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rfsod48

Fiver Cost/ Discounts

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Do fivers have a similar discount from retail price as class A motorhomes? What brands (manufacturers) of fivers are considered better?

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 Hey Joe, is that the one with that gentle Glide mechanism? My buddy was going to get one of those for his horse trailer and I told him it looked like it was going to work out for him just fine. I'm not exactly sure what rebates or anything they have on them but never the less that's a nice 5th wheel

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21 minutes ago, jleamont said:

Yep he does ... I’m going to have him look at this post. May give him another idea! 

As far as rebate, now that I think about it, I don’t think that there are rebates per se but they do run defense a.m. The cost of the mechanism is only a couple of thousands of dollars so I doubt if they have rebates per se,   Camping world currently is running a sale. I just got the flyer in the mail so I would try giving them a call to see what you can negotiate and they do a really good job with installation. 

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Hey Joe and Keon,

I am just trying to get something started for our new members. I have seen many fifth wheel units and they are nice. They seem to have more room then our class A’s but i am not sure it would work for my wife and me. I wonder if a fiver that has retail cost of $100,000.00 would have a similar discount as a motorhome in selling price.

Roland

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I’m sorry I think I just figured out where the source of the confusion is. I feel really bad about it. You’re talking about a trailer that sits on the fifth wheel, I was under the impression you were talking about an actual fifth wheel.

I am probably the wrong person to ask about that or to answer this because the cost of the trailer itself can exceed $80,000 and by the time you look at the $60,000 truck you need to pull it you have well exceeded the cost of a brand new class I am probably the wrong person to ask about that or to answer this because the cost of the trailer itself can exceed $80,000 and by the time you look at the $60,000 truck you need to pull it you have well exceeded the cost of a brand new class A gas.   On that note I would say just get a gas coach or use diesel because it’s less maintenance, less issue, and a $2000 car behind it ends up coming out cheaper in the long run. 

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Roland...when you say "Fifth wheel unit" you referring to the trailer or the hitch? Assuming the trailer itself, cant imagine why anyone would spend $100,000 on a Fifth wheel.

What's a FIVER? Sounds like something a shot of penicillin would cure :wacko:.

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I believe most fifth wheel owners call their “trailer” unit a fiver. At least this is what those I have parked next to say. As I said I am not sure it would work fo me but some of these unita are every bit as nice as a high end diesel class A.

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Roland,

In 2007 I bought a Montana 3400RL. The MSRP was discounted by the dealer, but you know how that goes. So yes there are deals out there on 5'ers.

One year later I traded it in for the 2008 MH.  We really liked the 5'er. Towed it with a 2005 Ford F350 4wd King Ranch, Dually, Crew Cab, Long Bed.

Here is my idea of what one "should" buy:  If just using for long weekends and 2 week vacations a 5'er is great. Less maintenance, insurance and the tow vehicle can be an everyday back and forth to work. (I could park my truck anywhere a full size car could park - just take me a few more turns)

If going to be on the road for weeks, months or longer a MH is my preferred choice. Besides I sit on it and can hold it longer, and DW can go as she pleases.

I have seen some up-to-date 5'ers that are gorgeous inside.  The nice thing about a 5'er is the space is from front cap to back cap so a 40' 5'er has more living room than a MH.  The MH from the front seats forward is wasted space when parked. Yes, turn the seats around but still some wasted space, like 4 or 5 feet.

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I agree Wayne, our class A DP works best for us but it seems that there many more new 5th wheels sold.Maybe some of our new members will chime in on their experience.

Roland

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Alright you too!  Roland, yes there is discounts on the Fifth Trailer.  Some are $500K and some $60K  that's MSRP.  Goggle Voight RV in TX.  They deal in high end cookie cutters and have deep discounts.  Classic Suits and Landmark trailers.

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14 minutes ago, rfsod48 said:

I believe most fifth wheel owners call their “trailer” unit a fiver. At least this is what those I have parked next to say. As I said I am not sure it would work fo me but some of these unita are every bit as nice as a high end diesel class A.

Ummm ok. I guess that would be the equivalent to me calling my coach are referring to it as a bus even though the people that ride is passengers don't pay to get on and it sits on a truck chassis. in the grand scheme of things I end up paying them to ride with me

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We looked at one at a CG last year, Easter weekend I believe. It had Aqua Hot with a dedicated diesel tank, Pulled by a Volvo sleeper tractor. The guy was nice it was made by Newmar, he was contemplating trading up to a DP, driving the tractor around was a huge pain for him, plus the usual issues trailers experience. This thing was so big it had dual wheels on two axles, first for me...

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10 minutes ago, HayesFamily said:

in the grand scheme of things I end up paying them to ride with me

hmmm...never thought of it that way before you are right :lol:

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1 hour ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

Keon, I have had people say they would pay not to ride with me.:o

Bill

 Bill let me explain how the Hayes Rascals work.  if I put a fare box at the front door of the coach and they paid the fare, by the time we get finished camping for the weekend they're going to make sure they tax my pocket for four times what they put in the box. Don't feel bad, I'm in the same boat.

