MH vs 5th Wheel

[buddyu]

This may not be the place for this but here goes anyway! I currently have a 2011 GT 378TS with 14,000 Miles. I am considering switching to a 5th wheel and just leave it parked in FL when not in use. I have not driven my GT in two years. What have people said about switching from a nice motorhome to a 5th wheel? I’m at a loss as to what to do!!

[Walte1fr]

We have kids and we didn’t have a vehicle to pull the bigger camper with. I won’t be going back to a trailer after buying our 364TS. If it’s just going to be parked and you use the same campground every time a 5th wheel would be better I would think. We travel too much and need the space while on the road.

[DR Quest]

We had a 39 foot Glendale 5th wheel and went to a 39 foot Motorhome and could not be happier. But we use it almost weekly, if it was going to sit without moving it I would go back to a 5th wheel. Why have the big investment and not use it.
Larry

[buddyu]

Originally Posted by DR Quest

We had a 39 foot Glendale 5th wheel and went to a 39 foot Motorhome and could not be happier. But we use it almost weekly, if it was going to sit without moving it I would go back to a 5th wheel. Why have the big investment and not use it.

Larry

So true. I have a big attachment to the MH but I know I may have to make the hard decision. I spend $300 a month for and enclosed storage alone and because of my age my insurance really jumped. That tough because my son is the one that drives it when we go to FL.

[Bluepill]

With a motor home it's all about cost of NON-Operation. Depreciation, loan interest if financed, and insurance can cost you $15K a year and up. You have an expensive chassis just sitting and doing nothing but loosing value.

Any style of trailer eliminates that expensive chassis, and cost per square foot of living space will be a lot less.

[buddyu]

Originally Posted by Bluepill

With a motor home it's all about cost of NON-Operation. Depreciation, loan interest if financed, and insurance can cost you $15K a year and up. You have an expensive chassis just sitting and doing nothing but loosing value.

Any style of trailer eliminates that expensive chassis, and cost per square foot of living space will be a lot less.

Good point Bluepill. You live very close to where we wound Park it - Navarre.

[The Lieutenant]

We went from a 32 foot class C to a 5th wheel and could not be happier. There is give and take with both.. the only thing i miss is running the generator when we stop so the dogs can have AC.

That said. The motorhome just didnt have the space we wanted. Sitting on the sofa watching TV only feet from the wife while she was cooking just became too much. Having all of the living area jammed together in the same limited area wasnt what we wanted. No matter if it was a new Class C or a Class A the layouts were almost the same in this respect.

Jumping into the 5th wheel was great for us. Driving the rig was a joy compared to the C. The layout gave everyone the space they needed plus a real kitchen and dining layout. Having an independant tow vehicle in my opinion was a plus as well. It's just not sitting during the off season.

The negative... stopping with the dogs takes planning since they are now with us in the TV.

[Wilco]

With a MH you need a toad for everyday transportation. With a 5th wheel, the truck is your everyday transportation. Overall tow lengths are similar. The truck/trailer combination is less expensive overall and you can upgrade them individually. The truck could be your second vehicle when not is use to tow with.

Your MH is probably paid off so yearly expenses are minimal. To switch, you will need to buy a truck and trailer to replace your MH. It will require additional cash when you sell your MH.

[aceinspp]

Letting a MH sit is one of the worse things you can do. Things start to rot like houses, belts and tires which are not cheap.(yes 5er may need tires if expose to a lot of sun) plus the additional insurance for a MH compared to a 5th wheel. Plus if you are just going to not move the 5er thean you need not buy a truck for towing. Have it brought to CG by dealer and done. Later RJD

[oldsmasma]

We went the opposite way. F250 diesel 4x4 and 5th wheel to similar sized gas moho. We love it. DH struggled with hitching and unhitching the trailer and after double knee replacement the stairs were killing me. We have 3 slides 2 opposing in the living room area. We have spent two months in it comfortably.

[CaptnJohn]

Best thing I did was dump a 40' DP and go to a 35' 5er, now a 43' 5er and never see going back.

