Motorhome & Enclosed or 5th wheel and why?

RiverDave

RiverDave

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Wife looks at me the other day and says you think we should get a fifth wheel? 😳

Other than a little bumper pull 21’ fleetwood nitrous I have never owned a tow behind rv..

I asked her what prompted this question and she liked the newer nicer interiors in some of our friends trailers compared to our motorhome..

I reminded her that we do a 2500-3000 mile rv trip once a year and we would all be in the truck while driving.. lol.

But it did get me thinking about the kids and how they kinda make a less in the motorhome when we are camping etc.. so this morning I found myself looking at trailers like a nomad or a work n play that I could tow behind the motorhome so they’d have their own space?

What do you run / prefer and why?

Current setup

IMG_8588.jpeg
 
Never had a motorhome but bumper pull and 5th wheels.

Toyhauler and truck leave you an option for just a truck drive to town for emergencies. Truck also has 4wd and can get to rougher spots somewhat. Toyhaulers typically have larger water and waste tanks. Also the toyhaulers seem to have more room inside than most mororhomes I have been inside. We leave out double beds up in the back and installed a desk and two monitors for the wife to work remote easily.

I also pull doubles which keeps the toyhauler cleaner and mom putting things away to travel. It seemed like in the past every time I was loading my other trailers it was windy or wet and the inside of the trailer would get destroyed quickly.

IMG_7528.jpeg
 
When we had small kids the 5th wheel was the better set up because of room. It was nice to have a truck if you needed to go somewhere. We tried both ways and the RV with kids was a pain trying to keep it organized & having to make beds then turn them back to functioning furniture. It sucked on the late night arrivals when you had to get everyone up and unload before you can go to bed.

There is nothing better than pulling up in the RV, hitting a few buttons and being good to go. I ended up having an enclosed built to pull behind the RV with a bed, heater, A/C, sink and toilet for when our grown kids want to come along. It also comes in handy for any quick trips where I don't want to take the RV.
 
I've always liked my truck/trailer combo.

When I get somewhere, especially like to Idaho, Oregon and places far away, I can drop the trailer and go explore.

Also the cost on maintenance is exponentially different! The trailer gets tires every five years, brakes every ten years, and batteries every four to six years. No oil changes, transmission service, smog inspections, etc...

Do I have to do all that on my truck? Of course I do. But I get WAY more use out of my truck, than I do my trailer.

Let's face it...

Any RV spends the majority of time doing nothing. My truck is almost Always doing something.

The option to explore, has always outweighed the convince option for me.
 
I find driving the motorhome more enjoyable then when I had a truck and toyhauler.

The new 5th wheel toyhaulers are nice, but I do not miss shuffling things around to get unloaded when you arrive or trying to load you toys when it is windy or raining.
 
RiverDave said:
Wife looks at me the other day and says you think we should get a fifth wheel? 😳

Other than a little bumper pull 21’ fleetwood nitrous I have never owned a tow behind rv..

I asked her what prompted this question and she liked the newer nicer interiors in some of our friends trailers compared to our motorhome..

I reminded her that we do a 2500-3000 mile rv trip once a year and we would all be in the truck while driving.. lol.

But it did get me thinking about the kids and how they kinda make a less in the motorhome when we are camping etc.. so this morning I found myself looking at trailers like a nomad or a work n play that I could tow behind the motorhome so they’d have their own space?

What do you run / prefer and why?

Current setup

View attachment 134533
Click to expand...

You have the most ideal, most comfortable....but pricey set-up.

Send the kids to boarding / military school. They seem to be the only problem here.

 
All the reasons above are valid. I have had both.

I currently have Moho/Enclosed, the one huge advantage to me is having your own garage(enclosed). I love the fact all my tools, parts and such have a home. I also load up the night before going home, so the next morning is a cup of coffee and pull the slides in and I am on my way. Where my friends with Toy Haulers are loading up for hour or more.

One of the reasons I switch to a Moho was I no longer needed a 3/4 ton truck or bigger, only used it for towing the toy hauler, so it sat as much as my Moho.

The simplicity of a Toy Haulers is hard to beat for sure.
 
With a 5th wheel you realistically need something 35 ft or longer to have room for a buggy - the issue is that trying to go camping at the beach, random campgrounds, etc., gets challenging with a large 5th wheel. I switched from a 40ft 5th wheel and a dually to a 30t motorhome and a 24-foot aluminum trailer so I could go beach camping with a buddy...But, then realized that chit is boring as fuk.

I miss the big space of my 5th wheel, but I'm also hauling a buggy and Canam (soon to be 2 buggies) in the enclosed...I wouldn't be able to do that in a 5th wheel - easily at least.
 
wesinls said:
With a 5th wheel you realistically need something 35 ft or longer to have room for a buggy - the issue is that trying to go camping at the beach, random campgrounds, etc., gets challenging with a large 5th wheel. I switched from a 40ft 5th wheel and a dually to a 30t motorhome and a 24-foot aluminum trailer so I could go beach camping with a buddy...But, then realized that chit is boring as fuk.