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1 hour ago, HayesFamily said:

 Bill let me explain how the Hayes Rascals work.  if I put a fare box at the front door of the coach and they paid the fare by the time we get finished camping for the weekend they're going to make sure they tax my pocket for four times what they put in the box. Don't feel bad, I'm in the same boat.

Isn't that the truth.:P

Bill

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21 hours ago, rfsod48 said:

Do fivers have a similar discount from retail price as class A motorhomes? What brands (manufacturers) of fivers are considered better?

The discounts are similar, in other words if Lazy Days in Tampa has a new Montana fiver with a MSRP of $95,000 then they only have about $45,000 to $50,000 in it and you can probably get 25% off on your deal.

We owned one used fiver and one new, both Montana models.  Bought a 2012 F350 diesel truck new but had the advantage of writing it off for my contracting business for 2 years, so in reality a $52,000 truck cost me just under $40,000.  We fully retired and traveled for just under 3 years putting 42,000 miles on.  When the F350 was 3 years old I sold it for $46,000.   The Montana had Splendid w/d, Winegard Traveler Sat dish, auto leveling, and 3 TVs.  Since it was 39' long with 4 slides (king bed) there was a lot of living space.   So all in all it was a really good way to travel for us at the time.

Now going back to being full time we wanted to have a car plus the Harley with us all the time.  Obviously this requires being in a coach.  

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Motorhome, 5'th wheel.  Take a MH and pull the front cap off, remove the motor, put a hitch for towing and you have the same as if you took a 5'er, put a motor and front wheels on it.  What would be the interior difference between refrigerators, microwaves, toilets, tanks, dump valves, and on, and on.  Not a heck of a lot as we share many of the same niceties.

More than that, we share the same experiences traveling around this great country.  When we had our fifth wheel I was never jealous or envious of motor home users. Now that I have a motor home I feel the same way, I just never give it a thought when pulling into a campground or seeing one or the other on the road.

Anyone in any type of RV can park next to me any time they want, and I hope they feel the same way.

What one pays or has for discounts has no affect on us.

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We have has class A's and C's as well as travel trailers and 5th wheel trailers.  We have lived long term in both a motorhome and a 5er.  

When we were getting to the point of full time, we decided the 5er was better suited to long term living.  On the higher end 5er, you have more of a residential feel and more interior storage and exterior storage.  With the advent of automatic hydraulic levelers on 5ers, life became simpler,  

Full time and 4-season rated 5ers are heavy and you are into a well equipped 1 ton dually to pull them.  Some are well into a MDT (medium duty truck) like a Freightliner FL60 .  Some of the big boys go to a class 7 or a class 8 tractor like a Volvo or a Kenworth.

For travel on a daily/weekly basis, a motorhome maybe nicer as you have access to the facilities while on the road.  

It all boils down to personal preference.  With the 5er, I have to hitch up, but if you are towing a car, you still have to hitch up and attach the braking system.

The thing I like is if I have an issue with the drive train, I find a Ford shop and get the repairs and I still have the 5er to live in.  I get a cheap rental car.  With the motorhome you have to find a shop that will work on them and you home goes to the shop.

For discounts, 25 to 35% off is common on lots of the trailers.

So pick your poison and enjoy the travel.  Look down on no one because of the size, type or age of their RV.

Ken

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Ken, when we started our initial search for an RV to full time in (first time around) we discounted motor homes for the reason you stated.  If there was a drive train malfunction or service was needed then the whole unit would be in the shop.  We were fine with that decision and enjoyed every minutes of our travels for almost 3 years of full timing.

However, now starting out again I guess I am spoiled.  I want to have both a car and my motorcycle with us all the time.  So this time around we will take the risk for that trade off.  The other advantage is with my fiver it would take me at least 15 minutes to get completely leveled and set up.  If it was raining all that set up was done outside basically.  With my coach I can kick on the generator, put the slides out, level, and never go outside until the rain stops if I want.

But who knows, won't be riding a Harley forever.  In a few years might end up back in a fiver.

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Ken,

With the new leveling systems on the 5'ers do you still have to go outside to push the button.  For sure you have to go from truck to 5'er but that is acceptable I would surmise.

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Linda and I saw a 5'er pull in across from us in Bremen, IN this summer & it was a gully washer.  They got out of a FL60, ran to the RV, started the Generator and had slides out in about 5 min.  Rain was over in a hour.  They came outside, he had the 5'er level and plugged in to shore power, while she disconnected and pulled truck out...10 minutes tops!  That's what it takes me, when the rain stops! :o  The next day, they hooked up water and sewage, lifted each leg in turn and placed a 18"x18" pad under each jack and fine tuned every thing.  That afternoon in the rain, we had HH with them!  They live 12 miles East of Linda...:o:)

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If you want to see a wild fiver look up Will Smith’s custom made fifth wheel. There was a tv show that showed it being built well over 1 mil.

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