5th Wheel vs Motorcoach for full time

[MLnDavo]

We have just about settled on a coach, but my wife keeps coming back to the possibility of a 5th wheel for fulltiming. How many full-timers are in 5th wheels? Thoughts? Pros and cons specifically associated with full-timing?

[pasdad1]

How often do you want to break camp and move? This often makes a difference. In a Motorhome it's easy to stop for the night, fire up the generator, and get moving again in the morning. Much less convenient in a 5th wheel to do this.

[pasdad1]

More thoughts on the subject...

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f92/5th-w...her-97996.html

[twogypsies]

Full-timers use both and they both work well. Even if you sit in one place for 3 months there's no problem with a motorhome. We loved the big window as you're driving in gorgeous places; the comfort while driving and the ease of stopping.

Do you have a truck now? Do you have a car you can tow? These might make the decision for you.

If you're planning a big 5th wheel then you also need a big truck. We had a 5th wheel for 8 years before our motorhome for the next 8 years, and we really disliked driving the truck around to sitesee. We love getting off into the boonies and our Jeep Liberty allowed us to do so.

It just depends on how you will travel and make use of your time. Everyone is different and there is no correct way. They will both work for you. Good luck!

[JEEPOHOLIC]

I have done both, with a motor home your lose close to 8 feet of living space in a gas unit, so say your's is 35 feet long you really only have 27 feet of living space, we have a 42 foot toy hauler fifth wheel now, with the 8 foot ramp used as a deck we are 50 foot long, we pull it with a freightliner sport chassis https://www.pinterest.com/pin/551339179353517264/ <<< thats a picture of our set up

[paz]

We started our full-timing in a motorhome because it fit our lifestyle better at the time since we traveled a lot and moved frequently. After 9 years of full-timing, our travels were slowing significantly so we traded for a 5th wheel.

Advantages to motorhomes -
1. Convenient for travel - passenger has access to bathroom and refrigerator when underway.
2. Faster to set up, although this isn't as big an advantage as it once was now that most 5th wheels are available with 6-pt automatic hydraulic leveling.
3. If you tow a car behind the MH, and most full-timers do, you have local transportation that is more economical and convenient than a big, diesel pickup.
4. Several separate, exterior storage compartments are more convenient than one big, cavernous storage compartment that most 5th wheels have.

Advantages to 5th wheels -
1. More residential.
2. More interior storage.
3. More kitchen counter space.
4. Only one motorized vehicle to maintain and insure.
5. If you have an engine or transmission problem, you still have a home while it is being repaired.

[336muffin]

We ft in a mh and this works well for us. Ride quality is superb and all components, cabinets, electronic, and componets ride better. When traveling we stop at rest areas we don't have to get out for bathroom, meals unless we choose to, we can keep our doors locked. We have friends that recently traded from mh to 5th. One week later she broke her ankle really bad, steps inside 5th are now a major problem. I know a mh has steps but floor is one level front to back. A car is definately a plus in daily life as a fulltimer.
There are so many variables and differences there is no perfect answer or rv.

[Rockwood27]

Does your wife want to drive a quad cab, dually to get her nails done? When you stop along the way to make lunch, does your wife want to get out of the truck and into a hot or cold trailer? Will she make you stop so she can get out for a potty break? These are some of the disadvantages of a 5th wheel. BTW, what ever you decide on, make sure the quality of life items are accessible with the slides in (toilet, refrigerator, bed, etc).

[Barbaraok]

Originally Posted by JEEPOHOLIC

I have done both, with a motor home your lose close to 8 feet of living space in a gas unit, so say your's is 35 feet long you really only have 27 feet of living space, we have a 42 foot toy hauler fifth wheel now, with the 8 foot ramp used as a deck we are 50 foot long, we pull it with a freightliner sport chassis https://www.pinterest.com/pin/551339179353517264/ <<< thats a picture of our set up

Why would you loose 8' of living space? We use the dash for storage while stopped, the front seats swivel around and become part of the living room - back of the seats are 2' from the window for the dash. So, no, you are incorrect if talking about a Class A.

[Nana25K]

We have done both. While we love our Dynasty there are times I wish we had kept our 5th wheel. It may have been only 32ft but it had 3 slides and all our living stuff was "upstairs". Truth be told we might have traded to a new 5th wheel but couldn't find a single thing under $100k that was built like our 2000HR Alumilite. Just not the same quality

[JFXG]

ML, you've got to chew over all your factors, ask advice, and make your own decision. There is no wrong answer. "If you think you can do a thing, or think you can't do a thing, you're right." --Henry Ford

When approaching fulltiming retirement, we vacillated shamelessly on the 5th v coach issue. Ultimately, the thing that made our decision was our cats. We just couldn't see caging the cats in the back seat of a truck whenever traveling, so we went with a coach. No regrets.

[cootersotg]

We just bought our 5th wheel a little over a year ago and hit the road full time last May. So as recent full timers I thought I would chime in.

It really is such a personal decision.

My wife and I went to multiple large RV shows and looked at a ton of rigs, from travel trailers to the biggest Class A's (even ones we couldn't afford).

