Thinking of going from a MH to a 5er

[Mody n Domy]

Do you look at the GVW of the 5th wheel to determine the towing capacity of the truck? Because I have seen many 2500 series trucks pulling large units. Are they towing beyond the trucks capability?

[tuffr2]

Typically the answer is yes. SRW trucks are easily overloaded.

[uncledon]

I think you'd be amazed at how many overloaded rigs are out there. Yes you need to know the weight capacities of the trailer, the TV, and the axle ratings to keep things safe.

[SSTraveler]

Mody, I'd be interested in knowing why your switching. I too have been recently thinking about a switch.

[tuffr2]

If you are thinking of going from a motorhome to a 5th wheel. I have a truck and 5th wheel. My friends have a gasoline motor home. I tell them you either drive your house or you pull your house. Neither is perfect and both have downsides.

I also have a boat so I need a truck anyway. I also haul stuff, mulch, stones, building supplies.

Trucks cost alot more than they used to but they are alot nicer...almost too nice. And now the diesel trucks are extra powerful.

My friends probably will not have a gas motorhome for long. They do not like driving it...on the other hand I like driving my truck, solo or towing.

[paz]

Originally Posted by Mody n Domy

Do you look at the GVW of the 5th wheel to determine the towing capacity of the truck? Because I have seen many 2500 series trucks pulling large units. Are they towing beyond the trucks capability?

Look at the GVWR to determine how big a truck you need (3/4-ton, 1-ton, or even bigger).

Look at the projected pin weight to determine if you need DRW or if you can get by with SRW. The loaded pin weight will be a higher percentage of the loaded trailer weight than the unloaded pin weight because of the massive storage bay at the front of most 5th wheels. To be safe, figure the pin weight will be up to 25 or 26% of the GVRW. Compare that number to the rear axle rating and the max rear tire capacity of the TV.

[Mody n Domy]

SSTraviler We like the MH and all the conveniences it has, we full time and our MH is 10 years old. If we decide to stay on the road a MH would do well to keep it or buy another MH. But if we decide to stay at a park 6 months in summer and 6 months in the winter dodging the snow I find it unnecessary to have the upkeep and cost of a drive train in a MH. My next thought is we can't pay cash for a new rig so the cost for a $ 100,000 to $ 200,000 MH spread over the next 20 years the loan wouldn't be payed off until were in our early 80s. With the way they depreciate we would be under water for 15+ years. Because we live in our MH 24/7 you need a rig that is built for that and a 5r costs between 60 and 90 thousand plus the cost of a tow vehicle where a MH is between $ 100,000 and $ 200,000 plus the cost of a toad. We wont make a decision on what to do on a whim I'll keep recherching our options as to what will be best for us. Some will say buy used to save money and that may be an option we will look at.

[IC2]

The TV pretty much depends on what 5er you decide on as your home. With that said, a 250/2500 will work just fine with many 5ers but for not many dollars more a 350/3500 will work with a bunch more. Then, do you need a dually? If you pull your 5er only a couple to a few times a year, then most likely you can get by with a single rear wheel truck. Then the actual weight and possibly the length may dictate going to a 450 or even an MDT. As the trucks add size and wheels, they get a bunch more expensive to purchase and maintain and harder to maneuver in tight spaces, i.e.parking garages and super market lots. Way too many variables without your actual RV picked out. For my personal comfort level, I'm on the limits of our TV with a 38', 12,000 pound 5er and an F250 'camper special'. Others, obviously, will differ but they too will find their limits.

[bddadles]

Your question leaves a few more questions. And everything I say is JUST MY OPINION. First are you a full timer? This alone made some decisions for us. We have been full timing for 8 years now and we have a 5th wheel because the DW likes the layouts much better than the MH. I personally would not use a SRW as a full timer. My reasoning was that everything I own is back there and if I lose a rear tire I still have one left to get everything stopped before I roll it into a ditch. This would be a tragedy even if you are not full timing but if it is your only house it causes much bigger problems for you.

Next people will say that I have to much truck (look at my picture). That is not possible because you can never have to much truck. Or maybe I should say to much brakes. Now lots of people are going to be intimidated by the size or what they consider the absurdity of using this as a TV but there are things lots of people don't know. A new pickup is very expensive and a used HDT is about 1/3 of that when I bought. An MDT is much more expensive and don't have the power. I takes some learning and may change how you do some things but we have never looked back since we got the truck. And my wife loves to drive it.

Brad

[George Schweikle]

Good comments by tuffr2. Just for conversation for the motorhome vs. 5th wheel topic, consider what you will do after arrival at your site. Sightseeing after setup with a motorhome means you will drive your towed vehicle which is probably a car. The same thing with a 5th wheel means you will drive around in a big truck.

CAR: less cost than a truck, better mileage, easier to drive, maneuver, and park. No climbing up or down for entry and exit.

TRUCK: bigger, more expensive, less mileage, harder to park, stiffer riding, more difficult entry & exit, very useful for other things when not towing, plus some people just love trucks.

There are upsides and downsides for either variation and no one answer that suits everyone.

Originally Posted by SSTraveler

Mody, I'd be interested in knowing why your switching. I too have been recently thinking about a switch.

Originally Posted by tuffr2

If you are thinking of going from a motorhome to a 5th wheel. I have a truck and 5th wheel. My friends have a gasoline motor home. I tell them you either drive your house or you pull your house. Neither is perfect and both have downsides.

I also have a boat so I need a truck anyway. I also haul stuff, mulch, stones, building supplies.

Trucks cost alot more than they used to but they are alot nicer...almost too nice. And now the diesel trucks are extra powerful.

My friends probably will not have a gas motorhome for long. They do not like driving it...on the other hand I like driving my truck, solo or towing.

[Whitewolf]

When I order our '14 Ram diesel I asked the salesman the difference in base price between a 2500 and a 3500. The base price difference was about $800. I went with the 3500. I road tested a 2500 and a 3500 and the ride quality unloaded was the same as far as I could tell. Our 5r only weighs 11000 lbs loaded but I'm no where near the capacity of the truck.

[KerrTx]

SRW 3/4 ton trucks are easily overloaded, 3500 SRW Trucks are capable of safely handling 100's of 5th wheels, there are manufactures that build them for towing 5th wheels

[southernlady]

We just recently moved from a MH to a 5er going full timing.
1) We would have had to replace our toad with something we could flat tow. Using a tow dolly full time is not for us.
2) MH was 38', 16 years old, queen bed, small RV fridge, and just two slides. Just not doable full time with 2 dogs and 5 cats.
3) Repair costs on the MH was adding up and up.
4) NO storage

We got a brand new 2017 5er with a two year manufacturer's warranty. It is also warranted for full time, unlike our MH. It has 5 slides, a KING bed, and a residential fridge. And we paid about 40% under MSRP.

We found a 2015 F450 dually with only 40,000 miles on it.

Our 5er feels more like a home.

[jacknife]

In my opinion the only reason for a dually is if you trailer weight is too much for an SRW . 2 more tires to buy crappy parking options More money and a front tire can blow out just as a rear can.Quality tires minimizes the problem.