Motorhome Or 5th Wheeler????

[Camshaft]

Hi All,
Am being drawn to 5th Wheelers against upgrading the bus. Anybody out there
got any ideas or thoughts on this topic??

 

[mariner]

Had a 5th wheeler a Celtic Rambler, and would not have another 5th wheeler. Too much hassle.

 

[Camshaft]

Ok. Thanks for input but I wonder why you found it too much hassle. Could it be that you
have a small motorhome and don't have the need to tow another vehicle for use when you are away?

 

[TheWM]

I think 5th wheels are awesome inventions.

When I was out in Canada had a good scout round them. TBH the UK ones look rubbish and overpriced in comparison, but they are made to be towed with a Navarra or similar.

My ideal would be a massive American v8 to tow along a U.S. built 5th wheel. Yeah there are some issues surrounding how much you can pull etc but not insurmountable.

I'll definitely be looking at 5th wheels in the future, the added bonus being you have a vehicle to go exploring towns with rather than a big MH. If you then use this car as your daily it all starts to look pretty cheap.

 

[Old Soldier]

I have a friend who has had a 5th wheeler for years. They love it. Use to be tuggers so they were use to all the packing up etc that goes with towing. They like to have the pickup for mobility and the fact that the van has pull out sides to give them extra space. They also have onboard water etc, including a half sized bath!
The downside is that they always need to check the smaller sites first to ensure 1, they can get in and 2 that they are welcome on those sites.
Not my cup of tea but horses for courses.

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[DiggerJon]

I spent eight very happy months in a fifth wheeler in Western USA and would have one like a shot BUT the UK has absolutely no provision for them with no full service point on every site, generally sites which are too small to take their length, narrow roads and towns and (I stand to be corrected here!) difficulties for continental touring for the same reasons. I'd love to be wrong but.........

 

[Cobweb]

Seen loads of great looking ones in the USA but very few in UK or Europe . I wonder if you would be allowed to stay in Aires or Stellplatzes if you have one ? Also if there are very few around how easy would it be to resell ?

 

[funflair]

I would see it more as a caravan, if I was changing from a motorhome to towing something i would look at traditional caravans as well as they must be more manoeuvrable when pitching on site as they can be fitted with a motor mover which allows them to be placed anywhere you want. The other advantage of caravan is that you have a proper car to run around in not a pickup, and somewhere for bikes etc if you have them.

 

[vwalan]

had my mini artic conversion 15 years now .fantastic bit of kit.
things to think about is ,dont go enormous . 7ft 6ins width is ideal . 24-26ft is as long as you need to go . before its a bit too big . try and stay below 3mtrs height.
there is advantage when 70 as a upto 3500kg gvw tow unit can have a big trainweight if you use the right tow unit . plus no medical as thats needed in the c1+e category and bigger.
as a car and caravan you get discounted rates on ferries .
this year being in the ferry club as well i payed 489 quid return to santander . cheaper than driving .
i carry up to 3 monkey/dax bikes in the trailer .
use the truck as my car .
its also my disability car.
fifth wheelers are much more maneuverable than a normal caravan or a long rigid .
but look around dont be in a hurry . there are some nice compact trailers out there.
i prefer a truck to a pick up. get a better view when traveling and have an enormous trainweight .
plus a seven seater vehicle as my car.

 

[Old Soldier]

Oh, another thing that my mate likes about his 5th wheel. He has somewhere to park the pushbikes, that's if his wife is not drying her smalls under the front bit!

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[vwalan]

i hardly ever use campsites , but have used a few.
never been kicked off an aire ,but do find truck stops very usefull .
mind last winter in a five and half month trip never actually un hooked .
used m,bike for running around in the sun .
used supermarket carparks no probs .

 

[Camshaft]

Thanks for all your replies and comments. All very helpful and some hilarious. Think I will look
at a Wildcat Trailer and Ford Ranger .....any more thoughts welcome!!

 

[vwalan]

just be wary and look at the pin weight .
particularly if looking at small pickups .
can they carry that weight and still have payload left over for driver and passengers .
still say dont go too big and better if no slide outs . they make it heavier.
the trouble most have had with 5ers is going too big and not thinking it out properly.
far better to get a flat fronted truck type tow unit . they have fasr better turning circle . make for shorter overall length. plus more manouverable .

 

[simsy56]

I have had my 5th wheel for three years now, a great bit of kit. We spent four and a half months touring Portugal and Spain, and never had any problems. One or two campsites I couldn't get on, and that was because of the entrances, not the pitches. Huge amounts of space, a vehicle to go touring, shopping, or a recce. You don't have any habitation noise when travelling, tows like a dream, no tail wag, reversing is easy, and easy to site. Large on board fresh water, and grey/black waste water tanks that are heated, oodles of storage. We have wild camped, been on aires, sites big and small, no problems. The truck runs on LPG so is relatively economical, and the power is awesome.

Craig

 

[vwalan]

this could make a nice one if you fancy a bit of work.
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[Daz n Tina]

Try and speak to snowbird, he is currently on his way back from beni in his 5th wheeler and then spending the summer in Norway. When he went to beni he had a rmb. Very knowledgeable man and should be able to give you some useful info.

 

[Landy lover]

We have had a 5th wheel since 2008 and life in it full time - stacks of room - easy to tow - great comfort. You can ( and we do ) tow with a crew cab so effectively a car to take 5 people. With a good sizes slide they are very spacious. We have just over 1.2 tonnes load capacity. We have only ever been refused at one site , warder not happy at 2 others and more than welcomed in 100's of others. We are 27ft long over all. Compare that with a Bailey Carolina including the tow bar at 26ft 8 inches !! Despite what many seem to think a lot easier to manoeuvre than a normal caravan.

My advice would be to stay under 30ft and max at 3.5 tonnes - don't forget that is the imposed weight on the axles - the weight on the pin is extra and should be up to 20% of the gross imposed on the axles