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Motorhome vs. 5th wheel?

1

11thHour

Senior member
What are the advantages/disadvantages of a motorhome vs. getting a 5th wheel?

A tow vehicle is of course needed for a 5th wheel, which we don't have, but could sell a car or two that we already have to get a functional pickup/suv.

I'm completely new to this market and have never seriously considered either before, so any insight and wisdom is appreciated.


/edit: full rv ---> motorhome
 
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When you reach your destination and set up camp with a 5th wheel, you don't have to pack things up to go out exploring as you do in a Class A/B/C motorhome. Of course you can tow a small vehicle behind your motorhome, but I do like the 5th wheel/travel trailers. A nice diesel dually can be used as a daily driver, but not a MH.
 
Well, one advantage of an RV is that your passengers can get up and move around while you're traveling.

Depending on the RV, fuel economy can be better.

Note that if yo go with an RV, you'll probably want to tow a smaller vehicle with you, as it's a pain in the ass to park one at a restaurant or move it every time you need groceries.
 
Would rather go with 5th wheel than full RV unless your living in the RV. At that point get yourself a bicycle/ATV for grocery runs.
 
How much RV/Camper are you looking at?

Our family use to have a 40ish foot RV w/ diesel that we towed a Jeep Liberty behind, worked fairly well.
 
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5th Wheel? You will need a F-250/350 or 2500/3500 series to tow with.

If you intend to travel a lot with a 5th wheel, you will chew a lot of gas.

You will use less gas with a motorhome (full RV as you say). Why less gas? You tow a fuel efficient vehicle behind you. All your exploring and running about is done at a far higher MPG. Parents discovered that after years of towing a trailer and then switching to a motorhome.

Question... Have you towed much and what size rig have you towed before? 5th wheel trailers with the right truck tow real nice but are still a handful. You can get into a far cheaper and easy to tow trailer by starting smaller with a traditional travel trailer and a 1/2 ton truck.

I tow a 30 foot Aerolite travel trailer with my F-150. Tows real nice.
 
I've had a few diesel trucks and 5th wheel trailers.
It depends on other variables, but I have no problem taking my pickup to work if the car is getting serviced, etc. I would not drive a class A motor home to work.
As to the "walking around while going down the road" argument, I have seen some spectacular motor home wrecks. One of the older school MH's was just shredded after leaving the road at high speed.
Advantages of the MH:
You can travel at car speed limits. This comes into play in several of the western states, where you must use truck speed limits when towing a trailer. In California it is 55.
Just pull over and turn around to make lunch.
One rig to back up and park. Easier to park.
More folks can ride in comfort in a motorhome.
Disadvantages: Costly to purchase, insure, operate. Costs just as much sitting in your driveway.
Unless you drag a "toad", not too convenient for exploring from an established location. you have to put everything away, pull up the outriggers, pack for travel just to go on a day adventure.
Pulling the "toad", you cannot back up any appreciable distance before it jacknifes. If you drive into a situation that you can't just wheel around in, you have to get out, disconnect the toad, turn the motor home and reconnect.
Advantages of the 5th wheel/truck:
You don't pay to insure the 5th wheel for liability. You can choose other coverages, but the tow vehicle's insurance is what applies to both when in motion.
The pickup has other utility as a second car, to haul other things, etc. The MH, not so much.
You can back up and turn around anywhere you are proficient to do so.
Once you set the trailer up in a site you are good to go exploring, shopping etc with the truck.
Disadvantages of the 5th wheel/truck combo:
It takes some proficiency to feel comfortable and enjoy traveling with one. MH's are pretty easy to jump into in comparison.
If you do bring a toad with the motorhome, it is usually an easier, smaller car to go exploring with. The big truck can be a bit cumbersome, especially if you opt for a "fat butt" dually. It is one reason I won't own a trailer big enough to require a dually.
 
Yuriman said:
Well, one advantage of an RV is that your passengers can get up and move around while you're traveling.
Click to expand...

That's very appealing, but also somewhat scary.

SithSolo1 said:
How much RV/Camper are you looking at?

Our family use to have a 40ish foot RV w/ diesel that we towed a Jeep Liberty behind, worked fairly well.
Click to expand...

