, water, sewage, solar systems and appliances have changed little in the last 30 years. 

We are here to help.

[bruce t]

This question has been asked 4353483524 times on internet forums. The answer is always the same. "It depends". None of us have the same reason to be on the road. None of us do exactly the same while on the road. None of us have the same expectations. And we are all biased. We have to be biased to choose what we have.

FWIW we have had a 35 A class. Gas. A 40ft coach conversion. Diesel. A 40ft diesel pusher. All with toad. Now we have a 20ft B Class. Every one of them had/has their pros and cons. And not one was better than the other. Life's a compromise and so are Rvs.

 

 

[lg61820]

I would suggest that you watch as many YouTube videos as you can.  You can get a sense of how much room the different types and sizes feature.  You can figure out from them what your "must haves" and "would be nice" features are.  I have my own tiny travel trailer that I chose after watching many, many videos and finally seeing it in person.

 

I must confess that the "perfect" RV for me was the third one I bought.  I tried a class A, too nervous driving, a travel trailer, too big for my tow vehicle.  Watching all the videos really helped me.  I love my camper, but it would be too small for most folks.  

 

I suggest Matt's RV Reviews and Matt's RV reviews towables for views of many vehicles available through General RV.  If you start watchin those YouTube will suggest other reviewers for you to watch.  

 

This can be extremely helpful, especially if there are no large dealers near you.

[Nwcid]

On 7/11/2021 at 7:09 PM, etcetera said:

An F350 or a MH is not a great DD.

 

I would agree.  That is why I have had a Chevy 3500 dually as a daily for over a decade.  

[RV_]

I had my Ram diesel dually from 1997- 2006, then since I was off the road and the 1 ton 1990 had a suspension without overload springs, just a spring stack like a dump truck and while it rode like a Cadillac with a load, it bounced me off the headliner almost on Louisiana roads. So I switched to a 2500 later model with springing that rode smoothly with and without a load starting with a 2002 long bed. I tried a 2006 2500 short bed diesel and that rode beater than the 1 ton but much worse than the long bed 2002 2500. So I went in search of a low mileage long bed RAM diesel truck that had it all in 2014 or so.

We had five acres and since we were not full timing I sold our 28 foot part time rig a 2003 Sunnybrook and short bed and tried a 7 foot bed Ford Ranger auto. I still had my 14 foot heavy duty two axle utility trailer w flip down ramp. It was made of 3" angle by my BIL when he was a full time welder trailer manufacturer for himself. That Ranger could not accelerate with the heavy duty trailer up a mild hill empty and it got less gas mileage at 18 or 19 mpg at best empty. My diesels off load got 20-22mog.

My ideal truck back then without additives required for the exhaust or other weird smog inventions was a Cummins inl-ine six diesel 5.9. And Cummins made the quiet diesel starting in some few 2004.5 trucks. I found a 2500 long bed with 135k miles and privately owned by an RVr in excellent shape with the big back seat and long bed. I sold it after hauling a UHaul here from Louisiana with all my fluids and guns and our other fragile and valuables. I sold it in 2019 and have not had one since because a long bed 25 foot long truck counting hitch truck will not fit in my two car garage. And we live in town and done our 7 years of full time RVing and many years before of pop up Westphalia campers (seven of them of the many hot VWs and Porsches I built in the 70s and 80s) I would strip and restore them as super stock inside and out. But then middle age set in and we wanted our own bathroom/shower/storage and slides for full time RVing.

If I were to start again I might even get a converted heavy duty truck like Jack Mayer makes. They are more economical than a new 3500 by half in many cases. Yes like my long bed 1 ton trucks they may sometimes have to be parked at the back of suburban and inner city parking lots so I could use two spaces and avoid door dings. But the class 8 trucks without trailers attached actually have a tighter turning radius than my 1 ton long beds which took a big turning radius.

Like when you buy a new hot car as a 20/30 something, it seems so fast it is scary at first and after a few months you realize it is the new norm and does not feel as impressive as when new.

Big trucks are the same assuming you have good or corrected vision. And like my petite 5'2" SH of 49 years this September, who loved driving it, no different than learning any new vehicle. My last year active duty and first year with our Ram was in San Antonio. She was constantly getting misogynistic comments about being able to handle that much truck. Always men and I believe they felt a little threatened by a woman who is willing to drive big rigs. They would have been astounded watching her do all the interior trim on the best houses being built in our area in the 2000s. Or seeing a Colt Govt. Model .45 auto in her hands out shooting the guy who taught her, me! With my own gun! See I taught handguns to heavy machine guns and shoulder fired rockets  to military, police, and had classes off base teaching regular folk. Here's how that relates to trucks. Many guys had the little lady little gun erroneous beliefs. They would be 6'2 and buy a .45, .40 cal, or .44 magnum etc, then look at .22, .380, and .38 special for her. Now if the gun was not enough to stop a threat, who was better equipped to duke it out, the big burly 6'2" guy or the petite woman? HE SHOULD HAVE THE LITTLE GUN AND HER THE BIG GUN. It is just a skill learned and/or taught easily with a little practice.If one believes they can't, they are right.

Want to get the towing job done? Get the biggest truck you can, you CAN drive any one you WANT to drive and become comfortable in no time. Even a big rig becomes second nature in no time. No one really thinks folks were born being able to back a 36 foot fiver into a space like I could without just doing it.

And remember the number one rule for RVrs towing trailers - "YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH TRUCK!"

Hope that helps - Safe Travels!

[BobDees]

We started with tent camping when the kids were little.  Bought a lightweight Tent Trailer when is was just the  two of us.  Then followed the typical stages of TT and now a Class C.  My main reasons for the Class C are ease of setup, room inside, and not having to drive a large pickup full-time whether we were traveling or not.  We tow a Jeep to see the sites.  None of this is inexpensive and without maintenance or headaches, but for us, our Class C is small enough to enjoy national parks but big enough to be on the road for months at a time.   Mostly, it is all about enjoying the journey,  As Gandalf said, "Not all who wander are lost."