From 5er to class C or A

[Chief Greg]

Transitioning from full time 5er to part time class C or A. Lots of cross country travel ahead. What should we get?

[Ray,IN]

Not to be flippant, but whatever suits you both. You already know the floorplan needs to fit both your desires. There are many  who travel in class C MH's and are quite happy with the arrangement. Gas class A MH's have less maintenance than a diesel pusher IMO, and within the last decades have became very reliable.

A DP MH is designed for moving and IMO is more suited for long distance and daily driving. Along with that comes higher operating expenses. This makes traveling in a DP MH the most expensive method of traveling in the RV lineup.

We are very happy with our MH and enjoy traveling. Today traveling in our DP MH averages ~ $1/mile.

[whj469]

Get a motor home to drive and a trailer to park is what I was told.

[sandsys]

Also, it would help to have your definition of part time. Two week vacations? Two month trips?

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

I think that part of the answer is in the size your fifth wheel is and are you wanting to downsize? When you consider a class C, does that include the super C as well? Are you shopping new or used, or both? And probably the primary questions is the size of your budget? If you do not consider the super C then class C motorhomes are typically not much larger than 32-35' in length and have limited cargo capacity. But if you consider the super C market you can easily find them up to 45' in length, 4 slides, and with maximum cargo capacity. As a general thought, I believe most people moving from a fifth wheel into a motorhome with a moderate budget will probably be happier in a class A, but that is too much of a generalization to be of much value.

[Chief Greg]

Lots of good suggestions. Thanks. Let me add a bit more clarification.

When I say part-time, I mean anywhere from 2-6 months a year, with a few short trips in between (weekends, a week, etc). We do plan on taking cross-country trips every couple of years or so, which means crossing the Rockies, otherwise just mostly in the SE and up and down the East Coast.

I still work full-time, but since we stopped full timing I found I can live with a less complete office on the road, so we are downsizing from our mid-bunk 5er to something without that kind of space. Currently at 42', looking at anywhere between 32-40.

Primarily looking for a used rig, diesel class C/super C. But all options are on the table right now, hopefully under 200K.

[ms60ocb]

This is a question we are batting around also. Presently we have a 41 foot Fifth Wheel and spend at least 6 months a year in it. Normally our  stays are one week or longer at 7 different locations, mostly over 400 miles from our summer base. Our one reason for change, is pulling a car and allowing my DW to drive at our many week long stays. The DP gives a quieter drive and ease of fueling up. Today the Gas Class A would be more economical, with a loss of storage space and some options we would prefer.

Clay

[kb0zke]

We're actually looking to go the other way. We've had our Foretravel for almost 10 years, and we've learned a lot. We aren't traveling as much as we thought we would be, so we're looking to sell the Foretravel and go to a 5'er.

[RV_]

Since you're a fiver driver like I was there is one issue you might want to pay close attention to in shopping for them. From the late great JD Gallant - wheelbase:

https://rv.org/blogs/news/short-wheelbases-and-accidents-go-hand-in-hand

JD is gone but Connie is keeping on. Lots of free info here for others shopping:

https://rv.org/blogs/news

Edited May 11, 2022 by RV_

[GlennWest]

On 5/10/2022 at 4:18 PM, kb0zke said:

We're actually looking to go the other way. We've had our Foretravel for almost 10 years, and we've learned a lot. We aren't traveling as much as we thought we would be, so we're looking to sell the Foretravel and go to a 5'er.

Sell the Foretravel and buy a fifther? That means buying a truck to tow with that can be expensive to operate. I personally never want to own another diesel truck besides my Freightshaker.  It costs nothing when not towing.