5th wheel or driveable?

[Oaklevel]

Depends on how you travel and your needs.

For us an extra drive train to maintain just makes no sense (at this time). And again for us a 5th wheel is much cheaper to buy and own than a motor home.

We have cars at home to drive to work. I need a truck as we live in the country with no trash pick up (I have to haul it off) and I have 5 other trailers so a truck is a must. Most of our current camping is within 250 miles of home.

So for us the cost of the fifth wheel vs. the cost of a motor home since we need a truck anyway.

[pcryer]

Love the space in a 5th wheel but love our class C as well. It was a hard decision. We already had the truck but we also had a vehicle that worked as a towed. We went with the C because we like to have the choice of taking the pontoon boat or the towed with the kayaks strapped on top. We have never found a campsite that our C wouldn't fit in and our height clearance is much less than a 5th wheel. Also fully self contained. If raining, dark, etc. We don't have to exit vehicle to pull over for potty break or lunch break. The most important thing is to use the one you decide on! Have fun =)

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by Wobbles

The difference in my mind with the three choices are that, with the MoHo unless towing a toad you are locked into your site after setup. I would not like to break camp when I want to go buy more firewood.

YMMV

Depends... several places we stay will deliver firewood to your site. The last place we stayed (CreekFire Motor Ranch in Savanah) delivered firewood and had a shuttle that would take you to town.

Aaron

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by JP Camper

Less vehicle maintenance with a fiver, with a MH you have two vehicles to maintain, register and insurance.

We actually came out money ahead here in NC. My towing truck had to have commercial plates and additional insurance. RV is a regular plate... go figure.

Our toad is my wife's daily driver, a 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid. We have also done the Enterprise rental car a couple of times in the past with acceptable results.

The main reason for the Class C is she will drive it, she would not drive the dually with a trailer behind it.

Aaron

[magi]

Originally Posted by whj77372

You buy a motorhome to drive and a fiver to park! If you plan to park it for a long time, a fiver, if you want to move all the time, a motorhome. Good Luck

2x

[timfromma]

I own a TT and work full time and still managed 10,000+ miles and more than a dozen states last year. I move around just fine.

[Butch & Lena]

Get a motor home!

[DougW]

We bought the motorhome with plans to use it for vacations and weekends until I retired. We can either pull the toad or the Motorcycle on a trailer depending on our plans and the weather at our destination. Another reason for the Motorhome was that we had tried tow behind toy haulers but since our motorcycle is a Goldwing trike we couldn't find one that would tow properly with that much weight behind the axels. I figured a 5th wheel would work but there are very few and far between that we could have pulled with our F150. Then along came August and a retirement buyout I just couldn't pass up. We are wintering in the south and wanted to bring the motorcycle and the TOAD. The solution was the DW followed me in the Explorer and I pulled the trailer with the motorcycle behind the motorhome. Not an ideal situation. I will either have 5th Wheel toyhauler or we will be leaving the motorcycle behind next winter. The motor home is OK for our seasonal use but not ideal. Also DW does not like riding in the MH because it is a lot more noisy than a pickup pulling a camper.

Bottom line is, for my situation the 5th wheel toy hauler is what I need, just have to figure out how to buy one and a pickup to pull it.

[Kimber45]

I'm a pick up truck guy. Always going to own one. Thats 1/2 the equation right there. A motor home would probably look pretty funny towing an HD truck as a toad.

[AbdRahim]

Originally Posted by Hoglou

*Forest River Forums*>*Forest River Community Forums*>*General Community Discussions*Reservations or not?


May I add the trip begins when the coach rolls, not when it land....

x2 here. I Motorhome without a toad. Bicycle gives me a 10 mile radius. If I stay for a month, I will rent a car for a week. I love being on the road - long stays save money. Yes it is not the most convenient and when time to buy the next truck, I will have to decide between huge and something towable. Most likely huge. Again consider what suits your activities best. My start was a trailer. I camped twice and traded it on a MH - what I have always wanted. Less living space, expensive, but wherever I go is home and I don't have to get out to be home (bad weather).

If you plan to move about a lot while camping, a 5er and truck will serve you well, and cost a bit less than a MH, depending on the 5er. The MH also allows for quick day trips or one night stays at state parks etc. No hooking up, just load refrigerator and go, return and park. It all depends on what you like best. MH has generator on board - flip the switch and recharge or use AC power -no portable generators to keep filling with gas.

5er - one 5er may last though two pick up trucks, much savings here if you put on loads of miles.

Many decisions. Enjoy the process and enjoy whatever you decide on. Life is short and the clock never stops ticking. Write the pros and cons of each on paper, so you can see it. Consider also, budget not only for the purchase, but for maintenance, insurance, as well as camping expenses, how often will you be using it. Unless on is really rolling in the dough, it may be senseless to buy an expensive MH and use it only 2 weeks a year. Much to consider. ?Have fun.

[muddyrode]

for me a fifth wheel meets my needs,
as i have several other trailers i use, so a truck is a must

that is why we have two trucks, and a car a SUV three motorcycles
one tractor, 2 lawn tractors a push mower

Gee maybe the wife is right, i may need to start downsizing

[colourful64]

I love the motorhome... It's nothing to hook up.. park it in drive anywhere... 40 seconds to unhook the toad. And here we are... Home... We can cook eat and pee while we drive... Not so with a fifth wheel.... Or trailer.... And bigger is not necessarily better... We find no bigger than 32 is nice and easy for maniuver ability.... And not clumbsey.. we also like the class A ... Because ... You have a huge living room window...The chairs swivel to become part of the living room.. so there's no wasted space in the cockpit..

The down side is... In the event of an accident , there are no airbags... And everything in the cupboards become projectiles... As a matter of fact... Even the cupboards themselves become unattached and can kill y'a dead. ..

In my opinion... Motorhomes and fifth wheels have two different purposes... A fifth wheel is more like a cabin... You either put it in a piece of land and leave it... Or you take it out on the weekends to camp...

But a motorhome is for people that want to travel... Stay in one place for a couple of nights and then go again...

[colourful64]

Once you go motorhome you never go back... Lol. Unless you decide to travel less.. lol

[jtesta1]

Where's the boat and jet ski

[Gun guy]

Originally Posted by TLAK

She can use the bathroom in a motorhome while you are driving.

This...I drive straight thru with minimal fuel stops when she's not with me....

[mwdilday]

I prefer a fifth wheel. Either way you have to tow something. I would not let my wife go take her seat belt off on the road so the advantages of going to the bathroom or make sandwiches is not there when on the highway. Disadvantages of a motorhome:

1) Initial cost
2) Expense for insurance and taxes
3) Expense of maintenance of another power unit
4) Not as safe in an accident as a NTSA tested crew cab - google RV accidents and see how motorhomes disintegrate in a crash
5) Less space in a same length motorhome
6) Can't back up a motorhome with a toad