5th Wheel For Full-timing

[wildebill308]

I did see a positive for a fifth wheel today walking around the RV park I am in today. It was misting and there were a couple people sitting under the front overhang out of the rain.

FIVE having a couple inches of more room in a trailer does not make up for loosing all the storage in a Class A.

Bill

[tbutler]

All good points. Our travel pattern has been to set out on a trip, stop where we want and go when we want. If a place looks interesting we'll spend a week, maybe more. If we see one thing that looks like fun we'll stop, maybe see it on the run, maybe stay overnight and move on. We've spent as much as a month in a few locations. Traveling like that makes a motor home very practical.

Our winters we have been parked for five to six months in one place. It's like Jekyl and Hyde, but we still like the motor home much better. In the summer we hardly spend any time in camp, during the winter the campground is our reason for being there. We've traveled in areas where staying in motels or cabins and exploring would have been totally impractical. Several years ago we traveled by car for a long trip, motels, etc. It was such a pain, the only reason I would do it again was if we just had to cover a long distance really fast. I hate dragging suit cases around.

We did New Zealand and Australia in a really small Class C camper and it was a much scaled down version of the motor home. We didn't have all the conveniences but our style of travel translated to the camper almost as if we were still in our motor home. Louise really developed an appreciation for our motor home and its comforts, I really felt at home with the travel style. We spent many days well away from any motel type accommodation.

When we first started full timing we looked at trailers and one of the big tipping points for us was the "basement" storage. That and the convenience of a car (or SUV in our case) with it's decent mileage and comfort and handling on the road when out exploring on smaller roads made the difference. We priced a new trailer and a heavy duty pickup truck and it was the same as a used motor home, we bit for the motor home and haven't looked back. We might down-size our motor home some day but I don't think I'd ever change to a trailer.

[manholt]

I'm at the Miss/AL border in a campground. Since I'm going to Perry, I have full tank of water and empty black/grey tanks. It was raining on/off when I got into space, so I waited until a lull in weather, with gen on, jacks down, slides out and a glass of wine in hand...about 20 min. then went out and connected elect and water. A 5th wheel came in next to me, Montana with 6 elect. jacks. Then it started raining again....I was having a steak dinner, by the time they where set up and he was soaked to the bone and the DW kept yelling at him to hurry up....they do that some times!! He had to be on elect. to operate jacks from outside!

An hour ago, he started rigging down and just now pulled out ! It has not rained since 7pm last night. He had one pass thru storage in front and a storage area by front door....about half what I have and he's got a 40'.

Case closed !

Carl

[RodgerS]

I'm at my home in NorCal. I have continuous flow water and a never dump black/grey toilet..just flush it. It was raining on/off when I got into my space about 20 years ago. No setup or tear down since...about 0 min a day. Never have to go out and connect elect and water. Flush my black and gray stuff by turning a handle located on the toilet. Too much storage and too much stored.

A neighbor came to me with a bottle of wine pointed up, took a second to pour some into my glass. Then it started raining again....I was having a steak dinner without any time lost for set up and the squirrels were soaked to the bone and my wife was gently encouraging me to cuddle up....they do that some times!! Neither she nor I needs to be on elect. to operate any jacks from outside!

An hour ago, I was waking up and just now pulled out of bed! It has not rained since 7pm last night. I had one pass thru from one side of the bed to the other, about half what my wife has and she's got a bigger pillow.

My Mercedes is nice and dry in the garage. May take a few second to put the top down if the sun comes out. Has a very gentle ride.

Have air tickets to France.

Case closed, though I'm not sure what my point is !

Edit note: just saw that the RV Business mag is showcasing the 2016 Keystone Montana 3820 FK 5th Wheel as the RV of the year. Hmmm....how can they ignore the truck part? Now a matching 5th and truck would make more sense. Maybe it would be wise to pro-rate the cost of the truck between the RV and the daily driver...that would be a step in the right direction! Of course a semi hauler would not be pro-rated with part to the daily driver if one matched a semi hauler up with the 5th.

[manholt]

RogerS.

I do believe that your point is that your happiest at home! Some folks are and some not so much! I also, believe that your happiest in a car/hotel and flying off somewhere when traveling. Noting wrong with that either, a lot of us other people fly or cruise or both to different lands! That seems to be the only thing you and I, can't speak for others, have in common!

