Motorhome or Fifth Wheel?

[tvguy]

Make sure there isn't a city ordinance against keeping a trailer stored in the driveway.

Never would have thought of that. Good point. As long as it isn't on the street here, you are legal. Everyone parks their RV's in their driveway or side yard here.

 

[Allison]

Never would have thought of that. Good point. As long as it isn't on the street here, you are legal. Everyone parks their RV's in their driveway or side yard here.

Probably not something a lot of people would think about. People here store their campers at a local camp site that has storage. There are none in driveways.

 

[North of Mouse]

Our family (DH, me, 13, 13 and 7 year olds) are considering buying a motorhome or fifth wheel. We would love to have one to tour the country. We have a 12 year old minivan that we were thinking of replacing, so perhaps we could get a truck with a fifth wheel motor home. I like the idea of a fifth wheel, so when we arrive at our destination we can tour the area. We live in NJ and this idea is new to us. Anyone have any advice or info as to where is the best way to get advice/recommendations? Thanks!

Dh & I have been camping (46 yrs.) for most of our married lives, and have owned most all types of RV's.

About 15 yrs ago we decided a 5th wheel was the way to go. We hated it! Dh did not enjoy towing it (even with all the various additions to make it better) and even though he never had any trouble backing our trailers, never enjoyed backing the 5th wheel. Granted, once it was set up, it was a dream!! It lasted two years!

Now, we are on our third, Class A mh, and we will never look back - love, love, it! We just returned from a 3 week road trip, and set up is a breeze. We tow a '4 wheel down' SUV, and it's so easy to hitch/unhitch. Unless you go with a small class B, you 'will' be towing something, or else not have the option of getting around easy. This set up is the best for us - so nice to have access to kitchen/bath while on the road.

We've learned though, after many conversations with fellow campers, it's a 'to each their own' decision - not a one size fits all!! The best of luck with your decision.

We made sure when we built our home several years ago that we had 'no' HOA. We have large (2-3 acres) lots with protective covenants, but we are allowed a large RV barn which means so much to keep it near, plus it is weather protected.

 

[tvguy]

Probably not something a lot of people would think about. People here store their campers at a local camp site that has storage. There are none in driveways.

There are a few subdivisions here where you can't even leave a CAR in the driveway or on the street overnight. It has to be inside your garage or in the community parking lot outside the subdivision.

 

[jeepnjudy]

Keep in mind that if you get a fifth wheel, you will always need to use a pick up with it. Have you considered getting a RV trailer? If you got a trailer you could pull it with whatever vehicle you have at the time, as long as it has a hitch on it. Of course you could always get a motor home and tow a small car behind it, like lots of folks do. I just think the selection is greater if you get a travel trailer.

Not true...you have to check your vehicle's towing capacity and the weight of the travel trailer to determine if the vehicle can tow it.

 

[jeepnjudy]

You should post this on the camping thread as there are a lot of people over there with a great deal of experience. We have had both a motorhome and travel trailer (Currently have a travel trailer). We did not like the motorhome as it was excessively noisy and creaky while driving and unless you intend on towing a vehicle to tour around with, you will have to unhook everything and drive the motorhome. Not very fun to park in some places! Just my opinion but I know others love their motorhomes. It comes down to personal preference.

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

Rv.net has a ton of information on their forum. Research your tow vehicle...5th wheels typically require larger trucks (not a F150, but a 250). We have a trailer, looked into 5th wheel, but our full sized Tundra is not enough truck for anything more than our 5500 lb trailer. To upgrade our truck would be about $40k (new) or more.

We do love our trailer. There are years we use it more than others, but glad we bought it. I wish it had a slide...managing 2 full grown teens and 2 adults without a slide can be challenging. My son outgrew his bunk, so our dining room is now always a bed. Didn't think about that when buying. Nonetheless, we still love our trailer.

 

[manning]

Not true...you have to check your vehicle's towing capacity and the weight of the travel trailer to determine if the vehicle can tow it.

This is true. You get a true weight of the trailer is posted on it. Now manufacturers have to weigh them AFTER everything has been installed on them.

All tow vehicles will be rated as to how the maximum weight it can tow. More than likely you are looking at a class 3 tow package.

 

[jeepnjudy]

This is true. You get a true weight of the trailer is posted on it. Now manufacturers have to weigh them AFTER everything has been installed on them.

All tow vehicles will be rated as to how the maximum weight it can tow. More than likely you are looking at a class 3 tow package.

This is the part of your post I was referring to that is not accurate: "If you got a trailer you could pull it with whatever vehicle you have at the time, as long as it has a hitch on it." Stating that makes it sound like I can pull a 10K pound trailer with a Volkswagen Bug (After all, I can put a hitch on a bug if I want to). However, a bug would not have the towing capacity to pull a 10K travel trailer. That is the part that could be confusing to someone new to campers.

