Thinking of going from a MH to a 5er

[mtofell]

Trailer GVWR is good to know but often doesn't tell the whole story. GVWR is based on what a given trailer "could" carry safety. A lot depends on the rating of the axles and frame. The difference between trailer dry weight and GVWR is cargo carrying capacity (often called CCC).

CCC can be all over the map. Sometimes it's as little as 1000# on a smaller trailer designed with small axles and tires. Sometimes it's 5000# or more if a trailer has super beefy axles, tires and frame. So, just using the trailer's GVWR can lead you to buy more or less truck than you might need. I agree it's an important number to look at but I disagree that you should just match the truck to the trailer's GVWR end of story.

In my travels with a mid-sized (35') 5th wheel I add between 1500-2000# of cargo on top of the dry weight. The wide range is largely due to if and how much water I might have on board. A couple thousand pounds on top of dry weight is usually a pretty good estimate for a small/medium trailer. Bigger ones you can easily creep up to 3000# or more.

[bddadles]

One other thing to consider is updating or remodeling the existing rig. You did not say if it was mechanical problems mounting up or living area things.

Brad

[CMelder]

George Schweikle we don't think they are big trucks. In Texas, we all drive trucks, no big deal, get 4x4 and you can do more. Love 'em empty or loaded! :>)) So, just for keeping with the discussion, I prefer the 5th wheel, so I can drive my truck, and I only have one drive train to service, Just My Humble Opinion.

[Mody n Domy]

George Schweikle I originally thought the way you do. My reason to consider a 5th wheel is.

If we need to come off the road and live in it full time in it (we dont have a S&B) you are not paying for a drive train that you wont be using in a MH and that's about 35%+ of the cost of a MH.

A 34' 5th wheel has more living space than our 38' MH ( the space from the back of the front seats forward is useless) so in our MH that's 7'.

You dont have the maintenance with 2 vehicles.

A MH that is built for full time will cost you $150,000+ a 5th wheel $80,000+.

We can't afford to pay cash for a MH or 5th wheel and making payments on a MH when we're 80+ doesn't sound comforting. A truck would be payed for in 7 years and a 5th wheel in about 15 years if when the truck is payed for you increase the MH payments by what your truck payments were.

[stanleyz]

George, hi. I just gotta get in this conversation. I've been 5th wheeling for 15 years. I'm now on my 2nd 5er and third truck (one was wrecked) . Now i'm thinking of going to a DP for only a couple reasons. It is my observation that most MHs are much better built than most 5ers. That's just an opinion but I think I could prove it if I had to.

But the reason that applies to your situation and my primary reason for wanting to change is that when you get where you're going with a 5er you have to drive what you towed with. There are ways around that but they are pricey and a PITA, have someone drive the car behind the 5er, drive the car to where you're going and fly back to get the 5er, get a rental car at destination or keep a "condo car" at your snow bird spot. If you don't do one of those you have to tow a big 5er with a single rear wheel truck, buy a small light 5er or drive the dual rear wheel truck in tourist traffic. None of those options are attractive and I know because I have tried them all.

Since you say you only move twice a year I would suggest your best course with a 5er will be to get a short bed 3/4 ton truck and beef it up to tow the 5er. I towed my 15,000 +/- lb Mobile Suites that way for a year and it wasn't bad at all. The difficult part is towing in or through the mountains or on curvy hilly roads. You have to really drive and there is a lot of feeling that you are being pushed by the trailer. I also towed a 32 foot Cardinal (10 to 12,000) with that same truck and it was a good match. I might still be towing the MS with the F250 but I got just a once in a lifetime deal on an almost new dually and switched. It is absolutely more comfortable and easier on the driver.

The manufacturers published weight ratings on diesel trucks are mandated by DOT regulations but have little meaning to non-commercial owners. There are many after market options available to beef up the trucks towing ability. If you're not mechanical there are lots of truck shops that can help you. Or, you can buy a light 5th wheel that can be handled by an F250 or similar truck. Some will say that you will be toast if you are in an accident but no one has ever given me an example of a situation where you would be the "at fault" driver if your rig exceeded the GCVWR but not the "at fault" driver if your rig was within the GCVWR (or any of the other ratings). Besides, if you've ever seen one of these trailers after an accident you know there are too many pieces to find let alone weigh.

All I'll say about what trucks are best is this: I've got all my states filled in on my map and a lot of miles behind me. I've been in hundreds of RV parks and or camp grounds. During that 16 years it has been my unofficial observation that Ford trucks towing trailers outnumber GM and Dodge combined by about 5 to 1. It is that noticeable. No, I can't prove that, just my observation.

I hope this helps you but I personally think you should keep the MH.

[JDT]

Stanleyz, interesting comments. Not sure I can totally agree with a motorhome being better built than a fifth wheel. I think maybe, sometimes, perhaps, could be, maybe not, depends and questionable all apply. Not sure what could be cited as evidence but anecdotally there are lots of complaints and issues about all types of rv's at all cost levels on this and other forums. Granted for the most part motorhomes of all types will have a heavier frame than most fifth wheels and you rarely see complaints about them. Fifth wheels do have an occasional issue with their frames because many are lighter built to keep the weight down. One of the reasons we have what we have is because of the fully boxed frame but it is not light and needs a dually even though it is only a 35 plus footer.

We had a gas motorhome for 2 years and a 40' dp for 7, which we sold in 2012. In between that we have had 5 different fifth wheels. I could go on and on about my reasons but I could not hardly wait to get back to a fifth wheel and only stayed with it as long as I did because the wife really enjoyed the motorhome, especially the dp. I felt like it was the proverbial money pit because there was little on it I could fix and it seemed like every trip there was something. No one around here wanted to work on it so I had to drive some distance for repairs. I did learn how to do my own oil, filter and lube changes but not much else. Granted I have a large drive train in the truck but I also have a local GMC dealer and there are a whole bunch of them in this country.

