5th wheel or class a motorhome

[KAS]

I feel so much happier about having to learn to drive our 36 foot RV! The descriptions of the pros and cons make for really interesting reading and I can see why hubby is so insistent on this RV.

[Roam America]

personal choice. there are pro's and con's for each. it all boils down to what you like.

i drove fire trucks for 25 years from brush trucks to pumpers to ladder trucks. with the exception of backing up (which is tricky with a 5th wheel combo until you get the hang of it) i personally don't think my 5th wheel combination is any easier of harder to drive than those trucks.

[topdownman]

Here's my take. We went from a 30 foot 5th wheel and a dually pickup about 10 years ago to a Class A. Loved them both, but for different reasons.

The 5th wheel was GREAT for taking somewhere and parking it for a while (like the lake, or a camping weekend). The motorhome is great for traveling. The DW can make me a sandwich and I can stay on the road. Or, I can pull into a Walmart, close the curtains and be down for the night without ever having to go outside.

For what we love to do, which is travel, the Class A made the most sense and we've not looked back. We're on our third now.

[mllk3rd]

I also have had both, 1st a 32' FW and now a 37' MH, the MH is much better in my opinion, we like having the additional space while traveling, setup is a breeze compared to the 5er and we also sometimes pull into rest stops for a few hours of sleep or rest without having to leave the MH, if we don't like the surroundings we can leave and still not get out of the MH. With the mirrors and rear camera backing up is also so much easier. For us its the only way we would go, but to each their own, good luck on whatever you decide.

[Scarab0088]

The OP's question was - what is easier to drive - motorhome or 5th Wheel?

I've driven both and a big Travel Trailer too. I've towed with a single and dual rear wheel truck and an SUV too...
...of all the set-ups, our Class A is the easiest to drive and park.

With the motorhome, we tow a small SUV and backing straight for short distances is possible...and dropping the tow is easy if you get in a pinch.

But it is not that simple. Each RV type has it's perks. You have to pick the best one for you. -Like- if I was to park and stay in my RV for l-o-n-g periods, I would want a big towable, 'cuz who wants to let any motor vehicle just sit. For that, a 5th Wheel or Travel Trailer is a much better idea.

Best of luck!

[450Donn]

Originally Posted by RedWing Nut

You lose ALL of the space in a 5th wheel due to driving. The front seats, when spun around, are the most comfortable seats in our MH. Thats not saying much for the rest of the interior huh?



The only space we lose is the dash.

Loose what space in a fifth wheel? I loose zero space for driving my fifth wheel since a fifth wheel does not have a motor it cannot be driven only towed. My 35 foot fiver has more living space than a 35 foot motor home. Plane ans simple.
but as others have said it is up to the individual to test both out and determine which one they like best for their lifestyle.

[Skip426]

As you can see the pro & con sides of this are very divided.
My 2c, worth , MH is easier to drive, had 4, 5th wheels, before the coach, all handled well. Coach is easier to park and set up. Flat floor inside the coach is another huge plus to those of us with family members with mobility problems.
A 30,000lbs coach , with a 5,000lbs toad is much more stable in a cross wind than a 8,000lb truck with 20,000lb 5th.
Question . Do you own a big enough truck to safely tow a 40ft 5th? Or are you looking to up grade the tow vehicle as well. If you get a bigger tow vehicle will the DW be willing to take it shopping or are you going to have to have to drive her everywhere? Like I said just my 2c worth.

[RedWing Nut]

Originally Posted by 450Donn

Loose what space in a fifth wheel? I loose zero space for driving my fifth wheel since a fifth wheel does not have a motor it cannot be driven only towed. My 35 foot fiver has more living space than a 35 foot motor home. Plane ans simple.
but as others have said it is up to the individual to test both out and determine which one they like best for their lifestyle.

That's true. 5th wheels have more usable space when parked. There is no usable space when going down the road.

Personally I would rather live in a 5th wheel as we generally spend months at our summer and winter locations. The only problem is the fact that we'd have to drive a 3/4 or one ton truck for our run-around vehicle. For others, that is not a problem. We would rather use our PT Cruiser for that.