30' would probably be perfect. 40' would be awesome, but we don't require that much comfort.

WackyDan said:
5th Wheel? You will need a F-250/350 or 2500/3500 series to tow with.

If you intend to travel a lot with a 5th wheel, you will chew a lot of gas.

You will use less gas with a motorhome (full RV as you say). Why less gas? You tow a fuel efficient vehicle behind you. All your exploring and running about is done at a far higher MPG. Parents discovered that after years of towing a trailer and then switching to a motorhome.

Question... Have you towed much and what size rig have you towed before? 5th wheel trailers with the right truck tow real nice but are still a handful. You can get into a far cheaper and easy to tow trailer by starting smaller with a traditional travel trailer and a 1/2 ton truck.

I tow a 30 foot Aerolite travel trailer with my F-150. Tows real nice.
Click to expand...

What makes your 30' Aerolite towable with your F-150 that makes you otherwise recommend F-250/350? Because it's name...it's lighter than most?

I've towed a small trailer in a small car, that's about it. I used to drive a 24' bobtail, but those are easy.

skyking said:
You can travel at car speed limits. This comes into play in several of the western states, where you must use truck speed limits when towing a trailer. In California it is 55.
Just pull over and turn around to make lunch.
One rig to back up and park. Easier to park.
More folks can ride in comfort in a motorhome.
Disadvantages: Costly to purchase, insure, operate. Costs just as much sitting in your driveway.
Unless you drag a "toad", not too convenient for exploring from an established location. you have to put everything away, pull up the outriggers, pack for travel just to go on a day adventure.
Pulling the "toad", you cannot back up any appreciable distance before it jacknifes. If you drive into a situation that you can't just wheel around in, you have to get out, disconnect the toad, turn the motor home and reconnect.
Advantages of the 5th wheel/truck:
You don't pay to insure the 5th wheel for liability. You can choose other coverages, but the tow vehicle's insurance is what applies to both when in motion.
The pickup has other utility as a second car, to haul other things, etc. The MH, not so much.
You can back up and turn around anywhere you are proficient to do so.
Once you set the trailer up in a site you are good to go exploring, shopping etc with the truck.
Disadvantages of the 5th wheel/truck combo:
It takes some proficiency to feel comfortable and enjoy traveling with one. MH's are pretty easy to jump into in comparison.
If you do bring a toad with the motorhome, it is usually an easier, smaller car to go exploring with. The big truck can be a bit cumbersome, especially if you opt for a "fat butt" dually. It is one reason I won't own a trailer big enough to require a dually.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback on both angles, much appreciated.

Some great points from everyone, thanks! Based on this so far, I'd lean towards a 5th wheel. The large MH sounds convenient and great, but honestly we would spend most of the time at an RV park hooked up somewhere, and although the gas cost might be more expensive, the overall cost savings sounds appealing.

Any other vehicles tow-worthy of a 5th wheel that are a closed-cab/suv-ish? We will likely want to bring the dogs (large) and need space inside for them while driving.
 
Assuming we are talking normalish money and you are looking at gas powered RV's I would go with a 5th wheel. Once you get set up you have the truck to run around in. With the RV you are kinda stuck or have to tow a car. Towing a car with a gas powered motorhome isn't going to be the best experience. A diesel truck will last a very very long time, so when you upgrade 5th wheels you can reuse the truck. With a motorhome you have a second drivetrain to maintain as well.

Just pay attention to what your buying. It's fairly easy to overbuy on 5th wheel size as they aren't that expensive compared to equal size length motorhomes. While it may technically be towable on a one ton truck they really need to be pulled with a F450/F550 or comparable truck. From the way you are talking it doesn't sound like this will be an issue but something to keep in mind.

11thHour said:
Any other vehicles tow-worthy of a 5th wheel that are a closed-cab/suv-ish? We will likely want to bring the dogs (large) and need space inside for them while driving.
Click to expand...

Other than crew cab truck you will be looking at something custom to get that.
 
11thHour said:
What makes your 30' Aerolite towable with your F-150 that makes you otherwise recommend F-250/350? Because it's name...it's lighter than most?

I've towed a small trailer in a small car, that's about it. I used to drive a 24' bobtail, but those are easy.
Click to expand...

