Confused-How is a 5th Wheel cheaper than a Class A?

[Sacha]

Just to clarify I am looking for a used set-up either way.

Used TV-$60-70k
Used 5th Wheel $40-50k
Total $100-130k budget

Used Class A DP-$100-$130k

For either we are looking at quality brands to full time in-not the cheapest we can get away with.

[tuffr2]

In 2012 the price for a 5 year old DP was $150 - $175k

I was able to buy a nice new diesel truck and a nice new 5th wheel for $120k after negotiation.

[JDT]

Owned them all and from my experience, if you compare new to new, you can get a lot of quality and glitz in a truck and fifth wheel for a lot less than a new dp at the same quality and glitz level. Not sure how many years you would have to to go back in a used dp to equalize the cost but the older these things get the more likely there will be things to fix. Just part of the experience but our maintenence and repair bills have gone way down since we went back to a fifth wheel.

There were advantages to our class A's such as the ability to move around (not me since I was driving) and not having the bathroom in the same vehicle. For safety reasons I never did want anyone moving around when on the road. The one argument I see a lot is a motorhome for frequent moves and a fifth wheel for longer stays. I really have not found much difference. We have done several long trips with our fifth wheel, including one 6k mile, 6 week swing thru eastern Canada and New England that had us moving 13 times to a new park. With auto level and a good hitch it doesn't take long to set up and break down to move. I never once felt like it was too much effort and thoroughly enjoyed that trip and several similar ones we have done. Time wise hooking up to our fifth is just as quick as hooking up to a toad when we had the motorhomes, maybe even a little quicker.

You didn't ask for advice but here is one or two or three: buy what you like, what fits your needs and what fits your budget.

[TRNewsom]

We had a 40ft 5th wheel, then a 40 ft MH, went back to the 5th wheel strictly because of the expense of the MH. We loved the MH for many reasons listed above but when you have problems it's a much bigger pain. Initial investment was not that much different though.

[450Donn]

Decent used diesel trucks like the one that we will be selling in the spring go for about 30K. Yea, its a few years old, but with a skant 36K miles still has a lot to offer. Now, you can buy a really decent new 38 foot fiver for around 65K. That puts you under a 100K. There is not much in the luxury MH world your going to find for that price except older than probably 2002. Heck for less than 50K Ill sell you my truck and trailer ready to go. Spend less than 5K more for a couple of repairs and you have a combination that already has all the bells and whistles you would want on the road.

[road dogs]

Went through that whole decision process 6 years ago- MH vs 5th wheel vs pull trailer. 5th wheel won, we started out with a used Arctic Fox and a used GMC Duramax for a total cost of less than $30K. We put about 30,000 trouble free miles on that setup before we bought a bigger used Arctic Fox wheel for $45K. I'm not a mechanic, but I can maintain the truck myself. Oil & filter, lube and trans filter cost is about $40, another $8 for fuel filter. I have never had roadside breakdowns, but such events do happen and are a LOT more expensive with a MH. We just completed a 2+ month 12,000 mile trip and averaged about 11.7 MPG, most comparable sized MHs get about 7-8 mpg. If I had to decide again on an RV, the 5th wheel wins hands down. That's my $0.02USD.

[Kurtsara]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

This a good read of a MH owner stuck with getting his MH repaired. this is what would suck if you're FT.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/disa...ml#post3404882

So if you needed a longer repair in a 5th wheel wouldn't you be stuck with the same time frame?

Originally Posted by Sacha

Just to clarify I am looking for a used set-up either way.

Used TV-$60-70k
Used 5th Wheel $40-50k
Total $100-130k budget

Used Class A DP-$100-$130k

For either we are looking at quality brands to full time in-not the cheapest we can get away with.

I would think you could get a used truck for $40,000-$60,000.

[WendyG]

Originally Posted by 450Donn

Decent used diesel trucks like the one that we will be selling in the spring go for about 30K. Yea, its a few years old, but with a skant 36K miles still has a lot to offer. Now, you can buy a really decent new 38 foot fiver for around 65K. That puts you under a 100K. There is not much in the luxury MH world your going to find for that price except older than probably 2002. Heck for less than 50K Ill sell you my truck and trailer ready to go. Spend less than 5K more for a couple of repairs and you have a combination that already has all the bells and whistles you would want on the road.

I really think the decision is better made on rv lifestyle more than money or fuel expenses. There are plenty of points in favor of each choice. As we are discussing costs, if one wants to consider fuel costs, one should consider the fuel costs when the rv is parked. If one flits around touring and shopping and site seeing (as we do), one can rack up lots of miles, and fuel costs are lower if those miles are in a fuel efficient little toad vs a one ton truck. And some people would much rather flit about in the car than the big truck. Others (perhaps including the above poster with scant 36k on the odometer) do not tool around as much and some are happier touring in the truck. So, back to lifestyle choices.

