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Old 07-19-2012, 05:45 PM   #1
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Which fifth wheels are the best for fulltiming?

We are wanting to FT when we retire. We currently have a Jayco Eagle w/ 4 slides. We want to know if its sufficient or do we need to do some upgrading? We would appreciate any insights or experiences.
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Old 07-19-2012, 07:56 PM   #2
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Wow are you opening a big can of worms and opinions. People full time in entry leve units.

For a true full time unit, you need to look at DRV (Mobile Suites), New Horizon, Excel, Hitchhiker and trailers of that general group. Big Horn and redwood are recently on the scene and claim to be suitable for full time use, but I am not convinced.

Going to a full time trailer will generally mean a minimum of a 1 ton dually (F350 or 3500) series truck. Some of the trailer are so large you will need a MDT (medium duty truck like a Freightliner FL60 or FL70).

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Old 07-19-2012, 10:36 PM   #3
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Thanks. We are wanting a four season. I suppose those mentioned would fit the bill.
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Old 07-20-2012, 08:17 PM   #4
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The Jayco Designer is a decent fulltime unit.
Carriage, while no longer around did a good build as well.
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Old 07-20-2012, 08:23 PM   #5
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The Jayco Designer is a decent fulltime unit.
With all respect, I've owned 2 Jayco Designers. While they're good, solid units at their price point, I wouldn't put them in the same category as a true full-time 5th wheel. Having said that, I realize that some individuals do full time in Designers, but some also full time in pop-ups.

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Old 07-20-2012, 08:47 PM   #6
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It is very much a personal opinion issue, sometime backed up with actual experience. I would suggest you visit the various owner forums of any unit you may consider. Personally, I like and recommend Nuwa. Their site is 'Nuwa.com' and the owners forum (which is separate from the company) is "nuwaowners.org' with about 4000 active users. Other good units are New Horizon and Excel.
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Old 07-20-2012, 10:13 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by campingisfun View Post
We are wanting to FT when we retire. We currently have a Jayco Eagle w/ 4 slides. We want to know if its sufficient or do we need to do some upgrading?
Is is suitable to your needs and is it holding up well now? While some units will always be better than others a 'full-time rig' is the rig you are full-timing in.
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Old 07-21-2012, 06:01 PM   #8
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Our RVing consists mostly of staying weekends at our local CG where we keep our RV. Sometimes we go somewhere for a weekend or a few days since we are still working fulltime. Lord willing we are planning on FT in a couple of years when we retire. We are thoroughly happy with our 2008 Jayco Eagle 5th but want to know if it will be adequate for FT or should we be looking to trade for another 5ther that will hold up to the day to day usage.
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Old 07-21-2012, 06:16 PM   #9
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I guess what I was saying was if you are thoroughly happy with the unit in other ways and the unit is of reasonable quality (and Jaycos seem to have a good reputation) then I wouldn't worry about whether the unit is technically intended for full-timing. It is certainly likely a high-end unit will hold up somewhat better over time and if you were starting fresh this would be something to think about, but since you already have a unit you are happy with then I think it would be questionable economics to upgrade just for the sake of it.

Perhaps a more important consideration would be to take a critical look at the unit with a 'full-timer's eye' and note anything that may be adequate for weekends but perhaps fall short for full-time use. One of these things can be storage capacity, it's amazing how fast you can run short of this when you give up a home base. Also you will be running heavier (perhaps much heavier) than in the past and you should make sure that the carrying capacity of the unit is adequate. But if you run though everything and still feel that the unit will work for you... then it probably will. We are currently full-timing in a unit that we really like that is not in the typical 'full time' class or price range and so far, so good.
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Old 07-21-2012, 09:57 PM   #10
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Thanks for all the helpful advice and food for thought. We will continue reading forums and gaining wisdom to know what to do when the time comes to FT. I appreciate each and every response.
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Old 07-21-2012, 10:12 PM   #11
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thor bought out carriage and is now redwood rv, check them out here Home - Redwood Residential Vehicles also teton made good ones too
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Old 07-21-2012, 10:33 PM   #12
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One more thing to note... you didn't mention what tow vehicle you are using but many of the 5th-wheel models intended for full-time use are built with heavier-grade materials and as a result are usually pretty heavy as a unit. Most require (at least) a 3500 DRW so if you have a SRW truck you would likely need to upgrade that as well.
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Old 07-22-2012, 06:20 PM   #13
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We have a 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel now but it may not be enough. One upgrade leads to another so we may need to upgrade it also.
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Old 07-22-2012, 06:31 PM   #14
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If you can find a Newmar 5th wheel they are great, but out of production as of now. Very well made and HEAVY.
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