My trailer is 30 foot tongue to tail. So the box/living space is 27 feet. It weighs 5400 pounds dry. Quite towable/bumper pull by a 1/2 ton truck. We go out once a month ten months out of the year... Not quite enough to validate a 250/2500, but if we were towing more often or a slightly longer/heavier trailer, I'd probably be better off with a 250/2500.

The reason you generally have to tow with a 3/4 or 1 ton truck is for two reasons...

1. If you want a crew cab as you suggest, you still need a long enough bed in order to tow a 5th wheel. I know some guys have gotten away with it on an F-150 with a 6.5 vs 5.5 bed, but it is real tight on the turns.

2. Weight. While there are some small 5th wheels, most are larger and heavier by design...that is the whole point of a 5th wheel. When you get into large trailers with that sort of weight, a 5th wheel setup just makes more sense to have that pin weight over the axle, which again, means a 3/4 ton or 1 ton for bed length.

As somebody else above mentioned... With a 5th wheel you are limited to the speed you go. In some states that means truck speeds as posted. Otherwise, you are limited to 65 MPH as trailer tires are only rated for 65MPH and any prolonged runs over 65 will compromise them.

A motorhome can exceed 65MPH as their tires are essentially truck tires and if you are towing a car behind you, those tires are also rated for normal car type speeds even while towing...

Personally, I generally don't exceed 65 not due to the trailer tire rating, but because of gas mileage and the level of safety. I can't tell you how many guys I've seen pulling at 70-75 MPH and swaying all over the place.
 
I think it depends on your goals when travelling. My goal was long cross country trips. I never really considered a trailer, and got a 30' class A motorhome. I love it. Traveling in your house is so very much different than travelling in a truck towing your house. We can sleep on a bed, go to the bathroom, make dinner, do basically anything when driving. Passengers who wont be driving can drink. That makes a huge difference compared to sitting in a pickup truck. We never towed a car, basically just traveled between campsites and places we wanted to visit.

But, if you intend to drive to a campsite which isn't too far, and then stay there other than day trips, then a trailer allows you to use a truck which can be used for other regular day to day travel.

I think a motor home may be cheaper in general than a comparable truck and trailer. A quality truck to tow retains its value pretty well, but motor home values plummet after a few years of ownership. But - in either case you can get what you want to fit your budget, either new or used.

In the future I may get a trailer, but only if I want to downsize to something for just me and my wife. If I wanted something 30' or bigger - I'll stick with an RV.
 
WackyDan said:
My trailer is 30 foot tongue to tail. So the box/living space is 27 feet. It weighs 5400 pounds dry. Quite towable/bumper pull by a 1/2 ton truck. We go out once a month ten months out of the year... Not quite enough to validate a 250/2500, but if we were towing more often or a slightly longer/heavier trailer, I'd probably be better off with a 250/2500.

The reason you generally have to tow with a 3/4 or 1 ton truck is for two reasons...

1. If you want a crew cab as you suggest, you still need a long enough bed in order to tow a 5th wheel. I know some guys have gotten away with it on an F-150 with a 6.5 vs 5.5 bed, but it is real tight on the turns.

2. Weight. While there are some small 5th wheels, most are larger and heavier by design...that is the whole point of a 5th wheel. When you get into large trailers with that sort of weight, a 5th wheel setup just makes more sense to have that pin weight over the axle, which again, means a 3/4 ton or 1 ton for bed length.

As somebody else above mentioned... With a 5th wheel you are limited to the speed you go. In some states that means truck speeds as posted. Otherwise, you are limited to 65 MPH as trailer tires are only rated for 65MPH and any prolonged runs over 65 will compromise them.

A motorhome can exceed 65MPH as their tires are essentially truck tires and if you are towing a car behind you, those tires are also rated for normal car type speeds even while towing...