[WendyG]

Originally Posted by Sacha

Would you mind sharing what truck brand/set-up and 5th wheel you purchased for these prices? Maybe I think we need way more truck than we do? After reading how unsafe it is to overload your TV and our plans involving many mountainous areas I don't want to buy an under powered or unsafe TV. The 5th wheels we are starting to look at run around $40-50K used 1-3years old. The DP used 3-4 years old run around $130-$140k as listed on RV trader. Our plans are at least 1 Week at a time in each place sometimes 2 and 95% of the time around 150 miles at a time.
Thanks!

For a full time lifestyle, that does not sound like a lot of driving to me as you are planning to move limited distance less than once a week. To me it sounds like nice, relaxed pace with time to enjoy each locale. Let's guess 9 days per location, so about 40 moves in a year at 150 miles each is about 6000 miles per year on the rv.

I can see your dilemma (or your blessing depending on outlook) as either set up will likely work for you. In fact our rv mileage is not much lower and we are very happy with our used gas motorhome (cost a fraction of your budget...yours will be much nicer).

[Newmar2856]

Originally Posted by Sacha

Just to clarify I am looking for a used set-up either way.



Used TV-$60-70k

Used 5th Wheel $40-50k

Total $100-130k budget



Used Class A DP-$100-$130k



For either we are looking at quality brands to full time in-not the cheapest we can get away with.

My new 2016 GMC Dually, with just about every comfort option available, was under $60K with a 7 year bumper to bumper warranty. If you're looking at a used a truck you should be able to find one relatively new closer to 50K, or even cheaper if you're willing to forgo the glitz.

In regards to towing one of the small vehicles you already own have you confirmed if it is even towable 4 down? Also, don't forget to factor in the 2-3K for the tow bar, braking and vehicle modification to set it up to tow.

With auto-level and many features the same on my fifth wheel vs a class A, setup and tear down are not really that much different anymore.

I'd be interested in seeing what you are comparing in the price ranges you've listed. It sounds like you would be looking at older, lower end DP's.

It is quite a decision to make and beyond costs think about things such as non travel day activities and how would you handle having you're truck as that mode of transportation? Also, we've had our truck breakdown while on the road and we were able to get our fifth wheel to our campground and the truck to the dealer. We had all our stuff while the truck was getting fixed. I think you'll find it easier to get a truck serviced but on the flip side, if you breakdown in the boonies, you can disconnect the toad and drive for help.

There is almost always a counter argument to each element in the decision, but for us we found the fifth wheel/truck combo cheaper when comparing new to new and quality to quality. We like our floor plan and space while at the campground and at rest stops our bathroom is accessible.

[stepside454]

Originally Posted by WendyG

I really think the decision is better made on rv lifestyle more than money or fuel expenses. There are plenty of points in favor of each choice. As we are discussing costs, if one wants to consider fuel costs, one should consider the fuel costs when the rv is parked. If one flits around touring and shopping and site seeing (as we do), one can rack up lots of miles, and fuel costs are lower if those miles are in a fuel efficient little toad vs a one ton truck. And some people would much rather flit about in the car than the big truck. Others (perhaps including the above poster with scant 36k on the odometer) do not tool around as much and some are happier touring in the truck. So, back to lifestyle choices.

So true . As I said my wife has no interest in having to drive a 1 ton truck to work, or the store or wherever when she can drive a car , that she can zip into any parking spot , get 25-30 mpg & can be purchased for under 7000.00 all day .

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by stepside454

So true . As I said my wife has no interest in having to drive a 1 ton truck to work, or the store or wherever when she can drive a car , that she can zip into any parking spot , get 25-30 mpg & can be purchased for under 7000.00 all day .

Good point.
We do about 8000 annual miles on the MH, and 15,000 on the toad. Adventuring is what we are out here to do!
So, wanna follow my Wrangler?

[djeirlessr]

My decision between purchasing at MH or FW was totally brainless. DW and I previously had a 38' boat for 15 years. We loved the boating experience but maintaining twin 454 engines that loved gas and a 7.5 kw generator we decided to sell our boat and purchase a RV to be able to travel across the lower 48 states.

My DW was thinking of a MH and I was not. I told her I did not want anything with an engine. At first I was thinking about a TT because I felt you get more for the money but opted for a FW and glad I did. It is easy to hookup and go. Also easy to setup.

During my research for over two years I read that if you plan to do a lot of traveling you should get a class C or FW. I don't know if that is true but so far in 1.5 yeas of owning our FW we have traveled approximately 6,000 miles and loving it.

Remember this was a brainless decision.


Duane

2016 Crusader 295RST FW

2016 Silverado LTZ 2500 HD d/a

[powderman]

Originally Posted by Kurtsara

So if you needed a longer repair in a 5th wheel wouldn't you be stuck with the same time frame?

Not even close. There is very little on a fiver that can't be fixed while in the campground. I even managed to replace a broken spring while on site and most people there didn't even know it. As for any internal problems with appliances or leaks can be handled by mobile tech.