Travel Trailer verses Motorhome

[D in Davie]

I've had both. You will have more storage space in even a smaller class a thn you will in a larger TT. Some 5th wheels do have good storage but then you need a big Pickup. I think hook up and set up is way easier in a MH than a TT. If you have the money spend some on a Blue Ox tow bar. It takes me 10 minutes to hook up, do a safety check and test the lights. The motor home set up is all push button leveling systems, buttons for the slides and plugging in the electric and water when you need it. You can boon dock in a MH easier than you can in a TT. Trying to crank the leveling jacks down in my TT at night, in the rain sent me driving to my friendly RV dealer. You need to be asking many more questions of yourself. How long of a rig do you feel comfortable driving and what distances and how long will you be living in your rig on each trip. If the answer is long to both questions then the MH is the best choice. If short then the TT is a good bet.

[TDI-Minnie]

Originally Posted by dogpatch

As for investment, the TT is probably the least likely to give you any return. I have bought motorhomes, used them and sold them at a fairly good profit. Good deals are out there and you don't have to buy new or near new to get a great coach with all the amenities. That solves the loss of value. If bought right, you will only lose a bit. I spent as much buying my Coach as a good towing truck.

Having a coach means that IS your tow vehicle and towing a car lets you get around.

As for unhooking your TT, I'd race you anytime against my towbar! Takes me just over a minute. I timed it yesterday.

My point was that none of these are really a good investment. Sure you can "flip" anything after fixing and cleaning it up and get a little bit of a return, but that's not why I'm out in an RV.
My buddy bought a Monaco Diplomat for the same price as I paid for my new TT. It's in the shop with a $3,500 repair bill and I'm out camping with my family.
My tow vehicle was and IS my daily driver, so no extra truck purchase required.

We tie on time to hook up.

[stepside454]

Like I said, if you already have a suitable tow vehicle, than a trailer likely makes sense.
As far as repairs go. I bought my 1985 fleet wood pace arrow 2 yrs ago for 3000.00. Is it pretty? No, but it's never been in the shop since I've owned. If I would have bought a travel trailer of similar size, I would have also had to buy a truck.

[stepside454]

I need to make a correction, I realized it was in the shop twice since we bought it 2 yrs & nearly 8000 miles ago. First time right after buying it, to check out all the mechanicals. Replaced rear brakes at that time. & than this spring for 2 tires

[Mossy cat]

I know a retired couple who started with a 5 er. They got a class c then class a. Now, they are back with the 5 er. Lol. Less maintenance they say.

[Marky]

We're middle class and have had to make the same decision. We looked at the pros and cons between both. We always got the wild advice of getting huge RVs and diesel Dulles. We like to live life with less. We selected the 21 foot travel trailer with a queen walk around bed, Dry bath, aluminum roof.
We can go into any convenience store and refuel.
We can park anywhere using two parking spaces (just slide across two spaces)
We can tow with a 6 cylinder engine (good gas mileage).
We can disconnect the trailer and go anywhere we want.
We can park our trailer anywhere a car can fit ( we don't have to look for pull through spaces or disconnect our toad to backup, if a tent fits our trailer fits).
We can use our SUV at home when we're not traveling, vs having a "motor"home just parked.
We can visit family and park trailer in their driveway with no problems.
We can backup anytime we get in to trouble (which we have!) vs a motor home with a toad.
We didn't buy into the huge RV with 3 side outs (being middle class of course. If we were rock stars or owned an oil well I t would be a different story! Lol!) or the $800 sway hitch. We bought the sway bar ($59 on rvupgrades. Haha! Yes we got the, " you spent thousands on an RV and $60 on a sway-bar!), when the wind hits the side of an RV it's going to sway! The anti-sway is not an anchor in the side. It keeps the everything from becoming a giant snake! We use common sense and control our speed or just stop.We bought a weight distribution hitch which turned out to be a big waste of money. They are very heavy and difficult to install. We now use air bags. They are so easy to install (one time install) and use ($99 with a life time warranty). The trucking industry has been using them for years. They don't use WDHs! The rear comes up 2 inches and the front goes down 1 inch. How does the front go down one inch? Hmmm.
As far as motor homes being better built, you get what you pay for. There are great fiberglass trailers and all aluminum welded frames and floors ( they will be around for your grand kids). They're still one forth the price of motor home.
This is how we selected our RV. Everyone has different opinions. The best RV is the one you like. Good luck, and hope to cross campfires with you someday!

[2Labs]

Originally Posted by Marky

The best RV is the one you like. Good luck, and hope to cross campfires with you someday!

[georgetown350]

We bought a weight distribution hitch which turned out to be a big waste of money. They are very heavy and difficult to install. We now use air bags. They are so easy to install (one time install) and use ($99 with a life time warranty). The trucking industry has been using them for years.