Personally, I generally don't exceed 65 not due to the trailer tire rating, but because of gas mileage and the level of safety. I can't tell you how many guys I've seen pulling at 70-75 MPH and swaying all over the place.
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I have two dodge diesels, a '96 2500 long bed and an '07 3500 short bed.
I currently tow with the short bed truck and a slider hitch.
With the pullrite, I can't hit the cab of the truck until I get to the same place I would hit the cab on the long bed.
http://www.pullrite.com/products/traditional-series-superglide-short-bed-trucks
It is completely automatic in operation. As you turn, the hitch rides in a cam slot that moves the hitch 14" back.
The short bed truck has a much tighter turn radius, and the effect of sliding the hitch back makes the combination turn more like a bumper pull.
This is due to the pivot point moving 14" aft. I can put the trailer in tighter spots with the short bed combination. It is still not as maneuverable as a conventional trailer, but it is close.
They have models for 5.5 beds also.
 
skyking said:
I have two dodge diesels, a '96 2500 long bed and an '07 3500 short bed.
I currently tow with the short bed truck and a slider hitch.
With the pullrite, I can't hit the cab of the truck until I get to the same place I would hit the cab on the long bed.
http://www.pullrite.com/products/traditional-series-superglide-short-bed-trucks
It is completely automatic in operation. As you turn, the hitch rides in a cam slot that moves the hitch 14" back.
The short bed truck has a much tighter turn radius, and the effect of sliding the hitch back makes the combination turn more like a bumper pull.
This is due to the pivot point moving 14" aft. I can put the trailer in tighter spots with the short bed combination. It is still not as maneuverable as a conventional trailer, but it is close.
They have models for 5.5 beds also.
Click to expand...

Interesting... Aren't you still limited by the specific trailers overhang? I've seen some stubby ones and some long ones.
 
No, it is all about the width and most are 96".
My longbed pin point is 52" from the cab. No problem. all I need is half of that 96"
My shortbed is 36". Problem!
Even with my shortbed and slider, I can't get into some spots that you can with your pull trailer. Just a little twitch gets you started into a camping spot.
With the 5th wheel, you have to really move the truck over the opposite direction to get things started. In older campgrounds that puts me into trees on the other side, etc.
 
My recommendation is to get a nice SUV and stay in a hotel. You will save far more money that way. And you won't have the inconvenience of having to drive essentially a bus all the time.
 
Pacfanweb said:
My recommendation is to get a nice SUV and stay in a hotel. You will save far more money that way. And you won't have the inconvenience of having to drive essentially a bus all the time.
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This is kinda true. When I think of the thousands of dollars that my parents spent on trailers and camping equipment to go on some fairly miserable family vacations with us kids about two weeks a year, we could have probably stayed at four star hotels with room service.

What you REALLY need is a friend with a trailer. Ask them to let you borrow it for a weekend, and see if your family really likes camping.
 
What sort of trips do you plan on taking, and for what duration? All on highway to dedicated campgrounds, or would you do any exploring offroad?
 
ultimatebob said:
This is kinda true. When I think of the thousands of dollars that my parents spent on trailers and camping equipment to go on some fairly miserable family vacations with us kids about two weeks a year, we could have probably stayed at four star hotels with room service.

What you REALLY need is a friend with a trailer. Ask them to let you borrow it for a weekend, and see if your family really likes camping.
Click to expand...

Yep. Camping sucks. More power to those who claim to enjoy it, but camping sucks.

And it's just a huge hassle....you have to tow the trailer or drive a big-ass motor home. Either way, your ability to park and maneuver is crap. You can't just run out and get something if you need it. Both burn a hell of a lot more fuel and are much harder to drive and require more attention/maintenance than just driving the family car to a hotel and staying there. Think of the initial cost of a camper. Then something to pull it. Then maintenance on the tow vehicle and outfitting the camper. Or the cost of a motor home, and the maintenance on its big diesel. And not being able to just whip either rig into a parking lot and right back out, etc. You can have that.

Only way I can see where a camper trailer might be worthwhile is if you have one that you pull to the lake or the beach every spring and leave it there all summer and commute to and from on the weekends. Neat alternative to buying a real vacation home, but to pull one all over the country? Screw that.
 
Pacfanweb said:
Yep. Camping sucks. More power to those who claim to enjoy it, but camping sucks.

