Community Forums

Coldjensens · 05-26-2018, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue46

MH lot less storage, in and out

MH has less living space than 5th

Slides much deeper in the 5th than the MH

MH harder to level with the wheels at the end instead of all 4/6 in the middle

MH weighs much more than 5th so we sink in easier in muddy conditions

Thank you. The items above I had not heard or considered. Which do you find more pleasant when driving? Better ride?

TMan59 · 05-26-2018, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue46

There is a time and place for both. For 35 years we had a TT or 5th. The last was the 5th, 38' with an MDT. We loved the combo but are getting older so switched to a 36'H. Things we noticed as differences:

MH much lower ceiling, took some getting use to, felt cramped

MH lot less storage, in and out

MH has less living space than 5th

Can't back up a MH with a toad attached

Setup/down time about the same though could level the 5th easier in an uneven site. We have noticed though that we are very efficient in setting up/down compared to many.

MH love the windshield

Slides much deeper in the 5th than the MH

Equivalent access to K and Bath(part of our basic requirements)

Rainy days like the MH better, no need to get out and wet

Number of stops the same. We would never consider getting up and doing anything in a moving vehicle though some do.

Loved driving the MDT but toad more convenient

Less expensive to change our 5th as it ages vs. MH

You don't lose your home when being serviced as you do with a MH.

MH harder to level with the wheels at the end instead of all 4/6 in the middle

MH must have rear wheels on ground for safety and brakes are only on rear, 5th brakes are on all wheels

More steps to get into MH but then it is flat

MH weighs much more than 5th so we sink in easier in muddy conditions

I am sure there are more but these are the major differences that we remember.

I just have to ask how is it hard to level a motorhome when all you have to do is hit a button?

Bob Hyatt · 05-26-2018, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Thank you. The items above I had not heard or considered. Which do you find more pleasant when driving? Better ride?

The MH has one large advantage. It is an open coach. You can watch TV while moving. You can access the kitchen and bathroom while moving. Quite a bit different from riding in a truck...

Depends on what you like. We considered both. MH (class A) won out pretty easily for us. BTW there is really nothing that says the slides are different between the two. Main difference is as given above...

Bob Hyatt · 05-26-2018, 09:23 PM

Only comment I can offer is that it seems pretty silly to ask folks what YOU ought to do. Pretty big investment to just take popular opinion and go with it. I personally only buy what I want to buy, not what others want me to buy.

Coldjensens · 05-26-2018, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hyatt

Only comment I can offer is that it seems pretty silly to ask folks what YOU ought to do. Pretty big investment to just take popular opinion and go with it. I personally only buy what I want to buy, not what others want me to buy.

Not me. If I am buying something big I do a lot of research, consider as many experienced opinions as possible. Think through the things that other people raise because I may not have thought of them. Yes, I do whimsical purchases sometimes, but not for hundreds of thousands of dollars, that is too much for me. I will not get a second shot if I make a blunder.

I did the same when we bought our first house. I asked dozens and dozens of people what they found important and problematic in their home, or what they thought I would or would not like about a type of house. If I had million and millions to play with, I might just go out and buy whatever I thought I wanted without considering other people's input. Then I could just sell it at a loss and buy another until I figured out what worked best for me. Sadly those millions have not materialized.

Sue46 · 05-27-2018, 03:49 AM

Regarding leveling the MH. Ours does not seem to have the same flexibility as the 5th wheel to level. The 5th we could level fairly easily with a noticible not level site, the MH will not level many times if the site has much of a canter. Also the requirement to have the back wheels down creates a problem on some sites.

Regarding being able to walk around and look at tv, I guess you don't believe in the use of seat belts.

The 5th is easier to drive in wind. Driving a box down the road in wind, especially from the side, is an exhausting drive. We have added everything we can and don't have a problem with trucks passing but still have a problem with side wind. I don;t think there is a solution to that.

I understand where you are coming from with your questions.

rapid rick · 05-27-2018, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmw188

A MH unfortunately do not have collision air bags[emoji53]

They also do not have a front bumper,(I made one for my coach).
Kinda reminds me of a moto cross racer I saw at a ct track, the name of his team was "face first racing team ".

With that said,might as well leave your seat belts off also, Because if you have the acorns large enough to drive a vehicle without these safety features( bumper especially) get it over with quick in a crash.A piece of fiberglass between the driver and any object, is not enough,JMHO.

wa8yxm · 05-27-2018, 06:51 AM

Advantages to 5ER.. Generally cheaper. Some feel you get more room (Never compaired them with a measuring tool) Trailers do not mind sitting for years. Just new tires and pack the bearings check the brakes hook up and go.