Enough said.

Carl

[wayne77590]

Oh gosh! I have been so remiss in replying to this forum. Okay, I'm not going to start a long dissertation now - it seems there are a lot of varying thoughts about the pro and con's between 5th wheel RV'ing and MH's.

There have been some very good "arguments" regarding both. it just comes down to a matter of individual choice. The subject is definitely one that could be discussed around a campfire grill one evening.

One more thought; DW's idea of roughing it is not having a Walmart nearby. (Nope, we don't Wally-camp, she just likes her shopping.)

[RodgerS]

Well Carl, you are somewhat right that:

1) I'm very happy and don't feel the need to run out and buy anything just yet. No need to escape or make it happen.

2) I certainly won't sell my home and go full-time. Not interested in the least. Part of why I'm reluctant to buy anything 40 ft for two people.

2a) As I mentioned, I am going to Kentucky and France this year among other places.

2b) I have traveled to about 25 different countries, so I'm pretty comfortable the world over. You could say, that doing that much traveling affects my desire to limit my traveling to one continent. Also why I'm reluctant to buy any RV just yet.

3) As to the class of RV, I like all the classes. One thing for sure, I have no plans on buying from a dealership or relying on service technicians to fix the "house" part of the RV for me. I will buy from a private owner and do any upgrades and fixing myself, if I go that direction.

3a)Susan is looking forward to learning to drive a Class A in Kentucky at RVSEF.

3a) My guess is that we will probably do a series of one week rentals. A class B+, a class C, a class A gas, a class A diesel, and hopefully a 5th and matched truck. What I value the most is my own personal seat time, my wife's input, and more time on the road where wife and I can sort out our personal usability thoughts. I have no interest in owning any one of them just yet.

4) No, I'm not going to buy based on other's opinions of what works for them. But, I do take some of those thoughts into consideration.

5) Back to cooking school Monday, so I need to refocus on what I'm cooking for tomorrow - Easter.

Rodger

[hermanmullins]

Roger,

I have read many of your comments about RVs, Motor homes in particular. Is there a reason why your are so negative on almost everything written? I am sorry but it appears that you are an expert on something you know nothing about.

We here on the FMCA Forum are here to help other RV'ers, Motor Home owners in particular, with issues we have all experienced. So please, if you have nothing to add to aide a follow RV'er, please try another venue.

Please enjoy, cooking for your family, getting back to culinary school and May you and Yours Have A Happy Easter.

Herman

[RodgerS]

Herman,

I try to write in a very straightforward way. If you don't like my comments don't read them.

If I have an "expert" opinion you don't agree with, you can offer up your "expert" opinion.

================

On the other hand, you might want to consider being more pro-active.

Start requesting that the moderator delete comments of mine you don't like and/or that I be banned from the forum.

You can make this forum a "safe space" for yourself.

Note: you can also review each member's qualifications and decide which members are allowed to provide "qualified" opinions

and which members are not allowed to provide "qualified" opinions. That is how the judge does it in court! The judge then takes the qualified expert's opinions and weighs each opinion based on its relevance, experience of expert, technical knowledge/education of expert, and quality of research done by the expert. However, the judge also pays attention to the demeanor of the expert and how he holds up under cross examination by the opposing attorney, and sometimes the judge will step in and ask some questions too if the attorney is not doing a good enough job.

Rodger

[manholt]

Wayne,, Herman.

Totally agree with you!

Carl

[ispjs]

On ‎3‎/‎7‎/‎2016 at 8:21 AM, jleamont said:

We camp with friends that have a trailer. here are my observations:

1. When you arrive you have to exit to set up, in bad weather that can be a pain.
2. Set up and tear down usually takes at minimum an hour, us 10-15 minutes tops. And watching them is painful, I usually jump in to help, or cook their food, by the time I am done cooking they are just wrapping up.
3. When you arrive, the trailer is at ambient temps inside, cold or hot can be uncomfortable for some, while waiting for the systems to get the unit to your desired temp.
4. While in travel, you are at the mercy of using rest stops or gas stations for the rest room.
5. While in travel, stopping for a meal often cannot be cooked in the trailer without opening the slides, then most do not have generators if you need power, again you will be at ambient temps inside while this is all happening, chances are you will be done before the temps are comfortable. Our friends have to eat out on the road since its such a pain to use not set up.
6. The bucking and bouncing down the highway getting blown around gets old quick with a trailer.
7. One safety concern; when a trailer is set up you have no brakes to keep it secure in its spot, (unless it has air brakes) I watched one roll at a campground last year as it pushed the chocks along and the scissor locks between the wheels fell off.