And it's just a huge hassle....you have to tow the trailer or drive a big-ass motor home. Either way, your ability to park and maneuver is crap. You can't just run out and get something if you need it. Both burn a hell of a lot more fuel and are much harder to drive and require more attention/maintenance than just driving the family car to a hotel and staying there. Think of the initial cost of a camper. Then something to pull it. Then maintenance on the tow vehicle and outfitting the camper. Or the cost of a motor home, and the maintenance on its big diesel. And not being able to just whip either rig into a parking lot and right back out, etc. You can have that.

Only way I can see where a camper trailer might be worthwhile is if you have one that you pull to the lake or the beach every spring and leave it there all summer and commute to and from on the weekends. Neat alternative to buying a real vacation home, but to pull one all over the country? Screw that.
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Perspective. We just towed the 3 hours north to Grayson Highlands, VA... Stayed for four days. We were a mile from many of the trail heads and hiked our asses off. In the old days I would have been in a tent in the same scenario, but the creature comforts are nice with an RV *If you can afford one. Staying in that park saved us a ton of time as there are no hotels nearby. NONE.

RV's can be expensive, maintenance prone nightmares. That said, if you use them enough and you are using them to get closer to the areas of the country you want to see for more than a day, an rv gets you closer to your destinations of choice.

I don't think you save a lot of money vs hotels as you are pulling a trailer, etc and chewing gas, but I will say we save a lot on meals. Still doesn't even out, but there is something about camping that is enjoyable to me still.
 
Interesting discussion so far. I told my wife that when I hit 50 (3 more years), I was pretty much done with the annual trip to the beach. we go mainly for the kids (age 11 and 9) but we have also done local camping trips staying at a nice cottage for around $225/night.

When I look at how much I'll need to invest in a V8 SUV (around 17k used - I'm after a 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hemi) and a gently used camper (would really like a 2008/9 Keystone Outback 23RS toy hauler for about 13k), I'm at 30k total. I could do a LOT of weekend rentals of a cabin for that 30k, and have no continual maintenance required with a trailer or toy hauler.

Still undecided on which way to go, but at least there are options to explore. Hershey RV show is this weekend, so I will be there checking out the newest campers. Hard to recommend buying new though, since they lose their value so quickly.
 
WT said:
Interesting discussion so far. I told my wife that when I hit 50 (3 more years), I was pretty much done with the annual trip to the beach. we go mainly for the kids (age 11 and 9) but we have also done local camping trips staying at a nice cottage for around $225/night.

When I look at how much I'll need to invest in a V8 SUV (around 17k used - I'm after a 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hemi) and a gently used camper (would really like a 2008/9 Keystone Outback 23RS toy hauler for about 13k), I'm at 30k total. I could do a LOT of weekend rentals of a cabin for that 30k, and have no continual maintenance required with a trailer or toy hauler.

Still undecided on which way to go, but at least there are options to explore. Hershey RV show is this weekend, so I will be there checking out the newest campers. Hard to recommend buying new though, since they lose their value so quickly.
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It is a kinda a lifestyle thing. We always camped growing up. We had a seasonal site in NY we left our camper at in the 70's and early 80's and we were there near full time over the summer. Lots of kids and stable neighbors that were also seasonal. We lived about an hour away.

We gave that up for a couple years or so and the parents got their first popup. We started exploring the entire eastern seaboard and mountains with two different popups but we made it a point to spend the major holiday weekends at this one campground we really ended up liking. I met my first love there and have two best friends from that whole experience.

As I got older I began to tent camp at 17 through my 20's. Always among friends and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Now in my mid-40's and on my second trailer. First one was a toy hauler we didn't use too much for toy hauling and it kinda sucked as a camper. This second one is full on camper and so far we are enjoying it.

I'd say camping for me has changed greatly with the introduction of have a four year old. It isn't the tenting and drinking and laughing around a campfire anymore. I do miss those days, but now it's an excuse to get away from the house, meet new people (You kinda have to be social to be a "camper"), and show my daughter some of the places I marveled at when I was young. I hope she meets and makes life long friends as I did over the years.

So I think it takes the right personality to go camping. Once you have all the gear it generally doesn't wear out and with a trailer/RV all you usually need to do is throw in some clothes and food then hook up and go! I can be camping on just a few hours notice. 🙂

FYI... Watching the meteor shower from Grayson Highlands the other week was marvelous. I walked 100 yards out into a field behind our camp site and I didn't have one bit of light polution.
 
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