We are coming from a 2007 Mandalay Diesel Pusher that was 42 feet long and pulled a Chev. Avalanch behind it. I am curious if any of you that went from a class A to fifth wheel have any regrets about the change. I did half the driving in the motor home and have never pulled a fifth wheel before or any kind of trailer for that matter. Is it harder to pull the fifth wheel then drive a class A. Thanks for your help. Gwen
We went from a motorhome towing a jeep to a fifth wheel and have never looked back.. DH did most of the driving with motorhome but I do half driving with fifth wheel but was on road pulling horse trailers for 30 yrs so was piece of cake for me on fifth wheel. I feel pulling fifth wheel was easier than motorhome..
We had 3 motor homes the last one was a 40 pusher, in fact we full-timed in it. After full timing we sold it, took us a year and lost a lot of $’s. We though we were out of RVing. After a year we miss it,so we bought a fiver because we didn’t want to take the big hit again. We are now on our second 5th wheel.
Our present fiver inside is as nice maybe even better as our MH and cost far less. We have more living space in a 34 fiver than our 40 footer, not as much storage.
I miss the HM the ride is better in a MH. We have added air bags on the truck, and air hitch plus a good pin, but still the ride was better before. Set up is about the same if you have the hydraulic leveling system on the trailer. Backing up a trailer takes some learning.
I miss our Class A, but for the money a good 5th wheel are great units.
2011 Cameo 34SB3
2014 Ford 350 King Ranch (on order), Trailer Saver BD3 Air Hitch, Mor/Ryde pin box, IS Suspension, Disk Brakes
Nights Camped in 2011 - 165
Nights Camped in 2012 - 142
Nights Camped in 2013 - 101
We did it 10 years ago and never looked back. You shouldn't notice much difference towing as you had a toad. Just watch your turns as you need to take wider turns, backing up will take some practice as a 5er takes getting use to, cant run to the refer or facilities when moving and will take a little longer to set up. But as you have driven a big class A should not be a problem. When you get it take it to a big vacant parking lot and practice some. Word of caution "DO NOT" try 90 degree turns as it may hit the cab (but check and see how far your can turn) and is hard on the tires/axles. Remember we all were new to 5th wheels at some time in our RV life and it came out OK.
Good Luck
2011 Arctic Fox 29-5T 5th Wheel
2011 Silverado HD 3500 6.6L Duramax Diesel Crew Cab
Short Bed 4X4 SRW LT
50gal Transfer Flow Aux. Tank
16K Valley Hitch w/bed saver
-My 38' fiver' is all trailer,i don't lose the first 8' to seats and a dash.
-If my Dodge Ram 3500 needs repair any Chrysler dealer will fix it instead of some over priced rv dealership.
-I get 17+ MPG pulling my 16.000 LB. trailer,i didn't come close to that with my A-class!
-No need for a toad or extra e-test or insurance or plates and yadda yadda.
-My rig handles like it's on rails in all conditions,being behind the wheel for 8 hours is no problem,after 5 hours driving my Mallard i needed a beer and a nap!
The negative side:
-Aside from having Frau Blücher sitting next to me (she does all the driving,i get to hold the steering wheel) there aren't any i can think of!
Red Green:
You ever see one of these? It's called a GPS,
which stands for - well, who cares? Point is,
this thing uses satellites to tell you where you
are, which means that every man can have a
five-hundred-dollar reason not to ask for
directions.
07' Dodge 3500 6 speed Cummins Diesel Dually/6.7L Bully-Chipped /
Exhst Brake/07' Cedar Creek 37CDTSD Daydreamer fiver
Mallard @ Frau Blücher
Red Green:
Now lets Bow your heads for the men's prayer.
I am a man, but I can change.
If I have to, I guess...
2 years ago did the same thing as you. My biggest mistake was not buying a fifth wheel with comparable features to the motorhome like a generator and automatic levelers. I purchased a second trailer to correct this, my present one.
I am actually more comfortable towing the trailer as I can back up to get out of any situation, where with the toad that was impossible. It is more stable on the road and the 400 horsepower in my truck beat the motorhome.
No regrets here.
I also went back to 5th wheels after a Class A DP MH. After seeing what the costs associated with the MH were and the insurance, it was a "no brainer" for me to go back. And if the 5th wheel needed some work I could do it. If the truck needs work you don't lose "your house" when it needs to be fixed. That doesn't cover the periodical expenses the MH required every year or so where CAT or Cummins killed you with the costs. And in actuality a 35 foot 5th wheel has 35 feet in it and does not lose the front living area to a driver's compartment. All in all, going back to a 5th made a lot of dollars sense ( pun intended ).
Frank
2011 Palomino Maverick 1000SLLB on a 2004 Dodge Quadcab CTD Ram3500 SRW long bed equipped with Timbren springs, Stable Load bump stops, Rickson 19.5" wheels/"G" range tires and a Helwig "Big Wig" rear anti sway bar.
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