I am sure here are downsides to motorhomes for some, if there is any they don't bother us. We often travel with friends with Trailers, these are the struggles I witness, and I have my first drink down, they are still setting up.

I know this is an extremely old post.  But I just couldn't resist responding since we did a few years full time traveling in a 39' fiver.

1.  You are correct, you have to get out and unhook.

2.  You are incorrect, unless your friends had 15 year old fiver.  Unhook, chock tires, press auto level button, done.

3.  You are correct.

4.  You are incorrect.  While a fiver needs a place to stop, most can use their own restroom while traveling.

5.  You are incorrect.  We can't cook without opening one slide on our MH.  Except for having air conditioning we use the frig in the fiver for lunch breaks just like our MH.

6.  Have towed my fiver through 45mph cross winds using 2 fingers on the steering wheel.  With my MH I would be sitting out those conditions.  

7.  The one you watched roll away must have been on a 10% grade covered in ice.  A 20,000 pound fiver sitting on landing legs with the tires chocked ain't moving my friend.

Maybe this poster was only making reference/comparison between TT (travel trailers and motorhomes) instead of comparing 5th wheels and motorhomes.   I can only speak to fivers from experience since I have never owned or camped in a travel trailer.  

[manholt]

This post is over 2 years old...The OP has a coach...Rodger S. has never owned any form of RV!  Draw your own conclusion !

[wildebill308]

Bringing Rodger up again made me smile. 

ISPJS, I have to ask "We can't cook without opening one slide on our MH." Why?

Bill 

[kaypsmith]

Bring Roger up, makes you Smile?

[rpelatt]

10 hours ago, manholt said:

This post is over 2 years old...The OP has a coach...Rodger S. has never owned any form of RV!  Draw your own conclusion !

Just curious...How did Rodger become a member if he has never owned a coach?

[lmsooter]

12 minutes ago, rpelatt said:

Just curious...How did Rodger become a member if he has never owned a coach?

You don’t have to own a coach to join the forum.  Just need one to join FMCA.

[manholt]

Kay, I feel your pain!

Can't cook?  I can cook with all slide's in, not the ideal situation, but I will have dinner!  

[ispjs]

11 hours ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

Bringing Rodger up again made me smile. 

ISPJS, I have to ask "We can't cook without opening one slide on our MH." Why?

Bill 

Kitchen slide comes in against kitchen island, thus blocking stove/oven/microwave.  Can get to frig but that is it.  We had the same situation on our fiver.  So "Roger" never had an RV but had a bunch of opinions?  

[wildebill308]

2 hours ago, ISPJS said:

Kitchen slide comes in against kitchen island, thus blocking stove/oven/microwave.  Can get to frig but that is it.  We had the same situation on our fiver.  So "Roger" never had an RV but had a bunch of opinions?  

I am spoiled. I can get to everything but the storage at the foot of the bed with the slides in. I advocate looking at any coach you are going to buy with the slides in. I like the fact I can use my coach with the slides in it is like some of the non slide coaches.

Rodger was special.

Please put your coach in your signature. It will help you to get better answers.

Bill 

[ispjs]

20 hours ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

I am spoiled. I can get to everything but the storage at the foot of the bed with the slides in. I advocate looking at any coach you are going to buy with the slides in. I like the fact I can use my coach with the slides in it is like some of the non slide coaches.

Rodger was special.

Please put your coach in your signature. It will help you to get better answers.

Bill 

I'm not seeing any information on coaches in folks signatures.  I see comments like "I travel part time" or "I travel with pets" in signatures, but not much else except locations.  Maybe I don't have something turned on in settings.

[blakeloke]

ISPJS,

You can enable signature view in "settings" - upper right.  Click on your screen name and navigate to settings.

Hope that helps.

Blake

[ispjs]

Thanks Blake, got it now.  Took me a new minutes and another cup of coffee but I figured it out.

[manholt]

I got your info 4 x 4!