For us the fifth wheel fit best because:
1.) I thought we got the most for the money
2.) Most motorhomes did not feel as "homey" to my wife and I. We just couldn't get over having a steering wheel in our house
3.) For fulltiming we dislike (no matter what type of RV it is) floorplans that feel like a hallway and where you feel your couch and living area is the exact same space as the living room. We found that more fifth wheels had alternative floor plans that felt better whereas most motorhomes had that hallway, sharing of space feeling.
4.) I already had a big 1T dually to pull it with

For us the moving isn't that big of a deal. We have an auto-level system and after awhile you get it down to a science. While I definitely can't set up or tear down as quickly as a motorhome I think it usually takes us about 15 - 20 mins to set up or tear down if we hurry and more like 30 mins if we take our time.

We move every 5 - 7 days, but usually do shorter moves (150 - 250 miles). So usually stopping for lunch isn't a big deal for us as we just wait until we are set up to go. On longer days my wife makes sandwiches before hand which we put in the truck, and on those days I usually have to stop to walk the dog anyways, so the wife going to the trailer to use the potty isn't a big deal as we are already stopped.

The all time biggest negative for us is driving the big truck around. I had my 1T truck for a year before we bought the trailer and used it as my daily driver including taking it down some very small, narrow dirt roads in the backwoods of Idaho. So I am probably less sensitive to it's size then most, but even with that said in some cities it has been a really big pain to park (for me driving it isn't the pain just finding big parking spaces is).

But there is always the option of public transportation or renting a car for a day to explore.

I don't think any option is ever going to be 100% but if you can find the one that fits you 90% I am sure the other 10% won't really bother you. It's a great lifestyle and I would rather be a full time RVer in an RV I wasn't crazy about then live in my dream sticks and bricks home.

[SpaceNorman]

When we wrestled with this decision - we ended up going the motorhome route for a number of reasons. The following were the BIG drivers.

We felt that motorhome "house" systems were more robust than most of the 5th wheels we looked at. (i.e., hydraulic leveling, Aquahot heating and hot water, 10KW generator as an integral part of the electrical system at the factory, etc.).

The chassis of the coach was a far more substantial foundation upon which to build the unit than that of any 5th wheel we looked at.

Given the size of the unit we were looking for - we would have had to purchase a heavy duty truck to tow it safely (i.e., something in the F350 ... likely a "dually" setup). We'd have been looking at a $50K-$60K outlay for the truck alone - and then be driving the wheels off of it since we'd be stuck using it as our "daily driver" wherever we went.

In the end we decided it made more sense for us to sink our money into an expensive coach / cheap "toad" setup than a expensive truck / cheap 5th wheel rig. (Cheap being relative of course!). Our thought was that we'd drive the wheels off the truck using it as a tow vehicle AND daily driver ... compared to a coach used in the "travel/stay awhile/travel again" lifestyle cycle we expect to be living.

Having the benefits of traveling in the coach ... and a much smaller and less expensive "toad" (both in terms of cost to acquire as well as cost to operate) just seemed like the best choice for us.

[markandkim]

Originally Posted by cootersotg

We just bought our 5th wheel a little over a year ago and hit the road full time last May. So as recent full timers I thought I would chime in.

It really is such a personal decision.

My wife and I went to multiple large RV shows and looked at a ton of rigs, from travel trailers to the biggest Class A's (even ones we couldn't afford).

For us the fifth wheel fit best because:
1.) I thought we got the most for the money
2.) Most motorhomes did not feel as "homey" to my wife and I. We just couldn't get over having a steering wheel in our house
3.) For fulltiming we dislike (no matter what type of RV it is) floorplans that feel like a hallway and where you feel your couch and living area is the exact same space as the living room. We found that more fifth wheels had alternative floor plans that felt better whereas most motorhomes had that hallway, sharing of space feeling.
4.) I already had a big 1T dually to pull it with

For us the moving isn't that big of a deal. We have an auto-level system and after awhile you get it down to a science. While I definitely can't set up or tear down as quickly as a motorhome I think it usually takes us about 15 - 20 mins to set up or tear down if we hurry and more like 30 mins if we take our time.

We move every 5 - 7 days, but usually do shorter moves (150 - 250 miles). So usually stopping for lunch isn't a big deal for us as we just wait until we are set up to go. On longer days my wife makes sandwiches before hand which we put in the truck, and on those days I usually have to stop to walk the dog anyways, so the wife going to the trailer to use the potty isn't a big deal as we are already stopped.

The all time biggest negative for us is driving the big truck around. I had my 1T truck for a year before we bought the trailer and used it as my daily driver including taking it down some very small, narrow dirt roads in the backwoods of Idaho. So I am probably less sensitive to it's size then most, but even with that said in some cities it has been a really big pain to park (for me driving it isn't the pain just finding big parking spaces is).

But there is always the option of public transportation or renting a car for a day to explore.

I don't think any option is ever going to be 100% but if you can find the one that fits you 90% I am sure the other 10% won't really bother you. It's a great lifestyle and I would rather be a full time RVer in an RV I wasn't crazy about then live in my dream sticks and bricks home.

I will be going the 5th Wheel route when it comes time. (Class of 2022) Well said.