 

[manning]

Class 1 you can tow up to 1,000 lbs

Class 2 you can tow up to 3,500 lbs

Class 3 you can tow up to 8,000 lbs

Class 4/5 you can tow up to 18,000 lbs

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Class 1 you can tow up to 1,000 lbs

Class 2 you can tow up to 3,500 lbs

Class 3 you can tow up to 8,000 lbs

Class 4/5 you can tow up to 18,000 lbs

Just because you put a certain hitch on your vehicle does not mean you can pull that weight. It all depends on the vehicle. I have a class 3 hitch but my vehicle can only tow up to 5200 lbs. Not 8000 as mentioned above.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Another thing to factor in is the cost of the tow vehicle if going with a 5th wheel. Do you need a big truck for your everyday needs? The cost to maintain a big vehicle, like that over let's say 10 to 20 yrs of rv'ing will be a lot higher than a smaller car for everyday use. Gas, insurance, parts, regular maintenance etc. DH and I go back and forth on this decision that we still have 20 years to make when we retire! Ha!

 

[manning]

Just because you put a certain hitch on your vehicle does not mean you can pull that weight. It all depends on the vehicle. I have a class 3 hitch but my vehicle can only tow up to 5200 lbs. Not 8000 as mentioned above.

What I'm saying is the hitch you need to be safe. When you buy a vehicle you will see in the manual what the tow capacity is. Exceeding that capacity is at your risk. Tow capacity is what the vehicle is designed for. The gear ratios are different for one thing. Just pulling numbers out of a hat. Let's say you are never going to tow, the final ratio may be 3:1. Buy that vehicle with say a class 3 package the ratio may be 4:1, plus the cooling system and suspension is beefed up. Way back when I didn't know what I was doing I bought a car with no thought of towing. Then I decided to tow a 26' trailer. The engine was big enough but everything was wrong. I didn't have a big enough cooling system and the gear ratio was wrong. I didn't have that car for long. It couldn't take it.

 

[kmccain]

There is a huge RV show Sept 14-18 in Hershey. http://www.prvca.org/PRVCAHome/AmericasLargestRVShowPublicInfo/tabid/59/Default.aspx You could go and take a look and get information. Get the brochures! They give you a lot of information. Its a big decision! 5th wheels can be heavy and expensive. You could get a travel trailer cheaper and wouldn't need a heavy truck to pull it. Motor homes are self contained and usually include a generator. They are easier to travel with. Big Decision! Good Luck!

 

[tvguy]

Another thing to factor in is the cost of the tow vehicle if going with a 5th wheel. Do you need a big truck for your everyday needs? The cost to maintain a big vehicle, like that over let's say 10 to 20 yrs of rv'ing will be a lot higher than a smaller car for everyday use. Gas, insurance, parts, regular maintenance etc. DH and I go back and forth on this decision that we still have 20 years to make when we retire! Ha!

I think that's why some folks make their tow vehicle a spare vehicle that they don't use for everyday driving. They also have a small commute car. That's what we did. I bought my first used Suburban in 1986, and my current one new in 1987 and it has always been a third car that only got used for trips, towing or weekends. Funny thing is, I towed a horse trailer a lot with my first Suburban, and in 1987 our first child was born and we bought the new Suburban. In 29 years it has towed a trailer exactly ONCE! But over the years having a 9 passenger vehicle while the kids were playing soccer and baseball, etc, was invaluable. And take the seats out, put a tarp in, and your ready to load up and go to the dump!

 

[Pesky]

We have started researching as well. This is a bit further off for us but we're looking at trailers and fifth wheels as well. In talking to folks who have both, many seem to prefer the 5th wheel for the additional stability. They told me you feel the wind more with a trailer than a fifth wheel. As folks have mentioned, be sure to figure out how big of a fifth wheel you want as that will determine the size truck/towing vehicle you need. In addition, be sure to figure out the servicing costs of the trailer (dumping the tanks, propane, etc.), costs of storage if it can't sit on your property, insurance, additional gas if towing, etc.. It's those costs that actually have us holding off for a bit.

 

[Boopuff]

I've owned both a trailer and now a Class A motorhome. Here are some things to consider: Travel trailers require set up once you're at your site. We push a button and we're level and ready to go (plug in and sewer additionally) The other thing is in hot weather a trailer is just baking and once you arrive at your site you need to run the AC for awhile before the interior is "liveable" in a motorhome you're already nice and comfy. We tow a vehicle so touring isn't a problem. It took us years of looking and lots of research. Google is your friend. The website Irv2.com is very informative. Good luck!

 

[tvguy]

We have started researching as well. This is a bit further off for us but we're looking at trailers and fifth wheels as well. In talking to folks who have both, many seem to prefer the 5th wheel for the additional stability. They told me you feel the wind more with a trailer than a fifth wheel. As folks have mentioned, be sure to figure out how big of a fifth wheel you want as that will determine the size truck/towing vehicle you need. In addition, be sure to figure out the servicing costs of the trailer (dumping the tanks, propane, etc.), costs of storage if it can't sit on your property, insurance, additional gas if towing, etc.. It's those costs that actually have us holding off for a bit.

Most of the rest stops in California have free dumping hookups for people with RV's. And all the folks on my street that have (or have had) RV's just have a pipe attached to their sewer at home to dump their tanks. Not sure what that cost to do though.

 

[jenniy122]

Unless you're willing to buy used it's pretty much impossible to get a trailer for under $22,000. Don't forget you'll need to add the cost of the hitch as well, which can be quite expensive.

 

[martinbrown7231]

I think you should check with your insurance company on coverage, recently we bought a ford truck for 24-hour Roadside Assistance, and we got a complete package of towing kits and tires.