Our rv budget has gone way down with the fifth wheel. Spent a little for some upgraded equipment but so far not much on repairs (knock on wood). I sucked it up on the truck and use it a lot for my daily driver. I just park a little further out and the walk is good for me, so my doctor says.

Anyway, I can emphasize with the op's thoughts of going to a fifth wheel having experienced both ends of the rv world (motorized and towables). I can't go to the bathroom as easily and the wife can't get up and move around, which I prefer, but most of our time is spent parked, not driving. Even on the few extended 5 or 6 week trips we have taken with a lot of moves I have never felt like one was any more work than the other with the hooking up the car vs hooking up the fifth wheel thing. We do have auto level on the Excel which does take a lot of work out of setting up.

Just my opinion which isn't worth much.

[stanleyz]

The Excell, thats peterson right? That is one of a handful of trailers made that I consider worth owning. And, I do agree the 5er is a lot cheaper to own and easier to get repaired. I do almost all my own repairs and maintenance. Since you have owned both I have to yield to your opinions. You are talking me out of going to look at a DP, LOL. One final question tough. If the cost (within reason) were not an issue which would you prefer???

[JDT]

Yea, it is an Excel by Peterson Industries, who unfortunately are no longer in business. We are starting our 6th season and have only had one slide adjustment in the way of repair. We spend an average of 3 months a year in it and I estimate about 35K miles of towing.

If money was not an issue, and it is, I'm not sure what I would do. I think a fiver has a lot more versatility with floor plans which include rear kitchens, rear living, front living, front bath, etc. Most of them have higher ceilings which give a greater sense of space. We have more usable space and storage than we did in our dp. As I said before, auto level has been a great equalizer for ease of set up.

There are a number of convenience advantages to a motorhome that are regularly cited like being able to stay inside when a bathroom stop is made, the ability to have it heated or cooled when you arrive at your destination, the freedom of passengers to move about and if the weather is bad you can put off going outside to do the hookups, unless you have a toad behind you that needs to be unhooked if you have a back in spot.

The other thing I consider is safety. I always knew that if we were in a severe front end crash in the motorhome it would not be good. We did have safety belts but the front end was not structurally made with crash safety in mind. There may be some motorhomes that have crash safety features but our Holiday Rambler did not. I haven't looked. I don't think it is a requirement. My truck, on the other hand, has numerous, tested safety features and I like the odds a bit better.

On the freedom of movement thing, that bothers me. We have some friends with a nice Phaeton. The wife was up making a sandwich when a panic stop happened. It took 6 stiches in her forehead after her collision with the dining table.

Being a sort of realist I don't daydream much about it, but if I could afford it, I might consider a really high end motorhome. A Prevost would be nice. Getting a high end, very heavy fifth wheel that required more than a dually would not be something I personally would want unless we were fulltimers, which we never will do. Lots of choices, all good for the most part. You can read other's opinions all you want but it really boils down to what you are personally comfortable with and what you like.

[uncledon]

Jim, the wife and I just walked through a 2014 Winslow 37RKT yesterday on a whim. It's been parked at a local dealership that handles high end MH's but thought they would try that line of fivers. The salesman called it a "new" model and I corrected him as it's 3 yrs. old now. It had a nice floor plan, but when I asked about warranty coverage, the game was over. I told him I knew Peterson was out of business and he said they (the dealership) wouldn't cover anything. He didn't have much to respond with when I ask him how he would expect to sell a unit for nearly $80k without some kind of warranty.

We are actively looking for units to upgrade to, and I had been in Excel's before and liked a lot of what I saw. This one seemed like it had a lot of "left over" parts that Peterson was trying to liquidate. Wasn't as impressed as I was when I first toured one.

[JDT]

Yea, I think things got a little tight for them at the end. They went out in March 2015. Too bad something like that could not be had for a real deal with a purchased type warranty thrown in. You would think if they wanted to sell it that is what they would do. We have been extremely pleased with ours and I really haven't seen a thing that would tempt me to change. Not a lot of glitz and glitter in them but we aren't too keen on that type of stuff anyway.

[stanleyz]

If you're interested in used there was one in Naples FL on craigs list all winter. It sounded like a really good unit. Used only as a winter home and stored in doors otherwise. Might still be there. Look on SW florida/Fort Myers Craigs list.

JDT thanks for the input but when you mentioned Prevost you crossed the within reason line. I can't even imagine what it would cost to own and maintain one of those. Besides, the insides always look like a high end Whore house to me. I had my eye on a used Monaco but while I was thinking about it the guy sold it. So, I guess i'll hook up the MS and head out on our summer trip.

[JDT]

It seemed a bit comical to me when one of the big Prevosts pulled into a campground we in last year in Colorado and parked next to a 20 foot travel trailer. What a contrast but they are nice and if you are going to dream, dream big. I'm with you as we do not care for a lot of glitz and glitter either.

Our motorhome was an 05 Holiday Rambler Ambassador, same as Monaco. It had a 330 Cummins and the RR8R Roadmaster chassis. We spent a lot of time and money trying to get it have decent road manners but never did quite get there. It wandered way too much and wore me down after a long day's drive. I put new Koni shocks, a steering damper and front and rear stabilizer bars which did help, especially with lightening my wallet. After we sold it I found out it was probably in the steering box Monaco used which had way too much play in them.

[stanleyz]

I hear that;s a pretty common complaint for DPs unless they have a tag axle. Not a problem with the 5th wheel. Even when I towed it with an F250 it tracked straight and true.

[Mike_Harriet]

My 2003 40' foot DSDP has no such steering issues. It's as easy to drive as my car.