[PenJoe]

You may want to consider what we did. We threw the towel in on the MH and bought a MH (Mobile Home) in Florida. We are in a resident owned park with total monthly fees of $170 (lawn maintenance, garbage pickup 2X week, water and sewer included). We even have a salt water dock. The park is extremely well maintained. Now, we just fly down. Lovin' it!!

[jim659102]

DW and I had lots of discussions about the same thing before purchasing a fifth wheel albeit smaller than MH. She actually wanted 10,000 lb TT.
The deciding factor was another family from Texas with an MH in California, which was relatively new and under warranty.
They had a coach motor failure needing major repair and time.
No place to stay since MH was in shop.
Had to fly home, then go back to CA to pick up MH when repaired.
Major expense and PIA.
If my Ram fails, I still have a place to stay and can as others have done go to a dealer and maybe get lucky to get a comparable truck.
MH have motor, chassis, generator, and other systems which can fail (like anything nowadays), but if its in a repair facility, you incur hotel costs, etc.
Just my 2cents.

Jim

[buddyu]

Another question for 5th wheel owners. I looked at some 5th wheels yesterday and it seems the steps are harder to navigate than those on my MH. My wife and I both are having a little mobility problem currently. Is there anything we can do to help with this?

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by buddyu

Another question for 5th wheel owners. I looked at some 5th wheels yesterday and it seems the steps are harder to navigate than those on my MH. My wife and I both are having a little mobility problem currently. Is there anything we can do to help with this?

Burr Handy Lift HD

It is built for scooters and wheelchairs but should serve a person well who is able to stand but has trouble climbing stairs.

I like this one better, it seems to be very portable and easy to use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWmfH2PrZEM

Stairs are no longer my friend and I regret having a multi-story home.

[BandJCarm]

They're all good.

My reasons.........

Cubic Feet of space in 5er is about double or more that of a MH.

MH costs maybe 5X more per cubic foot.

You can drive a vehicle and tow your home, or you can drive your home and tow your vehicle.

MH plus Toad has two engines and etc. to deal with.

Claustrophobia makes head room important to me.

[Murbella7]

Originally Posted by buddyu

This may not be the place for this but here goes anyway! I currently have a 2011 GT 378TS with 14,000 Miles. I am considering switching to a 5th wheel and just leave it parked in FL when not in use. I have not driven my GT in two years. What have people said about switching from a nice motorhome to a 5th wheel? I’m at a loss as to what to do!!

The differences between a MH and a 5th wheel are huge, chalk-n-cheese stuff. It is also a very, very personal thing. Some folk love 5'ers and hate MH's, some luv MH's (never could figure out why). Having a detachable touring vehicle is a huge bonus with a 5'er. The 'inconvenience' of having to stop and change vehicles to use the 'house' is tiny. The comfort and safety of the driving experience with a 5er can never be matched by a MH, regardless of size, MH's all sway and bounce like a bus whereas a 5'er and truck combo drives and rides like a big car, with your portable, detachable house tailgating you (I suppose that could be considered a personal observation). With the right tow vehicle you hardly know you are towing anything.

[jwagner1701]

I have one of each and both have their merits. We love the MH for traveling, wife could get up and move around while we were going down the road and the ease of just pulling into campground. With the 5'vr, we had our truck to get around with and hooking up was a easy. Here in Mich the 5'vr had permanent plate while the MH cost a hefty amount each year and when on a fixed income that makes a difference. The worse part of the MH was when I lost a water pump in TX and finding someone to work on it was harder and more expensive, the loss of our place to stay was hard also. Luckily we were still close to wife's sister so she could pick us up as we had to leave it for 5 days. We had just stocked up for the return trip so we had a lot of food plus clothes and dogs to try to get in her sister's little car! Over 1200 dollars later we were back on road verses how much for a water pump on a truck...

[Wolverine 1945]

Only disadvantage we see to having a MH is,,,
unless you tow a toad you have no way to go wandering,,, unless you break camp !!!

[5picker]

If it is just going to sit and you have no plans of going anywhere else, why not just buy a park model or destination unit? No need for an R/V of any type.