Peace!

[Libero]

No contest for me. Never had a FW but did have 3TT's, 2 40ft Class A's and now have a B+.

MH has all the advantages for me and no operational downside vs towing my house. Yes a MH configuration is typically more expensive on a sq ft basis but if cost is not a factor that component goes away. I don't think of that now that I am spending our kids inheritance.

I wonder how many folks go from a MH to a FW?

As others have said, being in your comfortable home while on the road does not compare with being restricted to the confines of a truck cab. All of your amenities are available to you in the MH. I am certain most people have been stuck in stop and go traffic for hours. In the MH you can use the washroom, wash the clothes, get another cold one (no beer for driver of course) out of the fridge, make a snack or even make dinner on the go and passengers can recline on beds or lounge about or walk around in an environmentaly controlled setting. Tough to do with a trailer.

In a MH one can stop and relax without ever leaving the coach. Nice feature during really foul weather.

And someone said it is an advantage not having two power trains to look after with a fiver. Well to me that is not a downside, I like having a complete second transportation option if one fails.

But if one is at a stationary location for months on end and wants to get the most bang for the buck, then a fiver could make perfect sense, but is just not my preference. If I want to stay in one location for months, I will likeky rent a house and use the MH for trips.

But to each his own - whatever works best for your lifestyle and wallet.

[mllk3rd]

Back to the original question "What is harder to park and drive", in my opinion, a truck and 5th wheel is harder to park and drive than a motorhome.
I wonder if you might get more response from this if it were posted on the Class A Forum?

[Libero]

Have not driven a truck with a FW, but I towed several trailers and from.my experience a MH is MUCH easier to drive and backup than any vehicle with a trailer connected. I understand a FW configuration is better than a back end hitch arrangement.

[FiverBob]

Had five motorhomes - - did the normal starting small (26' class C), then moving on up each jump to finally into DP 40' twin slides. Went in a couple
good fivers, compared costs/depreciation, maintenance, problems when leaving them in unused and realized I was thru with all the maintenance problems of the MH. Never looked back. The fiver holds the road much better in adverse conditions, more usable when stopped, easy to park, great view out the back window most times. To me, the pro's and con's pointed to going with the fiver - - would never go back. Love mine. Yeh, "riding" in the MH is more comfortable, no question, but driving it and keeping it running in comparison makes me happy I made the switch. I get almost twice the mileage in this rig than the pusher and the gassers and it is big. Driving the truck unhooked is fun and I get great mileage.

So, for us, there was no big choice once the pro's and con's were laid out.

Bob

[JDT]

This is a whatever floats your boat type issue as both have their pro's and con's but I have to agree with FiverBob's comments. We have owned 5 fiver's and 2 motorhomes in our 41 years of marriage. The last 9 years we owned 2 motorhomes because I thought it was the way to go. The first one was a gasser that I couldn't keep going straight down the road, no matter how much money I threw at it. The dp we had for the past 7 years was much better and we really enjoyed it. What threw me back to a fiver was mainly the expense of operation, maintenance, repairs and insurance of a diesel motorhome and the ever decreasing number of toads that could be towed 4 down, most of which we did not want.

It was really a hard sell because the wife loved the freedom the motorhome gave her when going down the road. I really didn't have the same feeling because I was stuck behind the wheel. Now that we have made the change and spent a little over 2 months in the fiver, which includes about 3k towing, she is happy. We have more space and the Excel is quite a bit fancier than the Holiday Rambler we had, for less than half the cost, and that is comparing 2005 prices with 2012. We tend to drive about 8 to 9 hours a day on longer trips and I make no more or less bio stops than I did in the motorhome. Have to get outside to go back to the fiver but so far it hasn't injured me. With auto level I can set up faster and hook up is a breeze, faster than I could ever hook up a car behind the motorhome.

My 2 cents, with the emphasis on the my.

[topdownman]

I have actually found 5th wheels more difficult to backup than a TT. They are less forgiving.