Advantage Class A
Driving in a pouring rain and feel the need to "Rest stop" I'm not getting soaked Trailer tower is
BIG honking engine gets 8-10 MPG going down teh HWY
Big honking Pick Up bobtail (no trailers) Generally less than 20 MPG goign to store church, attraction.
Little economy car 30-40 MPG and I drive it way more often than the big A
Easier to back a single unit vehicle into a back in site.
Rides like a dream (Compared to a pick up)

Major DISadvantage to a Class A.. The Dash A/C is not nearly powerful enough. Not by a lONG shot. even with ROOF air running as well I made it all the way to Heat Exhaustion Friday.> I'm still in recovery.

stepside454 · 05-27-2018, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue46

Regarding leveling the MH. Ours does not seem to have the same flexibility as the 5th wheel to level. The 5th we could level fairly easily with a noticible not level site, the MH will not level many times if the site has much of a canter. Also the requirement to have the back wheels down creates a problem on some sites.

Regarding being able to walk around and look at tv, I guess you don't believe in the use of seat belts.

The 5th is easier to drive in wind. Driving a box down the road in wind, especially from the side, is an exhausting drive. We have added everything we can and don't have a problem with trucks passing but still have a problem with side wind. I don;t think there is a solution to that.

I understand where you are coming from with your questions.

I guess I’ve not experienced having issues driving in crosswinds.
I have noticed that while parked in heavy winds , my neighbors in 5ers & TT complained about being worried they where going to blow over , while we didn’t even notice the wind , except the noise

stepside454 · 05-27-2018, 07:15 AM

We are in Colorado Springs for the summer , 2 weeks ago we went to Mansfield, TX to visit our new grandson. We were able to leave the rig in Colorado Springs , as we could stay at daughters house , so we drove the car .
Our car averages 32 mpg, so that’s nice [emoji846]

Sue46 · 05-27-2018, 07:20 AM

We drive across the I10 from Phoenix to Houston each spring in Marchish. Constantly get buffeted by high winds. This year they had warning signs out about the winds. Very tiring.

AC-We get frozen out by our dash AC. Drove in 95 temps and still froze. I don;t think w e have ever had it on max cold.

One nice thing about the MH is the generator. We turn it on and the AC on when we go in to register. By the time we get to our site and settled, MH is cool.

ccrewstx · 05-27-2018, 07:41 AM

We just went to a 35ft MH from a fifth wheel. We had 3 fifth wheels and liked them all but the wife wanted something she could take to a state park with the 2 dogs when I was not going and we started with a short bed pickup and a 36 ft FW and really enjoyed it(JAYCO) -then we went to a 38 ft Montana and loved it until we started having a lot of problems with it. We then got a 41 ft Jayco Pinnacle with a Dually P/U and loved it for traveling on the highway but it and the dually had too long a turning radius to get into many campgrounds sites. It was much better to stay in than most MH's but we hated driving the dually and the turning radius. It was much easier to drive the fifth wheels on the open road than the MH and wind never bothered them and we could pull over and use bathroom or eat when traveling. We are in our 70's and now will take 1-2 trips a year and go to state parks or nearby RV parks for short periods. The
Main differences we see are that on the highway, the FW was easier to drive than our GAS MH but when we got to destination the MH is easier to park when when we have a back in site and the Jeep toad is easier to drive around town than the Dually was but the short bed diesel was fine.

The FW was much more cost effective to maintain/purchase/gas than the GAS diesel but as we got older we wanted to try the MH. New FW's are very easy to set up with the hyd leveling systems and with the truck bed cameras they are easy to hook up and unhitch. For us the main thing is we got too big in the FW and dually setup and wanted to try a MH. If getting MH be sure you understand costs of maintenance and the issues with driving in wind.

Bob Hyatt · 05-27-2018, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue46

Regarding leveling the MH. Ours does not seem to have the same flexibility as the 5th wheel to level. The 5th we could level fairly easily with a noticible not level site, the MH will not level many times if the site has much of a canter. Also the requirement to have the back wheels down creates a problem on some sites.

Regarding being able to walk around and look at tv, I guess you don't believe in the use of seat belts.

The 5th is easier to drive in wind. Driving a box down the road in wind, especially from the side, is an exhausting drive. We have added everything we can and don't have a problem with trucks passing but still have a problem with side wind. I don;t think there is a solution to that.

I understand where you are coming from with your questions.

Always wear 'em. But that doesn't mean you can't get up to go to the bathroom, or get up to get something out of the fridge and then sit back down. Or even pull into a rest area, park, and eat without having to deal with a hot trailer... etc.

Funding Fun · 05-28-2018, 07:30 AM

"Only comment I can offer is that it seems pretty silly to ask folks what YOU ought to do"

Wisdom is the science of learning from your mistakes and accomplishments...it only comes to you with age and cannot be passed on. Educated Decisions are those decisions well thought out with the influence of other's Wisdom....unless you know everything there is to ever know (lack of Wisdom).