You're probably carrying to much weight on that rear axle without the load bars. You cant compare pickup trucks pulling travel trailers to semi tractor trailers .. apples and oranges. I don't agree with your points about sway control either however some units that are matched well with a trailer that is not to long or high off the ground will have little to no sway. When the wind hits the side of the RV it should not cause you to sway. Being pushed by the wind is one thing, being pushed by the wind and having your trailer wag the dog is another and this is why I would invest in the best hitching system on the market. You can save money by cutting corners on safety now but one day you might regret it.

[Marky]

Originally Posted by georgetown350

You're probably carrying to much weight on that rear axle without the load bars. You cant compare pickup trucks pulling travel trailers to semi tractor trailers .. apples and oranges. I don't agree with your points about sway control either however some units that are matched well with a trailer that is not to long or high off the ground will have little to no sway. When the wind hits the side of the RV it should not cause you to sway. Being pushed by the wind is one thing, being pushed by the wind and having your trailer wag the dog is another and this is why I would invest in the best hitching system on the market. You can save money by cutting corners on safety now but one day you might regret it.

I've used both. I was convinced by my dealer into getting the weight distribution hitch with the cams, and I now use a sway bar. I've noticed that most RV dealers don't sell air bags. They do preach the dangers and safety of not buying the most expensive weight distribution hitch. Most WDHs work with friction to prevent sway. The others work with a spring on the ball part of the hitch. The problem with using a spring is that when pulled to one side it when it returns it doesn't stop in the middle, it continues back and forth. I've towed trailers in mountains where it got caught by cross winds, storms, and blizzards. Using both systems. If a sway-bar is set up properly there is no way a trailer can "wag". This weekend I got hit by a hugh dust devil and my little sway-bar saved the day!
The weight distribution hitch is great if you don't mind bending over and installing a 100 pound hitch then installing 50 pound bars and locking chains with a pipe.
The WDH does distribute the weight but the one thing they fail to tell people is the stresses caused by the hitch on the frames. Even with a special WDH receiver going over a dip in the road where the tow vehicle is tilted up and the trailer is sloped down the bars will pull down on the chains causing a huge stress on both the truck and the trailer frames trying to level both. This is one of the main reasons hitches, trailer, and truck frames crack and even break. This can be a big concern and danger at highway speeds. Most people believe their trailers were made with bad frames and never attribute the frame failures to the WDH. Trailer frames are designed to carry their load and still be as light as possible. They were never meant to be twisted and pulled by chains with 10,000 pounds of stress across a three inch area!
I like my airbags. They stiffen the rear of my TV and actually prevent sway. The rear comes up 2 inches and the front goes down one inch making my TV level. The only way the front can go down is if had more weight on it. I have weight distribution without the frame stresses. By bringing up the rear axel some of the weight is shifted to the front of the TV and the axel of the trailer but that's a discussion for another thread. We all have our opinions and experiences. You buy what you like and what you believe in I hope to share some great stories with you around the campfire someday. Now let's go camping!

[wblynch]

My goal is to trade up from our small class c to an Airstream.

Why do the guys with huge diesel class a's hang out in the trailer section telling people what to do?

[georgetown350]

Your air bags give zero weight distribution which means all the weight is on the rear axle which might be ok with a light tt such as yours providing you don't exceed the rear axle weight rating. ( I would still use the bars to transfer weight to the front end) I just hope that newbies don't read this and
think they can throw away their load bars in favor of air bags for their 9000 lb 30 ft TTs. Most TT setups that I see on the road are unsafe ( you can see the tt trying to wiggle itself free) and I blame the RV dealers for that.

[ARTWERKE]

I pulled a 23' Prowler TT with a 2500 Suburban, & driven a 38' DP pulling a SUV, I know the TT was 20 yrs ago, but the SUV behind is a whole lot easier than the SUV in front.

[Old Scout]

Clearly a personal choice-- MH and TTs both have a lot of pros/cons. It really depends on the kind of travelling you do. You can find a well-maintained MH at a very reasonable price these days. The key is ensuring it was well maintained--a maintenance history is key--if they didnt have the motivation to keep a log, they may not have done the work. Short trips to local locations--a TT is great. Going coast to coast--sitting in a car/truck all day, pulling a TT can be tiring--especially as we get older. Its amazing how little space you really need to be comfortable, we have a 40' DP and wouldnt trade the last 10 years/140,000 miles for anything but that doenst mean it would be the right thing for you. Good luck.....

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by wblynch

My goal is to trade up from our small class c to an Airstream. Why do the guys with huge diesel class a's hang out in the trailer section telling people what to do?

Obviously you didn't read post #1. The OP was trying to decide on a TT or a Class A!

How did it go from that to hitch talk?