marek
Ellicott city MD
Senior Member
Joined: 02/19/2004
View Profile
|
Thinking about selling the diesel pusher and buy a larger 5er. The coach is nice but its too much up keep for the few times a year we use it. Would like to hear from anyone who has done this and what kind of weight you are pulling and what you are pulling with. I have an 07 f 350 crew cab 4x4 w/ 6.0 diesel srw now and depending on the trailer we decide on might trade for the 450. I did a search but didnt come up with much.
|
donn0128
Pronounced Ore-gun
Senior Member
Joined: 04/21/2005
View Profile
 Online
|
Size really does matter OK, Now get your dirty mind out of the gutter. Depending on the size and quality of fiver you get will determine whether your existing truck will be capable or overloaded. Basically IMHO a SRW 1 ton anything is good for up to about 12,000 pounds GVWR Fiver. There will be lots of arguments about this so sit back and watch and then you can make a decision. The fiver will have way more room for a given length than a MH and upkeep and insurance will be way less too. My one and only foray into MH life was not the greatest experience overall. Don't get me wrong, If I was driving a lot then a MH is ideal, It allows people to get up and move around while driving down the road. But sitting without a toad is the pits. Best advise I can offer is to decide what type of RVing you like to do, lots of driving or getting to one place and parking the house while you explore the local area. Then you can start looking for the "ideal" RV that will fit your lifestyle.
Donn
|
RGordon
Atoka, TN
Senior Member
Joined: 02/17/2003
View Profile
 Offline
|
I went from a Class A Winnebago Adventurer 35 fter to a 40 foot fifth wheel. I chose a Mobile Suites along with a Ford F350 Dually with Tow Boss package so it could handle the 18,000 load. My decision to switch to a fiver was the upkeep cost and we didn't travel that much meant that it was foolish to continue to keep up another drivetrain, extra insurance. We snowbird for 5 months at a time and only needed a fiver for our use. It has so much room and is loaded to the gills with accessories and toys. You get lot more accessories than a motorhome would have for a lot less money, like 42" LCD TV's, fireplaces, hydraulic levelers, generator, etc. Best decision I have ever made.
Ron & Libby Gordon
07 Ford F350 Dually Tow Boss Diesel
07 Mobile Suites 38RL3 #3698
02 Winnebago Adventurer 35U V10 (Former RV)
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow
|
johncamtravel
Poughquag, NY
Full Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
After 5 motorhomes went to a 35Ft HR Alumascape Suite 5th wheel and
could not be happier. We made the switch a year and a half ago. The last motorhome was a HR Imperial diesel pusher. If I would have known that the fifth wheel handled this good I would have never went from a travel trailer to motorhomes.
Also I think we have the same truck as you do, we have the 2007 Ford F350 crew cab SRW 4 X 4 and I have weighed it loaded and we are just close to it's max but are still under a little with it's weight.
Towing the 5er with that truck is just great. It handles, I think
better in the wind and with passing trucks, much better the the
motorhome. There is also more room as the slides are larger. I also
like having the truck as my 2nd vehicle and it is much easier to get service for and I find it easier to deal with Ford than with truck garages. All maintenance and up keep is a lot cheaper, besides I get
10-12 MPG towing the 5er The motorhome got 7-8 MPG with towing the car behind. The other thing is the 5er is more simply built and easier to fix problems myself. So I think for us it was the right move. Hope this helps you. If you have any questions you can PM me.
John G.
|
bobmarieputt
Calabash,NC
New Member
Joined: 11/29/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
I did that 4 years ago. Had an Allegro Bus Diesel Pusher. Went to an F250 power stroke and a 34 foot 5th wheel. Life is now much simpler. The only time we drove the bus was on trips so if we had a malfunction or tire problem we were on the road. Maintenance much easier on the truck also, anyplace can change the oil. We drive the truck some times around home so I feel I am more on top of it than the bus. Set up is not as easy on the 5th wheel but since we only use it about 4 times a year that's ok. We only drive about 5 hours a day so no big deal. We have spent the winter in Florida in both the bus and the 5th wheel. 5th wheel seems roomier. Truck weighs 7200 lbs fiver 11400 lbs. We are happy we did it.
|
|
|
marek
Ellicott city MD
Senior Member
Joined: 02/19/2004
View Profile
|
Thanks for the great replys . We have looked at a few toy haulers and need to look some more.I think we are going to try to go to the big show in Hershey PA in a few weeks. You guys seem to reinforce what I have been thinking. We seem to spend more time cleaning and tinkering on the bus than we do using it and thats before you ever get to the depreciation. Trucks I can write off thru my business and I always keep them in warranty. If something goes out on my pick up its covered and fixed quickly. I wouldnt feel as bad letting a fifth wheel sit around till we had time to use it. Towing dosnt bother me nor does the extra set up and take down time. As the kids get older they need a bit more room too, and the toy hauler will give them thier own room in the back with 2 queen beds. Thanks again for the replies. Keep them coming.
|
tabraha
Pomaria, South Carolina
Full Member
Joined: 05/27/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
Also looking at fifth wheels you may want to look at bunkhouse options as opposed to toy haulers. (Unless obviously you have atv's/bikes etc...) There are quad slide 5'ers that can give kids their own bedroom and even half baths. That's the main reason I went with a 5'er over a class A this time around. The floorplans availabel really give more options for children. My family is just getting started and a Class A just can't give the floorplan options the 5'er platform can. (And like you I already owned a pretty good tow vehicle for work.)
2009 Bristol Bay by SunnyBrook 3420BH 36.5'L, 11.1k dry
2005 F350 Superduty 6.0 CrewCab, Longbed, DRW, 4" exhaust, SCT with custom tunes, triple Autometer gauges and pillar pod, Tow Command Package, 4.10 LSD rear
Nicknamed "Tiny"
|
sirdrakejr
Las Vegas, Nevada
Moderator
Joined: 11/18/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
Do a search in 5th wheels forum for "Class A" and you should get many more responses. Good luck.
Frank
RV.net blog
For those of you looking for expert advice, here ya go!
Frank
|
NorthernNeck,VA
Montross, Va.
Full Member
Joined: 03/10/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
My wife and I have a 36ft King of the Road and love it. My in-laws have a 45ft Marathon Prevost. We travel together all the time. I always had the Marathon as my dream rig when we retire UNTIL I see everything my father-in-law has to go through with his rig. Don't get me wrong the coach is wonderful it's just too much work for me. Just give me a 5er with 3 or 4 slides and I'm happy.
If your really looking for something you should go to the BIG RV show in Hershey, Pa next month.
Jimmy & Kathy
Northern Neck, VA.
2008 GMC
2005 King of the Road "Royal Villa" 34BW
|
Bill1374
Saratoga Springs, NY
Senior Member
Joined: 10/06/2000
View Profile
Offline
|
Just finished up that deal myself, going from a 38 foot Dutchstar to the 32 foot HH. While the motorhome is about the best there is on the road, our style of travel is more suited to a fifth so we went back. I do miss the scads of storage in the MH but by rearranging things, we found a place for just about everthing we wanted to take. I don't regret buying the MH, but I'm also just as happy with the fifth.
As far as weight, I'm just under 14K gross and the dually handles it fine. Had to move it once with a 3/4 and it was not a comfortable tow.
Bill
2000 Hitchhiker II Rio Grande
2000 Dodge 3500 dually Cummins 5 speed Edge EZ and guages
|
|
|