I miss the big space of my 5th wheel, but I'm also hauling a buggy and Canam (soon to be 2 buggies) in the enclosed...I wouldn't be able to do that in a 5th wheel - easily at least.
Click to expand...

Great point about camping in camp grounds.

You need to get up to Oregon Dunes. Beach camping and duning, all in one spot. 👍🏼
 
Chevy. Ford. Dodge argument.

I've had both (or all 3 - Pull behind, 5th and now moho)

Hate that my moho sits but I like it more for the wife and I, though mine is squirrely to drive - 32' w/a 17' wb. It handles better when towing.
 
When the kids were young, the 5th wheel worked great. Only downfall is the lack of storage in the 5th wheel. We had to load the toys then pack all the camp chit around them. The MH has much more storage and depending on the model, can have as much or more tank capacity as a trailer.
 
Moho and enclosed trailer here. Easy decision for me as it is really my only option. Can't fit all the toys in a toy hauler so have to be able to pull a larger trailer. All my family members want to be driver's not passengers of toys. Plus I like having the Moho as I don't ever have to stop unless I have to use the bathroom.
 
WOW just about everything is covered above. I started with a truck and 5vr 33ft, now have a moho 34ft and box trailer 24ft
I still would prefer the truck and 5vr, most of the time.

Truck and Trailer pro/cons
Truck - daily use and typical maintenance. tires, oil, etc...
Truck - available to go somewhere when camped
Truck - registration and insurance
Truck - wife meh about riding in it
Trailer - tires and battery maintenance
Trailer - less storage and no free space for junk/parts
Trailer - larger holding tanks
Trailer - less insulated, dust being the largest issue
Trailer - less registration and insurance, then MoHo
Trailer - fuel station

MoHo and box trailer
Truck now sits, since I have a work vehicle, but still have - daily use and typical maintenance. tires, oil, etc...
Truck - registration and insurance
MoHo - sits more often then used and - typical maintenance. tires, oil, etc...
MoHo - registration and insurance
MoHo - has better and more outside storage
MoHo - wife loves to ride in it
MoHo - easier to setup then 5vr once at camp, and then I go outside and deal with box trailer
MoHo - go on other types of vacations to parks (oops no car, nevermind.....), get a hotel and drive the truck
MoHo and Trailer - getting fuel sucks and I'm only 63ft total length, but finding a "gas" station I can maneuver thru sucks
Trailer - tires and battery maintenance
Trailer - insurance
Trailer - gets used as a dining/gathering room when weather sucks
Trailer - stores all the loose free space junk, tools, parts, etc...
Trailer - extra security and get toys out of weather at night
Trailer - fuel station and water station

No trailer, 5vr, MoHo is the same so not one thing is relative to another, whos done it different with something different.
I started with a 06 Dodge 2500 and 33ft Warrior 5vr, then 2002 V10 motorhome and hated it, now I have a 2004 workhorse chevy and it's 1000% better but I'd still go back to a truck and trailer.
 
Only thing I didn’t see listed is parking at the dunes when you’re not in the washes or a tight spot. Is easier with a truck and fifth wheel to squeeze it in somewhere (especially with 4wd) and then unhook truck out of the way. Motorhome and trailer have to have a long runway and easier to get stuck.
 
I could not go back to a toy hauler, 5th wheel. I love having the bus ready to go with all our stuff in it. Kids, wife, dog, friends etc, can all relax, make cocktails, food, restroom, sleep whatever while I drive. Some times I even have her slip in and drive so I can use the restroom and stretch all without having to stop.

When the time comes to kick the kids out I will add a mini split to the box trailer and some foam sleeping pads like the house boat has to sleep on the top deck. Having a big sand car pretty much eliminates owing a 5th wheel if you want to bring quads or anything else.

The tank capacity thing really does not apply because I can just add tanks as needed into the enclosed. The big tag axel coaches already hold a ton of water, and fluid anyways.
 
Did the TH thing for a long time and always wanted the moho box combo. I have that now with no regrets.
 
I've gone full circle twice, currently in a DP with an enclosed. Was recently considering going back to a trailer bot not many new fifth wheels 35' and under will fit our turbo r 4. It seems as if the larger ones seem to be having frame issues, lippert and the trailer mfgs point fingers at each other. Id consider an ATC or Brinkley but don't want to drop 6 figures on a toy trailer. Your rig looks sweet, id sit tight (y)
 
I kinda liked the 5th wheel better when I had that for the desert. Was never really afraid of getting stuck within reason of course(4x4 dually). The Motorhome is way better for everything else though.
 
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